i'm pretty sure you'll see the tony cole quote in campaign advertising. probably more than once...
hmm
· 8 months ago
They called houlihan's plan a better way to solve the budget deficit, but the only piece that addresses that is the income tax hike, which they skipped over.
Houlihan's sales tax idea is revenue neutral.
Where the brains there?
Cassandra
· 8 months ago
Have Ms. Dunnings' papers actually been processed? On Chicago Tonight last night someone mentioned rumors that she's not really gone.
Will she resurface in another county job, conveniently at the same exalted $175k but way less responsibility and visibility.
Hank
· 8 months ago
I agree with you Cassandra, she will have another less visible job soon if not already. Maybe even the boy toy as well unless he talks too much
32nd Ward Roscoe Village
· 8 months ago
From today's BNA Daily Tax Report: "Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) April 21 swore in Mike Quigley to serve as representative for Illinois' 5th congressional district…Quigley was permitted to take the oath of office even though the certificate certifying the election results was not present." What is up with that? Jesse White's certification stamp broken since RRB?
And now, who is replacing Quigley on CCB?
muon
· 8 months ago
Houlihan's sales tax proposal may be revenue neutral, but it would perform better over time. The service sector has been growing at a faster rate than sales of goods. The sales tax on goods lags behind inflation so it continually leaves the state short. Taxing goods and services together at a lower rate would better match the rate of inflation.
Tiny
· 8 months ago
If Stroger wins the primary, Peraica may stand a chance. Scary.
Hank
· 8 months ago
I'm not a fan of the Toddler but the Trib calendar has always seemed biased to me. Where is the calendar on the next mayoral election? Daley has sold, stole and raised fees on everything except air (so far)
Concerned Observer
· 8 months ago
I really don't think Stroger will win the primary, but that's beside the point.
There has to be something else going on. But for the life of me, I can't figure out WHAT.
VanillaMan
· 8 months ago
Nigeria has higher standards than this.
Cal Skinner
· 8 months ago
Newspapers are taxed in some states.
Why don't I ever hear about doing that here?
KN
· 8 months ago
Peraica won't make it out of the primary.
wordslinger
· 8 months ago
There is a big piece missing from the Cole-Dunnings-Stroger puzzle. Who knows what it is, but you know it won't be missing for long.
Stones
· 8 months ago
These guys have to get together and get their story straight!
Legaleagle
· 8 months ago
The sales tax should cover both internet purchases into Illinois and services (including legal fees), the gas tax should be a percentage rather than a flat rate per gallon, and 'entitlements' such as state pensions must be limited going forward. No need for any other tax increases.
Anonymous45
· 8 months ago
point of information: Is Todd Stroger married?
Truthful James
· 8 months ago
Had a vision, last night: Roland Burris was running for County Board Chairman and Todd Stroger was in the Senate primary.
The back story on Mr. Cole is interesting. He was once a college scholarship basketball athlete at a major institution. Had he played his cards right, he had it made.
Phineas J. Whoopee
· 8 months ago
Suffice it to say that bailing employees out of prison goes beyond the scope of any job description. When it entails government employees bailing other employees out of the very facilities they manage it is ludicrous. Doing it twice is either loyalty run amuck, love or blackmail.
But to have a complete low life like Cole be able to make a phone call from jail to the Cook County Board President's office and get people to "snap to" and get him out of jail-twice-is (I really don't have a word for it). All I can say is Todd Stroger certainly is an understanding boss.
thinking out loud
· 8 months ago
Perhaps the relationship was between cole and stroger not dunnings.
Objective Dem
· 8 months ago
The fact that Cole contacted Stroger directly changes the story for me.
I can see Cole as the type of person who is in a junior position but knows the people in charge. When he gets in trouble, he uses his connections and thinks it is (literally) a get out of jail free card.
Stroger may have responded by sending Mullins because he is a nice guy or because Cole threatened him with exposing secrets. After the fact, they realized Cole didn't know anything that damaging (politically or criminally) but was a problem, so they fired him. If he knew something serious, he would have been moved quietly to another job in the County or elsewhere.
I also suspect with Dunnings it was the last straw. Don't forget the budget debacle a few months ago, when the board received budget books with the wrong numbers. Dunning always attracted criticism because she is Todd's cousin and in charge of finances.
Anonymous45
· 8 months ago
thinking out loud: that's what I was getting at with my question...
Plutocrat03
· 8 months ago
The problem with tax exemptions is that it only benefits certain people.
The graphic arts exemption always mystified me.
The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses
Wumpus
· 8 months ago
Rich, this is a joke, but I understand you may have to do what you have to do.
I demand an investigation into the relationship between Stroger and Cole, forget Dinnings! Dead girl, live boy, so on and so forth.. I keed!
Anonymous45
· 8 months ago
Wumpus: I guess Todd gives out his personal phobe numbers to all new hires in case they ned to be bailed out of jail in the middle of the night...if he can't go, or needs to sleep in, he wakes up his cousin, CFO of Cook County, or his political right hand guy...makes sense, right? NOT!
Vote Quimby!
· 8 months ago
==The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses == No, I think they just won't pay it, making the 'gray economy' even larger.
Third Generation Chicago Nativ
· 8 months ago
This Cole/Stroger/Dunnings is getting to be a bigger mess, and stories are changing. This should be investigated thoroughly, it seems there is still a lot left to uncover.
The Doc
· 8 months ago
===The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses===
That's life in a democracy. Such a move, coupled with a meaningful reduction in the sales tax rate, is overdue, especially as the service sector continues to grow in proportion to goods.
What's the alternative? The stigma of the nation's highest sales tax in Chicago, and more importantly, a big gaping hole in the state budget.
ConservativeVeteran
· 8 months ago
The state sales tax rate is 6.25%, which is more than three times the Cook Co. rate of 1.75%. Last year, Cook Co. voters, who were angry at the county board, should have been more angry at all of the state legislators who supported the last sales tax rate increase, which was passed in 2005.
Hank
· 8 months ago
Per the Sixth Ward blog and WLS TV, Stroger has thrown the race card on the Dunnings/Cole deal We are going to need a new race card as the current one is tattered and bent from overuse by Burris and DM Cobb. Now Stroger and I hear JJJ is negotiating for it's use if his Blago situation deteriorates any further
Wumpus
· 8 months ago
Hank, there are 52 suited cards in each deck, but we only get stuck with a bunch of jokers.
Hank
· 8 months ago
So true Wumpus
Hmmm
· 8 months ago
I notice that rumor and innuendo is usually forbidden on this forum but this question kind of illicts it.. and look at the above personal rumors to prove it. What gives? I'm just saying...
Quinn T. Sential
· 8 months ago
Speaking of mother Tribune, how could you miss the irony of assistant features editor and writer of the Tribune's “Recession Diaries†blog Lou Carlozo, being let go in the latest newsroom RIF yesterday?
steve schnorf
· 8 months ago
The state sales tax rate is 5%, not 6.25, and I don't remember the state sales tax being raised in years, unless you are talking specifically about the RTA counties
party of one
· 8 months ago
hmmm has a point but that story the other day about how stoger hired cole after seeing him at Ruth Chris Steak House where he was bussing tables is kind of creepy. Who hire a bussboy into an administrative job without even knowing him? Then he ends up with strogers private number and strogers cousin and trusted staffer go bail him out?? C'mon...just the story is innuendo you don't even need to add water and mix.
To be technically correct, I believe the state collects 6.25% of which 1% is distributed back to the local agencies in proportion to where it was collected.
Emily Booth
· 8 months ago
I'm guessing the relationship is between Cole and Todd and not Cole and Dunnings.
Lynn S
· 8 months ago
Oh my!!
The whole Cole/Stroger/Dunnings triangle could get verrrrryyyyy interesting...
Did anyone else see the Trib quick poll on the editorial page today: "Would you vote for Todd Stroger?" Response: 98.5% NO, 1.5% yes. Not looking too good...
All Comments
Houlihan's sales tax idea is revenue neutral.
Where the brains there?
On Chicago Tonight last night someone mentioned rumors that she's not really gone.
Will she resurface in another county job, conveniently at the same exalted $175k but way less responsibility and visibility.
And now, who is replacing Quigley on CCB?
There has to be something else going on. But for the life of me, I can't figure out WHAT.
Why don't I ever hear about doing that here?
The back story on Mr. Cole is interesting. He was once a college scholarship basketball athlete at a major institution. Had he played his cards right, he had it made.
But to have a complete low life like Cole be able to make a phone call from jail to the Cook County Board President's office and get people to "snap to" and get him out of jail-twice-is (I really don't have a word for it). All I can say is Todd Stroger certainly is an understanding boss.
I can see Cole as the type of person who is in a junior position but knows the people in charge. When he gets in trouble, he uses his connections and thinks it is (literally) a get out of jail free card.
Stroger may have responded by sending Mullins because he is a nice guy or because Cole threatened him with exposing secrets. After the fact, they realized Cole didn't know anything that damaging (politically or criminally) but was a problem, so they fired him. If he knew something serious, he would have been moved quietly to another job in the County or elsewhere.
I also suspect with Dunnings it was the last straw. Don't forget the budget debacle a few months ago, when the board received budget books with the wrong numbers. Dunning always attracted criticism because she is Todd's cousin and in charge of finances.
The graphic arts exemption always mystified me.
The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses
I demand an investigation into the relationship between Stroger and Cole, forget Dinnings! Dead girl, live boy, so on and so forth.. I keed!
NOT!
No, I think they just won't pay it, making the 'gray economy' even larger.
That's life in a democracy. Such a move, coupled with a meaningful reduction in the sales tax rate, is overdue, especially as the service sector continues to grow in proportion to goods.
What's the alternative? The stigma of the nation's highest sales tax in Chicago, and more importantly, a big gaping hole in the state budget.
We are going to need a new race card as the current one is tattered and bent from overuse by Burris and DM Cobb. Now Stroger and I hear JJJ is negotiating for it's use if his Blago situation deteriorates any further
IL Dept of Revenue says 6.25%
http://www.revenue.state.il.us/businesses/
taxinformation/sales/rot.htm
To be technically correct, I believe the state collects 6.25% of which 1% is distributed back to the local agencies in proportion to where it was collected.
The whole Cole/Stroger/Dunnings triangle could get verrrrryyyyy interesting...
Did anyone else see the Trib quick poll on the editorial page today: "Would you vote for Todd Stroger?" Response: 98.5% NO, 1.5% yes. Not looking too good...