Cook Co. commissioner wants all commissioners to take pay cut

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Cook County commissioner from Chicago's West Side is calling for his salary to be cut, along with his fellow commissioners', to fund a program to reduce gun violence.

First District Commissioner Richard Boykin wants all 17 Cook County commissioners to voluntarily take an annual salary cut of $10,000 each.

The initiative is called "shared sacrifice." Boykin says the plan is to fund a youth jobs program aimed at reducing gun violence.

"I think that as a result of asking taxpayers to pay more, that we as elected officials should be willing to sacrifice for the common good," Boykin said.

Boykin recently made a proposal for taxpayers to pay an additional 4 cents per gallon at the gas pump to pay for a $50 million program for at-risk youth.