Preckwinkle claims consistency on Cook tax repeal

Cook County Board presidential candidate Toni Preckwinkle is taking issue with charges that she's “waffled” on repealing the 1-percentage-point sales-tax increase imposed by outgoing President Todd Stroger.

“I've tried to say the same thing, that is, that we'll eliminate the sales-tax increase as quickly as possible,” said the Democratic Chicago alderman.

Stroger pushed for and won a hike in the county's share of the sales tax, from 0.75 percent to 1.75, but that raised the overall sales tax in many areas to more than 10 percent and set off a firestorm of criticism. While Stroger has maintained it has made county government solvent, the County Board cut the increase in half as of July, and the issue contributed to Stroger's loss to Preckwinkle in the Democratic Primary in February.

In the “Compact for Change” Preckwinkle issued last year, she promised: “I will repeal the remainder of Todd Stroger's 1 percent sales-tax increase in conjunction with implementing responsible spending practices, eliminating wasteful programs and ensuring that the county fully captures all due income.”

In a statement in May, however, Preckwinkle said, “From Day One, my focus will be on working to make that a reality,” but she added that, given the “huge deficit” the county faces in its 2011 budget now estimated at $300 million “it would be irresponsible to cut resources without knowing more about the state of the county's financial condition.”

Whether the full repeal would come immediately or gradually has been called “waffling” by her opponents.

“Check with Todd Stroger, Terry O'Brien or Dorothy Brown,” said Roger Keats, the Republican nominee, listing other candidates in the Democratic Primary. “They'll all tell you what I'm telling you. She said she'd get rid of it. Then she said, ‘Well, it's nuanced.' No one really thought she'd cut it anyway.”

“I'm remembering her pretty forthrightly saying at a forum for 43rd Ward Democrats, back in January, that she was for repeal,” said Tresser, Green Party candidate for board president. “My position is she's simply the new face of the Democratic machine, and she will simply toe the party line. ... The party line is there's no way with the budget.”

The issue has been debated by the County Board time and again. An attempt to repeal the full increase by Riverside Republican Commissioner Tony Peraica earlier this month was decried as “an election-year stunt” by Evanston Democrat Larry Suffredin, who went on to say it would be done in conjunction with cuts made by the new president, likely by April. The measure was rejected 10-6.

Peraica estimated the cost of repealing the other half-percent of the Stroger increase at $160 million a year, which he called more than manageable given the $3 billion budget.

Preckwinkle estimated the upcoming budget deficit at $285 million. “We're in a pretty deep hole, and the first thing you do in a hole is don't dig any further. You work your way out,” Preckwinkle said.

Preckwinkle said Suffredin's April date for a rollback was meant to make it effective July 1, which would have minimal effect on the 2011 budget.

Her opponents, however, claim they can repeal the sales tax and balance the budget.

“Balancing the Cook County budget isn't very hard work,” Keats said, adding he has a plan to freeze salary hikes, leave 1,000 positions unfilled and cover employee health insurance through the county's own Health & Hospitals System at a savings he estimated at $540 million.

“I have a plan that would cut property taxes by 10 percent,” Tresser said, laying out how he'd cut the county budget 10 percent across the board.

“This is one of many issues the alderman is going to waffle on,” Tresser added.