-By Warner Todd Huston
Another one of Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s top aides was arrested for a money laundering scheme on Monday, Oct. 4.
Stroger aide Carla Oglesby is accused of funneling a county no-bid contract to her own privately held public relations firm. The $24,975 contract falls under the “24-9” rule where contracts under $25,000 can be awarded without the County Board’s specific approval.
Oglesby served as Stroger’s chief spokesman during his failed primary bid for reelection.
The contract was first reported by the SunTimes last April at which time President Stroger suspended Oglesby for a week. The story prompted federal authorities to begin an investigation.
At the time Oglesby denied she steered the contract to her own firm, but the Times found paperwork showing that she had signed the contracts over to herself.
This is typical of the cash machine for friends and family that Todd Stroger turned his stint as Cook County Board President into. From handing out contracts to pals and giving all sorts of county jobs to family members, Stroger has been particularly corrupt in office.
The county board has since changed it rule on the under $25,000 contracts.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, AmericanDaily.com, among many, many others. Mr. Huston is also endlessly amused that one of his articles formed the basis of an article in Germany’s Der Spiegel Magazine in 2008.
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