We the people, citizen's, and tax payer's of Cook County IL. hereby bring charges against, call into question, call to account, cast aspersions on, cast doubt on, challenge, charge, criminate, criticize, discredit, disparage, hold at fault, impugn, incriminate, inculpate, indict, query, question, reprehend, reprimand, reprobate and mostly want the removal of Cook County Board president Todd Stroger. A.K.A. son of John Stroger. Immediately and without question. ((Hiring)) For any of the following documented reasons. Stroger has also drawn fire for perceived nepotism, such as hiring Donna Dunnings (Stroger's cousin) as the County's chief financial officer. Dunnings and Stroger received additional criticism when she received a $17,000 raise after she initially agreed to not accept a pay hike (in an attempt to help county finances). Dunnings stated that critics could have blocked the pay raise by submitting an amendment to the proposed budget "if they were so concerned about the salary of the first African-American female CFO". ((Tax Increase)) raising certain taxes in his effort to balance the county budget and resolve staffing issues. In September 2007, he voiced his support for a proposal to raise the county-wide sales tax to 11 percent (an additional two cents on the dollar) to remedy a $307 million budget deficit, which would force public facilities such as Stroger Hospital to cut services or even close. Critics of the plan included fellow Commissioners Claypool, Peraica, and Mike Quigley who argued that spending cuts would accomplish the same purpose. Peraica additionally responded that Cook County's poorest citizens, who the tax hike is ultimately designed to serve, would find it to be the most unaffordable. Peraica's argument was seconded by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who expressed his opposition to the plan. On February 29, 2008, the Cook County Board, by a measure of 10-7, passed a budget initiated by Stroger. Stroger's budget contained a tax increase of 1 percent, the largest ever passed by Cook County, with the intent of creating more than 1,000 new County jobs. As a result of Stroger's bill, on July 1 the County sales tax will increase from 0.75 percent to 1.75 percent and Chicago's overall sales tax stand at 10.25 percent, what will be the highest of any major U.S. city. In suburban Cook County, the sales tax will be a minimum of 8.75 percent. All five Republican members of the County Board voted against the tax increase and they were joined by two of the twelve Democrats. Commissioners who voted against the tax increase were Peter N. Silvestri, Quigley, Claypool, Gregg Goslin, Timothy Schneider, Peraica, and Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman. Despite the 133% increase, Dunnings stated on March 31 that the budget shortfall resolved this year is expected to return. She explained that the expected cost increase would be the result of what she describes as a 'structural deficit', meaning increases in revenue being unable to match increases in expense, citing runaway health care costs among other problems. A county spokesman indicated that it would most likely happen in three or four years, well into the next county presidential term. Because of a number of unanswered questions and unresolved issues surrounding the county tax increase, Cook County's outlying communities, particularly Palatine, IL, have been considering secession and have threatened to do so unless an explanation is provided. To avoid this schism, officials from Palatine and Cook County, including Stroger initially, have agreed to hold a town hall meeting at Harper College on April 30 to discuss details of the hike that remain unclear. However on April 29, Stroger announced that he won't attend accusing Palatine officials of using the meeting for political grandstanding indicating that he & amp;amp;quot;will not debate local Palatine elected officials who expect to exploit this opportunity to further their own political agendas".

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