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Cook County commissioners have agreed to investigate why some county employees have received pay raises. That vote comes after many commissioners rejected a hiring freeze.

Those supporting a hiring freeze insisted it was to get a handle on spending. But Commissioner Bill Beavers said it was more politics.

BEAVERS: It's gotten to be personal. Real personal.

The hiring freeze was proposed after news reports Board President Todd Stroger added six highly-paid staffers to his payroll since losing the February primary. Commissioners fell two votes shy of enforcing the hiring freeze.

So they moved to the next best thing: reviewing certain county employees who have received a pay raise. That includes employees under Stroger and other county-wide elected officials. Commissioner Jerry Butler says analyzing pay raises is just as political as the hiring freeze debate.

BUTLER: No matter how you sing it, it sounds like the same song to me.

But commissioners agreed 12-to-4 to review the pay raises at the next board meeting.