Thursday, May 01, 2008

Cook County secession news

Beginning July 1, Chicagoans will be paying the nation's highest sales tax. Second place? Suburban Cook County, where I live.

We can thank that ward-heeler, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger for this indignity. Village officials are openly talking about seceding from Cook, and forming Illinois' 103rd county, which of course will be named for Abraham Lincoln.

Stroger, and I'm not letting up on this point, is the man Barack Obama enthusiastically endorsed in a close contest two years ago, was invited to attend a meeting with Village of Palatine officials and local residents that took place last night. But Stroger backed out the day befored. The meeting went on without him.

From the Chicago Tribune, free registration may be required for the link:

"I'd like to congratulate all of you in taking this courageous step in finally fighting this unbelievably corrupt Cook County," resident Roman Golash, 58, told the council.

The County Board, Golash said, "is just always raising the taxes, higher and higher."

Palatine officials last month called on Stroger to personally explain his $426 million-a-year tax hike and asked the village manager and village attorney to look into ways Palatine might secede from the county.

More...

Despite talk of secession, it has not yet become a serious proposal. Even one of Stroger's harshest critics on the Palatine council, Jack Wagner, said much more information is needed.

But Wagner adds, "It might be time to start looking at it."

A lot of Cook County votes for John McCain will send a strong message to Stroger.

Related post:

Something else for Obama to be silent on: Chicago will have the nation's highest sales tax

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