Portal:Chicago/Selected biography/50

Toni Reed Preckwinkle is an alderman in the Chicago City Council representing Chicago's 4th ward in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Preckwinkle first sought office in 1983, but was defeated twice before securing election in 1991 and subsequently being re-elected four times. In addition to her elected role on the city council, Preckwinkle serves as the Democratic Committeeman of the 4th Ward of the city on the Cook County Central Committee. As 4th ward alderman, she has neighborhood, municipal and regional functions, and has an additional role in the development of the prospective Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium, which is planned in and around her ward as part of the Chicago 2016 Olympic bid. She is a critic of current Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and ally of United States Senator and 4th ward resident Barack Obama. She is an outspoken Chicago politician, whose actions and opinions are often noted in respected publications across the country such as the New York Times and Washington Post, and who has a reputation for being a progressive leader and for being publicly accountable. In her first four terms in office she emerged as the council's prominent defender of affordable housing. Among other issues she is known for her cost benefit analysis of the city's Olympic bid and for her sponsorship of living wage ordinances. She also has an interest in police brutality and excessive force.