Gery Chico

Gery J. Chico ( ; born August 24, 1956) is an American politician, lawyer, public official and former Democratic primary candidate to become the U.S. Senator from Illinois.

Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1992 to 1995, and board president of the Chicago Public Schools 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, and in 2010 he was board president of the City Colleges of Chicago. On June 7, 2011, Chico was named Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Chico ran for Mayor of Chicago in the 2011 election, but was defeated by Rahm Emanuel. In late 2018, Chico declared a second bid for mayor in the 2019 election. After losing in the first round, he endorsed Lori Lightfoot.

Early life and education Gery Chico was born on August 24, 1956, to a Mexican-American father, Jesse, and a Greek-Lithuanian mother, Jacqueline . 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. 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. A political science major, he volunteered in the 11th Ward. He later secured an externship in the city's Department of Planning during his senior year, At that time, he took night classes at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

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. Some partners blamed the bankruptcy on poor management by Chico, while an attorney who sat on two financial committees blamed an economic downturn.

Chief of Staff to Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley In 1991, Chico was a Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley. Chico was later promoted to Chief of Staff, a position he held from 1992 to 1995. Along with Budget Director Paul Vallas, Chico helped add 1,000 officers to the police force and improved neighborhoods throughout the city through a program called Neighborhoods Alive. 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 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. His departure was considered sudden, and came after a number of failing standardized testing scores eliminated the improvements to test scores that had been experienced in the previous two years. Soon after his departure, Paul Vallas also announced his resignation. Chico 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 and the No Child Left Behind Act, but supported gay marriage, and universal healthcare. Chico was the only candidate who supported gay marriage out of all seven Democrats and eight Republicans. Then-State Senator Barack Obama 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 Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners. Chico supported the construction of a new soccer field in Lincoln Park 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 City Colleges of Chicago and the board elected Chico chairman. Along with Chancellor Cheryl Hyman, Chico reformed the City Colleges budget by laying off 225 employees, removing unfilled jobs, and reducing executive spending to increase spending on technology and training for students. Furthermore, Chico and Hyman reduced taxation on property for two straight years, and cancelled nursing programs. He resigned 8 months later to run for Mayor of Chicago.

2011 campaign for mayor of Chicago

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.

Rahm Emanuel 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. 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. 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 and increase the service tax. Chico won in 10 of Chicago's 50 wards, 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 From June 2011 through January 2015, Chico served as chair of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Chico was nominated by Governor Pat Quinn to be chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education 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 Lisa Madigan’s office.

2019 campaign for mayor of Chicago Mayoral candidates participate in a 2019 forum hosted by the Chicago Tribune; L-R: William M. Daley, Chico, La Shawn Ford, Willie Wilson, and Toni Preckwinkle

Chico ran for mayor again in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election.

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. However, Hispanic voter turnout was low in the election. Chico was particularly tied to Burke, having received his endorsement in the mayoral election.

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 Lori Lightfoot.

Electoral history

2019 Chicago mayoral electionCandidateGeneral Election Runoff Election Votes%Votes% Lori Lightfoot 97,667 17.54 386,039 73.70 Toni Preckwinkle 89,343 16.04 137,765 26.30 William Daley 82,294 14.78 Willie Wilson 59,072 10.61 Susana Mendoza 50,373 9.05 Amara Enyia 44,589 8.00 Jerry Joyce 40,099 7.20 Gery Chico 34,521 6.20 Paul Vallas 30,236 5.43 Garry McCarthy 14,784 2.66 La Shawn K. Ford 5,606 1.01 Robert "Bob" Fioretti 4,302 0.77 John Kolzar 2,349 0.42 Neal Sales-Griffin 1,523 0.27 Write-ins 86 0.02 Total 556,844 100 523,804 100