Walker, Larson challenge Stroger on red-light cameras

State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) and Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson have joined together to oppose the imposition of Cook County red-light cameras in their communities.

In an open letter to Cook County President Todd Stroger released Wednesday, the two Northwest suburban politicians take issue with county plans to install 30 red-light cameras, including six at intersections in Schaumburg and three in Arlington Heights.

The county has threatened to withdraw its responsibility for care and maintenance of those intersections if local communities opt out of the red-light program.

"We do not support any plan that would shift responsibility for county roads onto local governments," the letter stated, "and our constituents would not and could not accept the tax increases that would be necessary to cover these costs."

The letter called on Stroger to "engage in a dialogue with suburban leaders" and "put the voice of local communities first, and do everything in your power to allow them to decide whether these cameras are in their best interests, without the threat of losing county road-maintenance services."

Stroger spokesman James Ramos said they would respond to the letter Thursday.

Opponents argue that the cameras do little to prevent accidents and mainly exist to generate revenue.

Chicago Democratic Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno, a camera proponent, insists it's a safety issue, not a revenue stream, and says the county has received an opinion from the Cook State's Attorney's Office that the county is within its rights to drop maintenance at those intersections if municipalities, in effect, claim jurisdiction by opting out of the red-light program. Yet suburban commissioners have countered that the program attempts to force red-light cameras on communities, like Schaumburg, that have already tried and rejected them.

Although the letter was worded diplomatically, Walker was considerably more confrontational in remarks aside from the letter.

"The man who gave us the highest sales tax in the nation has found a new scheme to extort money from suburban taxpayers," said the Arlington Heights Democrat. "It's a great deal for Todd Stroger - either allow him to generate millions of dollars in revenue from suburban motorists, or he'll keep taking our property-tax dollars and stop maintaining our roads - but it's another lousy deal for suburban taxpayers. We don't need more bully tactics from Cook County, we need our voices to be heard."

Walker has tangled with Stroger before. He sponsored the measure last year to cut the votes necessary for a veto override on the Cook County Board to a more conventional three-fifths majority, which proved essential to the commissioners as they rolled back half of Stroger's 1-percentage-point increase in the sales tax after numerous vetoes.

"We cannot afford to let Todd Stroger do to our property taxes what he did to our sales tax," Walker said. "The men and women I speak to every day can't afford that. Stroger should hear their voice before he starts making decisions for suburban communities."