John Herman Stroger’s “Authorized” biography released

 

“Beyond The Boardroom”, the long awaited biography of former Cook County Board President John Herman Stroger, Jr., has been officially released.

Stroger, former Cook County Board President, and an icon in Illinois politics, served 38 years as a public elected official – 36 continuous years as a sitting Commissioner and 12 as Commissioner and President, at the Cook County Board.

Stroger retired from the Board after suffering a debilitating stroke a week before the Primary Election. Although he won in the 2006 election, he resigned from the post before the November 7th general election, and Democratic committeemen – 50 from Chicago and 30 from Downstate – slated his son, Todd, a Chicago alderman at the time to replace him on the ballot.

As President of the Cook County Board, Stroger was the overseer of a more than $3.4-billion budget, 27,000 county employees, and several County agencies and healthcare facilities. He also served as a spokesman, Vice President and President of NACo (National Association of Counties), an organization with a membership total of more than 2,000 counties from across the country. He was the first African-American elected president of NACo. He was appointed by President William “Bill” Clinton to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, and selected by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to serve as a member of a DNC Committee.

“Beyond The Boardroom” captures and capsules Stroger’s almost four decades in public office.

The book is written by author Juanita Bratcher, a former news reporter and journalist for 31 years. Bratcher is the published author of six books, including “Harold: The Making of a Big City Mayor”, a book that traces the grassroots’ efforts that successfully propelled Mayor Harold Washington into the 5th Floor of City Hall. He was the first African-American elected to the post.

Bratcher served as a “Personal Assistant” to Stroger in Cook County government, served as a Press Aide in his 1994 run for President of the Cook County Board, and Press Secretary to his 2006 re-election campaign.

For more information about “Beyond The Boardroom”, or to purchase a book, call (773) 375-8127. The cost of the book is $22.95.