The 2002 Cook County Board of Commissioners election was held on November 5, 2002. It was preceded by a primary election held on March 19, 2002. It coincided with other 2002 Cook County, Illinois, elections (including the election for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners). It saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.
As these were the first elections held following the 2000 United States census, the seats faced redistricting before this election.
1st district
Incumbent first-term Commissioner Earlean Collins, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Robin Lee Meyer.
General election
2nd district
Incumbent fourth-term Commissioner Bobbie L. Steele, a Democrat, was reelected, running unopposed in both the primary and general election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
3rd district
Incumbent Commissioner Jerry Butler, a Democrat who first assumed the office in 1985, was reelected, running unopposed in both the primary and general election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
4th district
Incumbent Commissioner John Stroger, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election
5th district
Incumbent second-term Commissioner Deborah Sims, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election Republican primary winner Daniel "Dan" Wooten withdrew and was not replaced on the ballot.
6th district
Incumbent first-term Commissioner William Moran, a Democrat, unsuccessfully sought reelection. Joan Patricia Murphy defeated him for the Democratic nomination, and won the general election unopposed.
Incumbent Moran had been a perennial candidate who, in the 1998 general election, had won an upset victory over incumbent then-Republican Barclay "Bud" Fleming.
Barclay "Bud" Fleming, who had been ousted in 1998, also unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for this election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
7th district
Incumbent second-term Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Juan Moreno.
General election
8th district
Incumbent second-term Commissioner Roberto Maldonado, a Democrat, was reelected, running unopposed in both the primary and general election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
9th district
Incumbent second-term Commissioner Peter N. Silvestri, a Republican, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election
10th district
Incumbent first-term Commissioner Mike Quigley, a Democrat, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
11th district
Incumbent Commissioner John P. Daley, a Democrat in office since 1992, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election
12th district
Incumbent fourth-term Commissioner Ted Lechowicz, a Democrat, sought reelection, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Forrest Claypool who went on to win the general election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary.
General election
13th district
Incumbent second-term Commissioner Calvin Sutker, a Democrat, sought reelection, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Larry Suffredin, who went on to win the general election.
Primaries Democratic In what was regarded to be an upset, Sutker unseated incumbent Suffredin.
Republican No candidates, ballot-certified or formal write-in, ran in the Republican primary. The Republican Party ultimately nominated Robert D. Shearer, Jr.
General election
14th district
Incumbent first-term Commissioner Gregg Goslin, a Republican, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election
15th district
Incumbent seventh-term Commissioner Carl Hansen, a Republican, was reelected.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election
16th district
Incumbent Commissioner Allan C. Carr, a Republican, sought reelection, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Tony Peraica, who went on to win the general election.
Primaries Democratic Melrose Park Village President Ronald M. Serpico won the Democratic primary, defeating lawyer William Edward Gomolinski, Patrick "Chico" Hernandez and Stephen J. Mazur.
Republican
General election
17th district
Incumbent fourth-term Commissioner Herb Schumann, a Republican, sought reelection, but was defeated in the Republican primary by Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman, who went on to win the general election.
Primaries Democratic
Republican
General election Democratic primary winner Candice Marie Morrison withdrew before the election.
Summarizing statistics + Contest summary Party Seats held before Seats contested Seats won Democratic 12 16 12 Republican 5 10 5
+ Contests by parties contesting Parties contesting Total Democratic wins Republicans wins Seats contested by Democratic and Republican nominees 9 5 4 Seats contested only by Democratic nominees 7 7 Seats contested only by Republican nominees 1 1
+ Vote summary Party Popular vote Seats won Democratic 877,738 (74.55%) 12 Republican 299,652 (25.45%) 5 Total 1,177,390
+ Fate of incumbents Party Total incumbents Incumbents that sought reelection/retired Incumbents that won/lost re-nomination in primaries Incumbents that won/lost general election Democratic 12 12 sought reelection0 retired 9 won re-nomination3 lost re-nomination 9 won0 lost Republican 5 5 sought reelection0 retired 3 won re-nomination 2 lost re-nomination 3 won0 lost
+ Composition of elected board (returning/newly elected members) Party Returning members Newly elected members Democratic 9 3 Republican 3 2
References