The Democratic Cook County Board District Committee for the 10th District of the Cook County Board of Commissioners met Saturday, April 11, at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson, to appoint a person to fill the vacancy created by the impending departure of Mike Quigley, who has been elected to replace Rahm Emanuel as a representative in the U.S. Congress.
The committee selected Bridget Gainer, an executive at Aon Corporation and former aide to Mayor Richard Daley, as Quigley’s successor. Gainer’s husband, Dennis Kibby, once was a partner in Great Lakes Medicaid, which helped the county’s public-health system collect bills; however, she said that he sold his interest in that company last year, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Others in the running included openly gay lawyer Jay Paul Deratany; attorney Michele Smith, who is also a 43rd Ward committeeman; Kim Walz, Quigley’s chief of staff; Jim Madigan, the interim executive director of the LGBT-rights organization Equality Illinois; former city attorney Sara Ellis; Robert Block, a lawyer who has done work for the Democratic National Committee; and Michael Hickey, a county electrician.
Among those in the 11-member selection committee are 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, former State Sen. Carol Ronen, 46th Ward Alderman Sharpe, Smith and 40th Ward Alderman Pat O’Connor.