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Cook County officials want to reach deeper into your pockets to pay for this year's budget, but some aren't as willing to dig into theirs.

Hundreds of the county's highest paid employees ignored a request to take one unpaid day off last year, though it could have pumped almost $1 million into the county's cash-strapped budget.

County Board President John Stroger asked those making more than $85,000 to make that sacrifice, but records show of the 1,881 eligible, only 525 did.

Among those who didn't were State's Attorney Richard Devine and his staff, Treasurer Maria Pappas and her staff, Board of Review members Joseph Berrios, Maureen Murphy and Robert Shaw, and Commissioners Carl Hansen, Roberto Maldonado and Earlean Collins.

Some Stroger critics opted to donate a day's pay to charity instead of putting it back into the Stroger-controlled budget. Others said they weren't giving up a day's pay for the county and weren't apologetic.

"Our retirement is based on a certain income and this could have an effect on that," said Hansen, a Mount Prospect Republican who said the furlough idea is "just not a good management approach."

But he and every other county commissioner voted to approve it.

"If [Stroger] was trying to save money on personnel, a good way to do that instead is to have less personnel, not to ask people for contributions to a government," he added. "Besides, if I were going to contribute money to a charity, I don't think the county of Cook is the first one I'd think of."

Stroger: Every little bit helps



Stroger and other officials are asking taxpayers to give more, pushing a plan that would raise hotel and restaurant taxes by 2 percent.

While last year's furlough request wouldn't have made a significant impact on a $3 billion budget, Stroger insists every little bit would have helped.

Stroger spokeswoman Caryn Stancik said the day's pay request was developed so everyone sacrificed the same.

"It's frequently used as an expense-cutting measure so nobody gets hurt more than anybody else," she said. The City of Chicago this year instituted a mandatory program requiring anyone making more than $55,000 to take two unpaid days off -- after making it mandatory for managers for two years and voluntary for others.

Commissioner Tony Peraica, who didn't take a furlough day but donates one-third of his annual salary to charities, called Stroger's proposal "more smoke and mirrors than trying to reach a balanced budget."

Commissioner Larry Suffredin took his unpaid day but worked, while Commissioner Mike Quigley gave $1,000 to the Brookfield Zoo.

"I have no faith money returned to this government will be spent appropriately," said Commissioner Forrest Claypool, who gave a day's pay to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Stancik, however, said the purpose of the request for a furlough day was to bring money back to county coffers, meaning those who instead donated to charity didn't help county taxpayers.

Everyone in Stroger's immediate staff who qualified took the day, including Stroger himself.

For many, not a priority

Records show that while the county's highest paid employee -- Stroger Hospital's Dr. Howard Zaren at $444,236 -- took his one unpaid day off work, neither Devine nor Pappas did and they didn't ask their staff to, either.

Devine spokesman John Gorman said it was merely "a suggestion made in the middle of budget negotiations that no one ever followed up with us on and we never saw anything further about it."

Maldonado said he "forgot about it until you brought it up," saying he'd be willing to take two days this year to make up for it.

Berrios said while Board of Review commissioners made sure their staffers made the sacrifice, they were told that as elected officials, "our salaries are set by law" and as such, they couldn't give one day's pay back to the county.

But that didn't stop most elected officials from complying.

Pappas, however, scoffed at asking her senior staff to sacrifice hard-earned money. "I set the bar so high for them, then to ask them to give me money back?" she said.

This year, she's cutting her budget more than most county officials and "why should I ask my people to give the county $5,000 when I'm already giving back $377,000? This furlough day idea is not a central focus here."

OFFICIALS IGNORED DAY-OFF REQUEST

Cook County Board President John Stroger asked the county's highest-paid employees to take one unpaid day off work last year, hoping the returned cash would help balance the budget. County records show if the 1,881 employees asked had complied, it could have generated almost $1 million. Instead, about two-thirds of those employees ignored the request, including these elected officials:

Name                                    Title                             Salary               Daily pay
Richard Devine                State's Attorney         $163,915            $630
Maria Pappas                  Treasurer                  $105,000            $404
Joseph Berrios                 Board of Review         $100,000            $385
Maureen Murphy              Board of Review          $100,000            $385
Robert Shaw                   Board of Review         $100,000             $385
* Forrest Claypool            Commissioner            $85,000               $327
Earlean Collins                 Commissioner            $85,000                $327
Carl Hansen                    Commissioner            $85,000                $327
Roberto Maldonado          Commissioner             $85,000               $327
* Tony Peraica               Commissioner             $85,000               $327
* Mike Quigley                Commissioner             $85,000               $327

* Claypool, Peraica and Quigley instead donated a day's pay to charity.