Cook Co. candidate criticized after using taxpayer money for tuition
Cook County Board Commissioner Liz Gorman is under fire from her Democratic opponent in November's election for using taxpayer funds to help put herself through college.
Gorman, a Republican from Orland Park, admits she used roughly $4,000 to $6,000 in taxpayer money to pay for tuition expenses related to her master's degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. She earned the degree in 2008 at a total cost of more than $75,000.
The money came out of contingency funds granted to Cook County Board members. Commissioners at the time would get reimbursed $1,200 monthly the reimbursement has since been reduced to $800 for expenses such as mileage, meals, parking, automobile use and other costs incurred while conducting county business.
County ordinance also allows the funds to be used for educational programs related to government and finance.
"I think she basically used this money for her own personal slush fund," said Democratic challenger Patrick Maher, 38, of Orland Park. "Why are we paying for her to eat or drive? How do the taxpayers of our county benefit from her going to a prestigious college? It needs to be utilized for appropriate things that benefit the residents of Cook County, not things that benefit her."
Gorman said the 18-month master's program involved business and finance coursework that has been useful in her elected position. In one of those classes, Gorman's peer group conducted a study for the Cook County Bureau of Health and made recommendations on how to improve administrative functions and billing practices.
Gorman said her attorney looked over her coursework and determined that roughly 90 percent of the classes were related to topics mentioned in the county ordinance.
"For the institutional knowledge that I do have at the county, to bring along some of those classes only enhances my bettering myself as a public servant, as a county commissioner," she said.
During the period between March 1 and May 31, 2010, Gorman sought reimbursement for $963 in meals, $817 in gas, $1,411 in tuition and $149 for newspapers. She received $2,400.
"It's (the expenses) well over and above the $800 per month," she said. "It's minimal reimbursement for what we're actually requesting. I have significant expenses. That's all part of my public service that's why I'm not looking to be fully reimbursed."
Gorman justified her travel expenses, saying she often attends meetings in downtown Chicago on county business, and meets with area mayors, committees, and local chamber officials.
"My staff is down 25 percent as we had to cut over the years," she said. "We run an extremely efficient office with the amount of area that we cover. I don't receive any more or less office resources than any other Cook County commissioner."
How the contingency funds are used "depends on how each commissioner runs their office," she said.
With looming budget cuts, the county board may consider scaling back on such stipends, Gorman said.
"If we're looking at 10 percent budget cuts across the board with this upcoming budget, it applies to the commissioners' budgets as well," Gorman said. "It's all part of how much we get to run our office so everything is going to be on the chopping block."
Though Maher would not commit to getting rid of the contingency funds if elected, he said he would develop guidelines for how the money should be used.
Commissioners tightened the rules on stipends, reducing the monthly amount from $1,200 to $800, after a 2008 WFLD-TV report on how the money was being used. Subsequently, some commissioners declined to take the stipends altogether and the rest had to file quarterly reports on their expenses.
"Some (commissioners) aren't using them at all, so how come some of them don't need it and some of them do?" Maher asked.
Maher and Gorman are vying to represent board District 17, which stretches from Wheeling and Des Plaines to Orland Park. A Green Party candidate from Orland Park, Mathew Ogean, also is on the ballot.