Accessible and Reliable Healthcare Services

Che-Che is the only candidate in this race that has professional healthcare experience. 55% of the County’s operating budget, over $5 billion, goes to healthcare related costs. We need someone with actual healthcare experience serving the same communities that predominately utilize the County’s healthcare services.

  • Develop public-private partnerships to support preventative and non-emergency healthcare needs.

  • Ensure the average 360,000 monthly CountyCare (a.k.a. Medicaid) recipients maintain coverage. 

  • Increase access to CountyCare for preventive healthcare needs. 

  • Strengthen Cook County Health and Hospital Systems, giving the best level of care to over 200,000 people annually.

  • Fully staff Cook County Hospitals, which are chronically understaffed despite having over 7,600 full time employees.

At the end of the day, public health affects all of us. And funding preventive and non-emergency healthcare now decreases the cost of healthcare for all of us. Che-Che is the only candidate in this race that has professional experience to address these issues on Day 1.

Government Transparency and Financial Stability

The sticker shock from property taxes issued in November 2025 is due partly from a series of errors from the County and the inability to communicate effectively with constituents. You should not feel like the government acts in arbitrary ways, but that is what happens without proper accountability and transparency. 

  • The way the County determines property taxes, which affects both homeowners directly and renters through landlords passing along the costs, is confusing. People need to understand this process so they can adequately prepare for any increases in their tax burden.

  • You can’t fix problems without properly identifying them. Cook County is relying more and more on sales taxes and specialty taxes on things like tobacco, cannabis, hotels, gambling. But with a years-long trend of population decline in the County, this is not a long term strategy for stable revenue generation. The government needs to be honest to voters so proposed solutions make sense.

  • You should know who your County Commissioner is and the functions of the County. If you do not, that reflects upon the failure of county politicians taking your vote for granted. As your Commissioner, Che-Che will be present for and responsive to you, the voter.

  • We need to end gerrymandering in the County before 2030, the planning for this must start now. Che-Che will not support any County district map that disenfranchises voters through gerrymandering and is drawn without community input.

  • The County needs to publish how money is being spent in more easily understandable formats outside the County’s annual budget book.

County government receives less attention than other levels of government, but it still has an impact on you and your family. We can and should do better to communicate with the people who live and work in our districts. As the Commissioner for Cook County District 12, Che-Che will lead with integrity and honesty to promote better government.

Clean Air and Reliable Transit

Chicagoland annually ranks among the worst air qualities in the U.S. and a large part of that is due to transportation. This is personal for Che-Che, having grown up next to the Lincoln Park Steel Mill and right off the highway, exposure which continues to affect his health and asthma to this day. Che-Che supports infrastructure that speeds up safe and reliable public transportation.

  • Under the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) Act, the Cook County Commissioner for the 12th District will participate in 8 Board Member appointments across CTA, Pace, and Metra for the first time ever. Che-Che promises to support qualified candidates with directly applicable experience, not just someone who is politically well-connected.

  • Expand Cook County Forest Preserves into the City. A majority of Chicago residents cannot access the Cook County Forest Preserves without driving or spending a significant amount of time on public transit. It is time to start expanding land dedicated to the Forest Preserves in Chicago. 

  • Advance pedestrian-friendly and public transit improvements to ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

Quick and substantial transportation is critical for growing Cook County and protecting our quality of life. It is necessary to expand access to work and school, reduces the amount of time we spend in traffic, and produces significantly more financial gain than costs. Our communities and kids deserve a healthier future, and transportation is key to getting there.

Responsibly Expanding Climate Resilient Infrastructure

Expanding and rebuilding infrastructure is an investment in our future and the future of our kids. We want them to be prepared for tomorrow. Che-Che will promote infrastructure that invests in our communities, knowing that we will have a climate that gets harsher every year with more frequent and extreme weather events.

  • Commit to analyzing future upgrades to County facilities and road improvements, around $400 million of expenses, on metrics that include how the project moves the County towards sustainability goals.

  • Reduce rising home insurance premiums for everyone with anti-flooding, stormwater projects that prevent flooding in the most flood-prone locations throughout the County.

  • Broaden Cook County’s overarching goals and policy objectives stated in the Sustainable Communities Roadmap to improve air quality, adapt to increased storm and heat events, lower the burden of utility bills and build resiliency in our changing climate. 

  • Protect Lake Michigan from pollution and ensure safe drinking water by replacing remaining lead pipes.

  • Plant more trees along roadways managed by the County.

With federal funding at-risk of disappearing in the short term, Che-Che understands that tough choices need to be made to select the best projects that produce the best results, not only safeguarding healthy futures for our kids, but also making sure your tax dollars are spent effectively. At its core, Che-Che sees smart infrastructure that protects the environment as preventive healthcare and financial security. You should expect that money put towards those goals now will save us from more expensive problems later on, and you can trust Che-Che will fight for this.