<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="State"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceType"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="PlaceName"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial;}
h2
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:18.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
h3
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:13.5pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:Arial;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=Section1>
<h2 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>FYI – Randi Doeker, Chicago<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h2>
<h2 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></h2>
<h2 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:18.0pt'>Groups to call for separation of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Cook</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
boards<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h2>
<h3 style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:13.5pt'>Watchdogs want forest district apart from county<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></h3>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>By Hal Dardick<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font
size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:black'>Chicago</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font color=black><span
style='color:black'> Tribune Reporter<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>March 17, 2008<font color=navy><span style='color:
navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></font></p>
<p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1in;
margin-left:0in;mso-margin-top-alt:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:
.6gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Two civic watchdog groups Monday will call for
breaking off the Cook County Forest Preserve Board from the rest of county
government, arguing that a separately elected group overseeing nearly 69,000
acres of open space would do far more to protect, expand and improve the land
-- most of which is in poor shape.<br>
<br>
Cook County Board commissioners and President Todd Stroger now wear two hats,
overseeing county government and the Forest Preserve District, the same as all
other <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Illinois</st1:State></st1:place>
counties except DuPage. That dual role is fraught with conflict, according to
the Civic Federation and Friends of the Forest Preserves.<br>
<br>
<!-- END LEAD --><!-- START REST -->"The commissioners have a very
difficult time separating the interests of the forest preserve," Civic
Federation President Laurence Msall said. "It's treated as an
afterthought, unfortunately, and the condition of the forest preserves speaks
to that issue."<br>
<br>
The joint report cites a 2001 study concluding that 68 percent of forest preserve
land was "poor quality," largely due to inadequate management.
Critics have blasted the high grass, overflowing garbage cans and filthy
restrooms, although the report notes improvement under the current
superintendent.<br>
<br>
It also noted past conflicts: shifting millions of dollars between the county
and Forest Preserve District, the sale of 2.4 preserve acres to Rosemont to
expand the village's convention center and allowing preserve land to be used
for a road in Morton Grove.<br>
<br>
Though Stroger and the commissioners on Friday had yet to see the report
calling for separation, a pair of unusual political bedfellows reacted coolly
to the idea.<br>
<br>
"I am aware of its central premise and do not support separation of the
boards," Stroger said. "On this issue, we simply agree to
disagree."<br>
<br>
Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago), a frequent critic of Stroger,
"patronage-laden" forest preserve operations and the status quo in
county government, also said he did not believe a separation was in order.<br>
<br>
"By keeping [the governments] together, there's an opportunity to use the
sister resources of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Cook</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> government, which
is much larger, to benefit the forest preserve," Claypool said.<br>
<br>
Benjamin Cox, executive director of Friends of the Forest Preserves, disagreed.
"His good intentions are woefully misdirected," Cox said. A currently
shared human-resources department leads to the hiring of people "who don't
begin to have the specialties that are required for the Forest Preserve
District," Cox said.<br>
<br>
He pointed to DuPage as "a great success." In 1996 and 2000,
legislation was passed in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Springfield</st1:City></st1:place>
to separate the DuPage County Board from its Forest Preserve Commission while
keeping the same overall number of elected officials and maintaining the same
taxing powers.<br>
<br>
The legislation does not apply to Cook, however, so a new state law is required
to make the change.<br>
<br>
The report recommends five commissioners be elected countywide in a
non-partisan election for 6-year terms. They, in turn, would elect a president
from among their own ranks.<br>
<br>
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Commissioner</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> Mike Quigley (D-Chicago)
said the change is needed.<br>
<br>
"<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Cook</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> is almost parasitic of the
smaller branch, and it makes sense to focus on each government
separately," he said, noting the county budget is $3.2 billion a year and
the Forest Preserve District's $175 million.<br>
<br>
"There are very few environmentalists on the board," he added.
"The forest preserve is an afterthought to most commissioners."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:.1in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.6gd'><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>