Daily Herald opinion: Tom Dart endorsed for another term as Cook County sheriff

This endorsement is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

It's been more than 30 years since Cook County has had a Republican sheriff - and you'd have to go back to 1970 to get to the last one before James O'Grady's single term in office. This election cycle is highly unlikely to end that Democratic streak, with incumbent Tom Dart facing off against Republican Lupe Aguirre on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Dart is running on his record, and it's a strong one. He proposed the passed ghost gun legislation, addressed mental health concerns at the county jail and kicked off a co-responder program that allows deputies and partner police departments to connect people in crisis with resources. And then there's the experience factor: Dart has served since 2006.

We have to question how serious Aguirre is about the race; he did not meet with the editorial board and did not return a candidate questionnaire thus far. If he has a website spelling out his ideas for the office, good luck finding it.

Tom Dart is endorsed for another term.