John P. Daley - Political Career

Political Career

Daley serves as the Ward Democratic Committeeman for the same 11th Ward that his father and brother served before him in the same capacity. He assumed the position in 1980 from his brother who left the post to become Cook County's State's Attorney. Daley oversees the ward's 50 precincts and their captains as well as assistants year round. Among the duties of the ward committeemen are to determine Democratic endorsed nominees for office in their region. For example, when a United States Congressman such as Bill Lipinski leaves an unexpired term of office, Daley and other Ward Committeemen from affected districts such as Edward M. Burke and Michael Madigan meet to endorse a new candidate such as Dan Lipinski.

John Vitek resigned from the Illinois House of Representatives on September 19, 1985 due to health reasons, which made way for Daley's appointment. In the Illinois House of Representatives, Daley served the 21st District.

In 1989, when his brother Mayor-elect Richard Daley named Tim Degnan to his cabinet, John was able to move from the Illinois House of Representatives into Degnan's seat in the Illinois Senate that Degnan had assumed when Richard Daley went on to become Cook County states attorney nine years earlier. In 1991, the Republican Party controlled the decennial redistricting and the Illinois State Senate districts were drawn to place John Daley into an unfavorable majority Black district. In 1991, Charles Bernardini vacated a seat on the Cook County Board. On February 3, 1992, after a few months of political dealings, Daley was voted in as the new 10th Chicago member of the Board by the other nine. Pamela Munizzi was Daley's successors in both moves from Illinois General Assembly posts.

When John Stroger, who was first elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1970 and who served three terms as President beginning in 1994, suffered a stroke on March 14, 2006, Daley was mentioned as a likely fill-in who could be trusted until Stroger's son, Todd Stroger, could run to replace his father as President and William Beavers could run for his seat in the November 2006 elections. Time described Daley as the second most powerful person on the board at the time. In 2001, U.S. News & World Report felt Daley might rise to the presidency of the board himself on more than an interim basis.

On the Cook County Board, he serves as chairman of the Audit and Finance committees. He is a member of the Health & Hospital, Information Technology & Automation, and Rules & Administration committees.