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Tara Stamps
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2023 - Present
2026
2
Tara Stamps (Democratic Party) is a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in Illinois, representing District 1. She assumed office on June 20, 2023. Her current term ends on December 7, 2026.
Stamps (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the Cook County Board of Commissioners to represent District 1 in Illinois. She won in the special general election on November 5, 2024.
Stamps was appointed to the Cook County Board of Commissioners by members of the Cook County Democratic Committee to replace Brandon Johnson.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2024)
General election
Special general election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1
Incumbent Tara Stamps defeated James Humay in the special general election for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tara Stamps (D) | 89.7 | 94,353 | |
 | James Humay (L) | 10.3 | 10,828 | |
| Total votes: 105,181 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Special Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1
Incumbent Tara Stamps defeated Zerlina Smith in the special Democratic primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1 on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Tara Stamps | 84.8 | 28,000 | |
| Zerlina Smith | 15.2 | 5,001 | ||
| Total votes: 33,001 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. James Humay advanced from the special Libertarian primary for Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Stamps in this election.
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 37
Incumbent Emma Mitts defeated Tara Stamps and Deondre Rutues in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 37 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Emma Mitts (Nonpartisan) | 54.1 | 4,151 |
| Tara Stamps (Nonpartisan) | 40.2 | 3,083 | ||
 | Deondre Rutues (Nonpartisan) | 5.7 | 436 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 5 | ||
| Total votes: 7,675 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Otis Percy (Nonpartisan)
2015
The city of Chicago, Illinois, held elections for city council on February 24, 2015. A runoff will take place in Ward 37 on April 7, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was November 24, 2014.[2] In the general election for Ward 37, incumbent Emma Mitts and Tara Stamps advanced past Leroy Duncan and Maretta Brown-Miller.[3] Mitts defeated Stamps in the runoff election on April 7, 2015.[4] Otis Percy was removed from the ballot.[5]
| Chicago City Council, Ward 37, Runoff Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Emma Mitts Incumbent |
53% | 5,340 | |
| Tara Stamps | 47% | 4,734 | |
| Total Votes | 10,074 | ||
| Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Official runoff election results," accessed July 9, 2015 | |||
| Chicago City Council, Ward 37, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Emma Mitts Incumbent |
49.1% | 4,033 | |
| Tara Stamps |
32.1% | 2,640 | |
| Maretta Brown-Miller | 13% | 1,071 | |
| Leroy Duncan | 5.7% | 472 | |
| Total Votes | 8,216 | ||
| Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed July 9, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tara Stamps did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
Tara Stamps completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stamps' responses.
Low-income families do not have the same choices, options, or alternatives when it comes to public school. How can this be addressed?
We need to change our school funding system away from student-based budgeting, and instead fund according to need. I want to see Chicago invest in strong neighborhood public schools with wrap-around services for families, city-wide, so that poor and working families can send their children to schools in their neighborhoods that are quality and supportive.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
Creating strong neighborhood schools, which the majority of Chicago parents favor, isn’t rocket science. It requires controlling class sizes, providing rich extracurricular activities and robust wraparound services like counselors, social workers, and nurses, directing more resources to most disadvantaged students, quality and universal early education, respecting and developing teachers as professionals and partners, kept facilities, parental involvement, and most critically, full funding. Since CPS is moving in the opposite direction of these common sense proposals it is time for an Elected Representative School Board to return accountability to education policy in this City.
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
This is where an Elected Representative School Board is key! Right now, Chicago Public Schools is overseen by a School Board that was appointed by Mayor Emanuel. As a CTU member I am a staunch advocate for an Elected Representative School Board, and collected signatures to place it on the ballot as a referendum in 2015. Having lived and worked through nearly twenty years of unaccountable, out-of-touch leadership at the Board of Education, which included the closure of 50 schools against public outcry in 2013, and the closure of the Englewood schools this past year, I remain convinced that democratic representation is needed if we are to have the type of schools our children deserve. The fact that CPS remains the only school district in the state of Illinois without at ERSB speaks to the glaring urgency of this policy change. It's long past time for a fully-Elected Representative School Board so that we can transform education policy in Chicago and put students and families first.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
Let's launch Hoodie Tech Hubs, where not only can young people come in and play basketball and Fortnite, but can learn coding and graphic design, and create apps and podcasts. I believe that the people already running youth programs need to be held accountable, to ensure funds are being prioritized around youth needs.
Do you believe that there is corruption in Chicago politics, such as pay-to-play practices when the city awards bids? If so, how would you address it?
Chicago City Council is rampant with pay-to-play dealing, and I believe we need higher ethics standards for Council members, and more oversight to stave off corruption. Aldermen should not be able to employ people who have outside jobs or contracts with entities that do business with the city, as that invites clear conflicts of interest into the office. The public loses when those writing and legislating policy around city developments are motivated by their own ability to make a profit rather than its overall benefit (or harm) to our neighborhoods. Also, the Inspector General should absolutely have the power to audit and review City Council programs, operations and committees. Someone needs to. Council members should be held to the same standards of ethics as any other city employee, and if anything should face tougher scrutiny as elected officials.
How would you make the city’s policies more responsive to community input instead of donors or special interests?
An important step we could take to ensure that new policies and developments include community voices, and not just wealthy donors or special interest groups, is to implement Community Benefits Agreements whenever the City is undertaking large development projects. CBA's are agreements that mean that new projects have to actually be accountable to long-term residents, to hopefully prevent them from being displaced by development.
How would you handle the “recurrence of unaddressed racially discriminatory conduct by officers” identified in the U.S. Justice Department’s investigative report of the Chicago PD published in 2017?
First and foremost, I maintain my position that we must invest in comprehensive solutions to violence that deal with the root causes of criminal activity. Any effective conversation around police reform must also acknowledge that the neighborhoods that experience the most violence and policing, are also those hit hardest by divestment. I support public investment in good jobs and increasing year-round access to wrap-around services for at-risk youth, particularly in the neighborhoods hardest hit by blight and unemployment.
What sort of proposals would help reduce police shootings and fatalities?
Regarding the Chicago Police Department, several of the reforms outlined in the consent decree will bring about important changes that Black and Latino communities most impacted by policing have been asking for for years. Changes to the Use of Force policy, better supervision, anti-bias training and more accountability and transparency when responding to officer-involved shootings and complaints are critical. At the same time, I worry about the overall cost of the consent decree over time, and the ways that it will be used to expand the reach of the CPD, in place of investing in alternative community resources. For example, while many applaud the expansion of Crisis Intervention Teams within CPD to respond to mental health emergencies (a core aspect of the consent decree), the long-term solution to support individuals experiencing crises must include a re-opening and expansion of mental health services across the city, and non-police crisis response teams.
What ideas do you have to reduce the availability of illegal or unregistered guns in Chicago?
America as a country is violent. America as a country is going to have to shift its thinking about violence, and until we start shifting the way we treat the NRA we are going to continue to spin in circles in conversations about ending gun violence. To truly stem the flow of guns, we have to ask who is benefitting from the proliferation of guns as things are today, and bring change to bear at the site of production and decrease the influence of the gun lobby. America profits from our love affair with firearms, even as the maundy blood of innocents paint our streets, communities and schools. Further, ending gun violence in Chicago, like ending police violence, will require a massive redistribution of resources and investment into public services and expansion of living wage jobs on the South and West sides. We must acknowledge the root causes of gun crime and the ways that many in the City are pushed and locked out of the formal economy, and see the streets as their best option for economic survival. To reduce the number of illegal guns in Chicago, we have to look at where the demand for them is coming from, not just the supply. Investments in a massive jobs program, freezing of school closures (which force students to cross gang lines in order to travel to school), and expanding affordable, stable housing are all important solutions to consider in reducing participation in the underground and informal economies that drive gun use.
How will you help to rebuild trust in the police department and to encourage the community to work with police?
I believe that comprehensive police reform in Chicago must be driven by Black and Latino communities that have born the brunt of biased policing in Chicago for decades. The 2017 Department of Justice report of the CPD found an overwhelming reliance on force and violence, and a pattern and practice of racism. While outside monitoring, like the consent decree, can help transform the department, I would use my power as alderman to ensure that solutions coming from residents who experience the everyday realities of both violent crime and biased policing are heard as we implement reform over the long-haul. I support a Civilian Police Accountability Council, and a freeze on the construction of the $95 million police academy until other less costly options have been considered and shared with the public.
How would you address criminal justice issues such as prison reform and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons into city life?
The 37th ward has one of the highest unemployment rates in the City. Young people, veterans, single moms and dads, formerly incarcerated people, and all who just want to provide for their families deserve living wage jobs. I want to bring quality jobs to the ward, including training programs that lead to long-term hires. In particular, as we talk about legalizing Marijuana, I want to see the new jobs and new revenues that come from that legalization to go directly supporting people who have been harmed by the War on Drugs. We have to look at the policies that created the War on Drugs and end those bad practices. This War on Drugs has incarcerated people at alarming rates without offering any opportunities for redemption. And now to add insult to injury, we are talking about legalizing marijuana while there are people sitting in prison for selling marijuana. I'd like to see the immediate release of anyone locked up or on electronic monitoring for the crime of selling weed. Further, how is the conversation about legalizing cannabis going to serve the people who don't have $500K to open a store. Where is the equity in that?
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
More and more Black people are being priced out and pushed out of Chicago neighborhoods, especially on the Westside. I'm dedicated to bringing more affordable housing, rent control, and sufficient services to protect the elderly to the ward, so that the people who live there can stay there. That also means stopping Mayor Emanuel's proposed cop academy in the ward, which would raise property taxes and push out long-term residents, and demanding community-driven investments instead.
How would you care for the most vulnerable Chicagoans?
I was first inspired to become a community leader by my mother, the late Civil Rights activist Marion Stamps, who fought tirelessly for racial equity and affordable housing in Chicago. Following in her footsteps, I have consistently fought for living wages, economic justice, and fairness in the workplace for all Chicagoans. After the 2015 election I helped establish the Greater Austin Independent Political Organization (GAIPO), to help organize a progressive voice on the Westside and leadcivic engagement classes on the important issues, helped develop community leaders, and joined efforts with the Austin Chamber of Commerce and Austin Coming Together. The most vulnerable Chicagoans have the most protection when they have a chance to be involved in what's happening in the City - not just experiencing harmful policies. I will keep my door wide open, and continue to champion the issues of our poor and working families.
How would you ensure that development benefits residents in their neighborhoods and not solely the developers and other interests?
Through Community Benefits Agreements! Further, I'd like to see more transparency around how development happens in the City, because far too often deals are made in back-rooms and are hard if not impossible to stop or change once the public finds out.
How would you distribute revenue fairly between neighborhoods?
We need to overhaul the TIF (Tax Increment Finance) program to ensure that resources are distributed more equitably across neighborhoods in Chicago.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
My position is that the City of Chicago has both a moral and legal responsibility to meet its pension obligations. The city’s firefighters, police officers, and teachers accept lower pay relative to the private sector for years in exchange for the security of a defined benefit pension, and these retirees make up a critical dimension of the City’s economic base. Their pension income, which comes in lieu of social security, creates jobs and supports businesses in many neighborhoods that are already economically depressed. Reducing their modest pension income would cause some retirees to lose their homes or to relocate voluntarily, further depressing these neighborhoods and their local economies. In December, outgoing Mayor Emanuel proposed amending the Illinois Constitution to allow the City to cut Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) raises in order to fill the pension gap, which is a move that I strongly oppose. The answer to meeting these challenges cannot be more cuts. Chicago’s working families cannot afford any more reductions to vital social services that they depend on for survival and opportunity. The City has no choice but to find additional revenues to satisfy its pension obligations and fund the critical and quality services Chicago’s citizens deserve. As Alderman, my first priority would be to build the political will in Chicago and the rest of Illinois to make these far more desirable revenue schemes a reality.
What’s your opinion on tax increment financing (a program that funds development using any additional property tax revenue that results from an increase in appraised property values)? What, if any, changes would you make to the use of TIF?
My position is that Chicago’s TIF program needs serious reform in order to truly function as an economic development tool for the South and West sides of the city. First, I’d work to pass the Cardenas-Garza TIF Surplus Ordinance which requires that all dollars that remain uncommitted in TIF funds will be returned to our schools, parks and libraries, in years when CPS is financially distressed. Over $500 million per year have been funneled into TIF districts instead of taxing bodies like parks and schools. This has been occuring at the same time that park and library hours have been cut and schools continue to be closed. We continue to see a trend of TIF funds supporting downtown and northside development projects, including the controversial Lincoln Yards TIF expansion project which would ultimately mean $1.5 billion of taxpayer dollars towards the development of a commercial/residential area along the Chicago River. I would support calls to redistribute (at least) $1 billion from downtown (and nearby) TIF funds to the South and West sides. Further, I believe that we need to change TIF regulations, to allow TIF funds to be used for supportive services in our schools – like counselors, social workers, nurses and librarians. There are important projects that still need to be funded to improve communities and stimulate employment, both during and post construction. We just need to make sure that TIF dollars marked for development go to where we need them most.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
First of all, Chicago is not broke - we have billions in assets through city properties, and hundreds of millions set aside in TIF accounts. We need to stop saying that we're broke, and using that as justification to unfairly fund the City through taxes on the poor, like parking tickets, fines and fees which are throwing thousands of low-income motorists into bankruptcy. Additional revenues should come through a combination of a financial transactions tax, often called the LaSalle street tax, a commuter’s tax, a progressive city income tax and finally returning a percentage of TIF surpluses to taxing bodies. Chicago’s elected leadership must be bold and visionary, and be willing to work with legislators in Springfield to alter Illinois’ income tax structure as well to help generate more revenue (it currently is a regressive income tax). Chicago has a GDP greater than $500 billion and is one of the wealthiest cities in the world. If Chicago’s leadership can find a way to raise just an additional half percent of that GDP in revenues annually, we could solve the pension crisis, fill other budget holes and improve services across the city. We can’t realize our potential as a world class city until we truly commit to serving the needs of residents city-wide. To do that, Chicago leadership has to recognize that we have things to offer businesses and affluent citizens besides subsidies and tax breaks. Rather than offering billions in subsidies and tax breaks, as the Mayor was ready to do for Amazon, we should feel emboldened to ask those individuals and corporations that benefit the most to contribute just a little more to the public good. That way we can be sure our seniors retire with dignity, our streets are safe, our children get a quality education, and our neighborhoods vibrant. The revenue schemes I support are progressive and viable options to fill the pension gap without threatening Chicago’s attractiveness. Sales taxes are typically regressive, and casinos and taxation on gambling also equate to regressive taxation of the poor. Further, I strongly believe that any legalization of Marijuana must come about in a way that acknowledges the harms of criminalization of Black communities in Chicago, and involves retroactive sentencing reform. Any taxation from weed legalization should be utilized to support decarceration and rehabilitation efforts for the individuals and families harmed by marijuana. I would only support expanding sales taxes to the extent all other possibilities were exhausted, as there are far more progressive taxation schemes available.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
I would be in favor of freezing property taxes for low-income households, but believe that any discussion on tax freezes should be part of a larger overhaul of how Chicago generates revenue - and shift from the burden being on the backs of Black communities and people of color and instead get LaSalle St and corporations to pay their fair share.
How would you increase access to quality food and urgent care in all parts of the city?
By providing micro-loans to small business owners to open up grocery stores, and create special incentives in food deserts. I'd like to see the City work with the Cook County Department of Health to create more accessible urgent care facilities on the westside, far southside and southwest sides of the city that people with County Care and/or Medicaid can access 24/7.
How will you address public health concerns such as contaminated drinking water, rat infestation, and lead poisoning?
Chicago desperately needs a massive infrastructure program, like the Green New Deal at the federal level, to replace old pipes so that our children are not drinking led which has terrible health effects. This could produce thousands of new jobs for Chicagoans. The rat infestation in many ways is about equity, by assuring more timely trash pickups in less affluent neighborhoods. I'd also like to work with Fleet and Facilities Management to bring more recycling bins to south and west side neighborhoods.
How would you make Chicago a cleaner city with less waste and pollution?
The most important thing we can do to reduce pollution in Chicago is listen to the communities that have been fighting pollution for decades! Little Village residents who shut down the Fisk Coal plant, for example, are still fighting to keep toxic hubs out of their neighborhood - like the Hilco factory which would mean thousands more semi's driving past children's homes and schools daily. We need to ban pepcoke and manganese within City limits, so that far southside residents aren't breathing in toxic air that causes asthma. Shutting down the waste incinerator in West Garfield Park was an important step, but we need to continue to identify large pollutants to shut down, and make sure that new companies opening up shop aren't bringing toxic air or chemicals with them. Charging a fee for plastic grocery bags and banning straws hurts poor people and people with disabilities, and does little to nothing to actually reduce waste or stop pollution. Again, this is about making the City do it's job to hold big polluters responsible, instead of constantly taxing and punishing our poor and working families.
What would be your first steps for improving the transit system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and safety?
I would like to see free CTA for youth and seniors, expanding the applicant pool for reduced fare tickets, expanded routes and hours on the south and west sides, and more opportunities for south and west side community input on CTA expansion and development. Too often, CTA drivers and passengers experience uncomfortable and even unsafe conditions, that are usually fights over a $2.50 fare. Instead of adding more police to the CTA, we should work to make the CTA free for more riders!
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Cook County Board of Commissioners District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Chicago Sun-Times, "Democrats choose community activist and CTU worker Tara Stamps to fill Mayor Brandon Johnson’s old County Board seat," June 21, 2023
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Unofficial runoff election results," accessed April 7, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "General Election Candidate List," accessed December 3, 2014
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