County fights Stroger unemployment claim

When employees get fired, they can file for state unemployment benefits. Yet when publicly elected officials get “fired” by the voters and tossed from office, they are not eligible to collect unemployment.

That’s the state of affairs facing Todd Stroger after the former president of the Cook County Board lost his re-election bid in the Democratic Primary a year ago and was replaced by Toni Preckwinkle in December following the fall general election.

Stroger filed for unemployment in January, but the county is fighting that claim with the Illinois Department of Employment Security, citing state statute.

“It was protested by the county because he is ineligible,” said Preckwinkle spokeswoman Jessey Neves. “The final claim determination is made by IDES, where it is still pending.”

“That’s the state law,” confirmed IDES Chicago spokesman Greg Rivara, while adding that he can’t comment on Stroger’s case in particular.

Unemployment benefits are paid out of taxes and are “always” based on the money an employee earned, Rivara said. Unlike Social Security, however, an employed person does not pay a set percentage into an account. The person applying for benefits is eligible or not, and the company he or she worked for pays a share of those benefits as long as they last.

An employee fired for just cause can be ruled ineligible for benefits, and the thinking appears to be that an official voted out of office was removed with just cause by the electorate.

“Each side has multiple opportunities to appeal any decision that is made,” Rivara added. “There is not a hard and fast time frame involved as to when a final decision will be made.” In fact, either side could take the final IDES decision to court for an appeal.

Stroger’s posted salary was $170,000 with the county, which would figure to earn him more than $500 a week if he were granted benefits.

Stroger did not respond to requests for comment. He still has more than $600,000 in his political campaign fund, but there are strict regulations against that money being put to personal use. He’ll eventually receive pensions from the state for his time in the General Assembly, from the county as former board president and from Chicago for his term in the city council.