In 2016, Cook County Commissioner John P. Daley voted for the soda tax that went into effect last year and raised the price of sweetened beverages by a penny an ounce.
The people who live in his district let him know how unhappy they were about it. “I heard from the people in my district, and I responded,” Daley, a Democrat, said in an interview with the Sun-Times Editorial Board.
Against the wishes of County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Daley reversed himself and voted to repeal the tax. His vote gave cover to a few other Democrats to follow suit and kill the tax.
Daley’s opponent for county board commissioner in the 11th District, Republican Steven S. Graves, gives the incumbent credit for listening to the people and reacting accordingly. So do we. It’s no small thing to say no to Preckwinkle, although probably easier for anybody named Daley.
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We endorse Daley for reelection. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up an important concern his challenger has raised: If elected, will Daley, who is 71, complete his new four-year term? Or will he step away before the term is up to let party leaders hand-pick his successor? That would be the Chicago way.
Daley himself was appointed to the county board in 1992. But he says that as long as he’s healthy, he’ll see the job through.
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SUN-TIMES 2018 ILLINOIS VOTING GUIDE
Ahead of the historic 2018 elections, the Sun-Times is teaming up weekly with the Better Government Association, in print and online, to fact-check the truthfulness of the candidates. You can find all of the PolitiFact Illinois stories we’ve reported together here.
