Category: Public Defender

Appointment of Sharonne Mitchell, Jr. as Public Defender Approved by Cook County Board

3/21/2021

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Cook County Board and Committee Meetings
March 17 and 18, 2021

The Board approved:

The appointment of Sharonne Mitchell, Jr. to a 6-year term (April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2027) as the Cook County Public Defender. At the Legislation & Intergovernmental Relations Committee meeting on March 17, there were several public comments in support, including one from the president of the union representing the assistant public defenders, saying that the union believes Mr. Mitchell appreciates the role of collective bargaining and the key issues of the union, including having a workplace free of harassment, management support, workload issues (can’t take on other functions), fairness in promotion, and the morale of the office. The Commissioners thanked outgoing Public Defender Amy Campanelli for her hard work and passion in representing her clients. Agenda Item 21-2052
An extension of the proclamation of disaster in Cook County through April 30, 2021. This continues providing the President with additional authority to take action without prior Board approval. Commissioners Bridget Degnen and Sean Morrison voted “no.” Commissioner Degnen explained that she believes that the Board should have more say in directing the funds, though agrees with Commissioner John Daley’s statement that the Bureau of Finance has done an excellent job of keeping the Commissioners informed and answering questions. Agenda Item 21-2068.
A resolution authorizing the publication of the plain language summary of the Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance that had been recommended by the Zoning & Building Committee. Agenda Item 21-1848.

The Board referred to the Redistricting Committee:

Contract with Peter A. Creticos, LTD for remapping and redistricting services (Agenda Item 21-1963) and contract with Election Data Services for redistricting software and support services (Agenda Item 21-1967). Commissioner Deborah Sims, the chair of the Committee, said that now the Committee members (all Commissioners) can begin the conversation on redistricting.

Other:

People wishing to make public comments now have the option to present verbally at the meeting, in addition to providing comments in writing, which the Secretary of the Board has been summarizing, and which are posted on the “meeting details” page for the meeting entry on the Legistar system.
A number of Commissioners joined the meeting of the Business & Economic Development Committee to hear the presentation from the Bureau of Economic Development for its “Cook County COVID Community Recovery Initiative Impact Report” from March 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Bureau Chief Xochitl Flores described the use of the $77M CARES Act fund to aide critical social services, small businesses, workforce development, and mortgage & rental assistance. (Agenda Item 21-1367). The County partnered with a number of agencies, private foundations, and associations to provide services, loans, and grants. Commissioner Ana Anaya commented that the Bureau has created a new infrastructure for long-term change.
The Comptroller reported to the Finance Committee that for the first 2 months of the new fiscal year, the General Fund has a positive balance of $89M (with revenues above and expenses below budget) and the Health Fund has a negative balance of $127M (with revenues down, but which have since been collected, and expenses above budget). (Agenda Item 21-1991)

Priscilla Mims - Observer

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Midyear Budget Hearings Continue

8/1/2020

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Cook County Board of Commissioners' Finance Committee
Midyear Budget Hearings - July 22, 2020

Public Defender
General information available from report online:

Actual operating expenses as of 5/31/2020 $36,254 530. This was a 2% variance. FY2020 YTD Budget was $37, 254,530.
Holdback target of $5,094, 821 was not yet met. Amount achieved was $3, 020,947 which were line items. $2 million in COVID-19 related expenses are expected to be reimbursed through CARES Act. Office currently has 35-40 vacancies holding off on hiring until year end unless critical. 43 attorney office hires were rescinded for Aug-Sept. Hiring has been impacted by COVID-19 related issues.

Other information of interest

Closure of cases has been impacted by court closures for 2 1/2 months and has impacted fee collection. Revenue began to decrease in FY 2019. No corrective action at this time; dependent on return to normal conditions.
Case Management Evaluation system will be proposed for Board approval in 2020.
Preliminary forecast for 2021 is that the office would not be able to meet budget targets. A $9 million reduction for FY 2021 would result in a reduction of over 100 employees. Anticipating both backlog of cases due to COVD-19 and uptick in violence this summer, the results would be a high volume of cases of all types. In addition to lawyers, outreach workers, social workers, and paralegals are needed.
Reduction in funding would eliminate resources to defend clients; assigning clients fo private attorneys would be more costly, perhaps as much as $6 million. Over-burden of case can likely lead to lawsuits.
Implementation of Mental Health Resource Unit is in progress. Currently one psychologist has been hired and been reviewing cases since and establishing relationships with community organizations and stakeholders. 31 referrals have been accepted by this one staff member.
Police Station Representation Unit (PSRU) continues to build awareness through outreach and networking with community partners. The goal for FY 2020 was to double police station visits to over 2,000 to maximize calls for counsel to represent people in custody. Due to the impact of COVID however, calls and virtual visits have declined and the goal will not be met. 18% of those provided counsel at the station house were not charged with any offense, demonstrating the effectiveness of the unit.
Plans to provide improved service to clients, including those in its conflict division and non-citizens who are best served by lawyers specializing in immigration law were presented. Implementation is dependent on having the necessary resources as demands on this office increase.

Observer - Carolyn Cosentino

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Appointment of Sharonne Mitchell, Jr. as Public Defender Approved by Cook County Board

Midyear Budget Hearings Continue

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