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No one has flip-flopped or abandoned the taxpayers more than Joan Murphy, the incumbent Cook County commissioner from the southwest suburban 6th District.

Murphy is considered a lapdog for the beleaguered Cook County Board President Todd Stroger. So beholden to Stroger is Murphy that she was the driving force in introducing and lining up votes to pass Stroger’s oppressive 1 percent sales tax increase.

But when the public reacted with powerful anger, Murphy shuddered and flip-flopped, as she always does, supporting, for political reasons, a legitimate move by County Commissioners Liz Gorman, John Daley and Larry Suffredin to repeal the tax.

Her main political sponsor has been former Crestwood Village President Chester Stranczek, who built his 50-year career on refunding village taxes to voters. How ironic Murphy would become the antithesis of Stranczek. Not surprisingly, though, she has stood by Stranczek’s son, Robert, who is in the midst of a major scandal involving poisoned water.

Murphy lives in Crestwood. While the village has played politics with the taxpayers — returning their taxes for votes — they turned their back on public safety. For the past quarter century or more, Crestwood residents have been drinking poisoned water. Murphy and Stranczek are in denial.

Despite the poisoned water controversy, Murphy continues to back the politicians over Crestwood’s health-ravaged residents.

Murphy is in trouble. But politicians are only really in trouble when they have someone serious challenging them. And someone serious is throwing his hat into the spring Democratic primary to oust Murphy and give the voters their voice back on the waste-filled, controversy-plagued and corrupt county government.

“I plan to run for the 6th District County Board seat,” said Nick Valadez, 48, an attorney in private practice and former municipal attorney for the Village of Posen. “Murphy has absolutely no respect for her constituents.

“At the last county board meeting, and I was there, Murphy said that county board members are elected to do what’s best for the county, not their district residents. She has the gall to say that the economic pain that the 6th County District has experienced is insignificant. She supported and sponsored Stroger’s tax increase to kill businesses in our district. And she turned her back on Crestwood’s residents as she has turned her back on the majority of residents in the 6th District. She needs to go.”

The 6th district includes Lansing, Oak Forest, Homewood, Midlothian, Dolton, Matteson, Alsip, South Holland, Glenwood, Sauk Village, Richton Park, Crestwood, Sooth Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights, parts of Orland Park and Tinley Park.

Valadez is the one of the organizers of a new Web site that seeks, recruits and supports candidates to bring reform to the controversy-plagued Cook County board. The Web site is www.fixcookcounty.com.

Valadez notes accurately that as a result of the repressive Stroger-Murphy sales tax hike, businesses are closing their doors along the county’s borders as consumers drive into neighboring counties where the sales taxes are far lower.

Instead of apologizing for ignoring these interests, though, Murphy arrogantly continues to suck up to the collapsing Stroger Machine, suggesting incredulously that a statue be erected to “honor” Todd Stroger in Grant Park.

Valadez promises he will not only respect the voters of the 6th District. He will listen to them and fight for their interests on the board. Valadez will be the guest on Radio Chicagoland on Tuesday morning, June 16 (WJJG 1530 AM Radio, or www.RadioChicagoland.com.) Tune in and listen to the future.