Project Shield and Cook County - Here's The Grant; Where's the Money

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." Self-audit by Irish soccer genius the late George Best


“When you waste Homeland Security money you are less safe,” Congressman Mike Quigley (D) IL. and Former Cook County Commissioner

Ahhhh! The indefinite pronoun You. An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun that refers to one or more unspecified beings, objects, or places. You can mean anyone -even me.

Thus, let's talk about my part in this sordid affair - When I waste Homeland Security money, I am less safe.

I never get my hands on Homeland Security money; I am safe. I am safe because I never waste Homeland Security money. I believe that Senator Marque Kirgue ( R) IL and Congressman Mike "Too Tall" Quigley are on to something ( indefinite pronoun).

Here is the thing, Mike Quigley was a Cook Commissioner through the tenure of Stroger Pere and most of the tenure of Stroger Fil and he made life a bed of nails for both. Nothing got cleaned up, whatever that means, in Cook County government and nothing changed, but the gender and the shoes of the Cook County Board President. During those years of Quigley capers and cavorts, the diminutive plunger tweaked Sheriffs and County Employees and TIFS and managed to get appointed to Congress. Also, during those years, Wee Mike was custodian for the millions of dollars granted to Project Shield - a high tech communications relay for Cook County municipalities and Emergency First Providers - cops, firefighters and EMTs.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle pulled the plug on Project Shield* a few weeks ago.

Wee Mike was with Cook County Board and Kirque was in Congress.

They now are shaking jowls and thundering to the media, "What Happened? Where's the Money

These two lads just dandy little public piglets -Marque and Mike, but that's just me.

Me, I am a simple, quiet, pious man who loves his country and so I read and think about what I have read in order to raise a question or an eyebrow or two about people like Mike and Marque who fervently believe that we citizens are huge dopes. I know that I can be a dope; after all I voted for former Governor Pat Quinn. Early this beautiful January morning I decided to read the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) response to Marque and Mike.

On Page three of the DHS document is a Table -Table 1. of grants to Cook County FY 2003-2009

Table 1. UASI Grant Awards to Cook County, FYs 2003–2009
Project Shield
Total UASI Award UASI Funding UASI Funds Expended

2003 $12,848,927 $12, 399,292 $12,496,924
2004 $16,110,715 $11,303,495 $ 9,730,379
2005 $22,465,000 $15,836,810 $13,867,261
2006 $13,065,000 $5,210,254 $ 3,609,212
2007 $16,548,000 $3,000,000 $ 2,367,876
2008 $15,904,525 $5,331,425 $ 3,567,144
2009 $15,225,309 $5,622,756 $ 0

Total $112,167,476 $58,704, 032 $ 45,638,796
Source: Office of Inspector General (OIG) Analysis of FE

Okay - between 2003-2009 Cook County got between grants and funding a total in the amount of $ 179,871,508, or there abouts and expended $ 45, 638,796 which might leave a husky $125, 232,712. So, if EXPENDED means spent, out of the wallet, somewhere other than here, that must mean that there is a whole pile of DHS grant money somewhere. Don't it?

I gotta believe that the two sinister columns are the funds readily avaiable for use, or looting and that the dexter EXPENDED column represents what actually was used or looted.

Holy David Corzine!!!!

I read this passage again , after I read the conclusion drawn by the audit -

In a letter to the DHS Inspector General, Representative
Mike Quigley and Senator Mark Steven Kirk expressed concerns
about the vehicle used by the President of the Cook County Board
of Commissioners being equipped with Project Shield equipment.
They were concerned that these funds should be used for
emergency responders, not for executive transport.
According to Cook County personnel, Homeland Security funds
were used to retrofit the vehicle with communication equipment.
The rationale for installing this equipment was that the President of
the Cook County Board of Commissioners needed access to
current information to make real-time decisions during emergency
events in the county. We found no specific grant guidance that
would disallow this cost.

Also this tidbit -

Of the 128 municipalities in Cook County, we found that:
• 32 never had equipment,
• 9 left the program after participating in the project, and
• 87 have Project Shield equipment, of which 71 have
vehicle video systems.

We visited 15 municipalities, which included 14 police departments
and 4 fire departments, and found numerous problems, including
equipment malfunctions, unused equipment, and uncertainty on
how to operate the equipment. We could not determine the exact
cause of the equipment problems but noted that many users of the
Project Shield vehicles did not have the necessary training on the
equipment.

The results of our 15 visits identified the following:
• 4 of 15 municipalities returned all of their Project Shield
vehicle equipment,
• 10 of 15 municipalities complained about either a lack of
training or the quality of training provided,
• 7 of 11 municipalities with equipment complained about
current service, and Homeland Security Grant Program Funds Awarded for Project Shield
• 4 of 11 municipalities with equipment were unable to or
unsure how to transmit video from the vehicle to the
command center.
Discussions with police personnel revealed that their primary
interest was to record and obtain video for criminal evidence.
They were uncertain whether they could transmit live video to a
monitoring station, allowing an emergency event to be managed
from a remote location.
We also analyzed trouble tickets (a reporting tool used to track
equipment issues) for the last 3 months of calendar year 2010, and
found that 62 municipalities submitted 122 trouble tickets for
equipment malfunctions, such as the inability to access database
records in the vehicle.

Now the auditors' Conclusion -

Conclusion
FEMA, the State of Illinois, the Urban Area Working Group, and
Cook County did not ensure the effective implementation of
Project Shield. The lack of planning was evidenced by faulty
equipment, questionable locations for the equipment, and inability
to integrate with existing communication equipment. The mobile
video systems were not adequately tested to ensure that they could
be operated effectively during an emergency. Project Shield
expenditures were not adequately authorized, supported, and
verified. The weaknesses can be attributed to Cook County’s
inadequate management of the project, as well as the ineffective
monitoring by FEMA and the State of Illinois.

( emphasis my own)

The Auditors did not use any indefinite pronoun and they used the past tense COOK COUNTY DID NOT ENSURE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT SHIELD. Mike Quigley was, if I recall, Cook County Commissioner watching every penny from 1998 -2009.
Senator Marque Kirque was . . .well, Rep. Marque Kirque. That was then; this is now?

The lads will employ them indfinte pronouns and this head-scratcher will go largely ignore . . .saving the House of Pain soon to visit Stroger Fil.

Someone will say " You mean Me, too?"

*

Project Shield was previously conceived by Cook County officials and begun in 2004. The objective of the project was to provide situational awareness through audio, video and data communications from police squad cars back to their department headquarters, as well as to the County and to deploy fixed site-cameras at various locations.

Toni Preckwinkle' office June 30, 2011

Quigley was first elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1998. During his tenure he has gained a reputation as a reformer as he opposed tax hikes supported by Cook County Board President John Stroger, and later his son and successor Todd Stroger. He contended the county could operate more efficiently and he presented reports to support the position. Quigley also challenged the practice of finding jobs for Democratic officials with the Cook County Forest Preserve District

Tom Dart Should be County Board President - Why He Would Want It?

Sheriff Tom Dart is the best qualified person to be President of of Cook County Board. Tom Dart is a brilliant young man and a good guy to the bargain. He is collegial, tough, courteous but no push-over.

Like Speaker Madigan, and any true public servant, Tom Dart plays things close to the vest.

Tom Dart has slowly climbed the Chicago political gradus and has developed the skills to allow him to be effective.

Tom Dart was President Obama's roommate and colleague in Springfield while working to reform the looming pay-day-loan catastrophe that is now Tsunami'd into a National Storm of Debt. Dart's Bi-Partisan efforts were smothered by political self-interests. The Zip-code was declared Racist by Rev. Jess Jackson and the hand -wringers went along on the disaster train. Tom Dart warned of this impending crisis ten years ago.

Tom Dart is Cook County Sheriff - the most thankless and ugly job on the planet.

However, the source of the sewer is the Cook County Board. A Sheriff is needed so the next Sheriff can avoid having the same clowns who killed phony pay-day-loan legislation undermine that job.

Tom Dart's predecessor had these clowns and their lawyers, and think tanks and journalist stooges bed-bugging his efforts to improve Cook County Law Enforcement twenty-four hours a day.

I love Paul Vallas, but he gave the job a duck. God Bless Him! Forrest Claypool passed on it. Forrest will be fine. He's always fine. Toni Preckwinkle could not find a Chinaman on 22nd Street, but so wants to sit in Todd's Chair. Todd Stoger . . .ah, Jaysus, the poor thing.

Cook County could use someone who took the time to learn how to lead. That is Tom Dart. Tom Dart could fix the Cook County Mess. There will still be greedy, back-stabbing oppotunists buzzing around him, like President Obama's Late Mr. Fly, but the skilled, honest and professional Mr. Dart can handle them - and PETA as well.

Dart began his career in public service as an Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney, where he prosecuted hundreds of felony crimes during his five years with the office. As part of his duties he was assigned to prosecute crimes in the South Suburbs, where he helped initiate a massive investigation of corruption in the town of Ford Height’s Police Department, leading to the indictment of the chief and several of the towns police officers. Coincidentally in 2008, Sheriff Dart’s took over police protection in Ford Heights because of ongoing problems with the town’s police department.

By 1991, Dart had moved to the Illinois General Assembly when he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the State Senate. The next year, he ran for elected office for the first time and won a seat in the Illinois House, representing a diverse district on Chicago’s South Side that included communities like Roseland, Pullman, Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, Calumet Park, and portions of Blue Island.In Springfield, Dart quickly developed a reputation as a reform minded legislator who was willing to take on the state bureaucracy.

He served as chief sponsor of more than a dozen new child welfare laws that helped restructure the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. And, as an indication of things to come, Dart turned his attention to matters related to law enforcement. As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he sponsored Mayor Daley’s Safe Neighborhood Act and authored several state laws designed to crackdown on child sex offenders, including a statute that targeted child predators who use the Internet to lure young victims. He also wrote the Sexually Violent Predators Commitment Act, a groundbreaking law that enable judges to deny freedom to sexual predators and detain them in state mental health facilities if they were deemed likely to commit new sex crimes after being released from prison.

Dart received dozens of honors for his work in the legislature, including the Illinois State Bar Association’s President’s Commendation and “Legislator of the Year Awards” from several groups, including the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the Illinois State Crime Commission, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Chicago Sun Times columnist Steve Neal referred to Dart as an “impact player” during his decade of service in the Illinois House.

Dart left the legislature in 2003 after an unsuccessful campaign for Illinois State Treasurer and was appointed to serve as Chief of Staff Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan. In 2006 Dart was elected to a four-year term as the new Sheriff of Cook County after Sheahan retired.

As Sheriff, Dart has enacted a variety of new policy initiatives. Among the many changes are an institution of psychological testing for entry level recruits, installing new technology in the Cook County Jail and court facilities throughout Cook County, and the creation of a weapons free committee to target the widespread use of homemade knives and shanks in the jail.
Under Dart’s directive, the Sheriff’s Police have initiated a variety of stings, crackdowns, and investigations of criminal activity. He has been in the forefront in breaking up dog fighting rings and presided over the arrests of prostitution rings that use the internet as their advertising arm.

Dart holds a J.D. from Loyola University and a Bachelor’s Degree in History and General Social Studies from Providence College. He and his wife Patricia reside in Chicago and are the proud parents of four children.

The People Who Get into Public Service - John Daley Showed the Way and So Did Forrest Claypool!

Conclusion: We can all whine about Stroger and the board and taxes until our skin is wrinkled and we're ready for diapers and the old folks home.

If you don't like the direction of your government, run for office and change it. K. McQueary

Kristen McQueary in today's (click my post title) Southtown Star gives a blunt summary to all the beefing about our political Straw-Persons in public life, be it Blago, Burris, or Todd Stoger.

Doing something for other people, whether you are a nurse, cop, firefighter, teacher, priest, rabbi, soldier, or government official puts a target on your back. Hell, you get the same troubles in the private sector, but public service folks get the infamy of Media second-guessers and stooges with barrels of ink.

There truly is no good deed that goes unpunished. However, the only option is to turn-up the music, drink more, sedate yourself, golf, play X-Box and expect a paycheck.

In public life the majority works hard. In public life cheats, bullies, clowns, thieves, sexual predators, and morons blend in because they too are the public.

Policy often dictates that we suffer the useless gladly even when they are stealing, preying on people, screwing up the works, or just collecting a paycheck. They are the reason for Political Action Committees. The stronger the policy the more cover for the dopes.

Getting the job done requires more work these days because of false tickling Policy.

He/She/It are a mandated quota numbers; cousins need work too; the odd clouted prince or princess; and the all too human 'What are going to do? Sure they can not read a spreadsheet or a blueprint or draft a lesson plan but they are dues paying members. We must follow policy and policy requires seven written notices and severance package.'

To stick your neck out and seek the vote to genuinely make things happen takes a special click in the heart.

John Daley sparked this challenge by confronting Todd Stroger! The members of the County Board ( politically ambitious and also drifters) challenged poor Todd to do something. That is the glory of our Republic. People elected by us are doing exactly what we bid them to do.

I can criticize Forrest Claypool but I must admire his courage to take his fight into the public arena. God Bless Him!

Kris McQueary gave us a nice sound byte. Teddy Roosevelt draws blood:

Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are. The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who "but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier."

http://www.theodore-roosevelt.com/trsorbonnespeech.html

John Daley Tries to Talk Sense to Todd Stroger -Good Luck With That

I always liked John Daley. I still do. John Daley is a gentleman. John Daley is loyal. John Daley is a very, very, very smart man.

Yesterday, he tried to talk sense to County Board President Todd Stroger who is the best friend Forrest Claypool has in the world, now that Quigley is in D.C. and out of his way.

Claypool has friends in WTTW,NPR and the Chicago Media.

That is about it. Forrest Claypool is friends with folks who can appoint him to a government spot, or manage to get others to build votes for him.

He pretty much shot his wad. Now, with all Progressive forces dancing the Dionysian jig no one is paying Forrest much attention. Vallas is coming back. Peraica won a Pyrrhic victory in the Repeal. That is as good as it will get Tony.

John Daley tried to talk sense to Todd -do not challenge the vote and give Forrest his wiggle room - 'We can not all be Elizabeth Brackett for Crissakes.'

Welp, Todd don't hear so good. Forrest will gump it up on Public TV and Airwaves. The tin-foil hat crowd will get all knit cap and soul-patch hot for Forrest.

He will lose, mind you, but we will have Claypool white-noise for the next few months.

Thanks Todd.

You tried John Daley. My God how you tried.

John Daley sparred with Stroger during a debate that turned angry at times, telling the president he "might want to listen for a change." Daley said a Stroger veto "would be a mistake, because of the strong vote of the board."

The Daley family backed Stroger in his 2006 run for the spot once held by his father, John, but Daley on Tuesday said Stroger has "been wounded" and might not get his support for his anticipated re-election effort.

In changing his stance, Daley cited the lousy economy and said the county had "to make adjustments." At least one commissioner, however, clearly acknowledged a desire to distance himself from a tax vote that was widely panned by civic groups, editorial pages and suburban leaders. "We've been getting beaten up, and I'm tired of it," said Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno (D-Chicago), who voted for the tax hike but supported the effort to repeal.

Todd Stoger - I'm Feeling You, Cousin!

Jesus, I feel for Todd Stroger. I am a cousin, too. ( much to the chagrin of many of my hundreds of Chicago cousins and even a few, I am sure, back in County Kerry) However, I would be the cousin resigning - no doubt. Thank the Good Lord Cousins, that I still manage to eke out a living away from the family trades - carpenters, plumbers,electricians and engineers. Likewise, I have managed to avoid Public Service in the employ of City, County, State and Federal programs. Remember that flood in the early years of Mayor Daley's reign? That would have been my doing.

America was built on Family and Family Obligations. My own paternal family came to this country as teenagers - Left County Kerry, Ireland after the families - Sullivan and Hickey - threw an American Wake*. A little girl, Nora Sullivan, age 13 was treated to a party by the family and neighbors in Cahirciveen** and Larry Hickey, age 14, the same on Crinna Mountain, Castleisland***. They would most likely never go home again. My grandfather returned but my grandmother had 'no desire to return whatsoever!'

They met in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood at a Ceili ( an Irish Dance)fell in love and started a family. They brought their young brothers and sisters to America with pennies they saved from cooking for the rich Yanks and working in the Stockyards.

Cousins were taken care of as well. Anyone from miles around their home towns in Kerry were helped to secure work here in Chicago. Strikes and Depressions and hardships were met head-on and better life was formed here in Chicago and more cousins arrived.

I have been taken care of by uncles and aunts and cousins. Many times much to their disappointment -'That nephew of yours in useless!' One of the most important admonitions learned was 'Don't Kill the Job! Your uncle Dan went to bat for you - it is his word that you are working.'

I became a teacher because I liked to read. Teaching made me less of a burden on a family of highly skilled tradesmen with singularly dedicated work ethics. However, I fully understand the familial nature of helping out cousin. As my particular talents and shortcomings do not lend themselves to helping secure work, I am rarely - if ever - asked to 'go to bat' for a cousin.

Todd Stroger placed a cousin on the job. He stuck his neck out for a family member. The Holier Than Everyone Crowd ( Academic Affirmative Action Time-Servers, News Hound Free-Buffet Investigative Journalist -'Where's My V.I.P Passes to the Taste?' and your Boiled Beet Progressives) will heap scorn on Todd Stroger.

I feel for the guy. The bright spot, Mr. Stroger, is that I am not your cousin - you would really be in the jackpot!

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's cousin has quit her job as the county's chief financial officer amid questions about her relationship with a fired county employee.

Stroger told the Chicago Tribune on Friday he asked Donna Dunnings for her resignation and Dunnings agreed.

Stroger spokesman Sean Howard says the resignation follows Stroger's firing of the patronage worker after learning he had a felony criminal conviction. Howard says that after the man was told he was fired he made "explosive" allegations against Dunnings.

Stroger won't detail the allegations or provide information about the relationship between the man and Dunnings. But he says Dunnings has bailed the man out of jail a number of times. Dunnings has an unlisted telephone number and couldn't be reached for comment.
Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com

*American Wake

Open up the door, she's standin' there
With the smile in her eyes but the gray in her hair
Betrays the fact you strayed far from home
With your drinkin', your smokin', your whorin' around
Sit down by the fire, put your feet on the grate
Spend the night reminiscin' 'til the hour grows late
Always remember at the end of the day
You can always go home - you just can't stay

Then it's off to the pub for to see your old mates
Ah, they all look older, but nothin' has changed
And you drink 'til you're nearly out of your head
"Hey, what are yez all doin' snakin' off to bed"
Then you're outside her flat but she's no longer there
And the tears scald your eyes as you think of her hair
In the photo they sent you of her wedding day
You can always go home - you just can't stay

Then you see her at Mass with the kids at her side
And it all comes back in the blink of an eye
The tears and the laughter, the love and the lies
And that dress she wore the night you said good-bye
Then her husband says "it's good to have you back"
And she smiles for a moment and squeezes your hand
But you know what she's thinkin', she doesn't have to say
You can always go home - you just can't stay

And you swear to yourself time and time again
It was all in the past, she don't mean anything
Now your life is full of laughter and bars
What did you leave behind, just the sun, the moon and the stars

Then it's up in the mornin' at the crack of dawn
With your stomach churnin', she says "c'mon now, Sean,
You'll be late for the plane," but that crack in her voice
Betrays the fact that you made your choice
A long time ago, now there's no turnin' back
'Cause last night you had your American Wake
And the bells are still ringin', can't you hear what they say
You can always go home - you just can't stay

Say good-bye in the wind and the pourin' rain
One last drink at Shannon Airport, then we're outa here,
History around here, catch you again next year
Landin' at Kennedy, all you feel is the pain,
But it's too late, 'cause last night you had your American Wake.
This page has been viewed 1094 times
© Larry Kirwan

http://www.celtic-lyrics.com/forum/index.php?autocom=tclc&code=lyrics&id=21


**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahersiveen

***http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castleisland

Residency, Presidency, Cook County Needs Vallas

The nuanced voices are stacatto signalling caveats to Paul Vallas who announced thoughts of returning to Cook County and help fix the clown opera directed by Todd Stroger.

Todd Stroger was placed in the purple plush seat by some very nuanced thinkers in the Democratic Party who read in the tea leaves that Paul Vallas might, just might mind you, upset plans for off spring and even solidly emplaced 'powers that is.'

Paul Vallas was abandoned by the Democratic Leadership in Chicago and Cook County when he ran against Milorod Blagojevich, a shameless gate-crasher with clout, for Governor of Illinois.

Last week, Mark Brown of the Sun Times offered a nuanced reflection of Democrats turned Republican Past who failed in their bids at elected office in racially charged election cycles. I imagine that Brown had a Nuanced Chat with Quigley about Paul Vallas and Quigley, not to be brought up short(er) by a formidable man like Vallas jumped up to Brown's willing ears. Brown's nuances were deftly batted aside by Paul Vallas. Race is The Place for Nuanced Hack. Race works and so does Residency.

Today, Kristen McQueary, kind of a neighborhood girl, nuances the residency card:

Once again if he runs, he'll be doing it having not lived here for some time. He and his wife bought a home in Palos Heights, but Vallas spends most weeks in the bayou.

Maybe that means he still lives in Philly, according to his calculus.

How about this: Paul Vallas runs for office like a big boy, following all the rules. If he's a Democrat, he runs as a Democrat. We're kind of tired of schemes around here.

If Vallas runs for GOP Cook County Board president, he hasn't ruled out also running for a commissioner seat on the 17-member Cook County Board. That's how John Stroger did it. He held a commissioner seat, and therefore had a vote, while also serving as board president.

Todd Stroger opted not to run for a commissioner seat; he serves only as board president and does not have a vote.

In 2002, Paul took the Philly job and Sharon and the kids remained here and tried to sell their house. By 2005, most people in Illinois wished that they could have had a Governor Do-Over, as Joliet Land-Fill Rod had fallen out with Dick Mell and many others. Vallas sold his Morgan Park neighborhood home at 25$% West 107th Street, because the brilliant Burt Odelson had been blocked by the courts in allowing Paul Vallas to appear on the 2006 ballot for Governor against the nuanced Rod Blagojevich and that he was saddled with a huge campaign debt from 2002. Took a long time for the Vallas Family to sell that Georgian, but the Vallas Family was never too far from home, while Paul worked in Philly.

Heck, Paul Vallas continues to be an active Strategic Planning Board Member for Leo ( Catholic) High School in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. Paul and Sharon bought a home in Palos Heights quite some time ago, while Paul worked in Philly and subsequently headed to Crescent City to help straighten out post-Katrina Louisiana education for Gov. Bobby Jindal. Nevertheless, Paul and Sharon remained more in-touch with Illinois than the Nuanced Hack Supported Serving Govenor ( now impeached and convicted and out of office but on TV everywhere!) and the Empurpled and Daffy Todd Stroger, President of the Cook County Board.

Shoot, me and the neighbors talk to Paul and Sharon all the time.

Paul Vallas is not an educator, he is a budget and policy professional who was first brought into the Public Eye by Illinois Senator Phil Rock, a man of talent and integrity. Paul Vallas is needed in Cook County, for openers, and in the State of Illinois.

Save the nuance for the next idiot the Nuanced Voices of Journalism want to trot out for public office - with, of course the counsel of beauties like Mike Quigley.

Lache pas la patate, Frere Paul Vallas !

OooooooooWeeeeeee Some folks is Hot that Canille Paul tipped the pieroge and rows North Home! Seems the folks in Ray's Chocolate City found out about Frere Paul's plans to Passer un bon temps on Todd Stroger, the Cook County Democratic Organization, and the Twin Menaechmi of the County Board -Menaechmus Quigley and Sosicles Claypool:

Recovery Schools Superintendent Paul Vallas will leave New Orleans by the end of the year to run for president of the Cook County Board in Illinois, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Vallas is from Chicago, and his family has lived there since he took the helm of the state-run district in the summer of 2007.

Last year, Vallas had publicly flirted with the prospect of returning to Chicago to run for governor. After dropping that idea, Vallas said he planned to stay in New Orleans through the 2009-10 school year. But he never signed a contract with State Superintendent Paul Pastorek, and seemed to be keeping his options open.

Great to have you back, Paul! Keep your neck on a swivle! They will come at you from everywhere -GOP and Democrats. Your friends and Illinois have waited long enough!

To my Cajun neighbors -Ça va et C'est la vie !

Cook County - Laissez les bon temps rouler ! Somebody -wake up Todd and tell Todd - very slowly.