Toni Preckwinkle

Who is Toni Preckwinkle?

Toni Reed Preckwinkle is the current Cook County Board President and a former alderman in the Chicago City Council representing Chicago's 4th ward in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was elected on November 2, 2010, as President of the Cook County Board, the Executive Branch of Cook County government. Preckwinkle first sought office in 1983 and was defeated twice before securing election in 1991 and subsequently being re-elected as alderman four times.

Preckwinkle has been an occasional critic of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. In her first four terms in office she emerged as the council's prominent defender of affordable housing. Among other issues, she is known for her sponsorship of living wage ordinances, her expressed concerns regarding the costs and benefits of the city's Olympic bid, and her strong stance against police brutality and excessive force.