WTTW’s 2016 Voters’ Guide to the Primary is an online resource designed to inform voters about the candidates running for Cook County office in the March 15 election.
Every candidate running for a Cook County office was given two minutes to tell voters where they stand on the issues, why they feel they are best qualified and what they intend to do if elected or re-elected. The messages were recorded at the WTTW studios at no cost to the candidates. The Voters’ Guide is an online version of Candidate Free Time, pioneered by WTTW in the 1992 race for U.S. Senate. This year, we are proud to partner with the League of Women Voters of Cook County to give voters this guide to candidates for Cook County office.
About this office: State's Attorney
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office prosecutes crimes committed in Cook County, the largest consolidated court district in the U.S.; serves as legal counsel for Cook County government agencies; and serves as legal counsel for all Cook County public officials.
About this candidate:
Name: Kim Foxx
Party: Democratic
Born: April 1972
Residence: Flossmoor
Family: Married, two daughters
Occupation: Attorney
Political experience: First-time candidate
Website: kimfoxx.com
What is your vision for this office?
I will restore the public's trust in the office through a fair, transparent and holistic approach to criminal justice. I will hold the right people accountable while providing opportunity and rehabilitation to those that need it the most.
What is the most pressing issue facing Cook County, and how can you help address it?
It is clear our criminal justice system is broken and Cook County residents have lost faith in the State’s Attorney’s Office. As State’s Attorney, I will work tirelessly to rebuild trust between our justice system and the people it serves. Residents deserve a justice system they can rely on, and I can restore fairness and credibility to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
With my upbringing in Cabrini Green and 12 years of prosecutorial experience, I have a deep understanding of the impact that crime, violence and poverty has on our communities. I will draw on my life and professional experience to develop a justice system with a more comprehensive view of criminal justice.
We need to divert individuals with mental health or drug issues to effective treatment programs instead of throwing them in jail. We need to partner with neighborhood groups and social service providers to discourage crime at the community level. We need to clear up the backlog of cases and focus our efforts on prosecuting violent offenders. These are fair, common-sense policies that will help restore trust between the State’s Attorney’s Office and communities.
CANDIDATE STATEMENT
Hi, my name is Kim Foxx, and I’m a candidate for Cook County State’s Attorney in the March 15, 2016 Democratic primary election.
I am running for State’s Attorney because our criminal justice system is broken–and incumbent State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez is part of the problem.
I am a veteran prosecutor with a record of getting things done, and I am the only candidate in this race with the unique life experiences needed to make Cook County’s broken criminal justice system fair for everyone, while doing the hard work to make our communities safer.
I grew up in the Cabrini Green housing projects. I struggled with homelessness and was the victim of sexual assault as a young woman.
I was determined to become a lawyer to help kids like me, whose communities were so often victimized by the broken system.
So I went to law school and I became a public guardian, helping kids navigate the justice system, and then became an Assistant State’s Attorney.
As a frontline prosecutor and supervisor for 12 years, I managed a prosecution docket of more than 5,000 criminal cases, including hundreds of felony cases.
But I was troubled by the failings of the system, as I watched countless young people returning to the courtrooms and the jail again and again, and watched so many individuals who needed mental health or drug treatment being locked away at great expense to the taxpayers. Meanwhile our streets are becoming more dangerous because our State’s Attorney has not focused on the violent criminal.
So I left the State’s Attorney’s office and went to work as Chief of Staff to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. There, I spearheaded the President’s criminal justice reform agenda.
Now, I’m running for Cook County State’s Attorney because it will take new leadership with roots in the communities most impacted by the criminal justice system to implement the holistic approach needed to transform the system once and for all.
I hope I can count on your support on March 15, 2016. For more information about me and to learn how to get involved in my campaign, please visit KimFoxx.com.
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Return to our 2016 Voters’ Guide to the Primary
