54 Facts About Gery Chico

Gery J Chico is an American politician, lawyer, public official and former Democratic primary candidate to become the US Senator from Illinois.

Gery Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education in 1997.

On June 7,2011, Chico was named Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.

Gery Chico ran for Mayor of Chicago in the 2011 election, but was defeated by Rahm Emanuel.

In late 2018, Gery Chico declared a second bid for mayor in the 2019 election.

Gery Chico was born on August 24,1956, to a Mexican-American father, Jesse, and a Greek-Lithuanian mother, Jacqueline.

Gery Chico's mother worked as a secretary at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry.

Gery Chico attended a now-closed parochial school, Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Elementary School at 35th and Hermitage, where he headed the altar boys and patrol boys, and played baseball for two years.

Gery Chico later secured an externship in the city's Department of Planning during his senior year, and he worked there from 1977 to 1980.

Gery Chico earned his JD degree in 1985 and became a member of the Loyola Law Review.

Gery Chico has been married twice; his first wife was Jeryl Minow, with whom he had three daughters.

Gery Chico is currently married to Sunny Penedo Chico, who has a son and daughter from a previous marriage.

Gery Chico began working as an associate of the Chicago-based law firm Sidley Austin in 1987, and served as General Counsel to the Chicago Development Council, a real estate development association.

Gery Chico left the firm in 1991 to become the Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M Daley, but he later returned as partner in 1995 and 1996, leading the firm's practice related to state and local government.

In 2000, just four years later, at age 44, Gery Chico became chairman of Altheimer.

In 2003, while Gery Chico was chairman and simultaneously running for the US Senate, Altheimer became insolvent and dissolved.

In 1991, Chico was a Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M Daley.

Gery Chico coordinated efforts to drain freight tunnels that were flooded with water from the Chicago River.

Gery Chico was later promoted to Chief of Staff, a position he held from 1992 to 1995.

Daley asked Gery Chico to become the CEO, but Gery Chico declined because he was resuming his law career.

Gery Chico instead recommended that Daley appoint colleague Paul Vallas as CEO, and Gery Chico was named chairman of the School Reform Board of Trustees, which was renamed the "President of the Chicago Board of Education" in 1999.

In 1997 Gery Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education for his reforms in education and fiscal policies.

Gery Chico resigned as President of the Chicago Board of Education in 2001.

Gery Chico's departure was considered sudden, and came after a number of failing standardized testing scores eliminated the improvements to test scores that had been experienced in the previous two years.

In 2004, Gery Chico ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Republican US Senator Peter Fitzgerald.

Gery Chico was the first Democrat to declare his candidacy, doing so on July 30,2002, during a rally with Hispanic leaders.

Gery Chico criticized the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, but supported gay marriage, abortion rights, stem cell research, the death penalty, and universal healthcare.

Gery Chico was the only candidate who supported gay marriage out of all seven Democrats and eight Republicans.

Gery Chico supported the construction of a new soccer field in Lincoln Park despite opposition from local residents.

On September 27,2010, Gery Chico announced that he would run for mayor of Chicago in 2011.

Gery Chico was one of six candidates on the ballot.

Gery Chico was considered "the rival with the best chance of forcing him into a runoff".

Gery Chico positioned himself as a business candidate with a latino identity.

Gery Chico sought to portray himself as a candidate who understood the city better than frontrunner Rahm Emanuel.

Gery Chico touted his experience, particularly his tenure as president of the school board.

Gery Chico advertised his latino background, his identity as the son of an immigrant father, his education in the Chicago Public Schools system.

Gery Chico contrasted his South Side upbringing to Emanuel's upbringing in the suburban North Shore.

Gery Chico received significant support from the city's hispanic community, even receiving endorsements from leading members such as congressman Luis Gutierrez.

Gery Chico received most of his money from personal and corporate donations.

In regards to schools, Gery Chico wanted to negotiate with the Chicago Teachers Union for both a lengthened school day and school year.

Gery Chico touted his experience leading the school board as qualifications which made him the best fit candidate to address problems with the Chicago Public Schools.

Gery Chico pledged to hire 2,000 police officers but did not offer specifics on how he would raise the funds.

Gery Chico opposed making the school board an elected body, and he favored extending the school day and school year.

Gery Chico picked up endorsements from unions that represented, among others, police officers, firefighters, laborers, painters, operating engineers, iron workers, roofers, and sheet metal workers.

Gery Chico attacked Rahm Emanuel's proposal to lower the sales tax and increase the service tax.

Gery Chico derided Emanuel's proposed service tax increase the "Rahm tax", and discounted Emanuel's claim that this increase would be offset the by his proposed sales tax decrease.

Gery Chico sought to garner additional media attention with his "Rahm tax" attacks, but to little avail.

Gery Chico won in 10 of Chicago's 50 wards, while Emanuel won 40.

From June 2011 through January 2015, Gery Chico served as chair of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Gery Chico was nominated by Governor Pat Quinn to be chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education in June 2011.

Gery Chico's confirmation was delayed as a result of questions regarding his ties to the Save-A-Life Foundation, a failed charity that was undergoing investigation by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office.

Gery Chico ran for mayor again in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election.

Gery Chico staked much of his candidacy upon his record at Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges.

In mid-2019, Gery Chico became the board chairman of Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago, a nonprofit seeking to boost underserved neighborhoods through grants, loans, and by providing support to community organizations.