Plenty of choices for Cook County leadership

Controversy over a 1 percent increase in the Cook County sales tax lured a full house of candidates for county board seats and the president's chair.

Incumbent President Todd Stroger, who pushed the tax increase in 2008 and says it's necessary to fund health care, faces three challengers in today's Democratic Primary - Chicago Hyde Park Alderman Toni Preckwinkle, Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien - all of whom have pledged to roll back the entire increase after half was trimmed late last year in a move to take effect July 1.

The victor, no matter who emerges, will face one of two anti-tax Republicans in the November general election: either former Wilmette legislator Roger Keats or Chicago police officer John Garrido.

Several other seats on the 17-member board of commissioners are in play as well today.

Commissioner Liz Gorman, an Orland Park Republican who voted against the tax increase and backed its repeal, faces a challenge in the 17th District from Mark Thompson of Des Plaines, who also favors repealing the sales tax. The district extends along the western fringe of the county from the Southwest to the Northwest suburbs.

Democratic contenders, both opponents of the sales tax increase, are Patrick Maher of Orland Park and Dr. Victor Forys of Park Ridge, a Preckwinkle ally.

In the 16th District, Riverside Republican Tony Peraica has been an outspoken tax-and-spend opponent, but faces a primary challenge from Westchester's Brian Sloan. Republican commissioner Timothy Schneider of Bartlett is unopposed in his primary in the 15th District, but Commissioner Gregg Goslin of Glenview has a challenge in the 14th District Republican primary from Northfield's Patrick O'Donoghue.

Evanston Democrat Larry Suffredin provided the deciding vote on the original tax increase in a swap to win independence for the county's Health and Hospital System. Since then, however, he's led the charge to roll back the tax and sponsored the victorious measure to cut the increase in half last year. Even so, he faces a challenge from Skokie's John Michael Keefe.

Crestwood Democrat Joan Patricia Murphy was the only suburban commissioner to stick with Stroger in fighting the tax rollback. She faces two primary opponents in the 6th District: John Fairman of Justice and Nick Valadez of Oak Forest.

The Chicago Democrats who backed Stroger on the tax issue - Commissioners Jerry Butler, William Beavers, Deborah Sims and Joseph Mario Moreno - all face primary challenges, Beavers from Elgie Sims, Moreno from progressive former alderman and state Sen. Jesus Garcia (another Preckwinkle ally) and Sims from Matteson's Sheila Chalmers-Currin.