Committeepeople (Cook County, Illinois) Explained

Ward Committeepeople and Township Committeepeople are political party officials who serve many standard committeemen duties on behalf of their political party in Cook County, Illinois.

Structure and election

The city of Chicago, the largest municipality in Cook County, elects committeepeople (known as "committeemen" until 2018) from each of its 50 wards.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} Each of the 30 suburban civil townships in Cook County also elect committeepeople from each township.^{[1] [5] [6]} Each established party in Cook County, currently Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians, elects its own committeeperson.

Elections for Chicago ward committeepeople coincide with the primaries for presidential candidates,^[7] while elections for township committeepeople coincide with primaries for gubernatorial candidates.

Roles

The positions are unpaid, with responsibilities that include voter registration, community forums, election materials, and election operations. In Chicago, the committeepeople are responsible for producing smooth political processes during the elections in their wards, which includes attempting to produce high voter turnout.^[8]

Committeepeople are voting members in the political organization of their party in the County. This role gives them authority on behalf of the party to select replacements for some vacated political posts such as United States Representative and state legislators. Replacements for some other vacancies are selected through other processes: vacated United States Senate posts are appointed by the Illinois Governor and vacated Chicago City Council posts are appointed by the Mayor of Chicago.^{[9] [10] [11]}

Operationally in Chicago, the committeeperson plays an important role in ward politics. The post of alderman and committeeperson are often closely linked: sometimes the former controls the latter and sometimes the same person holds both posts. In many cases, the committeeman also has influence over the doling out of jobs, favors, and services around the ward. Sometimes a committeeperson accumulates sufficient influence to place their loyalists into political positions outside of the ward.

Cook County Democratic Party

As of March 2024.^[12]

Constituency	Name	Start	Other Office(s) Held
1st Ward	Daniel La Spata	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
2nd Ward	Tim Egan	2016	None
3rd Ward	Pat Dowell	2008	Member of the Chicago City Council (2007–present)
4th Ward	Toni Preckwinkle	1992^[13]	Chair of the Cook County Democratic Party (2018–present), President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (2010–present), Member of the Chicago City Council (1991–2010)
5th Ward	Leslie Hairston	2000	Member of the Chicago City Council (1999–2023)
6th Ward	Roderick Sawyer	2012	Member of the Chicago City Council (2011–2023)
7th Ward	Greg Mitchell	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
8th Ward	Michelle Harris	2008	Member of the Chicago City Council (2006–present)
9th Ward	Anthony Beale	2000	Member of the Chicago City Council (1999–present)
10th Ward	Susan Sadlowski Garza	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–2023)
11th Ward	John Daley	1980	Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (1992–present), Member of the Illinois Senate (1989–1992), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1985–1989)
12th Ward	George Cardenas	2020	Member of the Cook County Board of Review (2022–present), Member of the Chicago City Council (2003–2022)
13th Ward	Mike Madigan	1972^[14]	Chair of the Illinois Democratic Party (1998–2021), Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives (1997–2021, 1983–1995), Minority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives (1995–1997, 1981–1983), Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives (1977–1981), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1971–2021)
14th Ward	Aarón Ortíz	2020	Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2019–present)
15th Ward	Ray Lopez	2012	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
16th Ward	Stephanie Coleman	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
17th Ward	David Moore	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
18th Ward	Derrick Curtis	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
19th Ward	Matt O'Shea	2012	Member of the Chicago City Council (2011–present)
20th Ward	Mattie Hunter	2020	Member of the Illinois Senate (2003–present)
21st Ward	Howard Brookins	2004	Member of the Chicago City Council (2003–2023)
22nd Ward	Mike Rodriguez	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
23rd Ward	Silvana Tabares	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2018–present), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2013–2018)
24th Ward	Michael Scott	2016	Member of the Chicago Board of Education (2022–present), Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–2022)
25th Ward	Byron Sigcho-Lopez	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
26th Ward		2020	None
27th Ward	Walter Burnett	2013^[15]	Vice Mayor of Chicago (2023–present), Member of the Chicago City Council (1995–present)
28th Ward	Jason Ervin	2012	Member of the Chicago City Council (2011–present)
29th Ward	Chris Taliaferro	2016	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
30th Ward	Ariel Reboyras	2006	Member of the Chicago City Council (2003–2023)
31st Ward	Felix Cardona	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
32nd Ward	Scott Waguespack	2012	Member of the Chicago City Council (2007–present)
33nd Ward	Iris Martinez	2020	Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2020–present), Member of the Illinois Senate (2003–2020)
34th Ward	Preston Brown	2020	None
35th Ward	Carlos Ramirez-Rosa	2022	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
36th Ward	Gil Villegas	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2015–present)
37th Ward		2004	Member of the Chicago City Council (2000–present)
38th Ward	Rob Martwick	2017^[16]	Member of the Illinois Senate (2019–present), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2013–2019)
39th Ward	Ram Villivalam	2019	Member of the Illinois Senate (2019–present)
40th Ward	Maggie O'Keefe	2020	None
41st Ward	Joe Cook	2020	None
42nd Ward	Brendan Reilly	2008	President pro tempore of the Chicago City Council (2019–2023), Vice Mayor of Chicago (2015–2019), Member of the Chicago City Council (2007–present)
43rd Ward	Lucy Moog	2016	None
44th Ward	Tom Tunney	2004	Vice Mayor of Chicago (2019–2023), Member of the Chicago City Council (2003–2023)
45th Ward	Jim Gardiner	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2019–present)
46th Ward	Sean Tenner	2018	None^[17]
47th Ward	Paul Rosenfeld	2015	None
48th Ward	Harry Osterman	2020	Member of the Chicago City Council (2011–2023), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2000–2011)
49th Ward	Kelly Cassidy	2019	Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2011–present)
50th Ward	Debra Silverstein	2019	Member of the Chicago City Council (2011–present)
Barrington Township	Robert Steffen		Member of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board^[18]
Berwyn Township	Robert Lovero		Mayor of Berwyn^[19]
Bloom Township	Monica Gordon
Bremen Township	Vernard Alsberry		Hazelcrest Village President^[20]
Calumet Township	Bob Rita		Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2003–present)
Cicero Township	Larry Dominick
Elk Grove Township	Ted Mason		None
Evanston	Eamon Kelly		None
Hanover Township	Adriana Barriga-Green
Lemont Township	Kvin Ameriks
Leyden Township	Barrett Pedersen		Mayor of Franklin Park^[21]
Lyons Township	Steven Landek		Member of the Illinois Senate (2011–present)
Maine Township	Laura Murphy		Member of the Illinois Senate (2015–present)
New Trier Township	Dean Maragos		None
Niles Township	Josina Morita
Northfield Township	Tracy Katz Muhl		None
Norwood Park Township	Frank Avino		None
Oak Park Township	Don Harmon		President of the Illinois Senate (2020–present), President pro tempore of the Illinois Senate (2011–2019), Member of the Illinois Senate (2003–present)
Orland Township	Beth McElroy Kirkwood
Palatine Township	Maria Galo		None
Palos Township	Robert Maloney		None
Proviso Township	Karen Yarbrough		Acting Chair of the Illinois Democratic Party (2021), Clerk of Cook County (2018–present), Cook County Recorder of Deeds (2012–2018), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2001–2012)
Rich Township	Calvin Jordan		Rich Township Highway Inspector, Trustee of Rich Township Schools, and member of Village of Hazel Crest Economic Development Board^[22]
River Forest Township	Cathy Adduci
Riverside Township	Micheal Zalewski		Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2008–2023)
Schaumburg Township	Mike Cudzik		None
Stickney Township	Vincent Cainkar		None
Thornton Township	Napoleon Harris		Member of the Illinois Senate (2013–present)
Wheeling Township	Mark Walker		Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2019–present, 2009–2011)
Worth Township	Patricia Murphy		None

Cook County Republican Party

As of May 2023.^{[23] [24]}

Constituency	Name	Start	Other Office(s) Held
1st Ward	Richard Scumaci
2nd Ward	Eloise Gearson		None
3rd Ward	Vacant
4th Ward	Lori Yokoyama		None
5th Ward	Vacant
6th Ward	Vacant
7th Ward	Vacant
8th Ward	Lynn Franco		None
9th Ward	Wayland Johnson		None
10th Ward	Vacant
11th Ward	Vacant
12th Ward	Natalian Bolton		None
13th Ward	David Krupa
14th Ward	Vacant
15th Ward	Rosa Pritchett		None
16th Ward	Vacant
17th Ward	Vacant
18th Ward	Devin Jones	2020
19th Ward	Steve Graves		None
20th Ward	Vacant
21st Ward	Latasha Fields	2021
22nd Ward	Julian Aguilar
23rd Ward	Jesus Solorio
24th Ward	Vacant
25th Ward	Evan Kasal
26th Ward	Jonathan Sloat
27th Ward	Vacant
28th Ward	Christopher Myers
29th Ward	Walter Adamczyk
30th Ward	Edward Karecki
31st Ward	Ramona Bonilla-Anaiel
32nd Ward	Steve Boulton
33rd Ward	Vacant
34th Ward	Vacant
35th Ward	Vacant
36th Ward	Vacant
37th Ward	Vacant
38th Ward	Chuck Hernandez		None
39th Ward	Barry Bebart
40th Ward	Daniel Kelley		None
41st Ward	Ammie Kessem
42nd Ward	Vacant
43rd Ward	Brian Kasal
44th Ward	Laura Kotelman
45th Ward	Keith Urbanski
46th Ward	Andrew Bakker
47th Ward	Vacant
48th Ward	Vacant
49th Ward	James Hazard
50th Ward	Joseph Tamraz
Barrington Township	Peter Kopsaftis	2020^[25]	None
Berwyn Township	Joe Woodward
Bloom Township	Lisa Kristina
Bremen Township	Max Solomon		None
Calumet Township	Vacant
Cicero Township	Sandra Tomschin		None
Elk Grove Township	Ed Lapinski		None
Evanston	Sean Matlis		None
Hanover Township	Michael Baumer		Streamwood Village Trustee^[26]
Lemont Township	Michael Shackel		Lemont Township Trustee^[27]
Leyden Township	Brad Stephens		Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (2019–present)
Lyons Township	Terry Carr		None
Maine Township	Jim Stinson
New Trier Township	Julie Cho		None
Niles Township	Chris Hanusiak		None
Northfield Township	T. J. Brown		None
Norwood Park Township	George Ballis		None
Oak Park Township	John Bergholz		None
Orland Township			None
Palatine Township	Aaron Del Mar		Palatine Township Highway Commissioner^[28]
Palos Township	Sean Morrison		Chair of the Cook County Republican Party (2016–present), Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners (2015–present)^[29] ^[30]
Proviso Township	Mike Corrigan		None
Rich Township	Eric Wallace		None
River Forest Township	Tom Cronin		None
Riverside Township	Jay Reyes		None
Schaumburg Township	Joeseph Folisi		None
Stickney Township	Natasa Dzolic		Member of Stickney, Illinois Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission^[31]
Thornton Township	Tim DeYoung
Wheeling Township	Kathy Penner		Wheeling Township Supervisor
Worth Township	Shaun Murphy		None

External links

• Cook County Directory of Elected Officials
• Green Party Ward and Precinct Committeepersons

Notes and References

1. Web site: February 26, 2007. Ask Chicagoist: What's a Ward Committeeman?. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090108135640/http://chicagoist.com/2007/02/26/ask_chicagoist_whats_a_ward_committeeman.php. January 8, 2009. November 19, 2008. Chicagoist. Gothamist LLC. mdy-all.
2. Web site: Party Officials: Democratic Ward Committeemen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070821084322/http://www.cookctyclerk.com/sub/elected_officials_detail.asp?TYPE_ID=6&Title=Democratic%20Ward%20Committeemen. August 21, 2007. November 18, 2008. Cook County Clerk's Office.
3. Web site: Party Officials: Republican Ward Committeemen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070821084116/http://www.cookctyclerk.com/sub/elected_officials_detail.asp?TYPE_ID=6&Title=Republican%20Ward%20Committeemen. August 21, 2007. November 18, 2008. Cook County Clerk's Office.
4. Web site: Hinton, Rachel. November 25, 2019. Is name change for ward bosses a breath of fresh air for Chicago's smoke-filled rooms. 2020-02-15. Chicago Sun-Times.
5. Web site: Party Officials: Democratic Township Committeemen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070723044912/http://www.cookctyclerk.com/sub/elected_officials_detail.asp?TYPE_ID=6&Title=Democratic%20Township%20Committeemen. July 23, 2007. November 18, 2008. Cook County Clerk's Office.
6. Web site: Party Officials: Republican Township Committeemen. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20060410190059/http://www.cookctyclerk.com/sub/elected_officials_detail.asp?TYPE_ID=6&Title=Republican%20Township%20Committeemen. April 10, 2006. November 18, 2008. Cook County Clerk's Office.
7. Web site: Why you already may be noticing politicians. November 18, 2008. October 16, 2007. Chicago Tribune. Long, Ray.
8. Web site: Tom Tunney and a Committeeman's Role. November 18, 2008. January 30, 2008. Windy City Media Group. Windy City Times. Satre, Tully.
9. Web site: Obama Needs to Explain His Ties to William Ayers. November 18, 2008. August 22, 2008. U.S. News & World Report, L.P.. U.S. News & World Report. Barone, Michael.
10. Web site: Picking Obama Successor Puts Spotlight on Governor . November 21, 2008. November 12, 2008. The New York Times. Davey, Monica.
11. Web site: Obama to Resign Senate Seat on Sunday. November 22, 2008. November 13, 2008. Time Inc.. Time. Sidoti, Liz. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081122143031/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0%2C8599%2C1859020%2C00.html. November 22, 2008. mdy-all.
12. Web site: Cook County Democratic Committeepeople . March 5, 2024 . www.cookcountydems.com . Cook County Democratic Party.
13. News: Sweet, Lynn . December 10, 1991 . '92 primary candidates are off to the races . Chicago Sun-Times . 4 . December 11, 2008.
    News: Sweet, Lynn . December 20, 1991 . Political briefings . Chicago Sun-Times . 34 . December 11, 2008.
    News: March 19, 1992 . Chicago ward committeemen . Chicago Tribune . 22 . December 11, 2008.
14. Book: Fremon, David K.. October 22, 1988. March 26, 2018. Chicago Politics Ward by Ward. Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana University Press. 0-253-31344-9.
15. Web site: Biography. Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr.. March 26, 2018. Burnett was appointed Committeeman of the 27th Ward Organization by his mentor, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, (and former Committeeman of the 27th Ward) on July 6, 2013..
16. Web site: 'Independent' Sposato To Step Down As Dem Committeeman, Stay On As Alderman . DNAinfo.com . 2017-10-10 . 2018-01-26 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180127004433/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20171010/dunning/nicholas-sposato-democrat-38th-ward-democratic-commiteeman-robert-martwick . 2018-01-27 .
17. Web site: Cook County Democratic Committeempeople. www.cookcountydems.com. 2019-11-18.
18. Web site: PTAB - Board Member Robert J. Steffen . www.ptab.illinois.gov . Property Tax Appeal Board . 9 June 2020.
19. Web site: Mayor Lovero Biography City of Berwyn . berwyn-il.gov . Berwyn, Illinois . 9 June 2020.
20. Web site: Village Officials – Village of Hazelcrest . villageofhazelcrest.org . Village of Hazelcrest . 9 June 2020.
21. Web site: Mayor's Office Village of Franklin Park . www.villageoffranklinpark.com . Village of Franklin Park . 9 June 2020.
22. Web site: Calvin Jordan, Highway Commissioner Elected Officials . www.richtownship.org . Rich Township . 9 June 2020.
23. Web site: Ward Committeemen . Cook County Republican Party.
24. Web site: Township Committeemen . Cook County Republican Party . 8 June 2020.
25. Web site: Barrington Township Republican Organization President Peter Kopsaftis Appointed as Committeeperson – BTRO . Barrington Township Republican Organization . 18 May 2021 . en.
26. Web site: Streamwood, Illinois - President And Board of Trustees . www.streamwood.org . Streamwood, Illinois . 9 June 2020.
27. Web site: Earnest . Andrea . Lemont Township Trustee Resigns, New Trustee Appointed . Lemont, IL Patch . 9 June 2020 . en . 15 January 2020.
28. Web site: Forms & Permits . Palatine Township Road District . 9 June 2020 . en.
29. Web site: Sean M. Morrison CookCountyIL.gov . www.cookcountyil.gov . Coo County, Illinois . 9 June 2020.
30. Web site: Leadership . Cook County Republican Party . 8 June 2020.
31. Web site: Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission « Village of Stickney . www.villageofstickney.com . Village of Stickney . 9 June 2020.