Democrat: Toni Preckwinkle

Four candidates are in this race: Fourth Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle; Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence J. O’Brien; Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, and current Board President Todd Stroger.

The incumbent always is the candidate to beat, and for once that shouldn’t be too hard, considering the countywide dissatisfaction with Stroger over high taxes, arrogant leadership, and his hiring of cronies and relatives. We’ve endorsed Brown in the past when she ran for county clerk. We like that she would reduce the county sales tax and would require county departments to defend every line of their budgets.

Preckwinkle, who holds two master’s degrees, is from this community. She’s been one of the few independent voices in City Council for 20 years, having received the Best Alderman award from the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization six times. She has fought and won battles for higher living wages, more affordable housing, better healthcare, and safer schools.

As Cook County Board President, she promises openness and transparency in all county procedures, including monthly financial reports. Wouldn’t these be a welcome sight. She intends to overhaul both the county jail and county health systems. She would repeal the remainder of Stroger’s sales tax increase, institute a formal long-term financial planning process that would include input from the public, and reduce the county’s spending on outside lawyers when it already has a perfectly competent legal staff.

Her past experience is sound, and her future plans are good. Toni Preckwinckle gets our endorsement for Cook County Board president.

Republican: John Garrido III

Typically, the Republican nomination for Cook County Board President doesn’t mean much, as the Democrat usually wins this race. This year, however, voters are upset with the incumbent board president and the board’s highest-in-the-nation sales taxes. Even if the incumbent President Todd Stroger loses the Democratic primary, voters may be fed up enough to elect a Republican. The GOP has come up with two good candidates in this race.

Roger A. Keats of Wilmette served as a state rep and state senator from 1976 to 1993. He was instrumental in cleaning up corruption in the Cook County court system and in creating the elected judicial subcircuits that cleared the way for more minorities.

As County Board president he would advocate for judicial, health care, and criminal justice reform, budget transparency, tax cuts, and private sector job growth.

John Garrido III is an attorney, Chicago police officer, and Chicagoan. Although he has never held public office, he has some good ideas. He wants to expand the county healthcare system and improve its ability to bill patients and government agencies. He wants all new county tax increases to be approved by referendum and to reduce property taxes. Garrido also wants to hire more county investigators to ensure that county employees actually are performing their jobs.

It’s a race between an elder statesman and an eager newcomer. Both are good candidates, and this is a tough call. Because Cook County could use some new ideas and new ways of doing things, we’ll go with the fresh face. The Gazette endorses John Garrido III for Cook County Board president.