Commissioners Vote To Override Veto

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by Shanita Bigelow and Lesley R. Chinn

Starting next year, Cook Countys sales tax will be reduced by a half-penny.

On Tuesday, 12 Commissioners voted to override Cook County Board President Todd Strogers veto to rollback the countys portion of the sales tax from 1.75 to 1.25 or a half penny on the dollar, despite a public outcry from unions and a coalition of ministers who rallied behind Stroger to sustain the sales tax. The Commissioners ignored Strogers warnings that their actions would result in a reported $200 million hit that would impact health care services. Stroger reportedly said their decision was an attempt to vilify him and previously, the President tried to get Commissioners earlean Collins (1st) Robert Steele (2nd) and edwin Reyes (8th) to vote along with him in order to sustain his veto because they have minority constituents who greatly depend on these services.

Instead, Collins, Steele and Reyes voted with the other 12 commissioners to override Strogers veto while Steele called Strogers warnings a fallacy, stating the countys healthcare system is solid and that his constituents need tax relief. While Collins, called Strogers warning bull arguing that the sales tax is not needed, Sean Howard, spokesman for Strogers office said constituents of the 1st, 2nd and 8th districts, primarily people of color, will be most impacted, by potential service cuts. Reyes chimed in with Steele and Collins, stating his constituents want, tax relief sooner rather than later.

also voting to override Strogers veto were: Commissioners Forrest Claypool; John Daley; Bridget gainer; Liz gorman; gregg goslin; Tony Peraica, Timothy Schneider, Peter Silvestri; and Larry Suffredin. Commissioners William Beavers, Jerry Butler, Deborah Sims, Joseph Mario Moreno, and Joan Murphy, voted to sustain Strogers veto.

This past Friday, members of the Concerned Clergy for a Better Chicagoland (CCBC) met with Cook County Hospital and Health Care administration CeO William Foley to discuss the sales tax rollback and connected health care service cuts. Foley indicated then that Provident and Oak Forest Hospitals wouldnt make it if the rollback stuck and Providents emergency room would close soon. also last week, Stroger who was accompanied by concerned health care workers, vetoed the half-cent rollback at John Stroger Hospital as he urged the citizens of Cook County to contact their commissioners in hopes of withstanding a vote to override the veto.

Under a new law, the commissioners only need 11 votes to override the veto as opposed needing 14 votes previously. The new legislation was signed into law by Governor Pat Quinn at the beginning of November.

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