Tax Relief

When I first introduced my ordinance to repeal the county sales tax increase last year, my fellow commissioner scoffed.  Some of them did the same thing when I introduced it again earlier this year.  But through your grassroots efforts, the tax relief movement picked up momentum — and the county board has several times passed ordinances to rollback the sales tax hike.

Unfortunately, Todd Stroger has vetoed every single one of these rollbacks.  But the fact that the county board is now acting in your interests — instead of as a rubber stamp for Todd Stroger — is proof that our efforts are having a great impact.  And we will continue to fight for tax relief for you.

Increasing Transparency

Ever since I launched CookEmployees.com back in 2006 (which lists the salaries and payments to county employees and vendors) we have been on the cutting edge of government transparency.

These efforts continued earlier this year when the county board passed my resolution to put the county check register online for public viewing.  When this online portal goes live, you will be able to see firsthand how the county is spending your money — and we can once and for all bring your government out of the shadows and hold it accountable.

I have also introduced a resolution to create a bi-partisan, private “waste commission” that will investigate ways to weed out waste and bloat in the county budget.  This commission would be made up of private business and civic leaders who would look for ways to save you money.  I will continue to fight to ensure the county board passes this vital resolution.

State-of-the-Art Constituent Communication

Through emails like these, I am able to provide you with regular updates on county government — and countless constituents are communicating with me through our new Web site at CommissionerPeraica.com.  But we have also made news through our groundbreaking use of Twitter to provide live accounts of county board meetings.  We are also building a large, interactive community on Facebook.

In addition to opening up government in ways we have never before seen (especially here in Cook County), we are redefining how government officials should interact with constituents to serve them better.

For the final six months of 2009, I will continue to work toward the goals we set back in January.

I urge you to contact us with any questions or concerns you have for our office — or to let us know how we can serve you better.

You are also invited to read this recent Chi-Town Daily News article that highlights our use of Twitter to provide open, honest government here in Cook County.