Former Chicago Ald. Bob Fioretti is considering challenging Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
Fioretti told NBC 5 on Monday that he planned to make a final decision in the next 10 days. He acknowledged supporters are already circulating petitions for his potential campaign, as the signatures are due Dec. 4.
After the redistricting map pushed him outside the boundaries of the 2nd Ward that he had represented since 2007, Fioretti in 2015 decided instead to run for Chicago mayor.
He eventually dropped out and later endorsed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's re-election bid ahead of the runoff vote against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
Later that year, Fioretti launched an unsuccessful campaign for state Senate, looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Sen. Patricia Van Pelt in the 5th District encompassing parts of Chicago's North and West Sides.
Fioretti's potential run for Cook County Board President comes less than two weeks after commissioners voted in favor of repealing the controversial sweetened beverage tax spearheaded by Preckwinkle.
The tax - enacted to balance the county budget and, according to Preckwinkle, stave off massive social service cuts - fueled public outcry from shoppers and business owners across the county.
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While Preckwinkle was once so popular that she seemed to be a likely contender to unseat Emanuel, the tax has taken a toll on her approval ratings and made her more vulnerable to challengers like Fioretti.
