Cook County health official ousted

A veteran public health official at the forefront of Cook County's response to the coronavirus crisis was handed a pink slip Friday, prompting surprise and concern from some county commissioners who said they thought he was doing a good job.

No official reason was given for Dr. Terry Mason's departure as chief operating officer of the health department, but Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said he was terminated.

County Commissioner Larry Suffredin, an Evanston Democrat, said he hadn't been given a "coherent" explanation for why Mason was let go, saying all of his experiences with the former head of the public health department in the past 10 days had been positive.

Commissioner Sean Morrison, a Palos Park Republican, found the move "very alarming" considering the spread of coronavirus throughout the county.

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