John Fritchey

John Alden Fritchey IV (born March 2, 1964) is a former Democratic Cook County Commissioner of the Cook County Board of Commissioners who represented the 12th district in Chicago from 2010 until 2018 and was a Democratic State Representative in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 11th District in Chicago from 1997 to 2010.[1] He additionally served as the elected Democratic Committeeman for Chicago's 32nd Ward from 2008-2012.[2] According to the Arab-American Institute, Fritchey was one of the longest-serving Arab-American officials in the United States.[3] He is presently President of F4 Consulting, Ltd.[4] In 1998, he created the John Fritchey Youth Foundation, designed to create educational and recreational opportunities for local children through the sponsorship of academic and sports programs.[5][6] He has additionally supported the Chicago Special Olympics as a repeated participant in the annual Polar Plunge.[7] He presently serves on the Board of Directors of Chicago Gateway Green, a non-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to the greening and beautification of Chicago’s expressways, gateways and neighborhoods through landscape enhancement, litter and graffiti removal and the installation of public art.[8][9]

John Fritchey
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from the 12th district
In office
2010 (2010) – 2018 (2018)
Preceded byForrest Claypool
Succeeded byBridget Degnan
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 11th district
In office
1996–2010
Preceded byRod Blagojevich
Succeeded byKathleen C. Moore
Personal details
Born (1964-03-02) March 2, 1964
Bossier City, Louisiana
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (B.A.)
Northwestern University (J.D.)
ProfessionAttorney
Hon. John Fritchey

Early life and education

John Fritchey was born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. His father, John Alden Fritchey III, was a United States Air Force Vietnam veteran and a native of Olney, Illinois, home to three generations of his family, while his mother emigrated from Oujda, Morocco.[10]

Fritchey and his mother moved to Chicago where he attended grammar school and high school at The Latin School of Chicago on a hardship scholarship. He then earned his bachelor's degree in Economics in 1986 from the University of Michigan before returning to Chicago to earn his J.D. degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1989.[11][12]

Professional career

After graduating from law school, Fritchey accepted a position as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General representing the State of Illinois in both state and federal court from 1989 to 1991.[12] Fritchey is an attorney in private practice[13] Fritchey also taught as an Adjunct Lecturer in Political Science at Northwestern University.[10] Fritchey is a lobbyist registered with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.[14][15]

Illinois State Representative

In 1996, Fritchey was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives at age 32 becoming the first Moroccan-American elected official in the State of Illinois and likely the first Moroccan-American elected official in the Country.[16] [17] From the moment he entered the General Assembly in Springfield, he began pushing for serious, common sense reforms that brought the respect of good government and consumer's rights groups from all over the ideological spectrum.[18] In 2003, John worked with then-State Senator Barack Obama to pass the most comprehensive ethics bill in the history of Illinois.[10] He was a champion of many issues, from ethics reform to consumer protection to health care to fairer taxes who consistently showed that he was not afraid to buck party leadership and stand up for his constituents and all of Illinois.[6]

He additionally helped pass legislation that strengthened environmental preservation laws, expanded protected wilderness areas, and increased investment in renewable energy. The Illinois Environment Council honored John for his 100% voting record on environmental issues impacting the community and its resources.[6]

In 2000, as a result of his effective leadership and centrist views, the national Democratic Leadership Council, a national voice for a reform movement reshaping American politics by moving it beyond the old left-right debate, named John as one of their "100 Rising Stars to Watch" in the country. In 2003, John was one of a select group to receive this honor for a second time.[19][10]

Fritchey was Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee from 1999 to 2002. John later served as the Chairman of the Civil Judiciary Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Business & Occupational Licenses Committee. In addition to serving in these leadership positions, John sat on the Financial Institutions, Insurance, and Mass Transit Committees and was appointed to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. [6]

Following the arrest of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Fritchey was the first to openly call for the impeachment of Blagojevich and was a member of the Special Investigative Committee that ultimately drafted the impeachment resolution against Blagojevich.[20][21]

Democratic campaign for U.S. House of Representatives

Fritchey was one of many candidates who ran for former US Representative Rahm Emanuel's seat in 2009 Illinois's 5th congressional district special election.[22][23] In the primary election on March 3, 2009.[24] Fritchey finished second to Mike Quigley in the 12-way race for the Democratic Party nomination.[25]

Chicago ward committeeman

On February 5, 2008, Fritchey was elected as the Democratic Committeeman for Chicago's 32nd Ward, responsible for handling the Party political operations (voter registration, election day operations, etc.) within the ward.[26][27]

Cook County Commissioner

In 2010, Fritchey left the Illinois General Assembly in order to run for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, formerly held by Forrest Claypool. Fritchey was endorsed by both Claypool and Congressman Mike Quigley.[28] Fritchey won the election with 75 percent of the vote.[29]

As commissioner of the 12th district, Fritchey addressed a variety of issues on behalf of Cook County residents. These included:

  • Opposition to the sales tax and sugary beverage tax - Fritchey sponsored legislation to roll back the County sales tax and voted against County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's legislation to later increase the sales tax again.[30][31] He was also the first commissioner to come out against the proposed sugary drink tax and helped lead the fight to repeal it.[32][33]
  • Property tax/sales tax freezes to 2020 - In 2020, Fritchey drafted and helped pass the Cook County Taxation Predictability and Long-Term Fiscal Forecasting Amendment, which froze the county's property and sales tax rates until January 1, 2020.[34]
  • Consolidated offices of the Recorder of Deeds and the County Clerk - Fritchey drafted and passed legislation that gave voters the option to eliminate the office of the Recorder of Deeds and merge its functions into the office of the County Clerk.[35][36] In the November 2016 general election, voters overwhelmingly approved the ballot referendum, and the two offices will be merged by 2020.[37] This historic legislation was the first of its kind in Cook County in over 40 years.[38]
  • City/County collaboration - Fritchey was selected to serve on a city/county joint-collaboration committee assembled by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Board President Toni Preckwinkle, created to increase government efficiency. After analyzing and reporting on duplicative spending, the committee paved the way for collaborations between the two governments that have secured almost $70 million in savings.[39][40]
  • Parental Leave Reform - Fritchey's legislation to update the county's parental leave policy allows new mothers and fathers to claim disability in order to receive paid parental leave, enabling them to focus on the needs of their families.[41] Fritchey fought to provide paid parental leave for county employees and thought the current policy was an antiquated notion and was not one that was aligned with where policy setters wanted to be, where employers should strive to be, and did not support the nature of attracting and retaining qualified employees.[42]
  • Government transparency - As chairman of the board's Technology and Innovation Committee, Fritchey passed a major initiative to bring meaningful transparency reforms to Cook County. The Open Cook County Plan is aimed at making county government data and information publicly available so residents can more effectively understand, interact with and improve government.[43]
  • Commonsense marijuana policies - During his tenure in the Legislature, Fritchey co-sponsored the bill that created Illinois' recently enacted medical cannabis programs.[44] Fritchey led the successful call for the City of Chicago to enact an ordinance allowing Chicago police officers to issue tickets for possession of small amounts of marijuana rather than arresting offenders.[45] In 2017, Fritchey drafted and passed legislation placing a referendum on the ballot to allow voters to weigh in on the legalization of recreational use of cannabis in Illinois.[46] The measure received the support of 63% of voters.[47]
  • Animal welfare - A tireless animal rights advocate, Fritchey wrote and introduced the ordinance that bans retail sales of puppy mill dogs,[48] ordered an audit of the Cook County Animal Care & Control department[49] and passed legislation that created a countywide Animal Abuse Registry.[50]

Fritchey left the office upon the swearing-in of his successor, attorney and successful 2018 Democratic primary challenger Bridget Degnan.[51]

References
  1. "John Fritchey". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  2. "John Fritchey - The Daily Line's Cloutwiki". clout.wiki. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  3. "Arab Americans in Political Life | Arab American Leadership Council Political Action Committee". www.aaleadershipcouncil.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  4. "Corporation/LLC Search/Certificate of Good Standing". apps.ilsos.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  5. "John Fritchey Youth Foundation in Chicago, IL | Company Info & Reviews". Bizapedia.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  6. "Featured Guest Biography". Think Illinois. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  7. "Taking the Polar Plunge: 'A little shrinkage never hurt anyone'". Crain's Chicago Business. 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  8. "About". Chicago Gateway Green. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  9. "Board of Directors". Chicago Gateway Green. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  10. "Moroccan American Community Center: John Fritchey". Moroccan American Community Center. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  11. ""It Has to Mean Something" - Gapers Block: Detour | Chicago". www.gapersblock.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  12. "Rep. John Fritchey | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  13. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. "Lawyer Search". Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  14. Chicago Board of Ethics (2008-12-04). "List of Registered Lobbyists" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  15. "Secretary of State, Index Department, Lobbyist List" (PDF). Cyberdrive Illinois. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  16. Stewart, Russ (2009-05-17). "Contested Races Likely in 35th, 36th and 47th Wards". Chicago's Northwest Side Press. Nadig Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  17. Hanania, Ray (26 October 2018). "Moroccan American pushed out of office in Cook County". The Arab Daily News. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  18. ""It Has to Mean Something" - Gapers Block: Detour | Chicago". www.gapersblock.com. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  19. "Democratic Leadership Council: The DLC". www.ndol.org. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  20. "Rep. Fritchey eyes impeachment proceedings". Crain's Chicago Business. 2008-12-09. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  21. Channel, Illinois (2009-10-26). "News from the Illinois Channel: Fritchey Files Petitions for Cook County Board Seat". News from the Illinois Channel. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  22. "23 Compete For Emanuel's Congressional Seat". NPR.org. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-13.
  23. Associated Press. Emanuel's Seat, Chicago Tribune, 21 January 2009.
  24. Associated Press. "Ill. GOP: Special vote chance to replace senator" Chicago Tribune, 5 January 2009.
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  26. "Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago". Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  27. Moreno, Joe; ContributorAlderman; Wawrd, Chicago's 1st (2011-10-04). "WTF Is a Committeeman? And Why I Want to Be One". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  28. "Fritchey To Run For Cook County Board".
  29. Parker, Alex. "Fritchey easily wins Claypool's seat" Archived 2011-05-25 at the Wayback Machine, Chicago Current, 3 February 2010.
  30. "Cook County Board OKs sales tax hike". Crain's Chicago Business. 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  31. Chicago Tribune (July 15, 2015). "How they voted on Cook County sales tax hike". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  32. Dardick, Hal (November 14, 2016). "Cook County, home of Chicago, becomes largest locale with a soda tax". Governing. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  33. "UPDATE: Chicago area soda tax repealed". Food Dive. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  34. "Cook County Board 12th District Democratic candidate: John Fritchey". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  35. "It's a miracle! Cook County Board moves toward merger of clerk, recorder jobs". Crain's Chicago Business. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  36. Editorial Board (June 29, 2016). "Finally, Cook County Board empowers voters to (slightly) downsize government". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  37. "Cook County Voters Choose to Merge Clerk, Recorder of Deeds Offices". WTTW News. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  38. Board, CST Editorial (2016-06-23). "Editorial: Merge Cook County offices of clerk, recorder of deeds". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  39. "Emanuel, Preckwinkle join forces to save money". Crain's Chicago Business. 2011-03-29. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  40. City of Chicago/Cook County (February 2012). "Joint Committee on City-County Collaboration Report" (PDF). City of Chicago/Cook County. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  41. Illinois Observer (March 19, 2013). "Fritchey maternity leave modernization policy faces county board vote". Illinois Observer. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  42. administrator007 (2013-03-20). "County board backs paid parental leave for workers". dailywhale.com. Retrieved 2018-09-10.
  43. Cook County Government (2011-04-19), Open Cook County data plan, retrieved 2021-01-20
  44. Dumke, Mick (April 28, 2014). "Illinois politicians now talking openly about legalizing pot". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  45. "Chicago May Decrim Possession Of Up To 10 Grams Of Pot". Toke of the Town. 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
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  47. "Cook County Votes Yes on Legalizing Marijuana – What's Next?". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  48. Dardick, Hal (April 9, 2014). "Cook County passes suburban puppy mill ban". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  49. Crosby, Rachel (August 21, 2015). "County audit: missing pets rarely united in animal services 'maze'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  50. Dudek, Mitch (May 10, 2016). "Ordinance calls for Animal Abuse Registry, deny pets to abusers". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  51. Pratt, Gregory (December 3, 2018). "New Cook County Board Members Sworn in Monday". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
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