Oak Park Trustee Adam Salzman was named chief of staff last month for recently elected Cook County Commissioner Richard Boykin (D-1st).
The appointment is a step up for Salzman, who campaigned for Boykin in the 2014 election and was named Boykin’s policy director when the commissioner was sworn in on Dec. 1.
Salzman takes the place of Cory Foster, a former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Pat Quinn, who left the chief of staff spot for a position in the private sector.
“One of the reasons it’s a pleasure to work with [Boykin] is he is a substantive leader with a clear list of policy objectives he wants to accomplish,” Salzman said in a telephone interview. “I’ve been working with him on that since he was sworn in on Dec. 1. My job has been to help craft and shepherd those along at the bounty board level.”
Salzman said mental health has been at the top of the list in terms of policy priorities, followed by criminal justice reform and addressing the issue of gun violence, particularly on Chicago’s West Side.
He noted that the Austin neighborhood, in particular, leads the city in homicides this year, adding, “It’s really a matter of urgency.”
He said gun violence is quickly rising to the top as the commissioner’s top priority.
Salzman said Boykin will soon introduce a proposed ordinance that aims to strengthen the county’s assault weapons ban doubling the fine for possession of assault weapons to $10,000.
“We’ve been putting in a lot of work on that,” Salzman said.
The district covers a large swath of western Chicago, including Austin and Galewood, as well as a number of western suburbs, including Oak Park, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Broadview, Westchester and Bellwood.
Salzman acknowledged that his new position is a full load in addition to his duties as a village trustee, but added that working a packed schedule is just the way he likes it.
“I always tend to operate in one mode. I don’t really know how to work any other way than to put 100 percent of myself into something,” he said. “I’m not really happy unless I’m busy.”
Boykin — a lawyer, former lobbyist and former chief of staff for Cong. Danny Davis (D-Chicago) — succeeded Earleen Collins as commissioner. Collins did not run for re-election and was criticized during the campaign as being an absentee commissioner.
Asked whether he has any plans to seek a higher office himself, Salzman said, “I’ve run for public office in Oak Park, so it’s something that I really view as an extension of my commitment to public service in general.”
Salzman said he sees his new role as “an opportunity to serve a wide swath of Cook County that has historically not gotten the highest quality from county or state government.”
