Surrounded by supporters, Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin announces his plans to seek re-election. Because of Boykin’s criticism of the county’s Sweetened Beverage Tax, he was being viewed as a potential challenger to County Board Chairman Toni Preckwinkle. (Photo by Kevin Beese/Chronicle Media)

The Rev. Ira Acree didn’t mince words when talking about Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin’s decision to seek re-election instead of challenging County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in next spring’s Democratic primary.

“I’m very disappointed in his decision,” Acree, pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church on Chicago’s West Side, said Sept. 28 from inside Boykin’s campaign headquarters in Oak Park. “It’s not the announcement I was expecting today, but I am supportive of him.”

Boykin admitted that he wrestled with the decision to challenge Preckwinkle or seek to retain his First District commissioner’s seat right up until the night before his announcement.

“In recent months, I know that my commitment to speaking out caused some to speculate on whether I might run for the County Board presidency,” Boykin said. “This is a course of action I seriously considered. I have deep concerns about the policies of the current administration and I have a deep commitment to struggling communities throughout the county.”

Boykin said that the First District has dealt with more than its share of pain and suffering due to violence and a lack of economic opportunities. With so many issues plaguing the district, he felt he needed to continue working with community leaders, building bridges to improve struggling communities and the lives of his constituents.

“When I asked where I could most be of service, the answer was quite clear: The First District,” Boykin said.

He said the boundaries separating neighborhoods and communities are artificial. He said problems confronting Chicago’s Austin neighborhood are not that much different from the problems confronting Chicago’s Englewood, Auburn Gresham or North Lawndale neighborhoods.

“I make no apologies for my advocacy on behalf of these communities,” Boykin said. “I know some call it opportunism, I call it bridge-building. If we are going to prevail in the struggle for greater opportunity and security for those who need it the most and have lacked it for too long, we must all work together and we must all do our part.”

Boykin has been one of the most outspoken critics of the county’s Sweetened Beverage Tax. The commissioner has called for both the repeal of the tax and emergency consideration of key fiscal reforms that, he claims, would make such a tax unnecessary.

“When I stepped forward four years ago to run for public office, I did so because I felt called to serve,” said the former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Danny Davis. “The First District of Cook County is my home, and the people of the First District deserved then — as they deserve now — leadership that puts people above politics.”

Boykin noted that he has championed efforts to stem gun violence throughout the county and increase investment in Cook County’s most challenged neighborhoods.

“We need to lift our communities up, by extending and increasing opportunity, not weigh our communities down with additional costs and barriers to advancement,” Boykin said. “As a public official, it is not my way to be silent when I encounter policies that are unwise and unjust.”

Boykin said his increasing differences with Preckwinkle were never about him seeking higher office.

“To achieve our goals, we must keep our eyes on the prize: safe neighborhoods, jobs, thriving and secure communities,” the commissioner said. “If we are to succeed, we will have to succeed together.”

Boykin said he has no idea if he will face a challenger in his reelection bid, but will prepare for a primary nonetheless.

“There is a saying, ‘If you want peace, prepare for war,’” Boykin stated, noting he will be ready for any challengers.

On hand to support Boykin’s announcement were mayors Tony Calderone of Forest Park and Andre Harvey of Bellwood; former Oak Park mayor David Pope, Chicago aldermen Chris Taliaferro (29^th Ward) and Emma Mitts (37^th Ward); Chicago’s 20^th Ward Committeeman Kevin Bailey; Revs. Marshall Hatch and Ira Acree; and Bishop Claude Porter.

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— Boykin seeks re-election, not Cook County Board presidency  —-