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Cook County commissioners are scheduled to vote today on overriding board President Todd Stroger’s veto of a partial rollback of a sales-tax increase. Chances of success have been boosted by Monday’s appointment of a new commissioner who backs the effort.

This morning Stroger warned that “health clinics and hospitals will be shuttered and public services will be gutted” if the board succeeds in cutting a half percentage point from the county’s 1.75 percent sales tax rate.

“If this sales tax cut goes forward, the consequences to vital public services will be devastating,” he said.

Edwin Reyes, expected to be sworn in before today’s board meeting, said he will vote to override Stroger’s veto. If he follows through, and the other 13 commissioners who support the effort show up and hold fast, the override would have the minimum number of votes to succeed — 14 of the 17 members.

“I think we are in place to have 14 votes, and we should be able to override it,” said Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston.) This morning’s board meeting convenes at 10 a.m.

Similarly, Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica this morning predicted to WGN-AM 720 host Greg Jarrett that the rollback effort would succeed.

The board in July voted to reduce the county sales tax to 1.25 percent from 1.75 percent, cutting in half the 1-percentage-point boost that took effect July 2008.

Under board rules, commissioners have until today to attempt to override the veto. Otherwise it sticks. If the appointment of a new commissioner had not been made before today’s meeting, the rollback effort likely would have been doomed.

But Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) decided to move up the meeting of ward committeemen to pick a replacement for former Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, a rollback supporter who gave up his post as 8th District commissioner to become 26th Ward alderman. If that hadn’t happened, rollback supporters would have had only 13 votes, one less than necessary.

Six candidates showed up Monday at the closed meeting of Northwest Side Democratic ward committeemen to pick Maldonado’s replacement.

The vote, however, quickly boiled down to a choice between Reyes and Xavier Nogueras, the owner of a marketing company and president of the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Illinois. Both favored the rollback. Maldonado supported Nogueras, and Reyes was Mell’s choice. Reyes narrowly won after Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White switched authority to vote on his behalf to Cook County Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Berrios. He earlier had given Maldonado that authority.

An Illinois state trooper on Gov. Pat Quinn’s security detail, Reyes, 45, also is a former chief of staff for Ald. Rey Colon (35th). He lives in Logan Square. Reyes said “economic times dictate” that he vote to reduce the tax. “We can’t keep taxing the average worker.”

– Hal Dardick

A man was killed when he was struck by a freight train on the West Side this morning, officials said.

Rescuers from the Fire Department responded to the incident about 5 a.m. near the intersection of Kenton Avenue and Kinzie Street, said department Commander Will Knight. The Cook County medical examiner’s office was notified that the person died following the crash, but had no details, a spokesman for the office said.

A male victim was struck by a freight train in the incident, which happened about 4:55 a.m., said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.

A police spokesman also confirmed that the man died, but had no details about 6:30 a.m.

The accident delayed at least one Metra Union Pacific-West Line train, according to the railroad’s Web site.

– Liam Ford

A 39-year-old man was shot multiple times Monday night at a residence in the East Garfield Park neighborhood and later died, authorities said. 

At about 11 p.m., police responded to shots fired in the 600 block of North Ridgeway Avenue and found the man with a gunshot wound to his head, left arm and right hand, said Chicago Police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.

Eugien Morales, of the 7900 block of South Artesian Avenue, was pronounced dead at 12:42 a.m. at Stroger Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Two unknown males approached Morales and opened fire, police said. The circumstances behind the shooting are unknown. 

Police are investigating, Greer said.

– Deanese Williams-Harris