Earlean Collins

Earlean Collins from 1998 to 2014 was a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners representing the 1st district which includes the Humboldt Park, West Garfield Park, Austin and Montclare areas of the City of Chicago as well as the surrounding suburbs of Oak Park, Forest Park, Maywood, Broadview, Westchester, Bellwood and Hillside.[1][2][3][4][5]

Earlean Collins
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from the 1st district
In office
December 1998 (1998-12) – December 2014 (2014-12)
Preceded byDarlena Williams-Burnett
Succeeded byRichard Boykin
Illinois State Senator
In office
1976–1998
Succeeded byKimberly A. Lightford
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Illinois
ProfessionAttorney

In 1976, Collins became the first African American woman elected to the Illinois Senate, where she rose to leadership positions. She left the Senate to run for the Board of Commissioners in for the 1998 election. In 1994, she was the Democratic Party candidate for Comptroller of Illinois.[6][7]

Early life

Collins was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi and moved to Chicago, Illinois. She was married to Otis G. Collins who also served in the Illinois General Assembly. They separated and Collins then remarried. Collins was a graduate of the University of Illinois.[8]

Public service

Before her election as a commissioner, Collins served as Assistant Minority Leader in the Illinois Senate and an Assistant Administrator of Children and Family Services. Collins was the first African-American woman elected to the Illinois Senate.

In 1994, she ran for Illinois Comptroller. After narrowly prevailing in the Democratic primary against Kane County Coroner Mary Lou Kearns, she was defeated in the general election by Republican Loleta Didrickson.

Cook County Commissioner

Collins was elected to the 1st district of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1998, and was reelected in 2002, 2006, and 2010. She did not seek reelection in 2014.

As a Cook County Commissioner, Collins is Chairperson of the Business and Economic Development, Public Health, and Family Court and Juvenile Detention Center Committees. Additionally, Collins is a member of nine committees: Construction, Litigation, Tax Delinquency, Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations, Rules, Health and Hospitals, Finance, Zoning and Building, and Roads and Bridges.

Her top issues are improving conditions for the mentally ill in Cook County Jail and improving community-based mental health treatment. She also wants to increase affordable housing in the county and to train people to repair houses.

As Cook County Board Commissioner, Collins 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 her in the 2010 elections.

References
  1. "Cook County Commissioner District 1 Municipalities" (PDF). Office of the Cook County Clerk. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  2. "Map of the Montclare Community Area". Google Maps. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  3. "Map of the West Garfield Park Community Area". Google Maps. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  4. "Map of the Austin Community Area". Google Maps. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  5. "Map of the Humboldt Park Community Area". Google Maps. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  6. "The Honorable Earlean Collins - The History Makers". www.thehistorymakers.org. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  7. 'Illinois Blue Book 1993-1994,' Biographical Sketch of Earlean Collins, pg. 69
  8. The History Makers-The Honorable Earlean Collins
  • Stevens, Susan S. "Collins has low-profile challenger for Cook County Commissioner," The Gazette (Chicago), Nov. 3, 2006.


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