President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners explained

Post:President
Body:the Cook County Board of Commissioners
Insigniasize:150px
Incumbent:Toni Preckwinkle
Incumbentsince:December 6, 2010
Termlength:4 years

The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the chief executive of county government in Cook County, Illinois.[1] They are the head of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. The president is chosen in a county-wide general election for a 4-year term, without term limits, at the same time that the county elects single-district board members.

Office description

Duties of the President include presenting a balanced budget to the Board for approval, as well as overseeing County Board meetings and the Bureaus of Offices Under the President. This grants them the ability to veto or approve ordinances and resolutions, as well as the ability to appoint certain employees to the Cook County administration, though they may need the consent of the Board to do so.

Additionally, the President must present an annual report to the Board on county affairs and its finances, which would require reports and an examination of Cook County administrative units, as well as their properties. The President is also able to enter into intergovernmental agreements as well as agreements with the private sector with the consent and advice of the Board.[1]

While the 1970 state constitution of Illinois permits all counties to directly-elect their chief executive, Cook County is the only county in Illinois that does so.[2]

Officeholders

President[3] [4] [5] Term startTerm endTerms Years class=unsortable  Party
Henry B. Miller18721873
S. Ashton18731874
William R. Burdick18741875
A. B. Johnson18751876
Charles C. P. Holden18761877bgcolor=Republican[6]
Henry SenneDecember 1877December 1879
John Wesley StewartDecember 1879December 1880bgcolor=Republican
D. B. Purington18801881
D. W. Clark18811882
Adam Ochs18821883bgcolor=Democratic
Joseph Donnersberger18831884bgcolor=Democratic
Henry Senne18841885
George C. Klehm18851887bgcolor=Republican
J. Frank Aldrich18871887bgcolor=Republican
Henry C. Senne18871889bgcolor=Republican[7]
George Edmanson18891890
Robert J. Smith18901891
John M. Green18911892
George Edmanson18921893
George Struckman18931894
Daniel D. Healy18941898
James C. Irwin18981900
John J. Hanberg19001902
Henry G. Foreman19021904bgcolor=Republican[8]
Edward J. Brundage19041907bgcolor=Republican[9]
William Busse19071910bgcolor=Republican[10]
Peter Bartzen19101912bgcolor=Democratic[11]
Alexander A. McCormick19121914bgcolor=Progressive[12]
Peter Reinberg19141921bgcolor=Democratic
Daniel Ryan Sr.19211922bgcolor=Democratic
Anton Cermak19221931bgcolor=Democratic
Emmett Whealan 19311934bgcolor=Democratic[13]
19341946bgcolor=Democratic[14]
William N. Erickson 19461954bgcolor=Republican[15]
19541961bgcolor=Democratic
John J. Duffy 19611962bgcolor=Democratic[16]
1962196614bgcolor=Democratic[17]
1966January 1969¾ 3bgcolor=Republican
January 1969December 19905¼ 21bgcolor=Democratic
December 1990December 199414bgcolor=Democratic
December 5, 1994August 1, 2006312bgcolor=Democratic
August 1, 2006December 4, 2006bgcolor=Democratic
December 4, 2006December 6, 20101 4bgcolor=Democratic
December 6, 20104*13*bgcolor=Democratic

Recent election results

|-| colspan=16 style="text-align:center;" |President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners general elections|-!Year!Winning candidate!Party!Vote (pct)!Opponent!Party! Vote (pct)!Opponent!Party! Vote (pct)!Opponent!Party! Vote (pct)|-|1986[18] | | George Dunne| | Democratic| | 808,126 (60.61%)| | Joseph D. Matthewson| | Republican| | 525,288 (39.39%)| | | | | | |-|1990[19] | | Richard J. Phelan| | Democratic| | 714,638 (55.65%)| | Aldo DeAngelis| | Republican| | 405,771 (31.60%)|Text style="background:#D2B48C | Barbara J. Norman|Text style="background:#D2B48C | Harold Washington Party|Text style="background:#D2B48C | 163,817 (12.76%)| | | |-|1994| | John H. Stroger, Jr.| | Democratic| | | | Joe Morris| | Republican| | |Text style="background:#D2B48C | Aloysius Majerczyk|Text style="background:#D2B48C | Harold Washington Party|Text style="background:#D2B48C | | Jerome Carter| Populist| |-|1998[20] | | John H. Stroger, Jr.| | Democratic| | 834,972 (63.49%)| | Aurelia Marie Pucinski| | Republican| | 480,191 (36.61%)| | | | | | |-|2002[21] [22] | | John H. Stroger, Jr.| | Democratic| | 901,679 (68.73%)| | Christopher A. Bullock| | Republican| | 410,155 (31.27%)| | | | | | |-|2006[23] | | Todd H. Stroger| | Democratic| | 690,945 (53.68%)| | Tony Peraica| | Republican| | 596,212 (46.32%)| | | | | | |-|2010[24] | | Toni Preckwinkle| | Democratic| | 939,056 (69.54%)| | Roger A. Keats| | Republican| | 357,070 (26.44%)| | Thomas Tresser| | Green| | 54,273 (4.02%)| | | |-|2014[25] | | Toni Preckwinkle| | Democratic| | 1,072,886 (100%)| | | | | | | | | |-|2018[26] | | Toni Preckwinkle| | Democratic| | 1,355,407 (96.11%)| Others| Write-ins| 54,917 (3.89%)| | | | | | |-|2022[27] | |Toni Preckwinkle| | Democratic| |967,062 (68.54%)| |Bob Fioretti| | Republican| |399,339 (28.30%)| |Thea Tsatsos| | Libertarian| |44,615 (3.16%)| | |

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Office of the President CookCountyIL.gov . www.cookcountyil.gov . Government of Cook County . 28 October 2020.
  2. Web site: Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System Illinois State Archives . Illinois Secretary of State . 3 December 2024.
  3. Web site: Cook County, Illinois - Secretary of the Board . legacy.cookcountyil.gov . Office of the Secretary to the Board of the Cook County Board of Commissioners . 28 October 2020.
  4. Book: History of Cook County, Illinois . 1884 . A. T. Andreas . Andreas . A. T. . 352 . May 21, 2023 .
  5. The History of Cook County (1884) and contemporaneous newspapers describe the position as "chairman" in the 1870s, and it was elected by the members of the county board (rather than by the voters of the county) until at least 1880. Around 1881, descriptions of the office as "president" began to be published. By (at latest) the county's November 1887 election, it became a county-wide popularly-elected office.
  6. News: Holden Lionized . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 1 . 2021-11-12 . en . 26 Nov 1876.
  7. News: The Republican County Ticket . . November 6, 1887 . 4 . May 21, 2023 . .
  8. Web site: DRIVERS GO INTO POLITICS . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 3 Nov 1902.
  9. Web site: EDWARD J. BRUNDAGE Republican Candidate for President of County Board . Newspapers.com . Chicago Eagle . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 29 Oct 1904.
  10. Book: Chicago Daily News National Almanac for 1910 . Chicago Daily News . 459 . 11 November 2020 . en.
  11. Web site: MANN'S FOE CITES 'HIGH PRICE' FIGUREs IN CONGRESS FIGHT . Newspapers.com . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 29 Oct 1910.
  12. Web site: Worthy County Candidates Get "Tribune's" O.K. . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 7 August 2021 . en . subscription . 1 Nov 1914.
  13. Web site: CERMAK SELECTS OFFICIAL FAMILY . Newspapers.com . The Indianapolis Star . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 10 Apr 1931.
  14. Web site: CLAYTON F. SMITH . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 1 Jan 1946.
  15. Web site: List of County Board Candidates . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 26 Oct 1954.
  16. Web site: Study of Family Court Offered by County Board . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 8 Nov 1961.
  17. Web site: Simon Raps Charges From GOP on 'Waste . Newspapers.com . Arlington Heights Herald . 9 August 2021 . en . subscription . 4 Oct 1962.
  18. Web site: OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1986 . voterinfo.net . https://web.archive.org/web/20081003205005/http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1986NovCombinedSummary.pdf . 3 October 2008.
  19. Web site: OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1990 . voterinfo.net . https://web.archive.org/web/20081003205145/http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/archive/1990NovCombinedSummary.pdf . 3 October 2008.
  20. Web site: OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998 . results.cookcountyclerkil.gov .
  21. Web site: TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2002 A.D. . Chicago Board of Election Commissioners . 18 June 2020.
  22. Web site: SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY RESULTS . voterinfonet.com . Cook County Clerk . https://web.archive.org/web/20050209124209/http://www.voterinfonet.com/results/11502results/ . 9 February 2005 . dead.
  23. Web site: Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report November 2006 General Election Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 . Cook County Clerk's Office . 16 March 2020.
  24. Web site: Cook County General Election November 2, 2010 Combined Summary Report . Cook County Clerk's Office . 16 March 2020.
  25. Web site: General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Combined Summary . Cook County Clerk's Office . 16 March 2020.
  26. Web site: Cook County and The City of Chicago General Election November 6, 2018 Combined Summary . March 9, 2020 . Cook County Clerk's Office.
  27. Web site: Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the November 8, 2022 Gubernatorial General Election Held in Each of the Precincts in Cook County, Illinois Including the City of Chicago . www.cookcountyclerkil.gov . Cook County Clerk . 6 December 2022 . 2022.

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