The Chicago Sun-Times reported this morning that Preckwinkle said a growing deficit, which she placed at between $250 million and $500 million, would prohibit rolling back the remainder of the sales tax until at least 2012. Preckwinkle has said throughout her campaign she would gradually reduce the sales tax.
In December, county commissioners won a battle to eliminate half of the county's penny-on-the-dollar sales tax hike. In response to the unpopular tax, voters shunned County Board President Todd Stroger, siding with Preckwinkle, who promised to cut the tax.
Her opponents, Republican Roger Keats and Green Party candidate Tom Tresser, have also pledged to cut the remainder of the tax.
Representatives from the Preckwinkle campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.