List of presidents of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the chief executive of county government in Cook County, Illinois. 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.

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. Under the constitution, any county that directly elects its chief executive is a home rule county. Because Cook County already elected its county president, when the constitution went into effect it was the only county that automatically became a home rule county (by virtue of having a directly-elected chief executive.

Officeholders

Recent election results

Notes