GOP Update

Today is a sad day in Cook County. Two weeks ago, the Cook County Board of Commissioners, led by the 5 Republicans, voted to repeal the irresponsible 1 percent sales tax hike. Shortly thereafter, President Todd Stroger used his veto power to block the measure. Today, the Commissioners had an opportunity to vote to override the veto, but true to form, they failed the taxpayers once again. Commissioners William Beavers, Jerry Butler, Deborah Sims, and Joseph Maria Moreno all voted against the override. Earleen Collins and Robert Steele voted present, effectively voting against it. I encourage you to contact these Commissioners to express your thoughts on their votes. The majority of the Board of Commissioners voted for the override of the veto. Todd Stroger and his Democrat allies on the Board not only act against the interests of Cook County residents, but now against the will of the majority of the Board as well. In 2010, electing a Republican to the office of Cook County Board President will be a top priority. I hope you'll join us in fighting for reform and new leadership in Cook County. Lee Roupas Chairman, Cook County Republican Party Cook County Board of Commissioners fail to override Stroger's veto Chicago Tribune - 5/19/09 Cook County's sales tax increase will stand after commissioners today failed to muster enough votes to make their repeal stick. Supporters of the tax cut needed to convince 14 out of 17 commissioners to override Board President Todd Stroger's veto of a measure that would have repealed the tax Jan. 1...read more... Vallas to announce decision for board president WBBM Chicago - 5/15/09 Former Chicago Schools chief Paul Vallas says he'll announce in the next week or two whether he'll run next year for Cook County Board president. Vallas says that, if he decides to run, he will not be running against current officeholder Todd Stroger or any of the other possible candidates whether it's Forrest Claypool, Toni Preckwinkle or anyone else....read more... POLL:  Vallas beats Claypool, 44% - 23% Chicago Sun-Times - 5/19/09 Here's what: Business consultant Steve McClure, who headed the State Commerce Department during the administration of Gov. Jim Thompson, secretly commissioned a recent poll for potential Cook County Board Presidential candidate Paul Vallas -- without telling him...read more... City will never hire her, but Circuit Court clerk has Chicago Sun-Times - 5/18/09 As long as she lives, Patricia Fasula can never work for the City of Chicago. That was her punishment for filing bogus documents to convince city officials that she -- and not her husband -- owned and operated Patricia Trucking, one of several "women-owned businesses" in the city's scandal-plagued Hired Truck Program...read more... Madigan denies involvement in Chicago hirings Chicago Sun-Times - 5/18/09 A tanking economy and "smoke-and-mirrors" fiscal approach by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to trigger an $8.95 billion budget shortfall come July 1, state Comptroller Dan Hynes is warning. "Illinois now stands at the precipice of the worst fiscal crisis in the state's history," Hynes concluded in a report to Gov. Quinn and the Legislature...read more... Let the sunshine in Chicago Tribune Editorial - 5/18/09 We'd love to be able to report that the General Assembly is making steady progress in its campaign to set Illinois government on the path of righteousness. Alas, we cannot. With the end of the legislative session fast approaching and the promised ethical reforms still taking shape, lawmakers are going about their jobs the way they always do: in private...read more... Steele: Pelosi "stepped in it, big time" Politico - 5/17/09 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has "stepped in it" by accusing the CIA of lying to her, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele charged on Sunday. "She has put the Democratic Party in a position where the question for me is does the president support Nancy Pelosi's version of what happened, or the CIA director's version of what happened," Steele said on NBC's "Meet the Press....read more... Stroger in tax trouble too NBC Chicago - 5/13/09 Seems that while Cook County Board President Todd Stroger has been busy rolling back the sales tax, the Chicago Sun-Times discovered he wasn't paying his own personal taxes. Turns out the Internal Revenue Service has put a lien on the home of Stroger and his wife, Jeanine, in an effort to pay off nearly $12,000 in unpaid incomes taxes, dating back to 2007......read more... Paid for by the Cook County Republican Party