Cook County

Todd Stroger Announces Run for Cook County Board President

It appears, Cook County will see another Preckwinkle-Stroger showdown.

Todd Stroger on Monday announced he would be running for Cook County Board president once again, a position he had lost to Preckwinkle years ago.

With both candidates now holding a trail of criticism in their path over their controversial tax plans - Preckwinkle's repealed sweetened beverage tax and Stroger's sales tax increase - the upcoming political race will likely feel like deja vu for many. 

“The reason is because I’ve been around the county and the people I meet, they asked me to," Stroger said of why he's running. 

The pair will likely also face former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti, who announced last week his intention to run against Preckwinkle in the Democratic primary. 

The announcements come just over a month after commissioners voted in favor of repealing the soda tax spearheaded by Preckwinkle. 

The tax - enacted to balance the county budget and, according to Preckwinkle, stave off massive social service cuts - fueled public outcry from shoppers and business owners across the county.

While Preckwinkle was once so popular that she seemed to be a likely contender to unseat Emanuel, the tax has taken a toll on her approval ratings and made her more vulnerable to challengers.

“She made some bad mistakes. The sugar tax was a bad idea," Stroger said. “This isn’t 2010. This is 2017.”

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