Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman - Cook County Commissioner

Cook County Commissioner

First elected in November 2002 and re-elected in 2006. On November 2, 2010, Gorman was re-elected to a third time, garnering nearly 60% of the vote to defeat her democrat opponent by more than 21,000 votes and her Green party opponent by more than 51,000 votes. When the new term began on December 6, 2010, Gorman was chosen as the Committee Chairperson of the Environmental Control Committee and Vice Chairperson of the Roads and Bridges Committee, Rules and Administration Committee and the Technology Committee. Gorman is a member of 10 additional committees: Contract Compliance; Criminal Justice; Finance; Real Estate and Business and Economic Development; Tax Delinquency; Health and Hospitals; Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Law Enforcement; and Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations.

During her time on the Cook County Board, Gorman has fought hard on behalf of the taxpayers of her district opposing the "Hotel Occupancy Tax" and the "Food and Beverage Tax" in 2003, the 150% cigarette tax increase in 2004 and the additional 100% increase in 2006. She opposed the "Food and Beverage Tax" and the "Hotel Occupancy Tax" again in 2007, she opposed the "Sanctuary County" resolution for illegal immigrants in 2007 and sponsored a repeal of the ordinance later that year and most recently she voted against Board President Todd Stroger's bloated 2008 budget and was joined by all Republican members of the County Board and two democratic members in opposing the 133% increase in the Cook County sales tax.

Gorman also serves as the Chairman of the Suburban Caucus of the Cook County Board, having been elected by her fellow commissioners serving suburban Cook County.

On May 5, 2009, Commissioner Gorman led a surprise tax revolt against Board President Todd Stroger by securing 12 votes for her Bill to repeal the Cook County sales tax increase passed in 2008. Although Stroger vetoed the ordinance, it was a major accomplishment to get such wide support for this ordinance. Other Commissioners had tried to get similar ordinances passed on several occasions and could not secure more than 7 votes. On December 1, 2009 Commissioner Gorman successfully led the effort to roll back Cook County's sales tax increase and override County Board President Todd Stroger's veto, cutting the county sales tax from 1.75% to 1.25%.