Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is joining the 2027 race for mayor of Chicago, but she doesn’t want to talk about it until after she is safely reelected next year to an eighth term in the job she has held since 1998.
Pappas, 76, a baton-twirling grandmother known for her flamboyant wardrobe and sharp wit, has flirted with running for mayor for decades but has yet to pull the trigger on a mayoral campaign.
This time, Pappas says she’s in it for real, whether or not embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson seeks reelection, and no matter how crowded the field of challengers becomes.
“I’m in this treasurer’s race, and I’ve got to finish it up. But I said six months ago … that at the appropriate time, I’m going to announce. I said that. Everybody knows that. I’ve been repeating this over and over. And I’m not gonna get out. Period,” Pappas told the Chicago Sun-Times Tuesday.
Asked why she is now determined to enter the race for mayor when she had only toyed with the idea before, Pappas replied, “Why not?”
She refused to discuss the budget stalemate that saw the City Council’s Finance Committee overwhelmingly reject Johnson’s $600 million tax hike plan anchored by a corporate head tax to, as he put it, “challenge the ultra-rich and corporations to pay their fair share.”
“I don’t want to go there right now. Let him do what he’s got to do. When I get in [the mayor’s office], it’ll be a tsunami,” she said.
If Pappas follows through, she could join a crowded field that may include Johnson; Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias; retiring Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza; City Clerk Anna Valencia; City Council dean Anthony Beale (9th); former mayoral challenger Paul Vallas; and Ald. Bill Conway (34th), a former Cook County prosecutor who lost to Kim Foxx in 2020 in the primary race for Cook County state’s attorney.
Conway has a deep-pockets advantage. His billionaire father is co-founder of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, and almost single-handedly bankrolled his son’s losing campaign against Foxx.
Several lesser-known candidates, including attorney John Kelly, could also join the field.
“I’m not afraid of anybody or anything or how much money I raise. I’m not afraid, get it? So I’m in. When I get in, I’m in,” Pappas said.
If Pappas follows through and succeeds, she would celebrate her 80th birthday as mayor of Chicago. She laughed when asked whether she has the energy to tackle Chicago’s biggest challenges.
“Maybe the city needs a … grandmother,” she said.
As treasurer, Pappas sends out property tax bills, collects property tax payments and distributes those property tax revenues to more than 2,000 governmental bodies.
The treasurer’s administrative functions also include collecting and safeguarding court-ordered deposits; conducting a tax sale for tax-delinquent properties; refunding overpayments; processing court-ordered refunds; and disclosing taxing district debts.
This week, she released a study that showed residential property tax bills are rising fastest in Black neighborhoods on the South and West sides as the county’s tax burden shifts away from the economically depressed Loop. The study reinforced the findings of a Chicago Sun-Times investigative story in March reporting that the property tax burden had shifted from the central business district to neighborhoods.
“When the Loop gets a cold, the rest of the city gets pneumonia,” Pappas said in a news release that accompanied her report.
In addition to securing her reelection as treasurer, Pappas’ reluctance to discuss the 2027 race for mayor is related to the weekly radio program she does on WVON-AM (1690) called “Black Homes Matter.” She said she doesn’t want to jeopardize that program on a station where Johnson is a frequent guest.
“I’ve given back $400 million to African Americans, and I have ‘Latino Houses Matter’ running, and I don’t want to interfere with my radio program,” Pappas said. “People call in. They give me their address, and I give them exemptions or refund money back. I don’t want to give up my radio program yet because I’m giving people money every week.”