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Jeff Tobolski

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American politician (1964–2025)

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Jeff Tobolski
Jeff Tobolski.jpeg
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
from the 16th district
In office
December 2010 – March 31, 2020
Preceded byTony Peraica
Succeeded byFrank Aguilar
Mayor of McCook, Illinois
In office
2007 – 2020
(acting 2007–2009)
Succeeded byTerry Carr (acting)[1]
Personal details
Born(1964-09-14)September 14, 1964
McCook, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 2025(2025-11-09) (aged 61)
PartyDemocratic
SpouseCathleen Patterson
Children1
EducationKnox College (BA)

Jeff Tobolski (September 14, 1964 – November 9, 2025) was an American politician who was a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, representing the 16th district[2] of the City of Chicago.[3] and also served as mayor of McCook, Illinois from 2007 to 2020.[4]

Early life

Tobolski was born and raised in McCook, Illinois, where he lived with his wife and daughter. He graduated from both St. Hugh School in Lyons, Illinois and St. Joseph High School in Westchester. He played basketball for head coach Gene Pingatore during his time at St. Joseph. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Knox College.[2] Jeff served as a Trustee for the McCook Park District and then as president. He then served as a Village of McCook Trustee for six years, and was appointed interim Mayor of McCook in 2007.[5] In 2009, he was elected Mayor of McCook to a full four-year term.[6] Prior to becoming Mayor, he worked as a claim's adjuster for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company for fifteen years as a claim's adjuster, including five years investigating insurance fraud in the Special Investigations Unit and as a Field Claims Adjuster for Standard Mutual Insurance Company.[5]

Cook County Commissioner

In the Democratic primary, he was endorsed by the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune over Bill Russ, the Village President of Brookfield and Northlake Alderman Eddy Garcia.[7][8] He won the Democratic nomination with 55% of the vote to his opponents 23% and 22% respectively.[9]

During the election, he was endorsed by Chicago Federation of Labor, Service Employees International Union, Local 73, Chicago Firefighters Union, Local 2, LIUNA, Local 225, the Italian American Political Coalition and the Hispanic Illinois State Law Enforcement Association (HISLEA). Additionally, he received endorsements from numerous other officials in the district including U.S. Representative Dan Lipinski State Senators Don Harmon, Tony Munoz, and Martin Sandoval, State Representatives Elizabeth Hernandez, Karen Yarbrough, and Michael Zalewski, President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Terrence J. O'Brien and twelve local mayors. On Election Day, he defeated incumbent Tony Peraica with 50% of the vote to Peraica's 43%.[10]

As a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners he served as the Chair Homeland Security & Emergency Management Committee and Vice Chair of the Veterans Committee. His other committee assignments were Capital Improvements, Finance - Litigation, Finance - Pension, Finance - Tax Delinquency, Finance - Workers' Compensation, Law Enforcement and Workforce, Job Development & Training Development. Like all commissioners, he was a member of the board for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County which is responsible for the management of 68,000 acres of forest preserves and is the chairman of that board's Zoological Committee.[11]

On March 6, 2020, Tobolski turned in his resignation from his Cook County Commissioner role, effective at the end of the month, amid a federal probe. Local Democratic Committeepersons appointed Frank Aguilar, a former Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from Cicero to succeed Tobolski.[12]

Convictions

In 2020, Tobolski pled guilty to extortion conspiracy, related to the extortion of a local restaurant owner and filing a false tax return, but also agreed to cooperate with the government and would not be sentenced.[13][4]

In August 2025, Tobolski was convicted of bribery and extortion and sentenced to four years in prison, with his jail time at this point in time set to begin in January 2026, due to his health issues.[14] However, he would die before he could serve this prison sentence.[4]

Death

Tobloski died following a short illness on November 9, 2025, at the age of 61.[15]

References

  1. ^ Brown, Mark (April 1, 2020). "McMeet the new boss: Will new McCook mayor kill the goose that lays the golden eggers?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Jeffrey R. Tobolski • Cook County Commissioner • 16th District". Friends of Jeffrey R. Tobolski. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  3. ^ "Cook County Commissioner District 16 Municipalities" (PDF). Office of the Cook County Clerk. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Quig, A.D.; Meisner, Jason (November 9, 2025). "Jeffrey Tobolski, ex-McCook mayor convicted in corruption case, dies months before prison term was to begin". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Meet Jeff". Friends of Jeff R. Tobolski. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  6. ^ "Cook County Consolidated Election Results for Tuesday, April 07, 2009: Summary Report - Official Results" (PDF). Office of the Cook County Clerk. April 9, 2009. p. 18. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  7. ^ "Endorsements". Friends of Friends of Jeff Tobolski. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  8. ^ "Archer Heights, Chicago Map". Google Maps. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  9. ^ "Democratic Cook County Board Election Suburban Results for Tuesday, February 2, 2010". Office of the Cook County Clerk. February 2, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  10. ^ Commissioner, Cook County Board, 16th District Township & Precinct Results Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine Cook County Clerk's Office. Accessed November 16, 2010
  11. ^ "Jeffrey R. Tobolski". Cook County Government. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  12. ^ Hinton, Rachel (April 16, 2020). "Mystery shrouds closed-door vote on Tobolski successor". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  13. ^ Struett, David (November 26, 2024). "Feds don't oppose overturning conviction of businessman who paid off late state Sen. Martin Sandoval". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  14. ^ "Federal judge gives ex-McCook mayor 4 years". August 11, 2025.
  15. ^ Convicted ex-Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski dies at 61
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