Stay Classy, Donna Dunnings

By Prescott Carlson in Miscellaneous on Jan 17, 2009 1:56PM

Cook County's Chief Financial Officer Donna Dunnings -- who is Cook County President Todd Stroger's cousin, as well as a fan of big, fat raises during a supposed budget crunch -- caused a stir on Thursday when she flipped off the Sheriff's Department budget director in the middle of a meeting. The director, Alexis Herrera, previously worked for Dunnings, and they reportedly had a "tense" conversation in a hallway prior to the meeting that Sun-Times sources say "was peppered with profanity and finger-pointing by Dunnings."

Dunnings responded to the criticism by saying that she "busts [her] ass" in her job, and everyone's just picking on her because she's related to Stroger.

"It was a joke," Dunnings said. "I was teasing with a former employee. We tease all the time. If someone thinks it's more than that, fuck 'em."

Photo from the Cook County website