Jesus "Chuy" Garcia has been away from politics for more than a decade.
Cast aside by the powerful - and since discredited - Hispanic Democratic Organization, Garcia has been biding his time, working for community organizations and watching battles in the county boardroom from afar.
But this morning, as he received the endorsements of two sitting commissioners, Garcia said the time is ripe for change. He's running for the seat currently occupied by 7th District Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno.
"I want to usher out this administration of (Todd) Stroger and Moreno, and replace it, usher in a new era of reform, or transparency, of accountability and giving taxpayers what they deserve," said Garcia, a former alderman and state senator.
Commissioners Forrest Claypool and Larry Suffredin, progressives who are critical of Stroger, called Garcia a voice for reform.
"This is part of change that is necessary to make Cook County relevant to its citizens again," Suffredin said at a press conference at a Loop law firm. "We must get rid of Todd Stroger, and in this race, Jesus Garcia is running against the very safest vote Todd Stroger has of any commissioner."
Garcia would not comment on whether he would seek to roll back the remainder of the controversial sales tax, saying he needed more information before making a decision.
Claypool, who is not running for re-election, said more progressives need to be in county government, but it won't happen at once.
"We need good candidates, and they're not just going to appear in one election cycle," he said.
Still, Claypool signaled a Garcia win would be significant.
"There would be a poetic justice for Jesus Garcia's return to politics," he said. "We need people like him if we're going to move the reform banner forward."
EARLIER:
Two of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ most outspoken progressives are set to endorse a prominent Hispanic candidate.
Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a former alderman and two-term state legislator, will receive backing from Commissioners Larry Suffredin and Forrest Claypool this morning.
Garcia, a Democrat, is running against Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno in the Feb. 2nd primary for Moreno’s 7th District seat, which encompasses parts of Cicero and southwest Chicago.
“What I really believe what we need is more progressives on the board,” says Suffredin.
Suffredin says Garcia’s background is a key point in gaining the endorsement. Garcia was a key figure in diffusing the so-called Council Wars of the 1980s and has worked as a community organizer since he last held office.
Suffredin says he hopes Garcia will oust Moreno, who has backed County Board President Todd Stroger on a number of issues, including the sales tax.
“We really need to have a core group that is committed to both reasonable fiscal control and a progressive social service approach, which means we’re not contracting health services to the poor, (but where) we’re trying to figure out ways to expand them,” he says.
I'll have more on this story later today.