County Board, President Toni Preckwinkle is running for a 5th term last month under 78th birthday.

The apparently indefatigable Preckwinkle cited the quote, chaos and uncertainty emanating from Washington as the reason for her decision to run again Preckwinkle who has led Cook County since 2010 will face reelection next year.

Joining us now to talk about that decision and the challenges of dealing with a new Trump administration is Cook County Board.

President Toni Preckwinkle.

Welcome back President.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So as we just mentioned, this would be your 5th term if you are successful in running for reelection to Leigh Cook County, did retirement ever cross your mind?

And I believe in retirement.

And, you know, I've said that if I didn't do this job, I pick another one.

It wouldn't be as interesting or challenging years impactful.

>> It is looking to be able to say that about the job that you have.

Yes, I always say that in democracy, the highest honor, your fellow citizens can bestow upon elective office.

I've been blessed some voters in the country.

They've called for mandatory retirement age for publicly elected officials.

given what happened in the presidential race with President Biden's age, health concerns eventually becoming a focal point.

What would be your response the thought of a mandatory retirement age for political I don't think it makes sense for elected officials.

>> You know, frankly, one of the challenges we have in public life is there's not a proper appreciation for experience.

And I'm grateful for the opportunities that I've had to leave the county and look forward to 4 more years of doing the same.

You defeated former Alderman Bob Furedi of the Second Ward.

That was back in 2018 at the time.

You told reporters serve one more term in office.

Then of course, he ran for mayor losing Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

at that time you decided, of course, to run for a 4th term.

Now, 5th, what makes you want to keep doing this job?

what more do you feel like you'd like to accomplish in this Well, you know, I I've been grateful, as I said for the opportunity when I came into office in 2010, we have some severe financial struggles.

We spent the first 2 or 3 years trying to get the county on a good firm financial footing.

And then we address the challenges we have in the policy arena, particularly around delivering good health care to people and as the state on a sustainable system, we had some financial challenges.

So we've worked on both access and finances.

>> And then the public safety arena.

We work too try to make our criminal justice system more fair to the people who become entangled in it.

And I'm proud of that good work and grateful that the state legislature kind of codified a lot of the work you've been doing in Cook County in the Pretrial Fairness Act.

and then, of course, the pandemic was that, yes, the global pandemic, which took up most of the time between 20 23.

Almost 24.

And now frankly, we've got a a very challenging President United States and I believe it's a good time to have somebody with experience at the helm.

>> You have said that the presidential administration is causing chaos and uncertainty.

What are you most uncertain or concerned about going forward?

I think President Trump has decided he's going to try to overwhelm and demoralize the people who disagree with them and >> we've seen a barrage of executive orders and actions at the federal level which like sometimes are withdrawn the next day.

But in any case contribute, as I said to chaos and uncertainty, particularly concerned, of course, about health care for all Americans.

I believe in universal health care.

We're definitely not there.

But I'm responsible for a public health system with the buzz about little less than half of the charity care and the entire county, although we have about 60 for hospitals, 2 hospitals provide half of the charity care.

We are heavily dependent on Medicaid about a 3rd of the people in Cook County depend on Medicaid children, seniors, adults with disabilities.

You Medicaid provide support for most of the women who give birth in this county.

So week.

We have a lot at stake as the president attacks are national health care system.

To that point, Governor JB Pritzker has recently said that Illinois could lose as much as 11 billion dollars in federal funds to you and your team have a sense of what that means for Cook County.

How much could Cook County stand to lose in federal funding?

That's not what what's been our focus.

Frankly, we've been trying to figure out on that.

>> Case-by-case basis lane by Lane what might happen if the federal government and what could potentially be our response.

And so we've been doing a little planning ahead, but I'm trying not to be.

Anxious.

We'll just we'll see what happens to them.

Respond to it.

When you say case by case it's sort of like a waiting until we the CDC is allegedly taking from your Cook County Health Department or what could happen with housing rather than what could have anticipated.

what could happen, Medicaid, what could happen in our infrastructure investments minute there.

A lot of ways.

There are a lot of ways in which the federal government supports activities at the local level and what's going to happen, of course, of the federal government withdraw support is that local governments, whether it's the city or the county or the state are gonna have to figure out how they can fill the gap.

Have you had contact with the new administration?

No.

One of your signature achievements has been you've been able to balance the Cook County Budget Year over year without raising taxes, often if it became necessary after losing federal funds, would you consider supporting raising taxes if if you needed to make up those funds?

But I want to commit anything.

Now, what we're trying to do is, as I said, anticipate what are the potential ways in which federal action could impact us?

And then what would be our response?

One potential help for property owners that you're working on is the county's homeowner relief initiative.

Tell us about that.

And what homeowners need to know to be to qualify.

Want to try to get preliminary approval for the program in our April board meeting.

It's a 15 million dollar program that will provide $1000 to re in relief to about 13,600 homeowners.

We've seen an increase in their property taxes of at least 50% in one of the last 3 years between 21 and 24.

In your most recent budget year, guaranteed income pilot.

It ended.

What would you say is the status of the research there and the potential to bring it back later on?

>> Well, I'm very grateful for the good work that's been done by my team around guaranteed income.

>> You know, I believe that this is something we need federally.

But until that time we get to that state of grace.

It's important for local units of government to have guaranteed income programs to show that they can be beneficial to our residents.

We're working with the University of Chicago academics to to look at the results.

We be distribute the last payments in January.

So we hope later this spring to be able to talk about the impacts on the individuals who participate in the program 3,250 individuals.

>> almost out of time.

Madam President changes to the electronic monitoring program in Cook County are afoot.

Steyer, shifting from the Cook County Sheriff's Office to a department or the chief Judge, 10 Evans.

Does that office?

Does it have what it needs to support this this kind of program and and what do you think of the shift happening?

What we've we're focused on public safety for our residents.

The chief judge and the sheriff both had electronic monitoring programs last fall.

The sheriff informed us that this was not a business.

He wanted to be any longer.

The chief judge has had a program and we're working to support his efforts to expand the program to accommodate the sheriffs departure from the arena.

Madam President, Toni