Commissioner Myron Bursheim selected as board chair for 2020

Commissioner Myron Bursheim will be the board chair of the Cook County Commissioners for 2020.

The decision to appoint Bursheim as the board chair came during the organizational meeting of the commissioners Jan. 7.  The commissioners nominate and ultimately vote amongst themselves annually for who will serve as chair and vice chair.

Serving as vice chair for 2020 is Commissioner Dave Mills.

Prior to selecting the chair and vice chair for the new year, the commissioners opted to choose the positions by ballot this year rather than follow the longstanding tradition of voting for these roles through a vocal count or common gesture such as lifting one’s hand to show support for a nominee. This process to vote by ballot rather than a simple raising of the hands or by stating “aye” or “nay” led to confusion during the nomination process. Commissioners, for example, were not certain what to write on the sticky-note ballots regarding who should be chair for 2020. It was not clear if commissioners were supposed to write a nominee’s name or aye or nay on the ballot. After sorting out the process, Bursheim was selected on a 4-1 count. It was not disclosed who voted against Bursheim serving as chair for 2020.

After the vote for the chair position, Mills was then selected as vice chair on a 5-0 count.

Commissioner Ginny Storlie served as the board chair for 2019, with Bursheim serving as vice chair.  Storlie told WTIP in December that she did not want to be board chair again this year.