| John Fritchey | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 11th district |
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| In office 1996–2010 |
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| Preceded by | Rod Blagojevich |
| Succeeded by | Ann Williams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1964 Bossier City, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John Alden Fritchey, IV (born March 2, 1964) is an American attorney and politician. He is a Democratic member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, representing the 12th District since 2010.
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John Fritchey was born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. His father John Alden Fritchey, III was a native of Olney, Illinois and a Vietnam veteran. His mother emigrated from Morocco. After living in Olney, home to three generations of his father's family, and later in Belleville, Illinois, John and his mother moved to Chicago where he attended grammar school and high school at the The Latin School of Chicago.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1986 from the University of Michigan. Fritchey returned home to earn his law degree from Northwestern University in 1989.
After graduating from law school, Fritchey worked as an Illinois Assistant Attorney General from 1989 to 1991.[1][2]
In 1996, four years after marrying Karen Banks, the niece of 36th ward Chicago Alderman and ward committeeman William Banks, Fritchey was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives at age 32.[3]
Fritchey was Chairman of the Consumer Protection Committee from 1999 to 2002. His efforts to rein in escalating ATM fees received national attention.[4][5] In order to combat identity theft, Fritchey drafted and passed a law preventing retailers from printing full credit card numbers on receipts. Fritchey sponsored legislation to protect computer users from spyware.[6]
Fritchey controls two state-registered political action committees, Friends of John Fritchey[7] and Chicago PAC,[8] and the federally-registered Fritchey for Us.[9]
Fritchey is the Democratic Party committeeman from the 32nd Ward of Chicago, an unpaid party position within the Cook County Democratic Organization.[10]
In the summer of 2003, long-time 32nd Ward committeeman and former 32nd Ward alderman Theris "Terri" Gabinski announced he was stepping down from the committeeman post. On the day of the filing deadline, December 15, 2003, Fritchey filed to run, but later withdrew, and Gabinski ran unopposed.[11] Four years later, in 2007, Gabinski again announced his retirement from committeeman. On July 27, 2007 Fritchey again announced his candidacy.[12] Fritchey challenged the nominating petitions of his only challenger, Roger Romanelli,[13] and Fritchey ran unopposed on February 5, 2008.
Fritchey was one of many candidates who ran for former US Representative Rahm Emanuel's seat in Illinois's 5th congressional district special election, 2009.[14][15] In the primary election on March 3, 2009.[16] Fritchey finished second to Mike Quigley in the 12-way race for the Democratic Party nomination.[17]
Fritchey declined to run for re-election to the Illinois House in 2010, instead running for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, formerly held by Forrest Claypool. Fritchey was endorsed by both Claypool as well as Congressman Mike Quigley.[18] According to the Chicago Board of Elections, Fritchey won the election with 75 percent of the vote.[19]
In addition to being a part-time state legislator, Fritchey is an attorney in private practice.[20] with a specialty in the area of zoning. Fritchey does zoning work before the Chicago City Council's Committee on Zoning.[3] Fritchey is a lobbyist registered with the City of Chicago.[21]
In 2002 Fritchey represented hip hop record producer Rudy Acosta,[22] president of Legion Records, in a zoning change to permit the construction of "a 44-foot-high, approximately 7,000-square-foot structure festooned with turrets and battlements" in the residential neighborhood of Independence Park on Chicago's northwest side. The City of Chicago's Department of Zoning advised against the zoning change.[23] Neighbors complained[24] they never were told of the proposed zoning change despite a requirement they be notified by certified mail.[25] Fritchey said the residents may not have read the notices: "...if they don't like the zoning change they shouldn't blame me because they didn't pay attention to the notice."[26] Fritchey threatened the neighbors with a defamation lawsuit.[23]
Fritchey has taught as an adjunct professor in political science at Northwestern University.
John Fritchey married Karen Banks in 1992. They have a daughter. John and Karen separated in October 2009 and are arranging for a divorce.[27]
Fritchey's former father-in-law, Samuel V. P. Banks, was a criminal defense attorney with considerable influence in Chicago's 36th Ward on the Far Northwest Side[23] until his death in 2010.[28] A former Cook County prosecutor and Chicago police officer, Samuel Banks was called a powerful behind-the-scenes figure in his brother William's 36th Ward Democratic organization.[28]