Lawrence J. "Larry" Suffredin (born October 5, 1947) is an American politician who formerly served as a member of the
Cook County Board of Commissioners
The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
representing the
13th district.
Early life and education
Suffredin was born October 5, 1947
[ in ]Evergreen Park, Illinois
Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943.
History
As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area of what is now Evergreen Park. In the succeeding decades, other Ge ...
, and grew up in Westchester, Illinois
Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of acting president after ...
. He was the first of eight children born to Lawrence J. Suffredin Sr., a World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
combat veteran, and Patricia Mulrainey Suffredin. His father worked as a Chicago policeman and then became the "Printer to South Water Market" as the owner of Chicago Produce Publishing Company which reported on the local fruit and vegetable market.
After studies at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood. Located in downtown Chicago at 103 East Chestnut Street, a ...
, he received his bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...
in 1969 and his Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in 1972.[
]
Public service
Suffredin worked at the United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
in Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
1969-1970 while in law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
. He was an officer in the United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
1972-1973. He served as an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County from May 15, 1973 to June 30, 1975. He tried 32 juries to verdict as an Assistant Public Defender. He served Missouri Governor
The governor of Missouri is the head of government of the U.S. state of Missouri and the commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...
Mel Carnahan
Melvin Eugene Carnahan (February 11, 1934 – October 16, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st Governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in a plane crash in 2000. A Democrat, he was elected posthumously to the ...
as special counsel for gaming issues and was the first executive for the new Missouri Gaming Board from 1992-1994. He served as special counsel for the City of Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
on gaming issues. Suffredin is currently the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Harbor Quest, Inc., a nonprofit staffing and placement services agency, and serves on the board of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.
Professional career
Suffredin is an attorney; he has argued before the Illinois and United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
as well as the United States Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate Court. He has tried 136 juries to verdicts.
Suffredin has been in private law practice from 1975 to present, and beginning in 2002, he was elected to the County Board as well. In 2002, he won election as a Cook County Commissioner for the 13th district, of northern suburbs and two neighborhoods on the north side of Chicago. The commissioner is considered a part-time position. He won re-election in the next four elections. He announced that he will not run for re-election in the 2022 election.
Suffredin is a partner in the law firm of Shefsky & Froelich with practices in the areas of lobbying, gaming, government regulation, and securities law. Suffredin served as lead counsel in filing successful gaming applications with the Illinois Gaming Board for riverboat gaming operations. Suffredin has represented the following public entities: Cook County Forest Preserve, Chicago Transit Authority, and the Cities of Chicago, Elgin and Evanston.
Suffredin is a registered lobbyist
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
with Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
,Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
.Elgin, Illinois
Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-large ...
, and Penn National Gaming, owners of the Hollywood Casino, Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...
, the Illinois Alliance of Competitive Telephone Companies, the Donors Forum of Chicago, the Illinois Arts Alliance, and Illinois Citizens for Handgun Control, the Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, the Chicago Bar Association (CBA) is a voluntary bar association with over 20,000 members. Like other bar associations, it concerns itself with professional ethics, networking among members, and continuing legal education. It is ...
, and Kankakee Regional Landfill LLC. He is also a registered lobbyist for Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American multinational medical devices and health care company with headquarters in Abbott Park, Illinois, United States. The company was founded by Chicago physician Wallace Calvin Abbott in 1888 to formulate known dr ...
, Nursepower Services Corporation, and Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is an American clinical laboratory. A Fortune 500 company, Quest operates in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Brazil. Quest also maintains collaborative agreements with various hospitals and clinics across the globe. ...
.
Cook County Commissioner
Suffredin has served part-time as a Commissioner on the Cook County Board for the 13th district since 2002; he was re-elected four times and will not run in 2022. Suffredin is Chairperson of the Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations and Veterans Committee A committee of the whole, which recommends county positions on state and federal legislation, tracking state and federal funds earmarked for the county; reviews appointments to county boards and commissions, and reviews programs to benefit military veterans. He also serves on the Litigation, Tax and Revenue, Rules and Administration, and the Botanic Garden Committees.
On February 29, 2008 Suffredin voted for, and on July 22, 2008 voted to uphold, a historic Cook County sales tax increase, remaining the highest sales tax rate in the nation. The ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' editorialized that Suffredin "caved to pressure from public employee unions...and he provided the winning vote for this bureaucracy-friendly tax hike" and encouraged constituents to contact Suffredin to "acknowledge the error" by co-sponsoring its repeal.
On October 11, 2017 Suffredin was one of two Commissioners voting to keep Cook County's tax on sweetened beverages. This final vote followed a 15-1 vote of the County Board's finance committee, where Suffredin was the only Commissioner voting to keep the tax.
Personal life
Suffredin and his wife, Gloria Callaci, live in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...
, and have two adult children, Tom and Elizabeth.
2008 Cook County State's Attorney campaign
Suffredin lost to Anita Alvarez
Anita M. Alvarez (born January 16, 1960) is the former State's Attorney for Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alvarez was the first Hispanic woman elected to this position, after being the first Latina to win the Democratic nomination for ...
for party nomination in the February 2008 Democratic primary for Cook County State's Attorney
The Cook County State's Attorney functions as the state of Illinois's district attorney for Cook County, Illinois, and heads the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States. The office has over 700 attorneys and 1,100 employees. In ad ...
.
References
External links
13th Cook County Board District Commissioner Larry Suffredin
Political website
Shefsky & Froelich
Suffredin's law firm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suffredin, Larry
1947 births
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Living people
Loyola University Chicago alumni
Members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
People from Evergreen Park, Illinois
People from Westchester, Illinois