Chicago City Wire

Matt Podgorski won the Republican primary election and will face Democrat Maggie Trevor in the general election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 9 on Nov. 8.

Podgorski, who had 72.9% of the vote, had a sizable lead over Mark Hosty who had 14.1% of the vote and Frank Coconate who had 12.9% of the vote. Ballotpedia recorded a total of 15,532 votes with 92% precincts reporting.

“My team and I knocked on 10’s of thousands of doors. We heard directly from residents that they were upset by rising Cook County crime, cost-of-living concerns on staples like food and fuel, property taxes, and mismanagement of County resources like the Forest Preserves,” Podgorski said in a press release. 

Podgorski, the Northwest GOP Club founder, campaigned on “safe neighborhoods” and “lower taxes” for the 9th District in Cook County.

“For many years, I have been a vocal and energetic advocate on these issues. This nomination — with such strong support — confirms this is the kind of representation the 9th District wants on the Cook County Board. They want accountability on how Kim Foxx and her office is contributing to the County’s spiraling crime problems, and they want strong oversight on the county’s fiscal and operational management.”

He said that he is running “to lower taxes, bring down the cost of daily life, and end Kim Foxx’s dangerous soft-on-crime policies,” Chicago City Wire previously reported. During Kim Foxx’s first three years in office, her office dropped charges against 30% of the county’s criminal defendants. Additionally, WTTW reported that there were 43 homicides in Chicago during February of 2022. As of March 11, 2022, WTTW reported that Chicago Police recovered 1,618 guns and that there were 306 car jacking so far in 2022. 

Podgorski is the son of a retired Chicago police officer, and he has also been a critic of Gov. Pritzker’s COVID-19 executive orders, mounting legal challenges against them.

He is also a vocal critic of the City of Chicago for its treatment of the police force. Podgorski said that the CPD leadership has failed to hire adequate staff, and that has caused officers to work up to 20 days in a row.  Podgorski pointed out that workers in other departments are not forced to work 20 days in a row; only the police are and noted the toll that this takes on the officers, their families, and their overall performance on the job. "Does Mayor Lightfoot work seven days a week?" he asked. He also wanted  to know if the "Deputy Chiefs and the Superintendent work 20 days in a row?"

Prior to the primary, Podgorski was endorsed by the Chicago Firefighters Union. He also received the endorsements of 41st Ward Republican Committeeman Ammie Kessem, 41st Ward Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 38th Ward Republican Committeeman Dan Patlak, National Republican Committeeman Sean Morrison, and former Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Kathy Penner, the North Cook News reported. 

Podgorski raised over $100,000 for his campaign.