Ald. Silvana Tabares and Ald. Marty Quinn rallied recently in support of fellow alderman Brendan Reilly for county board president at Ciao Raggazi, 5440 S. Narragansett Ave.
Garfield Ridge and Clearing residents were invited to hear from Reilly, the 42nd Ward alderman who is hoping to unseat Toni Preckwinkle in the March 17 Democratic primary.
The purpose of the meet and greet was to give 23rd and 13th ward residents the chance to hear from Reilly themselves.
Tabares noted that many Southwest Siders do not get the opportunity to meet candidates in person. Tabares hoped that the event would show that Reilly cares about the often neglected South Side, which many political candidates dismiss in favor of the suburbs and the North Side.
Tabares is endorsing her long-time friend and colleague because “his path to prosperity paints a clear and actionable picture for the county’s future,” she said.
According to Reilly’s official campaign website, his prosperity plan offers county solutions reliant on “safety” and “stability.” He also shares his plans for safer communities, building homes to anchor restabilization, countywide benefits, care for seniors, pathways for people in county jails, and protecting rights and the environment.
“Right now, we’re seeing all levels of government dysfunction. There is a lot of waste in spending. People are paying too much in taxes in Cook County,” Tabares said. “Reilly really has the experience and the plan to fix what’s not working in Cook County. He has a plan to build houses for housing. He has a plan to work with law enforcement and coordinate with law enforcement in the suburbs.”
Reilly’s continued partnership with law enforcement doesn’t stop with coordination between city and suburban departments; he also plans to provide officers with mental health resources.
Quinn and Reilly have been friends for the last 25 years, and they worked together in the Illinois House of Representatives. Quinn noted that Reilly is a strong advocate for the Southwest Side and a helping hand when the Garfield Ridge neighborhood experienced street takeovers.
Reilly was the first to have the street takeover issues in his ward on Wacker Drive and was helpful in giving Quinn a plan to address the situation locally. Reilly championed a pushback alongside Quinn and Tabares against the mayor’s $300 million property tax increases.
“He’s an incredible budget hawk, and he’s going to do good things for not only Cook County, but the Southwest Side,” said Quinn.
Supporters packed the party room at Ciao Raggazi, while others stood outside the entrance, leaning in to hear the candidate’s agenda. The energy was vibrant and buzzing with excitement as Reilly expressed humbleness at the unexpected turnout.
He started off his speech with admiration of his opponent that he originally supported when she ran back in 2011. “I swore to her, when she ran for Cook County President officially, I was going to tell her what we have today, and we’re not there is a form agenda: transparency,” said Reilly.
Reilly continued to comment on his opponent’s track record as Cook County Board President from the sales tax and failure to adhere to tangible and financially responsible standards, such as the pilot program of Tyler Technologies and its failure to get the property taxes out accurately on time.
Tyler Technologies was ushered in during Preckwinkle’s administration over 11 years ago with the goal “to upgrade all these data, counting, and computer systems that had to be done.”
An initiative that Reilly claims his opponent failed to manage and adhere to standards that spoiled and tainted the county’s financial responsibility in terms of property taxes.
“The really bad news, this year, is that all the local taxing bodies around the county have to go out and take payday loans to cover their operating costs while they wait for months for the money that they are supposed to get from Cook County and pay their bills,” said Reilly.
He referred to the suburbs as a “waste in modest foldage” with $120 million in interest, which they didn’t anticipate paying. Additionally, Chicago Public Schools had to take out a $1.8 million short-term loan just to keep the lights on for the kids. Interests that he claims are payouts of $230,000, the equivalent of two full teachers’ salaries per day.
In the televised Feb. 17 Fox Debate, Preckwinkle stated that Tyler’s technology came highly recommended by financial individuals and was deployed effectively in other big cities such as New York. She claimed that property taxes are scheduled to come out on time this year, and has no plans of going away from the system that is already deployed.
Reilly said that if elected Cook County President, there would be transparency and trust with property taxes and other county programs.
“We’re going to bring an audit into it. We can bring a technology expert from around the country, see what we can do to salvage this contract, and make it work for taxpayers,” he said.
Following his brief address, residents were encouraged to meet Reilly more informally, ask questions about his campaign, and snap photographs.
“I know how … important it is to have great politicians supporting the community as well. And we need more common sense,” said former Chicago Police Officer Carlos Yanez Jr. “She (Preckwinkle) was here for her time, but we need someone different who’s gonna move us forward in the right direction. We can’t keep going at the same pace. We need a positive change for the city, and if I can do anything to help in any way, shape, or form.”
Yanez expressed gratitude for pro-police politicians like Tabares, Quinn and Reilly, as he feels they have the best interest for communities like Garfield Ridge and Clearing at heart. He expressed that Tabares, Quin, and some other elected officials have supported him and shown him love throughout his darkest time, and he knows they will continue to do so.
Zenon McHugh, local business owner of Twisted Shamrock and Chicago EA, said, “I wanted to hear Alderman Reilly, who’s running for the Cook County presidency, what he plans to do differently, and how it can benefit our county. We’ve been stuck in the same type of situation for a while. This is the first candidate that I think has the chance to stand up to Toni and make an actual change.”
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