Brendan Reilly: 2026 Democratic candidate for Cook County Board President

Bio

Party: Democratic

Office sought: Cook County Board President

City: Chicago

Age: 54

Occupation: Politician

Previous offices held: Chicago City Council

Q&A

If you are an incumbent, please tell us why you're seeking re-election and what makes you the best candidate for this post. If you're a challenger, please tell us how you would improve upon your predecessor's work, and what skills and background make you capable of serving in this role.

I’m running for Cook County Board President because it’s become abundantly clear that county government needs new leadership. I supported Toni Preckwinkle in previous elections, but after nearly 20 years in office, it’s clear that she has lost her way.

School districts throughout Cook County have been forced to pay over $120 million in unnecessary interest on loans after the county failed to send them tax revenue on time. The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board described this as a “governmental failure of epic proportions,” and the blame lies squarely with President Preckwinkle.

In my first election, I defeated a 37-year incumbent by going directly to the people with a message of change. As an independent fiscal watchdog on the Chicago City Council, I’ve fought back against multiple mayors when they were wrong and demanded better for my constituents. Before that, I worked to elect Democrats up and down the ballot throughout Illinois and helped usher in the General Assembly majority that exists to this day and that has enabled our state to pass many critical pieces of progressive legislation. I will bring that same spirit to the position of county board president.

Affordability continues to be an issue for many. What has the county board done, or what can it do, to make living in Cook County more affordable?

Affordability starts with property taxes. While homeowners in Chicago faced a record shift due to plummeting commercial values, even suburban homeowners saw an average increase of 6.3% in their property taxes.

Our leadership and their subsequent policies are trapped in a zero-sum logic between commercial and residential properties, when the obvious answer is to expand the tax base overall.

The current administration’s failure to deliver a functioning tax system delayed bills and cost school districts millions in borrowing costs, which are passed to voters. My solution is twofold: First, prove operational competence by fixing the assessment cycle so bills are on time. Second, growing the base.

We must use tools like the Land Bank to actually develop commercial corridors, using the “Detroit Model” to turn dormant parcels into tax-paying assets, rather than letting them sit tax-free for years. You cannot tax your way to prosperity; you must grow the commercial base to relieve the burden on homeowners.

Despite falling crime rates, public safety continues to be a top concern for people living in Cook County. What can the county to do address issues surrounding crime and public safety, and how would you go about achieving those measures?

Public safety is the county’s core responsibility, yet its share of the budget dropped from 41% in 2011 to just 17% in 2025. The current administration has not prioritized law enforcement capacity while still claiming to support safety. My approach focuses on the entire justice chain: police, prosecutors, courts, and jail. If one link breaks, the system fails.

We currently suffer from a “surveillance theater” in which we monitor defendants without enforcement. I will offer to restore the sheriff’s authority to actively enforce violations of electronic monitoring. We must also fully fund the state’s attorney’s office so prosecutors aren’t begging for office supplies. We can support diversion for non-violent offenders while also having zero tolerance for violent criminals who violate pretrial release conditions.

There have been some high-profile failures of the county's electronic monitoring program in recent years. What role can the county board play in making the program more efficient and effective?

The current electronic monitoring program does not actively support any public safety goals. The administration supported the SAFE-T Act but botched the implementation by shifting monitoring from the sheriff (law enforcement) to the chief judge (administration). This is a structural failure.

We need a “24-hour rule.” If you cut your band, a warrant is issued and a deputy is deployed. The board controls the budget; I will not fund a program that lacks the capacity to chase violators. Accountability is meaningless if victims cannot rely on the system to track repeat violent offenders.

I also believe it is critical to use the office's political power to lobby Springfield to reform the SAFE-T Act, allowing judges to detain violent and repeat offenders prior to trial. I believe in the goals of cashless bail and do not want to see nonviolent offenders rot in jail just because they can’t afford to pay a bond. At the same time, we must take action to stop preventable tragedies like the recent assault on the Blue Line by a repeat offender who was out on bail.

What enhancements are needed to improve the services Cook County Health provides, and how can they be achieved in a cost-effective manner?

We face a $400 million Medicaid Cliff due to federal cuts. To save the safety net, we must stop using one-time ARPA funds for recurring costs and build a Medicaid Stabilization Fund immediately. We must enforce residency verification for non-emergency subsidies; our property taxpayers cannot subsidize healthcare for the entire Midwest.

Operationally, I will centralize purchasing across the health system to secure bulk pricing on pharmaceuticals and supplies. We must also implement a Tiered Service Protection Plan now, identifying which core services (Trauma/ER) are untouchable in the event of federal cuts, to prevent panic-driven decisions later.

Particularly for our suburban readers, the forest preserves are one of residents' most frequent and noticeable interactions with county government. How would you seek to enhance what the forest district offers residents?

The forest preserves are the region’s emerald necklace, but they are underutilized because many residents do not feel safe. As board president, I also serve as president of the forest preserves.

My priorities are safety and accessibility, and I plan to use data-driven resource allocation to identify and support the areas of our forest preserves that need the most love and maintenance. We must also ensure that tax dollars levied for the preserves are spent strictly on conservation and maintenance, not administrative bloat. I will push to expand programming that connects youth from all neighborhoods to nature, treating these lands as a vital mental health resource for the county.