Eileen O'Neill Burke (L) is running for Cook County State's Attorney; Michelle Smith (R) is former Chicago Alderman | Facebook / LinkedIn
Eileen O'Neill Burke (L) is running for Cook County State's Attorney; Michelle Smith (R) is former Chicago Alderman | Facebook / LinkedIn
Former Alderman Michele Smith has endorsed Eileen O'Neill Burke in the March 19 Democratic Primary for Cook County State's Attorney.
The O'Neill Burke campaign announced the endorsement on Feb. 20.
O'Neill Burke is running against Clayton Harris, III of Washington Park.
Harris is backed by outgoing Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx of Flossmoor and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle of Hyde Park.
O'Neill Burke grew up on Chicago's Northwest Side. She graduated from St. Mary of the Woods Grade School, Marillac High School, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana and Chicago-Kent College of Law.
She spent her first ten years as a lawyer working as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney (1991-2001), then worked for seven years as a criminal defense attorney in Cook County (2001-2008) before winning election as a Cook County Circuit Court Judge (2008-16) and then the Illinois Appellate Court, where she served on the First District bench until stepping down to run for State's Attorney last year.
Smith served as the alderman for Chicago’s 43rd district from 2011 to 2022, including much of Lincoln Park. Before running for city council, Smith worked as a law clerk and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
She earned her bachelor's degree from SUNY Buffalo, and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.
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