Morrison picked for 17th District seat on Cook County Board
A Palos Park businessman was picked to replace Elizabeth "Liz" Doody Gorman to represent the 17th District on the Cook County Board.
Sean M. Morrison, 47, CEO of Alsip-based Morrison Security, was chosen by his fellow Republican committee members on Wednesday night for the seat held by Gorman, who resigned effective July 20.
Morrison, a committee member for Palos Township, was the only one to throw his hat in the ring, said Gorman, who participated in the meeting as an Orland Township committee member.
"Things went very smoothly. There was no other nomination, and it was a great open process," Gorman said. "I think he'll be a wonderful commissioner with great business acumen that will guide his decisions moving forward on the county board."
District 17 is primarily a South suburban district but includes much of Des Plaines and parts of Rosemont and Elk Grove Village. Morrison will finish out Gorman's term, which runs through November 2018.
In the last two or so years, the Cook County Board has done "a really good job in starting the process of getting the budget under control and cutting costs and spending," Morrison said, "but there is plenty of work to go."
Morrison said he's eager to serve and put to good use the "acumen and business skills" he's acquired while running his company since 1999. The firm employs about 800, including employees and independent contractors, and has offices in Las Vegas and Florida, he said.
He will examine issues first in terms of how they affect constituents in the 17th District, followed by their impact on the entire county, he said. "It's also going to be about, 'What is the physical cost and return of value going to be?'" he said. "Not all spending is bad."
Morrison said he's been a committee member for about three years and unsuccessfully ran twice for a seat on the Cook County Board of Review, most recently in 2012.
Gorman, who held the seat since 2002, said she is taking a director role with a Fortune 100 company with a corporate office in Chicago starting next week. She cannot yet disclose which company because it wants to make the announcement, she said.