Bob Fioretti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Fioretti
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Fioretti in 2015
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| Member of the Chicago City Council from the 2nd ward |
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| In office May 2007 – May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Madeline Haithcock |
| Succeeded by | Brian K. Hopkins |
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| Born | March 8, 1953 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 for the 2nd ward from 2007 to 2015. An alderman is like a city council member who helps make decisions for a specific area of the city, called a ward. His ward covered many parts of Chicago, including areas like the Loop and South Loop.
Fioretti was first elected as an alderman in 2007 and won re-election in 2011. He also served as a Democratic Committeeman for his ward, which is a local political role. After the city's ward maps were changed in 2010, his old ward was split up. Because of this, Fioretti did not run for alderman again. Since then, he has tried to get elected to other public offices.
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Growing Up and School
Bob Fioretti grew up in Chicago's Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods. His mother was Polish-American, and his father was an Italian immigrant who worked for the Pullman train car company.
He went to St. Anthony's Grammar School and Mendel High School. He then received a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois. There, he studied political science and was even the student body president.
Later, Fioretti earned his law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law. He still teaches there sometimes and is involved with the university's alumni groups. He helped create a Chicago alumni office and a scholarship program for law students.
About His Life
Fioretti lives in Chicago with his wife, Nicki.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and successfully recovered. In 2019, he wrote a book called "My Cancer Journey: In Seven Parts." In the book, he shared his experiences and what he and his wife went through during his illness and recovery.
His Work as a Lawyer
Fioretti is a civil rights lawyer, which means he helps people protect their basic rights and freedoms. He works at a law firm in Chicago, focusing on government law and complicated legal cases. He has worked on cases in different courts and for the City of Chicago.
He has also been a special assistant attorney general for Illinois. This means he helped the state in certain legal matters.
Fioretti has worked on important cases, such as:
- Helping a person who was wrongly imprisoned for 11 years get a large payment from the City of Chicago after DNA testing proved his innocence.
- Representing a family in an adoption case that led to new laws in Illinois. These new laws made adoption fairer, especially for poor families of color.
- In 2022, he helped the mayor of Dolton, Illinois, Tiffany Henyard, in a lawsuit. This lawsuit stopped an attempt to remove her from office through a special election.
His Time as Alderman
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In 2007, Fioretti ran for alderman of Chicago's 2nd ward. He won against the person who had been alderman for 14 years. He started his term on May 21, 2007, and was re-elected in 2011.
After the 2011 election, the city's ward boundaries were redrawn. This meant Fioretti's ward changed completely, and he no longer represented the same area. He was one of only two aldermen to lose their original ward. After this, Fioretti decided to run for mayor instead of for alderman again.
Fioretti often disagreed with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on city plans. For example, they had different ideas about water fee exemptions for some groups and about how to license ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
Helping with Education and Jobs
As an alderman, Fioretti focused on improving education and creating jobs. He worked to make the Chicago Public Schools better.
- In 2008, he helped start "Operation Safe Passage." This program aimed to keep students safe on their way to and from school. It involved the police, public transport, churches, and families.
- He supported expanding Jones College Prep High School and Roosevelt University in the South Loop.
- In 2011, the Chicago Teachers Union gave him an award for his work on modernizing schools.
Fioretti also worked to create and keep jobs in Chicago.
- He supported United Airlines moving its headquarters to Chicago, which brought about 2,500 jobs to the city.
- He also helped renovate the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. This helped keep the world's largest futures and options exchange in Chicago's financial area.
He also worked to solve the problem of "food deserts" on Chicago's West Side. Food deserts are areas where it's hard to find affordable, fresh food. He helped bring grocery stores like Pete's Fresh Market, Target, and Costco to these neighborhoods. This provided both food and jobs for residents.
Improving Parks
Fioretti worked to improve and expand parks in his ward. For his efforts, he received an award from "Friends of the Parks" in 2009. During his time as alderman, he used city money to open several new parks.
However, he upset some park groups when he voted to allow the Chicago Children's Museum to move to Grant Park. This plan was later stopped by Mayor Daley, and the museum stayed at Navy Pier.
City Council Work
In the Chicago City Council, Fioretti served on five different committees. These committees dealt with things like environmental protection, public health, business licenses, rules and ethics, and special events.
Running for Other Offices
Fioretti has run for mayor of Chicago twice and for other important offices in Cook County and Illinois.
Running for Mayor of Chicago
Fioretti considered running for mayor in 2011 but decided not to because of his cancer diagnosis. He later ran in the 2015 and 2019 mayoral elections.
2015 Mayoral Campaign
In 2015, Fioretti ran for mayor of Chicago. He had support from people like former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka. He also received endorsements from the Chicago Police Sergeants Association and the Green Party of Chicago. He finished fourth out of five candidates in the first round of the election.
2019 Mayoral Campaign
On November 26, 2018, Fioretti announced he would run for mayor again in 2019. He was not successful in this election either, finishing twelfth out of fourteen candidates.
Cook County Offices
Fioretti has also run for offices in Cook County, which is the county Chicago is in.
2018 Cook County Board President Campaign
In 2017, he announced he would challenge the current President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Toni Preckwinkle. He lost to her in the Democratic primary election in March 2018.
2020 Cook County State's Attorney Campaign
In 2019, Fioretti ran for Cook County State's Attorney. This is the chief prosecutor for the county. He was endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge #7. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary.
2022 Cook County Board President Campaign
Fioretti ran for President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners again in 2022, this time as a Republican. He challenged Toni Preckwinkle once more but was defeated.
2024 Cook County State's Attorney Campaign
Fioretti is currently running for Cook County State's Attorney again, as the only Republican candidate.
State Senate
In 2016, Fioretti also ran for a seat in the Illinois Senate but was unsuccessful.
Images for kids
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Fioretti in 2015
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Fioretti guiding a cycling tour of his ward in September 2014
