Commissioner Sims Honored for Heroic Veto Stand

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by Lesley R. Chinn

After voting not to override a veto of a sales tax rollback, Commissioner Deborah Sims (D-5) became the target of numerous racial threats and was vilified by some of her colleagues, but when she made a guest appearance last Sunday at Sweet Holy Spirit Church, she was treated with a heros welcome.

Sims, who seemed like her mind was at peace as she rocked backand- forth to praise and worship songs at Sweet Holy Spirit, was presented with the communitys Heros of Healthcare Certificate by the churchs senior pastor Bishop Larry D. Trotter.

We thank Commissioner Sims for continuing to fight even under scrutiny, ridicule and undue circumstances. She has taken a beating by many because she believes in helping her community, Trotter said. Commissioner Deborah Sims is a hero among us.

The certificate was presented following last Tuesdays showdown vote when Sims began receiving racist threats. The caller referred to Sims as a nigger bitch and also stated, I hope to God you get f -AIDS and die. Those calls were received last Wednesday evening. Sims played the messages for the Citizen last week.

The Fifth District Commissioner said she was surprised and thankful to receive the honor as she walked up to the podium to stand with Bishop Trotter.

When you talk about closing hospitals, people losing their jobs, and a President who is talking about whats going on with health care today, this [my vote to sustain the veto] was something that I was supposed to do, Sims stated.

With Sims by his side, Trotter condemned the racist caller for attacks and said that whoever is responsible needs prayer while the congregation continued to pray for the Commissioner as she continues fighting for health care on behalf of the people. We need the Cook County medical center opened because a lot of people use those hospitals and clinics, Trotter said.

Shocked and outraged by the derogatory messages, Sims said she never would have thought that people would still use racial epithets especially in 2009 while there is a Black man sitting in the White House as President who is advocating for quality health care for all citizens. We should have been past that but I guess Im wrong about that, she stated.

Sims said she plans to continue on with her life and put everything into Gods hands for protection.

Meanwhile, Sims said the Cook County Sheriffs Office is currently conducting an ongoing investigation. A group of ministers who attended a press conference to rally around Sims last Thursday are calling on U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgeralds Office to also look into this case.

In July, Sims said she considered voting for the rollback but she decided that she wasnt going to make such a drastic decision knowing that it would close the clinics in her Far South suburban district. I needed to protect the clinics in my district and I wanted to make sure they did not close, Sims stated. We dont know definitely how much money were going to get from the sales tax and we wont know that until October.

If the vote to sustain the veto on the sales tax were to ever come up again, Sims, who previously received a threat in 2005 for voting in favor of the Countys budget, said she would vote the same way she did last week. If people are losing their jobs and they need health care and dont have it, where are they going to go, she asked?

While Sims took the heat for standing up for the people, Commissioner Robert Steele (D-2) was one of many commissioners who did the opposite. Steele voted in favor of the tax rollback.

When asked why he voted against the constituents, Steele said he did not. I didnt vote against the constituents. I represent the richest and poorest of Chicago. They are not one set of constituents, he replied. However, when Steele was asked if his constituents use county health care systems services, he said yes they do. He also said the system would not close.

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