Mike Quigley, Cook County Commissioner, 10th District

Stroger threatens vetoes as board trims deficit

Chicago Sun-Times

February 24, 2005

By Steve Patterson

Cook County commissioners were on the verge of balancing the 2005 budget without raising taxes Wednesday night, though board President John Stroger promised vetoes, single-handedly blocking the "no-tax effort."

Over 12 hours, commissioners cut $63 million from the $73 million deficit, with the bulk of it coming when Commissioner Carl Hansen won a 9-8 vote to force Stroger to cut 2 percent from his health budget.

Stroger was adamant he would not allow budget cuts and prefers a proposed 2 percent tax increase for hotels and restaurants, but he doesn't have the votes to do it. He's unwilling to let compromise plans through, either, promising vetoes that would take 14 of 17 commissioner votes to override.

"We're going to be here a long time staring at each other," Commissioner Mike Quigley said.

'Reasonable cuts' needed

They'll be back at it again today. A budget deadline looms Monday.

Just last month, Stroger said any compromise would have to come from his 16 colleagues, putting the budget in their hands. But each time they tried to handle it, he slapped their hands away.

When a majority of the board did pass a budget cut, Stroger gave a dry response that he'd veto it.

"We're stuck in the mud," Commissioner Liz Gorman said, "and doing nothing to get out of it."

That stalemate frustrated commissioners on both sides.

"If we're going to close the gap, we've got to begin making some reasonable cuts," Commissioner Larry Suffredin said,

Stroger was unmoved.

"There's no way out of this situation," he said about calls for cuts.

When Commissioner Joan Murphy, a regular Stroger ally, spoke in support of a budget cut Stroger had just spoken against, he angrily turned to her and sternly asked, "Did you just hear me?"

Murphy changed her position.

'Next year is now'

Stroger viewed challenges to his staunchly protected hospital budget as personal affronts, daring rivals, "I will veto every attempt to try and cut" the health system's nearly $1 billion budget.

Stroger said "this behavior will come back to haunt you guys," adding that commissioners were "driving me to want to fight you" and "if we have to go to court, we'll go to court."

Rivals seemed up to the challenge. "It's always 'next year,'" Commissioner Tony Peraica said. "Next year is now."

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