Dart Undecided if He'll Aim for Mayor

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says he hasn't decided if he'll aim to become mayor of Chicago, but he gave some hints about what he'd talk about if he decides to do so.

"I'm walking into something that could be a train wreck. I'm walking into something that could be humongous deficits that are facing everybody in the country. I'm not pointing any blame at the city at all; I'm saying throughout the state," he said Tuesday at a ceremony about an inmate gardening program at the county jail.

Still, if he ran, Dart said there were several things he's done that could be "transferred" to a position as the city's chief executive.

Specifically, he pointed to his decision to halt evictions until a process could be implemented that protected people who shouldn't have been evicted. He also discussed some initiatives that he said could break the cycle of crime.

Dart has made no secret of his interest in running for mayor and says he's seriously thinking about it. He says he was surprised at Mayor Richard Daley's announcement Tuesday that he wouldn't seek a seventh term.

A resident of the Beverly neighborhood, Dart is a product of the 19th Ward Organization, which has produced his predecessor, Michael Sheahan; Illinois State Comptroller Dan Hynes; and his father, longtime State Senate President Thomas Hynes.

Dart was elected Cook County Sheriff in 2006.  He is currently running for re-election in a campaign that will come to a close in just eight weeks.