Larceny is the new community outreach

Once again we are taught an important civics lesson by Chicago politicians. On October 4, 2010 authorities arrested Carla Oglesby, a top aide to Cook County Board President Todd Stroger as part of a probe into whether contracts were steered to the aide's company and her associates. The full story can be found at this link:

http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2010/10/top-stroger-aide-carla-oglesby-arrested-in-contract-probe-.html

Here are the highlights:

Oglesby, a one-time promoter of sports stars and hip-hop artists, was the spokeswoman for Stroger's failed Democratic primary re-election campaign. Stroger briefly suspended Oglesby earlier this year from her $120,000-a-year county job after reports that she authorized a $24,975 contract to her public relations firm, CGC Communications, to inform suburban residents about federal flood relief grants.

Later, it came out that Oglesby sought approval to spend nearly $150,000 on census outreach contracts. The deals were given to people recommended by Oglesby and Eugene Mullins, Stroger's spokesman and boyhood friend.

The civics lesson I have learned from this episode and countless others from the past is that the corruption never ends.  If you do not live in Cook County Illinois you may be consoling yourself in your belief that this type of behavior does not happen where you live.  You are wrong.  This type of behavior happens everywhere.  To decontaminate the political cesspool we must vote out the incumbents.