Governor signs Cook County veto bill

Governor signs Cook County veto bill
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
November 07, 2009
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/11/quinn-to-sign-cook-county-veto-bill.html


Gov. Pat Quinn today signed into law a measure making it easier for Cook County commissioners to override County Board President Todd Stroger, who has repeatedly used his extraordinary veto power to protect an unpopular sales tax increase.

Legislators approved the bill during their fall veto session as a way to provide cover to some suburban Cook lawmakers who may be vulnerable in next year's election due to the unpopularity of a penny-on-the-dollar-sales-tax increase Stroger championed in 2008.

The law takes effect immediately, and commissioners have vowed to move quickly under the law to roll back the tax increase.

The measure would reduce the margin required to override a veto from four-fifths to three-fifths, meaning the number of commissioners needed to override a veto would fall from 14 to 11. There are 17 commissioners on the board.

Quinn would not say if he believes a portion of the sales tax should be repealed, but he called the original increase "excessive" and acknowledged it was "likely" commissioners would move to lessen the levy.

Stroger's governmental affairs director Derek Blaida said the president's office "believes there are constitutional concerns and questions over changing the power of the executive branch and shifting that to the legislature during the middle of a term."

He said the president "continues to review" the possibility of a legal challenge to the new law, but maintains the current tax rate must remain in place to "keep the county solvent and protect the vital services that the most vulnerable citizens of the county rely on, including public health and safety."

Quinn sought to portray the action as a move to eliminate an arcane rule and make government more responsive to voters, rather than a shot at fellow Democrat Stroger, who has suffered political damage from a series of controversies during his first term and faces multiple challengers in the Feb. 2 primary.

The governor's office noted Cook County was the only county in Illinois to have the four-fifths veto override requirement, which dates back to 1970 when the requirement was written into the Illinois Constitution.
He said changing the veto requirements should be looked at as a reform effort that would make government more responsive to voters.

"(When) you have a very high super majority to override, I think it lessens our democracy," Quinn said. "So this particular reform today... I think will serve the people of Cook County well and indeed the people of Illinois well because the voice of the people will be heard by those in power.

Stroger, who personally lobbied against the measure, has been able to prevent multiple attempts by commissioners to roll back the tax increase but is unlikely to prevail with a lower veto margin. Stroger says it must stay in place to prevent budget cuts and layoffs.

Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin, whose district includes portions of both Cook County and Kane County, said Quinn's signature will be welcomed by shopkeepers struggling to lure customers following the tax hike.

"I am going to be able to go back to my constituents and report the good news that there's an opportunity ahead in the near future to perhaps the repeal of that sales tax," Noland said.