When it’s in Chicago.

The Trib has an article about my employer, Cook County, and how it keeps hiring people despite the hiring freeze that has been in place for about 18 months.

The County has to hire new corrections employees, and the county needs to hire more nurses and doctors for our clinics. The County, however, doesn’t need more patronage workers. We have more than enough in the Forest Preserve District.

Chicago has this Patronage as Policy mindset. News like this is old hat here. The fact is that certain departments in the County do really good work. Not everyone who works for the County is a politically employed slug. Just the ones who make the news are… and the ones I have to negotiate my contract with.