Rory Hoskins

The process to select a replacement for former Cook County 1st District Commissioner Brandon Johnson will conclude Tuesday, June 20, with a meeting of west suburban and westside Chicago committee persons.

Johnson, who was elected Mayor of Chicago in April, resigned his County Board seat in May. The 10 political committee members from political entities in the 1st District will interview six applicants for the open seat.

The 7 p.m. meeting on June 20, at the Carleton Hotel in Oak Park, will be open to the public during the interview process, after which the committee members will go into closed session to vote on Johnson’s replacement.

Cook County’s 1st District includes Oak Park, part of Chicago’s West Side and portions of Proviso Township, including Forest Park. While the vacancy attracted applications from six individuals, the real competition appears to be between two people, Forest Park Mayor Rory Hoskins, 51, and Ira Acree, 58, a West Side activist and pastor. Other announced applicants are Chicagoans Marshall Hatch Jr., Zerlina Smith-Members, Tara Stamps and Claiborne Wade.

A county ordinance requires that County Board vacancies be filled by the members of the election committee of the political party of the person who last held that seat. The share of the vote is apportioned according to the number of voters in a suburban township of city aldermanic ward voted for Johnson in the November 2022 County Board election.

It also will inevitably be a competition between near west suburban political organizations and political interests on Chicago’s west side.

Two powerful veteran Illinois politicians control the suburban vote. Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, who presents the 39th Senate District, also serves as the Oak Park Township committeeman. Karen Yarbrough, a former State Rep., is Cook County Clerk and serves as the Proviso Township Committeewoman.

Ira Acree

Depending on what source one uses, Harmon and Yarborough have between 52 percent and 58 percent of the weighted vote, enabling them to select Johnson’s replacement by themselves. In any event, it is mathematically impossible for any candidate to be selected without the support of at least one of the suburban committeepersons.

Neither Harmon nor Yarbrough have voiced a preference for any candidate. However, support appears to be firming up for long-time West Side activist and pastor Acree.

According to The Austin Weekly News, Acree has secured the backing of 37th Ward Alderwoman Emma Mitts, and 29th Ward Alderman Chris Taliaferro. Mitts controls approximately 11 percent of the weighted vote, and Taliaferro holds approximately 13 percent. In total, the nine city committee persons reportedly have an approximately 47 percent share of the vote.

The Austin Weekly News also quotes activist David Cherry, president of The Leaders Network, as saying that West Siders feel “the void that could be left on the Cook County Board of Commissioners,” in Johnson’s absence, and that “it would be a crime if his replacement were picked from somewhere other than the West Side.”