Miller Wins 6th District Democratic Primary For Cook County Board

COOK COUNTY, IL -- Lynwood resident Donna Miller won the three-way Democratic primary for the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Donna Miller won over Patricia Joan Murphy by a 1,100 votes at the end of a long evening. Lou Presta was a distant third throughout the night.

Miller garnered 17,601 votes, followed by Murphy with 16,477. Presta, the two-term mayor of Crestwood, finished at a distant third with 6,490, according to unofficial results on the Cook County Clerk's website.

The 6th District seat became open when Cook County Commissioner Ed Moody said he wouldn’t run for a full term. Moody was appointed to serve out the unfinished term of Joan Patricia Murphy after she passed away from cancer in 2016. The primary drew three challengers, including the late board commissioner’s daughter, Patricia Joan Murphy. Moody sparked a field of primary challengers due to his support of his boss Toni Preckwinkle’s sweetened beverage tax.

Lynwood health care consultant Donna Miller of Lynwood, was the Chicago Tribune’s “emphatic choice” for 6th District commissioner, and is also endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times. Since announcing her candidacy, Miller’s racked up endorsements from dozens of south suburban elected officials, the SEIU, United Food and Commercial Workers, Democracy for America and the National Association of Social Workers-Illinois Council, to name a few. She’s garnered big name support from U.S. Reps Danny Davis, Robin Kelly, Jan Schakowsky and Raja Krishnamoorthi are backing Miller. She serves as board chair of Planned Parenthood. Miller promises to bring reform to property taxation in Cook County and attract economic development in the Southland.

Lou Presta is the current mayor of Crestwood and owner of a media distribution company. Presta says if elected to the Cook County Board, he will remain mayor because "80 percent of residents" want him to stay. Presta pledges to put an end to unfair property tax assessments that are driving businesses and homeowners out of the county. He also says he will equip the 6th District's municipal police departments with resources to combat gang violence that is spilling over from the city into the south suburbs. Presta served as a trustee for the Village of Crestwood for 19 years until he was elected as mayor in 2013. He’s been endorsed by 25 out of the 31 mayors in the district, the Chicago Federation of Labor, nine Democratic committeeman, and was named 2018 municipal leader of the year by Illinois State Crime Commission. Presta has suggested selling off forest preserve land to shore up Cook County’s budget gap -- a proposal that the Sun-Times endorsing board found appalling. Presta was also dinged for personal debts owed to the IRS for what he described as loss from bad development investments,"but it didn't involve the village."

Crestwood entrepreneur Patricia Joan Murphy is running to reclaim her late mother’s seat on the Cook County Board but not from any "sense of entitlement." Being born and raised in the sixth district gives her a unique insight into the struggles of working families. Murphy doesn’t believe in county government taxing its way out of a fiscal crisis and says she will work to fix the county’s property tax system. She also vows to protect the county’s forest preserve properties.

The Cook County Sixth District encompasses eight townships, including Bloom, Bremen, Lyons, Orland, Palos, Rich, Thornton and Worth.

Follow here as we update vote percentages as soon as they come in after the polls close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Photo: (Left to right) Lou Presta, Donna Miller and Patricia Joan Murphy | Campaign sites