*Boykin gets the cold shoulder: Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin, D-Oak Park, wasn't getting a lot of support from his colleagues Wednesday at the Cook County Board meeting.



First, he deferred consideration of a proposal that called for raising the gas tax by 4 cents per gallon to raise $50 million a year — with the bulk of it going to create a youth jobs program in the city and suburbs — for lack of support.



Boykin said he would continue to work with his 16 colleagues on the board to come up with a plan they could back to create more youth jobs, which he said are sorely needed to help combat violence, but board President Toni Preckwinkle had a different take.



"Governing is a collaborative process, Preckwinkle said. "It's one thing to make a proposal, and it's another thing to secure nine votes to get it passed. And that's how democracy works in our body — you have to get nine votes for things."



She also said it's "very difficult" to get commissioners to back a tax increase after they voted narrowly last year to approve a penny-on-the-dollar sales tax increase to restore financial health to the county pension system.



Boykin did try to advance a proposal calling for commissioners, who make $85,000 a year, to take a pay cut of $10,000 to help create youth jobs. His motion died for lack of a second.



By contrast, a proposal by Commissioner Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago, to give bid preferences to companies that hire local youth was easily approved.



Boykin also fell flat with a proposal to give contract bidding preferences to local companies. No one seconded that motion either.



Preckwinkle and other commissioners said they were miffed at Boykin for being the sole vote against a plan to rehabilitate the old Cook County Hospital and build a new medical clinic and office building. He said he opposed those efforts because he wanted to require more of the jobs to go to unemployed people, including ex-offenders, from Austin and West Garfield Park.



"That new health center and the renovation of the old County Hospital and the new development that will follow will create of thousands of permanent and construction jobs," Preckwinkle said, noting the rehab of the hospital and surround area is expected to bring more than $550 million in private investment. "I was really disappointed ... either the health center or the mixed-use development." (Hal Dardick)