Cook County Board of Commissioners

Unicameral legislature of Cook County, Illinois

Cook County Board of Commissioners

Type
Type|

Unicameral

Leadership

President

Toni Preckwinkle
since December 6, 2010

Structure
Seats| 17

Political groups

| Majority

* Democratic (16)

Minority

* Republican (1)

Length of term

| 4 years
Elections

Last election

| 2022

Next election

| 2026
Meeting place
City Hall-County Building
118 N Clark St
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Website
Official website

The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the United States' second-largest county with a population of 5.2 million residents. The county board sets policy and laws for the county regarding property, public health services, public safety, and maintenance of county highways.[1] It is presided over by its president and the county's chief executive, currently Toni Preckwinkle.

The commissioners, president, and county clerk (who serves as clerk of the board), hold the same offices ex officio on the separate governmental taxing body, the Cook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners.

## History

[edit]

October 8, 2013 meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

Until 1870, Cook County had been governed under the "township supervisor" system, under which each Chicago ward elected a supervisor, and each township elected one or more as well depending on population, creating a board of 50 members, less than half from Chicago. In the wake of a scandal involving then board chairman J. J. Kearney (who was eventually unseated and expelled from the board), the new commission was created pursuant to an amendment to the state constitution, initially with ten Chicago commissioners elected from groups of wards within the city, and five members elected from groups of townships outside the city, presided over by a chairman elected by the board from among their own number. The commissioners were elected for three-year terms, on a staggered basis. The first meeting of the new board took place December 4, 1871; they elected businessman and Civil War general Julius White of Evanston as their chairman.[2]

## Elections

[edit]

The board's seventeen commissioners are elected from individual constituencies for four year terms, with elections for all constituencies held during United States midterm elections.[3] Its president is elected at-large to a four-year term in elections held during United States midterm elections.

Up through 1990, commissioners were elected through two sets of elections, one held in Chicago to elect ten commissioners and another held in suburban Cook County to elect the remaining seven commissioners. In 1994, the board switched to having commissioners elected from individual constituencies.[4]

## Commissioners

[edit]

Graph of the progression of the partisan seat share won at each election since 1986

### Current

[edit]

This is a list of the Cook County Commissioners in order by district. This list is current as of December 2022.

District  | Commissioner  | Residence  | Start  | Party

|
|
|
|

President
(at large)  | Toni Preckwinkle | Chicago | 2010  | Democratic
1 | Tara Stamps | Chicago  | 2023  | Democratic
2 | Michael Scott Jr. | Chicago  | 2024  | Democratic
3 | Bill Lowry | Chicago  | 2018  | Democratic
4 | Stanley Moore | Chicago  | 2013  | Democratic
5 | Kisha McCaskill | Harvey | 2025  | Democratic
6 | Donna Miller | Lynwood | 2018  | Democratic
7 | Alma Anaya | Chicago  | 2018  | Democratic
8 | Jessica Vasquez | Chicago  | 2025  | Democratic
9 | Maggie Trevor | Rolling Meadows | 2022  | Democratic
10 | Bridget Gainer | Chicago  | 2009  | Democratic
11 | John Daley | Chicago  | 1992  | Democratic
12 | Bridget Degnen | Chicago  | 2018  | Democratic
13 | Josina Morita | Skokie | 2022  | Democratic
14 | Scott Britton | Glenview | 2018  | Democratic
15 | Kevin Morrison | Mount Prospect | 2018  | Democratic
16 | Frank Aguilar | Cicero | 2020  | Democratic
17 | Sean Morrison | Palos Park | 2015  | Republican

### Past

[edit]

#### Before 1994

[edit]

Individuals who, before 1994, served as president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners included J. Frank Aldrich, Edward J. Brundage, Anton Cermak, George Dunne, Richard B. Ogilvie, Richard Phelan, Dan Ryan Jr. Charles C. P. Holden, and Seymour Simon. The first county board chairman (a role which preceded the creation of the president position) was Julius White.[5]

Individuals who served as commissioners before the move to individual constituencies in 1994 included George Marquis Bogue, Jerry Butler, Carl R. Chindblom, Marco Domico, Martin Emerich, Carter Harrison III, John Humphrey, John Jones, Walter J. LaBuy, , Lillian Piotrowski, Francis Cornwall Sherman, Seymour Simon, Horace M. Singer, Alanson Sweet, and William Hale Thompson. Others included suburban members Allan C. Carr, Carl R. Hansen, Herb Schumann; and Chicago members Charles Bernardini, Charles S. Bonk, Jerry Butler, John P. Daley, Danny K. Davis, Ted Lechowicz, Maria Pappas, Oscar Stanton De Priest, Harry H. Semrow, and Bobbie L. Steele.

#### Since 1994

[edit]

Members serving (by term)  Term  | Members

|

1994–1998  |

President: John Stroger (D)
1st district: Danny Davis (D)
2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D)
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: John Stroger (D)
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Barclav "Bud" Fleming (R)
7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D)
8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Maria Pappas (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Ted Lechowicz (D)
13th district: Calvin Sutker (D)
14th district: Richard Seibel (R)
15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R)
16th district: Allan C. Carr (R)
17th district: Herb Schumann (R)

1998–2002  |

President: John Stroger (D)
1st district: Danny Davis (D) through Jan. 1999; Darlena Williams–Burnett (D) beginning in 1999
2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D)
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: John Stroger (D)
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6h district: William Moran (D)
7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D)
8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Mike Quigley (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Ted Lechowicz (D)
13th district: Calvin Sutker (D)
14th district: Gregg Goslin (R)
15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R)
16th district: Allan C. Carr (R)
17th district: Herb Schumann (R)

2002–2006  |

President: John Stroger (D) through Aug. 2006; Bobbie L. Steele (D) beginning in Aug. 2006
1st district: Earlean Collins (D)
2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D)
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: John Stroger (D) through Nov. 2006; William Beavers (D) beginning in Nov. 2006
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D)
7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D)
8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Mike Quigley (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Forrest Claypool (D)
13th district: Larry Suffredin (D)
15th district: Gregg Goslin (R)
15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R)
16th district: Tony Peraica (R)
17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R)

2006–2010  |

President: Todd Stroger
1st district: Earlean Collins (D)
2nd district: Robert Steele (D)
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: William Beavers (D)
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D)
7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D)
8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D) through Aug. 2009; Edwin Reyes (D) since Aug. 2009
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Mike Quigley (D) through Apr. 2009; Bridget Gainer (D) since Apr. 2009
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Forrest Claypool (D)
13th district:Larry Suffredin(D)
14th district: Gregg Goslin (R)
15th district: Tim Schneider (R)
16th district: Tony Peraica (R)
17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R)

2010–2014  |

President: Toni Preckwinkle (D)
1st district: Earlean Collins (D)
2nd district: Robert Steele (D)
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: William Beavers (D) through Mar. 2013; Stanley Moore (D) beginning in Apr. 2013
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D)
7th district: Chuy García (D)
8th district: Edwin Reyes (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Bridget Gainer (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: John Fritchey (D)
13th district: Larry Suffredin (D)
14th district: Gregg Goslin (R)
15th district: Tim Schneider (R)
16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D)
17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R)

2014–2018  |

President: Toni Preckwinkle (D)
1st district: Richard Boykin (D)
2nd district: Robert Steele (D) through June 2017; Dennis Deer (D) beginning in July 2017
3rd district: Jerry Butler (D)
4th district: Stanley Moore (D)
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D) through Sep. 2016; Edward Moody (D) beginning in Oct. 2016
7th district: Chuy García (D)
8th district: Luis Arroyo Jr. (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Bridget Gainer (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: John Fritchey (D)
13th district: Larry Suffredin (D)
14th district: Gregg Goslin (R)
15th district: Tim Schneider (R)
16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D)
17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R) through July 2015; Sean M. Morrison (R) beginning in July 2015

2018–2022  |

President: Toni Preckwinkle (D)
1st district: Brandon Johnson (D)
2nd district: Dennis Deer (D)
3rd district: Bill Lowry (D)
4th district: Stanley Moore (D)
5th district: Deborah Sims (D)
6th district: Donna Miller (D)
7th district: Alma E. Anya (D)
8th district: Luis Arroyo Jr. (D)
9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R)
10th district: Bridget Gainer (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Bridget Degenen (D)
13th district: Larry Suffredin (D)
14th district: Scott R. Britton (D)
15th district: Kevin B. Morrison (D)
16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D) until Mar. 2020; Frank Aguilar (D) since Apr. 2020
17th district: Sean M. Morrison (R)

2022–present |

President: Toni Preckwinkle (D)
1st district: Brandon Johnson (D) through May 2023; Tara Stamps (D) beginning in June 2023
2nd district: Dennis Deer (D) through July 2024; Michael Scott Jr. beginning in July 2024
3rd district: Bill Lowry (D)
4th district: Stanley Moore (D)
5th district: Monica Gordon (D) through January 2025; Kisha McCaskill beginning in January 2025
6th district: Donna Miller (D)
7th district: Alma E. Anya (D)
8th district: Anthony Quezada (D) through May 2025; Jessica Vasquez beginning in May 2025
9th district: Maggie Tevor (D)
10th district: Bridget Gainer (D)
11th district: John P. Daley (D)
12th district: Bridget Degenen (D)
13th district: Josina Morita (D)
14th district: Scott R. Britton (D)
15th district: Kevin B. Morrison (D)
16th district: Frank Aguilar (D)
17th district: Sean M. Morrison (R)

1st district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Danny Davis | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Jan. 1997  | ½ term
Darlena Williams-Burnett  | Democratic  | 1997–Dec. 1998  | ½ term
Earlean Collins | Democratic  | Dec. 1998–Dec. 2014  | 4 terms
Richard Boykin | Democratic  | Dec. 2014–Dec. 2018  | 1 term
Brandon Johnson | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–May 2023  | 1⅓ terms
Tara Stamps  | Democratic  | June 2023–present |
2nd district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Bobbie L. Steele | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2006  | 3 terms
Robert Steele | Democratic  | Dec. 2006–June 2017  |
Dennis Deer | Democratic  | July 2017–July 2024  |
Michael Scott Jr. | Democratic  | July 2024–present |
3rd district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Jerry Butler | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2018  | 6 terms
Bill Lowry  | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
4th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served  | Notes

|
|
|
|

John Stroger | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Aug. 2006  | 3 terms  | Also coincidingly served as board president
William Beavers | Democratic  | Nov. 2006–March 2013  |  |
Stanley Moore | Democratic  | Apr. 2013–present |  |
5th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Deborah Sims  | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2022  | 7 terms
Monica Gordon  | Democratic  | Dec. 2022–Jan. 2025
Kisha McCaskill  | Democratic  | Jan. 2025–present |
6th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Barclav "Bud" Fleming  | Republican  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 1998  | 1 term
William Moran  | Democratic  | Dec. 1998–Dec. 2002  | 1 term
Joan Patricia Murphy | Democratic  | Dec. 2002–Sep. 2016  | 3½ terms
Edward Moody | Democratic  | Oct. 2016–Dec. 2018  | ½ term
Donna Miller | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
7th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Joseph Mario Moreno | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2010  | 4 terms
Chuy García | Democratic  | Dec. 2010–Dec. 2018  | 2 terms
Alma E. Anya  | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
8th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Roberto Maldonado | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Aug. 2009  |
Edwin Reyes | Democratic  | Aug. 2009–Dec. 2014  |
Luis Arroyo Jr. | Democratic  | Dec. 2014–Dec. 2022  | 3 terms
Anthony Quezada  | Democratic  | Dec. 2022–May 2025  |
Jessica Vasquez  |  | May 2025–present  |
9th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Peter N. Silvestri | Republican  | Dec. 1994–present |
10th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Peter N. Silvestri | Republican  | Dec. 1994–2022  | 7 terms
Maggie Trevor  | Democratic  | Dec. 2022–present  |
11th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

John P. Daley | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–present |
12th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Ted Lechowicz | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2002  | 2 terms
Forrest Claypool | Democratic  | Dec. 2002–Dec. 2010  | 2 terms
John Fritchey | Democratic  | Dec. 2010–Dec. 2018  | 2 terms
Bridget Degnen  | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
13th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Calvin Sutker | Democratic  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2002  | 2 terms
Larry Suffredin | Democratic  | Dec. 2002–Dec. 2022  | 5 terms
Josina Morita | Democratic  | Dec. 2022–present |
14th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Richard Seibel  | Republican  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2002  | 1 term
Gregg Goslin | Republican  | Dec. 1998–Dec. 2018  | 5 terms
Scott R. Britton | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
15th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Carl R. Hansen  | Republican  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2006  | 3 terms
Tim Schneider | Republican  | Dec. 2006–Dec. 2018  | 3 terms
Kevin B. Morrison  | Democratic  | Dec. 2018–present |
16th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Allan C. Carr | Republican  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2002  | 2 terms
Tony Peraica | Republican  | Dec. 2002–Dec. 2010  | 2 terms
Jeff Tobolski | Democratic  | Dec. 2010–Mar. 2020  |
Frank Aguilar | Democratic  | Aug. 2020–present |
17th district Name  | Party  | Tenure  | Terms served

|
|
|

Herb Schumann | Republican  | Dec. 1994–Dec. 2002  | 2 terms
Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman | Republican  | Dec. 2002–July 20, 2015  |
Sean M. Morrison | Republican  | July 2015–present |

## See also

[edit]

* Cook County Board of Review
* Chicago City Council

## References

[edit]

1. ^ About the Cook County Board of Commissioners Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine
2. ^ Johnson, Charles B. Growth of Cook County Vol. 1: A History of the Large Lake-Shore County That Includes Chicago Chicago: Board of Commissioners of Cook County, Ill., 1960; pp. 91-101
3. ^ "Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
4. ^ "Choices for Cook County Board". Chicago Tribune. 22 October 1998. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
5. ^ "Cook County, Illinois - Secretary of the Board". legacy.cookcountyil.gov. Office of the Secretary to the Board of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Cook County official government website
* Commissioners & Elected Officials
* Secretary to the Board: Past Cook County Board Presidents
* Current district map
* Collection of news and information about the Cook County Board from the Chicago Tribune.

* v
* t
* e

Cook County Board of Commissioners

|  |

* Pres: Toni Preckwinkle (D)
* 1st: Tara Stamps (D)
* 2nd: Vacant
* 3rd: Bill Lowry (D)
* 4th: Stanley Moore (D)
* 5th: Monica Gordon (D)

* 6th: Donna Miller (D)
* 7th: Alma Anaya (D)
* 8th: Jessica Vasquez (D)
* 9th: Maggie Trevor (D)
* 10th: Bridget Gainer (D)
* 11th: John Daley (D)

* 12th: Bridget Degnen (D)
* 13th: Josina Morita (D)
* 14th: Scott R. Britton (D)
* 15th: Kevin Morrison (D)
* 16th: Frank Aguilar (D)
* 17th: Sean Morrison (R)

|
|
|

Elections: 1946, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
Special elections: 2024 1st dist.

* v
* t
* e

Government of Cook County, Illinois

Elected executive offices|

* President of Board of Commissioners
* Assessor
* Clerk
* Sheriff
* State's Attorney
* Treasurer
* Defunct offices
* Coroner
* Recorder of Deeds
* Superintendent of the Education Service Region

Board of Commissioners|

* 1st district
* 2nd district
* 3rd district
* 4th district
* 5th district
* 6th district
* 7th district
* 8th district
* 9th district
* 10th district
* 11th district
* 12th district
* 13th district
* 14th district
* 15th district
* 16th district
* 17th district

Other|

* Board of Review
* Circuit Court (Clerk)
* Superior Court defunct
* Committeepeople
* Forest Preserves
* Public Defender
* Public Guardian
* Medical Examiner

Elections|

* 1946
* 1980 (State's Attorney)
* 1984
* 1986
* 1988
* 1990
* 1992
* 1994
* 1996
* 1998
* 2000
* 2002
* 2004
* 2006
* 2008
* 2010
* 2012
* 2014
* 2016
* 2018
* 2020
* 2022
* 2024

Buildings and facilities|

* Administration Building
* City Hall-County Building
* Richard J. Daley Center
* Jail
* Provident Hospital
* John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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