Bridget Gainer on her feats, future—and those mayoral rumors
Since April 2009, when she was appointed as Mike Quigley's successor as Cook County commissioner, Bridget Gainer has successfully tackled a variety of issues, ranging from the budget to STD/HIV testing. She recently talked with Windy City Times about her opponent, marriage equality and rumors that she is running for mayor of Chicago.
Windy City Times: How much do you know about your opponent [ Wes Fowler ] ?
Bridget Gainer: I know that he works at [ a large law firm ] . I haven't met him—and I'm surprised I haven't come across him at some community function. He seems sincere.
WCT: Something he mentioned to me was that you're thinking about dipping your toe in the mayoral race.
Bridget Gainer: I did think about it. I don't know anyone who hears Mayor Daley doesn't think, "Holy cow." That's the opportunity of a lifetime, but I don't plan on running. My name was mentioned, and there was a lot of conversation.
WCT: One site had that you were circulating petitions.
Bridget Gainer: There was a lot of conversation about women running, and there's an article [ on the Huffington Post by Rebecca Sive ] about how a woman can win the mayoral race. There were all of these stories and photos showing men and their potential, so there was a lot of activity around that type of thing.
Part of it is timing ( having the time to pull things together ) . The fundraising is really onerous; you need a base already. You have many [ capable ] women who could run but, outside of [ Attorney General ] Lisa Madigan, who have gotten to a larger position. But I certainly thought about it.
I also think the surprise element concentrated so much of the conversation into a short period of time. It's not like people knew for a year that the mayor was leaving.
WCT: You became commissioner in April 2009, right?
Bridget Gainer: Yes. Mike Quigley went to Congress to replace Rahm Emanuel, so it's come full circle. There was a pretty extensive recruitment and appointment process [ to replace Quigley ] .
WCT: So how has it been being commissioner?
Bridget Gainer: I've loved it. So I spent the first seven years of my [ professional ] life in the nonprofit sector. I went to work for the City of Chicago in the budget department, and then at the Park District. I've also worked in insurance.
For the county [ seat ] , my experience is a perfect fit. The main issue for the county right now is financial stability; I have enormous depth and understanding in not just budgeting, but also capital structure, bond deals, credit ratings and pension/employee benefits.
Our issues are financial, but the bulk of what we do—outside of the tax and administrative functions—are the safety-net functions. So it's the jail; most of the people who are detained at the jail waiting trial ... come with the a lot of the other issues you see in the human-services context.
My task, when I got this job, was to really say, "OK. How do we make a commitment to stability but also provide services that are efficient, compassionate, fair—all of those things."
I had never been involved with jails before, and I'm not an attorney. Public safety is half of the budget of the county; it's $1.6 billion that goes to the courts. On one of my first days, I run into [ AIDS Foundation of Chicago's ] John Peller and David Munar, and they wanted to talk with me. Their concern was that there was no HIV testing at the jail because many do not have access to healthcare. The women got tested because they had to take blood tests for pregnancy.
David's point was that once people know their status, 70 percent will change their behavior. There are 100,000 people who get HIV every year. They thought that having access to [ inmates ] could make a big dent in stalling the spread of the disease in this part of state. So it took us about 10 months, but we ended up starting HIV testing at the jail.
We're also working with the women's population to connect them more with what's going on with their children in public schools. With no communication, most of the women have no ability to see their children. Also, 85 percent of the women in jail are nonviolent offenders, most of whom are in for drug use, prostitution or retail theft. There are women with 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 arrests for prostitution in their lifetimes, and the average stay is 100 days because they can't post bond.
Somtimes, looking at all of these issues is totally overwhelming. On the other hand, you divide things into what's solvable and what's not solvable. You can't give 100 percent healthcare to the [ thousands of ] people who come into jail, but you can [ provide ] HIV testing and you can refer them to the core center of community providers.
This year, we're going to write [ more than ] $70 million in legal settlements. There are risk-management issues involved. I have 10 years of finance and insurance [ experience ] , and I'm bringing that here. There's a lot going on, but I feel very confident that we're making some good progress.
Also, I voted for the sales-tax repeal. Part of the responsibility of voting for that is finding a way to pay for that. It's puts the pressure on us to make the difficult decisions.
I feel that there's a tremendous opportunity to consolidate city and county services. There are nine city health clinics, and there are 16 county health clinics—and some are in the same building, while others are down the street from each other. With the combined staffing, you could even keep the [ places ] open longer. It's easy to say you're going to cut back on things; it's harder to do it.
WCT: Of course, you've had a chance to witness the Cook County board president in action. How would you grade his performance?
Bridget Gainer: I'll say this: I think there's an enormous opportunity with the next president and I'm looking forward very much to working with that person.
WCT: Your opponent says that you're part of the Daley machine. How do you respond to that?
Bridget Gainer: I'm fascinated by this issue. I grew up on the southwest side [ of Chicago ] ; when I was first appointed, it was like, "You're just going to roll over for the mayor." I was like, "Just because you grow up in a neighborhood that has political people in it..." However, I do work for city hall.
It's harder to answer that charge, if it's even a charge. So far, I've had a year and a half in this office. We're doing an enormous amount [ of work ] .
WCT: When you answered your questionnaire back in January for us, you were asked if you would "install a written policy in your office regarding sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination." You said, "I would be happy to install a policy." Has one been installed?
Bridget Gainer: You know, there are only three of us, although one is a member of the LGBT community. I would love to see an example of [ such a policy ] . I keep thinking, "What could I do before anything happened?"
The county does provide sensitivity training for a wide variety of [ issues ] . If there was a place or someone to bring in, I'd be happy to run it and invite other commissioners' staff to attend, absolutely.
WCT: And where do you stand on same-sex marriage?
Bridget Gainer: Oh, I'm totally supportive of marriage equality. I've often said, as a married woman myself, that if they want to protect marriage they should mandate equal housework, and I would personally love to take that vote to Springfield. [ Laughs ] No, I'm completely in support. [ State Rep. ] Greg Harris and I have done lots of strategy sessions, and I've reached out to different people.
See www.bridgetgainer.com .
