Rollback of Cook County sales tax blocked

SPRINGFIELD - On the strength of Chicago and downstate votes, the Illinois House blocked suburban efforts Thursday to rollback Cook County's sales tax increase and force a public vote on such increases.

The proposed rollback of last year's 1 percentage point increase, sponsored by several suburban member of both parties, received 61 votes in the 118-member chamber. But because it seeks to undo something done by Cook County - a self-governing county - it needed 71 votes for approval and advancement to the Senate.

The official vote was 61-55 with two members absent.

"I'm disappointed not for myself but for the residents of Cook County who will now have to continue to pay this oppressive sales tax," said state Rep. Sidney Mathias, a Buffalo Grove Republican and chief sponsor of this particular rollback plan.

Of the more than two dozen suburban House members from the Daily Herald's readership area, four voted against the plan: Lockport Democrat Emily Klunk-McAsey, Northbrook Democrat Elaine Nekritz, Vernon Hills Democrat Kathy Ryg and Waukegan Democrat Eddie Washington. All other local lawmakers voted for it.

A full roll call of the 118 members can be found at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/96/house/09600HB0715_03262009_005000T.pdf.

Nekritz called the vote against the rollback politically difficult but the right public policy. "I voted 'no' because there's a reason we have various levels of government and I think it's a very difficult thing for a state government to overturn the decision of a duly elected body," she said, adding that she does not agree with the sales tax increase.

Other opponents, primarily Chicago Democrats, said the county has done a poor job explaining the tax but said it was needed to keep medical clinics, programs and hospitals open. Earlier this week, a group of ministers claimed that if the sales tax money wasn't available it would mean closing two of the system's three hospitals, its AIDS treatment center and several clinics.

"It's a major victory for the nearly 1 million (annual) users of our health system and others who appreciate the value of health care," said Sean Howard, a spokesman for the county.

He said the measure was defeated, in part, due to active lobbying by the county and President Todd Stroger. Stroger, a former state legislator, "still has a lot of friends there who understand his mission," Howard said.

But suburban supporters of the rollback, particularly Republicans, were outraged at the plan's defeat and opponents' comments, saying Chicago Democrats have routinely run roughshod over suburban communities regardless of local wishes.

State Rep. Rosemary Mulligan, a Des Plaines Republican, assailed the notion that local control should be preserved, saying lawmakers and Chicago interests had a different view when they voted to take land from suburbs to make way for more O'Hare International Airport runways.

"I've listened to some of this and I think it's really interesting when people say we are imposing our will on Cook County. I'm a member of Cook County and they've imposed their will on us repeatedly in our area," Mulligan said.

And Mulligan directed her political venom straight at Stroger. "The fact of the matter is that tax was instituted by someone who was elected through a sham after his father was ill and they misrepresented what was happening," Mulligan said.

She also claimed that Stroger has yet to show an ability to govern and is driving businesses away. "Who wouldn't go across to Lake? Who wouldn't go to DuPage? Why are local businesses losing money? Because the greed in Cook County and that government is unbelievable."

Daily Herald Staff Writer Rob Olmstead contributed to this report.