Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle secured a fourth term in office, defeating Republican challenger Bob Fioretti.

A day after securing her seat, Preckwinkle said in an interview with “Chicago Tonight” there are multiple goals she hopes to focus on during her next term.

“One is increasing our investments in behavioral health,” Preckwinkle said. 

“We’re going to create a department of behavioral health services and we’re going to have an asset inventory and figure out where we need to make investments,” she added. 

Preckwinkle also highlighted Cook County’s guaranteed income program, which is the largest publicly funded program of its kind. 

“Two years, $500 a month for 3,250 families in Cook County and the lottery will be coming up shortly. We’ve had more than 200,000 people apply, so there is a great need out there,” Preckwinkle said.  

“I’m hopeful that we are part of a national movement that will encourage the federal government, in my lifetime, to do a guaranteed income … nationally not just here in Illinois” she added.    

Preckwinkle’s win makes her one of the longest tenured office holders in the state. She ran for Chicago mayor in 2019 but lost in a runoff election to Lori Lightfoot. 

But she has no intentions of running for mayor again, 

“It was a miserable experience and they chewed up my children. I didn’t want to do it again,” she said. 

Preckwinkle had originally said she had no intention of seeking a fourth term as Cook County Board President. When asked if she has thoughts about seeking a fifth term, she responded, “I just got elected, ask me again in four years.”