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Record of Proceedings

Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation – October 20, 2026

Board of Commissioners — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
BodyCook County, Illinois
SessionBoard of Commissioners
DateTuesday, October 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:58

Original source
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:01

Ready, ma'am.

Unassigned speaker

0:03

The

Speaker 2

0:03

hour having reached 11 30 a.m.

0:05

I would like to call to order the Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation.

0:10

Madam Secretary, will you please call the roll?

Speaker 1

0:12

Thank you, ma'am.

0:13

Commissioner McCasco.

0:16

Commissioner McCasco is absent.

0:19

Commissioner Marita.

0:21

Thank you.

0:22

Commissioner Sean Morrison is excused.

0:25

Commissioner Vasquez.

0:28

Thank you.

0:29

And Madam Chair is present.

0:31

Ma'am, you do have a quorum for this meeting.

0:33

Two members are absent.

0:34

Commissioner McCasco and excuse absence for the chair.

Speaker 2

0:38

Is there a need to have remote participation?

Speaker 1

0:42

I do not have a request unless McCasco joins us.

Speaker 2

0:47

Madam Secretary, are there any public speakers or changes to the agenda?

Speaker 1

0:51

Ma'am, I have one speaker.

0:53

I will call him in a second.

0:55

You do have an errata for item number.

Unassigned speaker

0:59

You

Speaker 1

1:00

do have an errata for item number 26250 on page nine to remove the duplicate file.

1:08

And then you have a supplemental agenda for item number 2624 50 and 262537.

1:18

Your public speakers, George Blake War.

1:20

I will keep time for you and remind you when time is expired.

1:23

You may begin.

Speaker 3

1:24

Thank

Unassigned speaker

1:25

you.

Speaker 3

1:29

You need a paper copy.

1:33

Everybody is not uh go digital.

1:40

Okay.

1:42

Miss Gaynor, how are you today?

1:45

Are you doing Miss Gaynor?

1:48

Okay.

1:50

And how are you doing, Mr.

1:51

Moore?

1:53

We're gonna meet and greet each other here today.

1:55

Sir, please complete your testimony.

1:57

We're gonna meet and greet each other today this morning.

2:03

We're gonna meet and greet each other.

2:07

I remember when Burt was hit on that thing.

2:09

Bam, bam, bam, order here, outta here.

2:14

Uh-huh.

2:15

I never hear nobody hid know anything here.

2:18

Bert would do this.

2:20

Although Bertha got indicted.

2:22

He he had order,

Unassigned speaker

2:24

even

Speaker 3

2:24

though they was corrupt, but they had order.

2:28

When they say public speakers, uh, and the the other uh uh board members be talking to each other, turn their back, he hit on that thing.

2:37

Bam, bam, bam, outta here.

2:41

There's no order here.

2:44

It's out of control, out of control.

2:50

Workmen compensation.

2:52

They have said the separate of one of those one of those guys on the board of review uh uh somewhere is an attorney also, and they say that they will steer in all of these workmen compensations uh to his law firm.

3:11

Now I'm receiving an education here.

3:16

Yes, the mere fact that I say I can read.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Worker Safety█████████████████████████36%
Summary of Proceedings

Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation – October 20, 2026

The Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation of Cook County met on October 20, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. Commissioners present: Marita, Vasquez, and the Chair; McCasco absent, Morrison excused. A quorum was met. The meeting consisted of public comment, approval of minutes, and approval of settlements.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The subcommittee unanimously approved the minutes from the September 23, 2026 meeting (Item 2621) by voice vote, moved by Commissioner Vasquez and seconded by Commissioner Marita.
  • Approval of Settlements: The subcommittee unanimously approved a list of 26 workers' compensation settlements (Items 262538, 262550, 262319, 262549, 262539, 262326, 262456, 262414, 262544, 262532, 262508, 262424, 262541, 262472, 262535, 262337, 262540, 262509, 262547, 262544, 262524, 262558, 262530, 262551, 262450, 262537) as recommended by the State's Attorney. The motion was made by Commissioner Marita and seconded by Commissioner Vasquez.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • George Blake War (named in roll call; referred to as Blake Moore by the speaker): The speaker criticized the lack of order in meetings, alleging that a Board of Review member who is also an attorney may be steering workers' compensation cases to his law firm. He requested paper agendas for senior attendees, objecting to the digital-only format, and expressed distrust of the meeting process and timekeeping.

Other Business

  • Errata and Supplemental Agenda: The secretary noted an errata for Item 26250 (removal of duplicate file) and a supplemental agenda for Items 262450 and 262537. No action was taken on these items.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes Approved: Item 2621 approved unanimously.
  • Settlements Approved: 26 settlements approved unanimously.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the motions, with no further business.

Meeting Transcript

Ready, ma'am. The hour having reached 11 30 a.m. I would like to call to order the Cook County Finance Subcommittee on Workers' Compensation. Madam Secretary, will you please call the roll? Thank you, ma'am. Commissioner McCasco. Commissioner McCasco is absent. Commissioner Marita. Thank you. Commissioner Sean Morrison is excused. Commissioner Vasquez. Thank you. And Madam Chair is present. Ma'am, you do have a quorum for this meeting. Two members are absent. Commissioner McCasco and excuse absence for the chair. Is there a need to have remote participation? I do not have a request unless McCasco joins us. Madam Secretary, are there any public speakers or changes to the agenda? Ma'am, I have one speaker. I will call him in a second. You do have an errata for item number. You do have an errata for item number 26250 on page nine to remove the duplicate file. And then you have a supplemental agenda for item number 2624 50 and 262537. Your public speakers, George Blake War. I will keep time for you and remind you when time is expired. You may begin. Thank you. You need a paper copy. Everybody is not uh go digital. Okay. Miss Gaynor, how are you today? Are you doing Miss Gaynor? Okay. And how are you doing, Mr. Moore? We're gonna meet and greet each other here today. Sir, please complete your testimony. We're gonna meet and greet each other today this morning. We're gonna meet and greet each other. I remember when Burt was hit on that thing. Bam, bam, bam, order here, outta here. Uh-huh. I never hear nobody hid know anything here. Bert would do this. Although Bertha got indicted. He he had order,

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