(As written by Tony and published in the Forest Park Review, 3/5/09)

Like the rest of Illinois, Forest Park taxpayers are feeling the bite of the economic slowdown and rising tax burden.

So it will come as a pleasant surprise that we scored a major victory recently by passing a Cook County budget with no new tax increases and none of the massive borrowing sought by the Stroger administration.

After a months-long battle, we were able to slash $50 million from Todd Stroger’s proposed budget (and we need to cut more) and hold the line against his call for $740 million in new bonds – a huge back-door tax increase.

This budget victory is just the beginning. In the coming weeks and months, I will continue to push for more transparency, an end to the waste, fraud and abuse in county government, and to repeal the sales tax increase enacted last year.

With your help, we will continue to shift county government from a mindset that favors political insiders over taxpayers – to one that puts you and your families first.

Tony Peraica
Cook County Commissioner, 16th District