New Cook County Commissioner Wants To Bring Resources Her District

Dr. Kisha E. McCaskill is the 5th District Cook County Commissioner. Photo provided by Cook County Commissioner Kisha E. McCaskill.
Dr. Kisha E. McCaskill is the 5th District Cook County Commissioner. Photo provided by Cook County Commissioner Kisha E. McCaskill.

New Cook County Commissioner Wants To Bring Resources Her District

By Tia Carol Jones

Dr. Kisha E. McCaskill was appointed 5th District Cook County Commissioner in January of this year. She filled the seat left vacant by now Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon.

McCaskill, a Harvey native, has a dual Doctorate in Public Service Administration and Organizational Leadership. A consultant by trade, she consults executive leaders on how to manage, as well as reorganizational structuring management, finance and human resources. 

McCaskill said she wanted the role as 5th District Cook County Commissioner because she wanted to continue the legacy of Deborah Sims, who she said had always been a great mentor. She said Sims made the role not only a woman’s role, but a Black woman’s role. 

“She took the role extremely seriously and she instilled a lot of those values in us as we were growing up.  Just watching her leadership, I wanted to be a part of that,” she said.

McCaskill said when Sims stepped down from the 5th District Cook County Commissioner seat, and Gordon stepped down to take on the role as Cook County Clerk, it was McCaskill’s pleasure to take on the role. She said it is very important to maintain good leadership in the Southland. For her to have the opportunity to do it in her hometown of Harvey, McCaskill said she would not have it any other way. 

McCaskill said her ability to connect with the community is going to be the catalyst for everything she does as a Cook County Commissioner. She believes in bringing everything to the neighborhood and her entire goal as she serves in the role is to bring resources to the neighborhood.  She wants to make the resources more accessible and to ensure the residents are connected to information and tangible tools they can utilize.

McCaskill has been in office for more than 40 days. She was appointed on Jan. 10th, debriefed by her predecessor on Jan. 11th and she was in council on Jan. 13. She has been going ever since, meeting with Mayors and Aldermen in the communities that she represents. The 5th District encompasses 29 communities, as well as 3 wards in Chicago. She has a goal to meet with every single one of those communities.

In the past more than 40 days, McCaskill has passed two pieces of legislation. She is committed to healthcare and passed a resolution to address the use of condoms, because sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise in the South Suburbs. She said it is necessary to address that.

There are two legacy projects that she would like to see happen. One is having a level one trauma center in the Southland, the other is bringing in diverse contractors for the Oak Forest Hospital demolition project.

McCaskill said she has already made the role her own. She likes to say she was God’s choice for the role, and it was ordained for her to have it. In this role, she believes that she is going to be the catalyst to show people good government and help people regain faith in political figures, which is very important to her.

The 5th District Cook County Commissioner Office is located at 3039 W. 159th St. in Markham. The phone number for the office is 312-603-6381. You can follow McCaskill on instagram @commissioner_mccaskill.


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