It was disappointing, but not surprising, that the lead story in the September 14 issue regarding Cook County Administrator Jeff Cadwell’s resignation chose to focus on the negative rather than the positive accomplishments during his tenure.
I believe the article should have highlighted some of the benefits Cook County is now experiencing thanks to Mr. Cadwell’s leadership:
We now have a balanced budget, not an easy accomplishment after inheriting a budget that had bankrupted department fund balances to maintain a zero or low levy increase for several years. The county also added staff to Public Health and Human Services to meet demand and reduce overtime costs. The outcome of the added staff and programs has shown up in the 2020 budget with a proposed PHHS budget increase of just .74 percent, which also included a decrease in out of home placement costs thanks to the increased staff.
Mr. Cadwell also initiated several planning processes: financial management, capital planning, strategic planning, transportation and land management and developed a standing committee structure and advisory committee structure to engage key staff and members of the public in the policy development process.
He also managed leadership and staff transitions in key positions particularly in the Highway Department, Public Health and Human Services and the Assessor’s Department, and implemented a state-of-the-art software system to manage county employee information and benefits, saving the county increased personnel costs.
It also pays to note that both the WTIP website and December 24, 2016 issue of the Cook County News-Herald quoted Mr. Moe as saying he was resigning from the county board for a health situation that needed his attention. In neither announcement did he reference the “clarion call” mentioned in the news article as a reason for his resignation.
There are many other reasons to thank Mr. Cadwell for his service and wish him well, please do.
Pat Campanaro
Grand Marais
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