It was a full house, with over 200 women and a handful of men in an audience that was anxious to hear what the next Cook County Board president would do to protect and better serve women and men who are victims of violence.
The forum, Violence Against Women, held at Loyola University, is one of the first chances the candidates have had to delve deep into issues of rape, domestic violence, discrimination against people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ), and sex trafficking in Chicago.
With the primary 11 days away, the candidates in attendance took every opportunity to steal time from one another and bring their platforms into the discussion.
All seven candidates running for Cook County Board president confirmed their attendance, but only four actually were present: Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown and Green Party candidate Tom Tresser.
Tresser came out swinging in his opening statement, addressing corruption in Chicago politics and calling out each candidate on issues he said are “unacceptable.”
“I don’t have as much experience as the other candidates up here,” Tresser said. “But I also don’t have the experience in hiring my cousins, getting cash from my workers for events and parties or making money from businesses I am supposed to regulate.”
Not one candidate responded to his claims, causing Tresser to smile and the audience to whisper amongst themselves.
Tresser was on a roll from the get-go, throwing punches in his opening statement and jabbing at each of his opponents throughout debate.
“Issues of violence against women and sexual assault are a big problem, but worthless spending and behind closed door meetings and corruption prevent the attention these programs need,” he said.
Tresser said these forums are necessary now more than ever.
“We have had years and years of Democratic rule in Cook County,” he said. “And we have nothing to show for it; nothing got done.”
As Tresser was stuck on the issue of corruption, Preckwinkle stayed on point, appearing confident and well-prepared to discuss the issue at hand.
“When I think about violence against women, I begin with rape,” she said. “In 2007, there were 5,600 reported rapes in Illinois, but only 30 percent result in arrests, and less than half that end in convictions. We need to focus our resources on these types of programs and bring these people to justice.”
Stroger offered unfocused, off-topic answers to some questions related to the forum’s theme.
When asked, “In your first 90 days how would you address violence against women, girls and LGBTQ?”
He answered: “What I have done in the three years I have been president; I have tried to reach out to everyone in all parts of the county. I have asked them how can we help. I recently had a meeting with the LGBTQ community, I asked what the county can do, and I hope to solidify what the county can do.”
Moderator Kimbriell Kelly asked Stroger the same question in the next round of questioning to try to get a more “clear and concise answer.”
Stroger again didn’t answer the question; instead he said: “We have 29 departments, and in 16 of those, we have women as deputies. We have helped open 35 businesses that are run by minorities, and 10 percent that are run by women. I have voted for pay equity for women and fought for human rights, but more work needs to be done.”
Tresser also didn’t answer the question. Instead he held up the front page of the Chicago Tribune and pointed to the headline: Madigan Rules.
“Until we get the corruption out of our government we will not be able to give you the true programs that the the citizens of Cook County need,” he said. “If you want to know you elected someone who is unbossed and unbought, you have to look to a new source of government.”
Preckwinkle stayed focused and on point as she answered questions, as if reading off a teleprompter.
“We need to create an environment where people feel safe so they can come forward and report crimes,” she said. “Then we need to make sure we get those offenders prosecuted. We need to focus our resources on violent offenders, sexual offenders, and we have to start to focus on the predators.”
When asked about the pending lawsuits against Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for keeping pregnant inmates shackled while giving birth, Stroger was caught off guard and had no idea of the charges.
“I had no idea. I am surprised the sheriff would do anything that is against the law,” Stroger said, and when asked if he would look into the situation, he said, “Oh, yeah, I am the president.”
Brown, the clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, also seemed to be shocked by the news of the pending lawsuits.
“I really cannot believe Sheriff Dart knew this was going on,” she said. When asked what she would do about the situation if she were president, Brown said, “I would send a strong letter to the sheriff letting him know under no circumstances should the practice be occurring. And as far as the pending litigation, I would recommend immediate settlement.”
At the end of the night it was Tresser who challenged the audience and challenged the “old ways of doing business.”
“The best predictor of the future is a person’s history,” he said. “You know they say the definition on insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”