More than four dozen file to run for county offices, including to replace Kim Foxx as state’s attorney

On the first day political dreams became more real, 55 candidates on Monday officially filed to run for several Cook countywide offices, including the high-profile race to replace outgoing State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, as well as the full-term replacement for the County Board seat Brandon Johnson gave up to become Chicago mayor.

Candidates have until next Monday to file the required number of petition signatures for various open county offices. The end of the weeklong filing session typically sets off weeks of challenges to the validity of signatures before finalizing names that will appear on the March 19 primary ballot.

In addition to state’s attorney, candidates filed to run for Cook County Circuit Court clerk, seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District board and for political party precinct committee posts.

Two Democratic candidates filed to run for to be clerk of the Cook County circuit courts, the office that manages filings for the nation’s second-largest unified court system and has historically been a patronage den known for its inefficiency.

Incumbent Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez filed to run for a second term overseeing the office that has roughly 1,400 employees and a budget of more than $130 million. Mariyana Spyropoulos, a commissioner on the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board, filed to run against Martinez.

A former state senator, Martinez succeeded former Clerk Dorothy Brown in 2020 after Martinez emerged from a primary field of four challengers. In the Democratic primary, Martinez defeated the Cook County Democratic Party’s pick, Michael Cabonargi, and two others to eventually become the first Latina to hold the office.

Martinez promised to improve the disorganization that plagued the office, botched tech rollouts, and reform hiring practices that resulted in federal court oversight to prevent patronage hiring and promotions.

Roughly a year ago, Martinez declared victory on the latter goal when the office was freed from so-called Shakman oversight, which included court monitoring to ensure politics was not taken into consideration for personnel decisions. A U.S. appeals court ruling months before releasing the governor’s office from oversight lowered the bar for Shakman compliance, smoothing the way for Martinez’s office to be freed from monitoring.

Martinez also championed a state law protecting the identities of sex crime victims and launched a new customer service call center to help litigants navigate the court system.

But challengers said ethics problems and inefficiencies within the office persist and county Democratic Party leaders earlier this summer backed Spyropoulos to take on Martinez in the primary. Martinez has touted her reputation as an independent unafraid to buck the Democratic establishment, but she still sought the party’s endorsement. That independent streak also drew criticism from some in the party who questioned her support for conservative candidates in recent election cycles.

“A lot of people are not happy” with the way the office is run, Spyropoulos said this summer, citing judges who “don’t have their records there on time when they’re supposed to. That can result in some people staying in jail longer than they should,” and the need for Martinez’s office to fall under the oversight of an independent inspector general.

Spyropoulos is a former assistant state’s attorney who has been on the water reclamation board since 2010. She launched, then abandoned, a Democratic bid for state’s attorney during the 2020 election cycle. No Republicans filed yet to run for the clerk of the circuit court position.

Also filing to run Monday: Clayton Harris III, the Democratic Party’s pick to succeed Foxx as state’s attorney.

“I’ve entered this race because we need someone with the values and leadership experience necessary to move the prosecutor’s office forward on day 1,” he said in a news release Monday. “I’m ready to make sure we’re holding people accountable to ensure residents can feel safe on their blocks — and that we’re going to keep pushing forward on the urgent work of criminal justice reform in Cook County.”

The other declared Democratic challenger, Eileen O’Neill Burke, is not planning to file until the end of the petition window next week, on Dec. 4, a spokeswoman said.

No Republicans have filed yet for the spot, though attorney and former alderman Bob Fioretti declared his candidacy earlier this month.

Two candidates filed to run in the special election to replace Johnson for a full term representing the Cook County Board’s 1st District, which includes the West Side and some west suburbs.

That includes incumbent Commissioner Tara Stamps, who was appointed by party leaders this summer to fill Johnson’s seat after his inauguration as Chicago mayor. A leader in the Chicago Teachers Union, Stamps described herself as a mentor to Johnson who intended to take up his progressive legacy on the board.

Also filing in the race to fill Johnson’s vacancy: Zerlina Smith-Members, who also sought the appointment earlier this summer with a tough on crime message. Smith-Members has previously run unsuccessfully for 29th Ward alderman and Cook County Board president.

aquig@chicagotribune.com