KEEP VOTING DEMOCRATIC YOU ASSHOLES!
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle personally ensured her controversial new penny-an-ounce pop tax passed Thursday by breaking a rare tie vote among commissioners.
The two-term board president stepped further into the glare of a spotlight because she's counting on the $224 million a year the beverage tax is expected to bring into balance the books for a while.
"Raising revenue was never my first choice," Preckwinkle said. "This measure provides important revenue, not only to avoid damaging cuts for public health and public safety systems, but also to expand our community-based interventions in both arenas. It also puts us on a stable financial footing for the next three fiscal years, during which we will not have to approve any additional tax increases."
Asked after the vote why the county could not make further spending cuts, Preckwinkle defended her six-year record, saying she had reduced the workforce by 10 percent and overall debt by a slightly greater percentage.
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