Announcing an independent run for county assessor, retiring Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool today took aim at Cook's Democratic Party Chairman Joseph Berrios, his rival for the post.
"He's in the pocket of the special interests, and that's affecting our pocketbooks," Claypool said.
Claypool pledged that he would not take money from property tax lawyers. News reports have shown how Berrios' campaigns are funded by such attorneys. Read more...
She still has to win an election, but Alderman Toni Preckwinkle is already preparing to take over as Cook County Board president.
In remarks today to the City Club of Chicago, Preckwinkle said she has been forming teams to prepare for her coronation as leader of the County Board.
"We’re not taking anything for granted, knock on wood, but we’re starting now to address some of the tough issues that the county faces," she said. "We definitely have our work cut out for us." Read more...
Terrence O’Brien has spent much of his campaign for the Cook County Board presidency touting his management of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District and pledging to clean up Cook County government.
But a few donors on O’Brien’s latest campaign finance disclosure forms have a familiar name from headlines of scandals past: Roti.
The Roti family figured prominently in the city’s Hired Truck scandal, taking in more than $5.5 million in city funds, according to published reports. Read more...
Running on a progressive platform, he faced President John H. Stroger.
But Claypool’s campaign was derailed when Stroger suffered an incapacitating — and ultimately fatal — stroke. Now Claypool, a Democrat, is saying goodbye to the board. He’s choosing to sit this election cycle out while focusing on Rise Health, a new medical technology venture. Read more...
But state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) seeks to leave Springfield for a seat on the Cook County Board.
It may seem like a step in the wrong direction for Fritchey, who lost to former Commissioner Mike Quigley in the race for Rahm Emmanuel’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. But he says he is motivated by the potential to work for the citizens of Cook County. Read more...
