The campaign for Cook County board president is gearing up to be an interesting race.
Current President Todd Stroger is being challenged by Commissioner Forest Claypool and some very notable Chicago politicians; Cong. Danny Davis (D-7th), Alderwoman Toni Preckwinkle, and Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown.
Clerk Brown, who recently married, has not stopped for a honeymoon but instead opened a West Side campaign office at 2201 S. Pulaski on Sept. 12. Brown said her campaign is going well and that she has visited many communities.
“I’ve been getting a very good response,” she said. “What is necessary is reforming government funding and taking waste out, not raising taxes starting with small businesses. Cook County board can be a liaison because small businesses create jobs. Brown is concerned that Illinois has one of the highest sales taxes in the nation and that this is driving away business and jobs. She recently said, “We can’t keep making taxpayers pay for failed leadership. We need new ideas, not just new taxes.”
Brown’s reform platform consists of cutting taxes in Cook County, bringing back jobs, working with Chicago communities and suburban townships to stimulate economic development. Her platform placard states she will bring competency, respectability, transparency and accountability to the office of the Cook County board president,
Brown also said she has the expertise and background that would help push through President Obama’s health plan.
Dorothy Brown made history when she was elected as clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2000, becoming the first African-American to hold that position. She was re-elected to a second term in 2004. Brown also feels her extensive credentials would be an asset for the county board presidency.
She is an attorney, a certified public accountant (CPA), and earned a master’s in business administration (MBA) in 1996. Her law degree, with honors, came from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
