William Beavers

William M. Beavers (born February 21, 1935) is the Cook County Commissioner for District 4, which emcompasses part of Chicago's South Side and southern suburbs. He previously was alderman of the 7th Ward ( [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/7th.pdf map] ) in Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the Chicago City Council from 1983 to 2006.

Beavers is considered a skilled political insider. His aldermanic biography boasted that "he is a master of the back-room deals," "an alderman's alderman," and "an avid smoker" whose suits are "finely tailored." He also has a reputation for being forthright and candid.

But it is that candor that has lost him much of his clout over the last two years. Beavers enraged his constituents after making such outrageous comments as, "I'm the hog with the big nuts" in reference to his relationship with County Board President Todd Stroger, and "Ever heard of Bill Beavers? The most powerfullest alderman in Chicago?" when asked if he was worried that his daughter faced an opponent with a famous last name in her bid to retain her appointed aldermanic seat.

Before his entry into politics, Beavers was a Chicago police officer for 21 years and was a major force behind the city's official ban on racial profiling.

In 2006, Beavers reportedly engineered a complex deal concerning the retirement of Cook County Board President John Stroger, who suffered a stroke in March of that year. The deal called for Beavers to assume Stroger's County Commissioner seat, Stroger's son, Todd Stroger, to replace his father on the November 2006 ballot as County Board president, and for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to appoint Beavers' daughter and chief of staff, Darcel Beavers, to her father's 7th Ward seat.

In February 2007, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s wife, Sandi Jackson, trounced Darcel Beavers for the 7th Ward in what was predicted to be a fiercely contested race. Voters cited that the Beavers family had lost touch with the downtrodden Ward and had become arrogant in their ways. This ultimately led Sandi Jackson to defeat Darcel by a near 2 to 1 margin. Jesse Jackson, Jr. represents the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the 7th Ward.

On February 5th, 2008, Sandi Jackson and Bill Beavers went head to head for the 7th Ward's Democratic Committeemen slot. Many had predicted that a Beavers loss would be the final nail in his political coffin. Such predictions came true has Beavers was destroyed by Sandi Jackson by an almost 3 to 1 margin. Beavers failed to receive more than 38% of the vote in any Precinct, including his own.

It is now rumored that Beavers may not run for reelection of his county commissioner seat for fear of another political embarrassment.

As Cook County Commissioner, Beavers voted to uphold a historic 2008 Cook County sales tax increase, remaining the highest in the nation. As a result the Chicago Tribune has encouraged voters to vote against him in the 2010 elections.

External links

* [http://www.co.cook.il.us/district04.htm Cook County Board of Commissioners]