Gery J. Chico ( ; born August 24, 1956) is an American politician,

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lawyer, public official and former Democratic primary candidate for United States Senate. Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...

from 1992 to 1995, and board president of the

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...

from 1995 to 2001. He was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education in 1997. From 2007 to 2010, he was board president of the

Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatorie ...

, and in 2010 he was board president of the

City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges system ...

. On June 7, 2011, Chico was named Chairman of the

Illinois State Board of Education The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administers public education in the state of Illinois. The State Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate. Board members serve four-year terms, with ...

by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. Chico ran for

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and ...

in the 2011 election, but was defeated by

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

. In late 2018, Chico declared a second bid for mayor in the 2019 election. After losing in the first round, he endorsed

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

Early life and education

Gery Chico was born on August 24, 1956, to a

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

father, Jesse, and a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

- Lithuanian mother, Jacqueline (née Kopulos). With his two younger brothers, he grew up in Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood. His mother also worked as a secretary at the

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry evolved from the Columbian Dental College, founded in Chicago in 1891. The college informally affiliated with the University of Illinois in 1901, and was chartered as an official college o ...

. Chico attended a now-closed parochial school, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School at 35th and Hermitage, where he headed the altar boys and patrol boys, and also played baseball for two years. A hip injury kept him in a wheelchair during his freshman year at Thomas Kelly High School. Chico pursued a

pre-medical Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...

degree at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Un ...

, but after his sophomore year he transferred to the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

. A political science major, he volunteered in the 11th

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. He later secured an

externship Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, provided by partnerships between educational institutions and employers to give students practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine, it may refer to a visi ...

in the city's Department of Planning during his senior year, and he worked there from 1977 to 1980. He received his bachelor's degree in 1978. From 1980 to 1987, he worked for the City Council Finance Committee. Finance Committee chair Alderman Edward M. Burke promoted Chico to research manager, and he became senior research assistant for the Department of Planning and Economic Development. At that time, he took night classes at the

Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago. ...

. He earned his J.D. degree in 1985 and became a member of the Loyola Law Review. Chico has been married twice; his first wife was Jeryl Minow, with whom he had three daughters. He is currently married to Sunny Penedo Chico, who has a son and daughter from a previous marriage. A former U.S. Department of Education employee, Sunny runs a consulting firm that focuses on, among others, tutoring services and curriculum advice.

Legal career

Chico began working as an associate of the Chicago-based law firm

Sidley Austin Sidley Austin LLP is an American multinational law firm with approximately 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. The firm's headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Loop. The firm specializes in a variety of areas in both litigati ...

in 1987, and served as General Counsel to the Chicago Development Council, a real estate development association. He left the firm in 1991 to become the Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor

, but he later returned as partner in 1995 and 1996, leading the firm's practice related to state and local government. In 1996, Chico left Sidley & Austin to become a senior partner of Altheimer & Gray. Oscar D’Angelo, a friend of Daley and a former Altheimer partner, suggested to the firm’s managing partner that the firm hire Chico. In 2000, just four years later, at age 44, Chico became chairman of Altheimer. In 2002, the firm gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Governor

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

and Attorney General

Lisa Madigan Lisa Murray Madigan (born July 30, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as Attorney General of the U.S. state of Illinois from 2003 to 2019, being the first woman to hold that position. She is ...

's campaigns. In 2003, while Chico was chairman and simultaneously running for the US Senate, Altheimer became insolvent and dissolved. Some partners blamed the bankruptcy on poor management by Chico, while an attorney who sat on two financial committees blamed an economic downturn. Chico also served as Special Counsel to Arnstein & Lehr in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Chico, along with Planning Department colleague Marcus Nunes, formed the general practice law firm Chico & Nunes, which lobbies for clients seeking government business.

Chief of Staff to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley

In 1991, Chico was a Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor

. He coordinated efforts to drain freight tunnels that were flooded with water from the

Chicago River The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of Chicago, including its center (the Chicago Loop). Though not especially long, the river is notable because it is one of the reasons fo ...

. Chico was later promoted to Chief of Staff, a position he held from 1992 to 1995. As part of his duties, he oversaw the completion of the International Terminal of

O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...

, preparations for the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...

, and the construction of new schools. Along with Budget Director

Paul Vallas Paul Gust Vallas (born June 10, 1953) is an American politician and former superintendent of the Bridgeport Public Schools and the Recovery School District of Louisiana, former CEO of both the School District of Philadelphia and the Chicago Publ ...

, Chico helped add 1,000 officers to the police force and improved neighborhoods throughout the city through a program called Neighborhoods Alive.

Chicago Public Schools board

In 1995, the Illinois state legislature passed the Chicago School Reform Act, which gave the Mayor of Chicago unprecedented new control over

. Daley asked Chico to become the CEO, but Chico declined because he was resuming his law career. Chico instead recommended that Daley appoint colleague

as CEO, and Chico was named chairman of the School Reform Board of Trustees, which was renamed the "

President of the Chicago Board of Education The Chicago Board of Education is led by a president. The current President of the Chicago Board of Education is Miguel del Valle. Since the 1995 Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act went into effect, the president has been directly appointed b ...

" in 1999 (the title which the board had originally held before 1995). In 1997 Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education for his reforms in education and fiscal policies. Chico was responsible for efforts to preserve and restore hundreds of murals in the public schools, which had been commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Progressive and

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Con ...

eras. They had since been hidden under layers of dirt and paint. Under his administration, CPS appointed an Arts Education Task Force and a Bureau of Cultural Arts. Chico resigned as President of the Chicago Board of Education in 2001. He was succeeded in this office by Michael W. Scott.

2004 campaign for U.S. Senate

In 2004, Chico ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald. He was the first Democrat to declare his candidacy, doing so on July 30, 2002, during a rally with Hispanic leaders. His Senate committee preferences included education, transportation, and judiciary. He also criticized the

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (, ), commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act or BCRA (pronounced "bik-ruh"), is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing o ...

and the

No Child Left Behind Act The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based educati ...

, but supported

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constitutin ...

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

stem cell research In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of ...

, the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

, and

universal healthcare Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

. Chico was the only candidate who supported gay marriage out of all seven Democrats and eight Republicans. Then-State Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

ultimately won the nomination over six other candidates including Chico.

Chicago Park District board

In October 2007, Mayor Daley appointed Chico as president of the

Board of Commissioners. Chico supported the construction of a new soccer field in

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

despite opposition from local residents. In 2010, he stepped down.

City Colleges of Chicago board

In March 2010, Mayor Daley nominated Chico as chairman of the board of trustees of the

and the board elected Chico chairman. Along with Chancellor

Cheryl Hyman Cheryl L. Hyman is the vice provost for academic alliances at Arizona State University On September 27, 2010, Chico announced that he would run for mayor of Chicago in 2011. He was one of six candidates on the ballot.

was considered to be the leading candidate before the election. Chico was considered "the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff". Chico positioned himself as a business candidate with a latino identity. He sought to portray himself as a candidate who understood the city better than frontrunner Rahm Emanuel. He touted his experience, particularly his tenure as president of the school board. Chico advertised his latino background, his identity as the son of an immigrant father, his education in the Chicago Public Schools system. He also contrasted his South Side, Chicago, South Side upbringing to Emanuel's upbringing in the suburban North Shore. In seeking the hispanic vote, he proved to have a lead over the race's other hispanic candidate,

Miguel del Valle Miguel del Valle (born July 24, 1951) is an American politician and the former City Clerk of Chicago. He was an Illinois State Senator for two decades, representing the 2nd District of Chicago from 1987–2006. Del Valle lost his bid for mayor ...

. Chico received significant support from the city's hispanic community, even receiving endorsements from leading members such as congressman

Luis Gutierrez Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

. Chico raised nearly $4.4 million in campaign funds. This was the second-greatest amount any candidate raised, however it was still only less than one-third of the $15 million in campaign funds that Emanuel was able to procure. Chico received most of his money from personal and corporate donations. However, he also had the greatest union support financial contribution to his campaign committee of any candidate, receiving $188,000 from municipal unions, including the Chicago Firefighters Union and the

Fraternal Order of Police The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodges, and the ...

. Chico was backed by many of the city's establishment Democrats, such as alderman Edward M. Burke. In regards to schools, Chico wanted to negotiate with the

Chicago Teachers Union The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is a labor union that represents teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians in the Chicago public school system. The union has consistently fought for improved pay, benefits, and job security for its members, an ...

for both a lengthened school day and school year. He opposed an elected school board. He touted his experience leading the school board as qualifications which made him the best fit candidate to address problems with the Chicago Public Schools. Chico pledged to hire 2,000 police officers but did not offer specifics on how he would raise the funds. He opposed making the school board an elected body, and he favored extending the school day and school year. Chico picked up endorsements from unions that represented, among others, police officers, firefighters, laborers, painters, operating engineers, iron workers, roofers, and sheet metal workers. Chico attacked Rahm Emanuel's proposal to lower the

sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...

and increase the service tax. He derided Emanuel's proposed service tax increase the "Rahm tax", and discounted Emanuel's claim that this increase would be offset the by his proposed sales tax decrease. He sought to garner additional media attention with his "Rahm tax" attacks, but to little avail. In the results of the election on February 22, Emanuel's 55% support dwarfed Chico's 24% support. Chico placed second. Chico won in 10 of Chicago's 50

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

, while Emanuel won 40. The campaign's communications director claimed that controversy over Emanuel's eligibility to run for mayor may have diverted the focus of the press away from the other candidates. After the election, Chico remained involved in the runoff elections for other city offices, endorsing a candidate for 25th Ward alderman.

State Board of Education

Chico was named chairman of the

in June 2011. His confirmation was delayed as a result of questions regarding his ties to the Save-A-Life Foundation, a failed charity that was undergoing investigation by Illinois Attorney General

’s office.

2019 campaign for Mayor of Chicago

Chico ran for mayor again in the

2019 Chicago mayoral election The 2019 Chicago mayoral election was the 2019 edition of the quadrennial elections held to determine the Mayor of the City of Chicago, Illinois. The election was held on February 26, 2019. Since no candidate received a majority of votes, a run ...

. During his candidacy, Chico was perceived to be seeking strong support from hispanic voters. In the end, he received the second-highest support among hispanic voters of any candidate in the first round, placing behind

Susana Mendoza Susana A. Mendoza is an American politician. She is the 10th Comptroller of Illinois, serving since December 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, she formerly served as Chicago City Clerk and as an Illinois State Representative, representing th ...

. However, hispanic voter turnout was low in the election. Chico was one of four mayoral candidates (alongside Bill Daley, Susana Mendoza, and

Toni Preckwinkle Toni Lynn Preckwinkle (née Reed; born March 17, 1947) is an American politician and the current County Board President in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was first elected as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the e ...

) that had political ties to Alderman Edward M. Burke, whose corruption scandal upended the race for mayor. Chico was particularly tied to Burke, having received his endorsement in the mayoral election. Chico made efforts to distance himself from Burke. Chico touted his experience. He staked much of his candidacy upon his record at Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges. Chico placed eighth of fourteen candidates, with 6.20% of the vote. After failing to advance to the runoff, Chico endorsed

Subsequent activities

In mid-2019, Chico became the board chairman of Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago, a nonprofit seeking to boost underserved neighborhoods through grants, loans, and by providing support to community organizations.

Electoral history

Notes

:A. Position was known as "chairman of the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees" from 1995 through 1999, and has been known as "president of the Chicago Board of Education" since 1999

References

External links

Chico & Nunes, P.C.

Gery Chico for Mayor
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chico, Gery 1956 births American politicians of Greek descent American people of Lithuanian descent American politicians of Mexican descent Illinois Democrats Illinois lawyers Lawyers from Chicago Living people Loyola University Chicago School of Law alumni People associated with Sidley Austin Politicians from Chicago University of Illinois Chicago alumni Presidents of the Chicago Board of Education Chairs of the Illinois State Board of Education