Bob Fioretti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bob Fioretti
Fioretti in 2015
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 2nd ward
In office May 2007 – May 2015
Preceded by	Madeline Haithcock
Succeeded by	Brian K. Hopkins
Personal details
Born	(1953-03-08) March 8, 1953 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (Before 2022) Republican (2022–present)
Spouse	Nicki Fioretti
Education	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (BA) Northern Illinois University (JD)

Robert William Fioretti (born March 8, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as an alderman in the Chicago City Council, representing the 2nd ward of Chicago. An alderman is a person elected to represent a specific neighborhood in the city government. Fioretti served in this role from 2007 to 2015.

Before becoming a politician, Fioretti worked as a lawyer focusing on civil rights. He is known for helping people who were treated unfairly. After his time as an alderman, he ran for several other government offices, including Mayor of Chicago and Cook County State's Attorney.

Early life and education

Bob Fioretti was born and raised in Chicago, specifically in the Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods. His father was an immigrant from Italy who worked for the Pullman train car company, and his mother was Polish-American.

Fioretti attended local schools on the South Side of Chicago. He was a good student and received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois. There, he studied political science and was elected as the student body president. Later, he earned his law degree (J.D.) from Northern Illinois University College of Law. He has remained active with his law school, helping to create programs for students and alumni.

Personal life

Fioretti lives on Chicago’s Near West Side with his wife, Nicki.

In 2010, doctors discovered that Fioretti had cancer in his throat. He went through treatment and recovered. In 2019, he wrote a book titled My Cancer Journey: In Seven Parts. In the book, he shared his story of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery to help others understand the experience of battling a serious illness.

Working as a lawyer

Fioretti is a partner at a law firm in Chicago. He works as a civil rights lawyer, which means he helps protect people's legal rights. He has worked on many different types of cases in state and federal courts.

Helping the wrongly accused

One of his most famous cases involved a man named LaFonso Rollins. Rollins had been sent to prison for 75 years for a serious crime he did not commit. He spent 11 years in jail before DNA testing proved he was innocent. Fioretti represented Rollins in a lawsuit against the City of Chicago, helping him win a settlement for the time he was wrongfully imprisoned.

Changing adoption laws

Fioretti also worked on a case involving a baby named Tamia. This legal battle helped change the laws about adoption in Illinois. The new laws provided better protection for birth parents and made the adoption process fairer. Before this, the laws were often unfair to poor families.

Service as Alderman

Fioretti guiding a cycling tour of his ward in September 2014

In 2007, Fioretti was elected as the Alderman of Chicago's 2nd ward. He defeated the person who had held the job for 14 years. He was re-elected in 2011.

During his time in office, the map of Chicago's wards was redrawn based on population changes. This process is called redistricting. The new map changed the boundaries of the 2nd ward significantly, so Fioretti decided not to run for re-election as alderman in 2015.

Improving schools and safety

Fioretti focused heavily on education. He worked to improve Chicago Public Schools. In 2008, he helped create "Operation Safe Passage." This program was designed to keep students safe while they walked to and from school. It involved cooperation between the police, the transit authority, and local families. For his work, the Chicago Teachers Union gave him an award for defending public education.

Creating jobs and parks

Fioretti worked to bring more jobs to his area. He supported moving the United Airlines headquarters to downtown Chicago, which brought about 2,500 jobs to the city. He also worked to bring grocery stores like Target and Costco to neighborhoods that did not have enough places to buy fresh food.

He also wanted to improve parks for families. He helped open several new parks in his ward. However, he disagreed with some groups when he voted to allow the Chicago Children's Museum to move to Grant Park, a plan that was later cancelled.

Running for other offices

After leaving the City Council, Fioretti ran for several other important government positions.

Mayor of Chicago

Fioretti ran for Mayor of Chicago twice.

• 2015: He ran against Mayor Rahm Emanuel but did not win. He came in fourth place.
• 2019: He ran for mayor again to replace Emanuel but was not successful.

Cook County roles

Fioretti also ran for positions in Cook County government.

• Board President: He ran for President of the Cook County Board in 2018 (as a Democrat) and 2022 (as a Republican) but lost to Toni Preckwinkle both times.
• State's Attorney: He ran for Cook County State's Attorney in 2020 and 2024. In the 2024 election, he was the Republican candidate but lost to Eileen O'Neill Burke.

Attorney General

In October 2025, Fioretti announced that he would run for Illinois Attorney General in the 2026 election. He is challenging the current Attorney General, Kwame Raoul.

Electoral history

The tables below show the results of the elections Fioretti has participated in.