Toneal Jackson

Toneal Jackson (Green Party) ran for election to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in Illinois. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Jackson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Toneal Jackson was born in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree from DePaul University in 2001 and a graduate degree from the University of Phoenix in 2011. Her career experience includes working as an entrepreneur with experience in outreach and community engagement. Jackson has been affiliated with the Illinois Green Party, Chicago Public Schools, and the Chicago Writers Association.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kari Steele (D)	24.6	1,147,395
✔		Marcelino Garcia (D)	22.6	1,053,366
✔		Sharon Waller (D)	22.3	1,038,968
	Submit photo	Claire Connelly (R)	9.7	450,926
	Submit photo	Richard Dale (R)	9.1	424,890
	Submit photo	Brendan Ehlers (R)	7.9	366,856
		Toneal Jackson (G)	4.0	185,130

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 4,667,531
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Incumbent Kari Steele, incumbent Marcelino Garcia, and Sharon Waller defeated incumbent Daniel Pogorzelski in the Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kari Steele	31.1	366,070
✔		Marcelino Garcia	27.3	320,883
✔		Sharon Waller	21.2	249,745
		Daniel Pogorzelski	20.3	238,575

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,175,273
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Eddie Ngozi Nwosu (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Claire Connelly, Richard Dale, and Brendan Ehlers defeated George Blakemore in the Republican primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Claire Connelly	35.6	65,116
✔	Submit photo	Richard Dale	34.0	62,073
✔	Submit photo	Brendan Ehlers	30.4	55,497
	Submit photo	George Blakemore (Write-in)	0.0	32

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 182,718
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Jackson in this election.

2022

General election

Special general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Daniel Pogorzelski defeated Toneal Jackson in the special general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Daniel Pogorzelski (D)	79.0	974,338
	Toneal Jackson (G)	21.0	259,623

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,233,961
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Daniel Pogorzelski defeated Elizabeth Joyce and incumbent Chakena Perry in the special Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Pogorzelski	36.0	156,746
	Submit photo	Elizabeth Joyce	35.5	154,754
		Chakena Perry	28.5	123,993

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 435,493
= 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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Toneal Jackson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jackson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm an Empowerment Specialist. In short, everything I do (books, movies, music, podcasts, speaking, coaching, even organizations) provide information and inspiration to help people become the best version of themselves. I received my Bachelors degree in Communication from DePaul University and my MBA from University of Phoenix. I served as an LSC Chairperson for over a decade and the Chairwoman of the Cook County Green Party for two years. I am a married, mother of many; First Lady; National and International Award-Winning Author & Filmmaker; Humanitarian; and mentor.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The people matter. Writing policies is great, but it's more important to engage with those the policies are written to protect to gain their perspective.
We need to work together to create and resolve issues regarding clean water and climate change.
Who better than a Green to help keep the water and environment clean?

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Community Engagement. Clean Water. Climate Change.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Many of the people I looked up to have now passed away, including my mother and grandmother. Though probably not politically correct to say, I want to follow the example of Christ; treating people the way I want to be treated; helping those who need me; being kind.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, compassion for people, and job competency.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm a leader. I know how to inspire people. I know how to listen and motivate. I'm intelligent so I know how to execute tasks assigned to my charge.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Writing policies that help protect the residents of Cook County; establishing relationships with businesses and residents of the county; and providing financial oversight of the MWRD.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That one person can make a difference. That living right and working hard doesn't go unnoticed.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11. I was 21. I remember watching television and totally speechless and devastated seeing the twin towers fall.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was 15, and I was a tutor. I did this throughout my high school career (sophomore - senior year).

What is your favorite book? Why?

Besides the Bible, A Leap of Faith by Ken Brown. It's a heartfelt true story that shows what happens if you remain persistent and never allow your obstacles to get the best of you.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Understanding my value/having a healthy sense of self. Now that I've finally obtained it, I carry myself totally different and show people how to treat me by watching how I treat myself and others.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. After having had someone be elected for the highest office in our country with no prior legal or governmental experience, I now believe that it's possible for anyone to be elected and learn the job they've been appointed to do.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Good communication skills; good listener; problem solving skills; social skills; proficient in writing and research; good comprehension skills.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Green Party. I'm still awaiting the results of other organizational decisions.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe that there should be no issues with transparency. If taxpayers have a question where their monies are going, workers should be accountable and able to explain without it being problematic.

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.

2022

Toneal Jackson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Jackson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Toneal M. Jackson, and in nutshell, I educate and empower. I'm an international Award-Winning Author, Publisher, Speaker and Founder of Artists Promoting Success and Educated AND EMPOWERED. I am also the Chairwoman of the Cook County Green Party. Regardless of the industry, whether the literary world, business sector, political and even religious arenas, my purpose is to educate people about what's going on and empower them to take action. My run as MWRD Commissioner will be no different. My goal is to educate Cook County residents about the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District; who we are; what we do; and most importantly, why they should care and how they can help. Then, empower them to take continual steps towards a cleaner, greener lifestyle.

I am a married, mother of many. Graduate of DePaul University (Bachelor of Arts) as well as University of Phoenix (Master of Business Administration). In most of my circles, I'm a leader in some capacity. CBS Chicago recognized me as being one of "5 Indie Authors and Publishers to Watch Out For". I was inducted into the 40 Under 40 Young Women Professionals League in 2016 and Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized (P.O.W.E.R.) in 2018. In 2019, I received the I Change Nations Award for my work in the literary community.

I don't really consider myself a politician; I'm just a public servant, who has a head for business, a heart for people and a passion to get the job done effectively.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I believe that the services the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District provide for Cook County are essential to its citizens, yet very few know about the MWRD, much less that a Board of Commissioners exist. Upon being elected, I want to educate our residents about what we do, so that ultimately, we can work together to generate ideas that the board can implement to benefit both the MWRD and community at large.
As a member of the Green Party, I believe that many of our values are in alignment with that of the MWRD, namely personal and global responsibility and future focus and sustainability. Who better to care about the water and climate change than a Green Party member?
I'm not here to tear down anyone; rather my purpose is to build bridges between the MWRD and the community in an effort to create a better environment for its residents.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a member of the Green Party, one of my greatest concerns has to do with water - what can we do to prevent further pollution? Also, I care about fertilizers - what's being put in our soil? We encourage people to have their own gardens and grow their own food, so we must ensure that what's going in the soil isn't causing contamination. Of course, climate change is something that affects us all.

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.

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 29, 2022

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 29, 2022

[1]

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Toneal Jackson

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Endorsements

2022

General election

Special general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

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