Brown slashes 170 from Cook court clerk’s office

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown announced Monday she is laying off 170 employees as part of plan for intensive budget cuts.

Brown said 30-day-notice letters went out to 170 of her employees whose jobs will be terminated March 16.

“This is a painful day for all of us at the clerk’s office,” Brown said. “We did what was requested, but it’s not without realizing that people are being laid off during a tough economic time. This layoff will put a high strain on the clerk of the circuit court’s ability to perform its statutory and constitutional responsibilities.”

Brown’s office complied with President Toni Preckwinkle’s call for 16 percent cuts across the board to deal with an estimated $487 million county budget deficit.

Brown spokeswoman Enza Raineri said the office has more than 2,100 employees, and “all areas of the office will be affected.”