Speak of the Devil...

I just posted about the intrigue surrounding the Cook County Board Presidency and it looks like the county board is actually trying to get a handle on the effects of Stroger's incapacitation. This was actually on Capitol Fax Blog's afternoon shorts and linked to an article from Crain's Chicago Business.

The swirl of confusion over the health of Cook County Board President John Stroger took a dramatic new legal turn Monday as two board members took steps that ultimately could lead to the selection of a new, interim county chief, perhaps within a matter of weeks.

In separate actions, Commissioner Michael Quigley formally requested a legal opinion from State’s Attorney Richard Devine on if and how the board can act if the president is found to be incapacitated. And Commissioner Anthony Peraica began circulating a resolution to call a special board meeting on Mr. Stroger’s status.

Though neither action necessarily will lead to the selection of a new board president, they add a new note of immediacy to a controversy that, until now, has largely centered on whether Mr. Stroger will step down from the Democratic ticket in the November election—not whether someone else should take over county government now.

The spokeswoman for Mr. Stroger, who suffered a severe stroke in March, released a statement saying only, “We are not in the position to tell commissioners what they can or cannot do.”

If there isn't a law accounting for an official's incapacity especially in an important post as County Board President then there really needs to be one written.