WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

When Toni Preckwinkle took over as Cook County Board President last December, she vowed to do things differently than her predecessor Todd Stroger. Preckwinkle initiated the reversal of Stroger’s penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase and she also promised to lead the county on a "new course."

One of the big challenges facing Chicago’s newly-elected government is getting the city budget under control. As Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has found out, big budget fixes are easier said than done.

In her inaugural speech Monday, the new President of the Cook County Board laid out her agenda: To cut costs and close the estimated $487 million deficit. Toni Preckwinkle vowed to streamline County business and presented a timeline for rolling back the remaining half-penny sales tax hike.

Toni Preckwinkle is now officially the first elected female to serve as Cook County Board President. She took the oath of office this morning.A lot of the ceremony was back-slapping and smiles, but in her inaugural address, Preckwinkle addressed some policies she wants to adopt.

Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County’s newly elected president, said she’ll take on fraud and cronyism.

Longtime Chicago alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle has been elected Cook County board president over Republican Roger Keats and Green Party candidate Tom Tresser. With 76 percent of precincts reporting, Preckwinkle had about 69 percen