Stroger vetoes Cook hiring freeze

Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has vetoed a countywide hiring freeze approved in an attempt to rein in his lame-duck spending.

The hiring freeze, which also freezes salaries for set positions, passed last week by a seemingly veto-proof 16-1 vote, with only Chicago Democratic Commissioner William Beavers siding with Stroger.

It is now set to be voted on again at next Tuesday's regularly scheduled County Board meeting.

The hiring freeze was aimed directly at Stroger, as it was only to be imposed through the end of November. Having lost the Democratic Primary in February, Stroger is to be replaced by the winner of the November general election the first week of December.

In a formal letter to Cook County Clerk David Orr, Stroger called the freeze "unconstitutional" in that, by statute, only the president has the power to hire and fire. He cited as precedent a court case dating back to the era of President George Dunne, who left the seat in 1991.