Former Cook County Board member is running for Cook County President
Richard Boykin served as a Commissioner on the Cook County Board from 2014-2018. He is now running for Cook County Board President. Photo provided by Richard Boykin.
Richard Boykin is running for Cook County Board President. Boykin, a former Cook County Board Commissioner from 2014 to 2018, also ran for Clerk of Circuit Court of Cook County in 2020.
Boykin, who grew up in Englewood, lives in Oak Park. He believes people should be safe. He said he never feared being shot going to school. He went to CVS High school and said he never feared for his safety.
He believes that things have gotten progressively worst and curbing gun violence can save millions of dollars. Boykin wants to get the Cook County Sheriff’s Office to work with the Chicago Police Department. His reasoning is that Chicago residents pay taxes to the City of Chicago and Cook County.
“At the end of the day, you want them to get the services. Everybody ought to feel safe in their neighborhoods. Right now, they don’t and that is a big problem,” he said. Boykin has vowed that as Cook County Board President he would ensure that people are safe in their neighborhoods.
Boykin also wants to ensure that people are healthy, and have a healthy mind, body and soul. He believes that something should be done about the food deserts in communities, so children can have access to healthy food.
Boykin acknowledged that there is a wealth gap. He wants to have equity in contracts and pointed to a statistic of less than 1% of the Cook County Hospital contracts go to African American firms. Boykin believes equity in contracts can go a long way toward stabilizing communities, when it comes to creating jobs and hiring people in underresourced communities.
“We’ve got some catching up to do, but government can help do that, if you’ve got the right person, the right kind of leadership that says we’re going to prioritize this. We’re going to use the largess of county government to help lift the boats of those who have been left behind. We’re going to prioritize communities that have the highest levels of poverty, unemployment, gun violence,” he said.
Boykin believes his plan to use the County Land Bank to give free houses to police officers, firefighters, teachers, paramedics, and first responders who live in endangered communities would stabilize those communities.
Boykin believes there has been a stigma in the Black community around mental illness. He doesn’t think the State of Illinois funded mental health services the way it should have. He believes Cook County should figure out how to destigmatize mental illness and fund services for those in need.
Boykin wants to have outreach workers go out to communities that experience trauma as a result of gun violence, to give them
Boykin wants to call for a Public Safety Summit within 90 days of taking office as Cook County President, with the goal to figure out how to end crime. “I know what Cook County can be and it’s not there. But, I believe brighter days are before us,” he said.
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