County Commissioner Files For Bankruptcy

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 12, 2010 3:20PM

A week after winning reelection to the Cook County Board, 17th District Commissioner Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman filed for bankruptcy.

Gorman, who makes $85,000 as a county commissioner, cited the discovery this week that her husband had some serious heart problems that required immediate attention as the reason for the filing. "We had to file. If something happened during these operations, I would have been stuck with his debt," Gorman said, adding that she didn't want to pass the burden along to her children. The bankruptcy filing lists assets of $1.15 million against liabilities of $13.5 million. Much of the debt stems from a car dealership Gorman and her husband, Gerald, ran in Midlothian.

The Gormans also face two foreclosure suits totaling around $4 million, with the family home pledged as collateral in one of the suits.