Todd Stroger facts for kids

Todd H. Stroger was born on January 14, 1963. He is a politician from the Democratic Party. He used to be the president of the Cook County Board. He also served as an alderman for Chicago's 8th ward. In 2001, Richard M. Daley, who was the mayor of Chicago, appointed him to the Chicago City Council.

Todd Stroger is the son of John Stroger. His father was also a well-known politician. John Stroger was president of the Cook County Board for 12 years. In 2021, Todd Stroger worked as the village administrator for Robbins, Illinois.

Early Life and Education

Todd Stroger grew up in the Chatham-Avalon neighborhood. This area is on the South Side of Chicago. He went to Gordon Tech high school. Later, he earned his bachelor's degree from Xavier University in New Orleans. Before he became an alderman, he worked as an investment banker.

Political Career

Todd Stroger began his political career in 1992. He was elected as a State Representative for the 31st District of Illinois. He also worked for the Office of the Chief Judge of Cook County. There, he was a statistician and later a jury supervisor. He also worked for the Chicago Park District.

Stroger is active in fundraising for the United Negro College Fund. He is also a member of the Young Democrats.

Alderman for Chicago

In 2001, Mayor Richard M. Daley chose Todd Stroger to become an alderman. He took the place of Lorraine Dixon, who had passed away. As an alderman, Stroger served on seven important committees. These included committees for the budget, housing, human relations, and public safety.

Becoming Cook County Board President

In 2006, Todd Stroger's father, John Stroger, was the president of the Cook County Board. John Stroger had a serious stroke just before the Democratic primary election. Even after his stroke, John Stroger won the primary election. He defeated Forrest Claypool.

For several months, John Stroger did not appear in public. His family shared little information about his health. Todd Stroger first gave unclear answers about his father staying on the ballot. But later, he said his father would return to office.

Eventually, John Stroger resigned from his position. At the same time, it was announced that Todd Stroger would be the candidate to take over his father's role. This happened after the deadline for other candidates to join the race.

On July 18, 2006, the Cook County Democratic Central Committee chose Todd Stroger. They picked him to be the Democratic candidate for Cook County Board president. The next day, Bobbie Steele was chosen to be the interim president.

In 2008, Stroger's campaign had to pay fines. This was because they did not file paperwork on time. The paperwork was for election contributions and organization reports from the 2006 election.

After the Presidency

In 2010, Todd Stroger ran for re-election as President of the Cook County Board. However, he finished last in the Democratic primary election. Toni Preckwinkle won that primary. She then won the general election and became president on December 6, 2010.

In 2020, Stroger planned to run for Cook County clerk of courts. But he withdrew from the race. This happened after some of his ballot signatures were found to be invalid.

In May 2021, Darren E. Bryant became the mayor of Robbins, Illinois. He appointed Todd Stroger as the village administrator. In October 2021, Stroger's role changed. He became an executive assistant to Mayor Bryant. Jasmine Washington took over as village administrator.