Tony Peraica, incumbent
Party: Republican
Age: 49
Campaign Headquarters/Contact: 10001 W. Roosevelt Road, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. Phone: 708-344-1600. Website: www.votetony06.com Email: info
Profession: Attorney, Cook County Commissioner
Education: University of Illinois at Chicago, B.A. Political Science; The John Marshall Law School, J.D.
Experience: President, Anthony J. Peraica & Associates, Ltd., Attorneys at Law, 1992-present; President-Emeritus, Croatian-American Association, Washington, D.C.; Director, South Loop Chamber of Commerce; Vice President for Internaioal Scouting, Boy Scouts of America; Director, Croatian-American Association; Special Prosecutor, State Appellate Defender’s Office; Commissioner, 16th District, Cook County Board of Commissioners, 2003-present.
Top Three Issues: 1) Peraica intends to eliminate what he calculates is a $200 million corruption tax on county residents by cleaning up an inefficient county government. 2) He expects to create jobs by reducing taxes and other regulatory measures inhibiting business in the county. 3) He plans to overhaul departments that are in crisis and upon which the public greatly depends for its welfare, focusing on the health bureau and juvenile detention facility for starters.
William Gomolinski, challenger
Party: Democrat
Campaign Headquarters/Contact: Friends of William E. Gomolinski PO Box 614, Western Springs, IL 60558. Website: www.gomolinski.com Email: gomolinski
Profession: Attorney
Education: Quigley Preparatory Seminary, 1977; Loyola University, B.A. Finance and Accounting, 1981; The John Marshall Law School, J.D., 1986.
Experience: Attorney, Gomolinski & Philipps, Ltd.; Director, Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI); Vice-President and Board of Directors: Flames Youth Hockey Organization; Knights of Columbus; Chicago Society; Illinois State Bar Association; Chicago Bar Association; American Bar Association; Licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker; Member of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc.
Top Three Issues: 1)Gomolinski would seek to instill a spirit of teamwork and consensus on the County Board that it has been lacking for some time now, as well as work first and foremost to create a County budget that is balanced financially and socially, and maintained with as much transparency before the public eye as is possible. An open government will provide its own checks to inefficiency and corruption. 2) To cut the deficit, he plans to decrease expenses, rather than raise taxes. He will move to privatize services that can be offered more cost effectively by outside businesses. 3) He supports the big box ordinance, a living wage and health benefits for all workers; and he supports without reservation the right of private sector employees to unionize and to initiate the collective bargaining process for wages, benefits and working conditions. He will also attempt to completely overhaul the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center immediately if elected. This problem shows the county at its most helpless, where a bad problem only grows worse without immediate intervention.
