About the Candidate

Name: Maggie Trevor 
DOB: 1963
Occupation: Principal/Owner, Trevor Research Services, LLC
Political Experience: I have served on the city of Rolling Meadows’ Environmental Committee since 2015, on the Traffic Committee since 2017.  I have also been a candidate for state representative in 2018 and 2020.
Website: https://maggietrevor4cook.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/maggietrevor4cook

Candidate Statement

I’m Maggie Trevor, and I’m running for Cook County Commissioner from the 9th District.

I have deep roots in this community. I was born and raised in Rolling Meadows. I was educated in the area’s public schools and attended the University of Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s and Ph.D. in political science.

I spent the next 30 years pursuing a career as an academic and a business researcher that took me all over the country and gave me deep experience in education, government and the workings of the health care marketplace. I returned to Rolling Meadows in 2015 to start my own research firm.

Once back home, I volunteered for the city’s Environmental Committee and served as the bicycle and pedestrian liaison to the city’s Traffic Committee, providing the perspectives of cyclists and pedestrians on road projects and traffic issues.

By the very nature of the work that I do, I’ve learned to craft compromise with people who represent a range of interests through honest communication and respectful persuasion. These skills are essential to the work of responsible lawmakers who know their job is to put the needs of their constituents ahead of divisive, partisan politics.

I am running to be your county commissioner because I know we can do better for the 9th District and for Cook County. We need better access to affordable health care, including primary care, reproductive health care and mental health services. We need to make our communities safer by addressing gun violence, working to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them and keeping military style weapons out of our communities. We need to make sure that county transportation projects adequately address pedestrian and bicycle safety. We need to protect our environment and the forest preserves that are so important to the quality of life here. We must pursue fiscal responsibility and fair taxation, work for better coordination of critical services across the county while continuing to meet our obligations and ensure that our communities are safer and healthier places to live. Thank you.

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

Amid the health threat posed by COVID-19 and its economic fallout, the residents of the 9th district deserve productive, responsible Cook County government. Guided by compassion, empathy and hard facts, I will fight to safeguard the well-being and safety of our families, access to health care, including primary, reproductive and mental health services, good stewardship of our environment and equitable taxes and efficient use of our tax dollars.

What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?

Cook County government has made significant progress in recent years in modernizing some of it's services, such as the functions of the clerk's office and assessor's office, but there is room for improvement in all services.  Also, the quality of certain health services, such as emergency care at Stroger Hospital, is world class, but the county's health services have suffered from some administrative shortcomings that have limited it's ability to be fully compensated for care from Medicaid and Medicare, and has limited it's ability to effectively provide primary and mental health care in neighborhoods where it is needed.

What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?

The Ninth District stretches over a very large distance within the county, encompassing many different types of communities. There is no single pressing problem that cuts across those communities. In some parts of the district, transportation and roads dominate my discussions with voters; in others, worries about crime are more often mentioned. 

The aftermath of the pandemic and cost of health care are common concerns in all parts of the Ninth District. My highest priority as Commissioner will be to improve Cook County’s health system through more efficient administration and reimbursement for services, and through improving access to primary, reproductive and mental health care.

What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?

The Ninth district encompasses a broad swath of the northwest and near west suburbs, as well as parts of the northwest side of Chicago.  Constituents cannot reasonably be expected to make the trek to a single district office, regardless of it's location.  I plan to open an office near the geographic center of the office, but also intend to hold regularly scheduled mobile office hours in communities across the district, as well as both in person an online town halls, and have a regular presence at community events such as farmers' markets to make sure that constituents have plenty of opportunities to contact me in person.