Thursday, September 11, 2008

Cook sheriff seeks settlement on political hiring

Clout St:
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart on Thursday moved to end a long-running court case against political hiring, agreeing to a settlement that could stick taxpayers with another bill to cover the costs of patronage.

Under the proposed agreement, a federal judge would appoint a monitor to oversee hiring decisions at the sheriff’s office. Dart also agreed to pay the claims of workers who lost out on jobs and promotions because of political discrimination since June 2006.

Unlike the city and the Cook County Board, which also have taken steps to settle the decades-old Shakman case, Dart said his office is not facing any federal investigation of its hiring practices. He said he knows of no improper political hiring in the office.

Dart said he decided to try to settle the case voluntarily to save money on lawyers’ fees and clarify the procedures the office should be following.

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