Bridget Gainer

Early life and education

Gainer was born and raised in the Beverly neighborhood on Chicago's south side. In 1990, she graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and political science. She later earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.

Career

Afterwards, she moved to New York City to work as a community organizer with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. While in college, she worked as a cocktail waitress at Butch McGuire's on Division Street.

She moved back to Chicago in 1994 to continue her work as community organizer to work with local community members to keep schools open later in the day for after-school programming. Gainer worked for then-Mayor Richard M. Daley as a budget analyst in Chicago's City Hall. She then went on to work for the Park District as the director of the Lakefront Parks.

Gainer later went on to join Aon in a financial role.

Politics

Gainer was initially appointed to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in April 2009 to replace former commissioner Mike Quigley, who won the special election to fill former Congressman Rahm Emanuel's seat when Emanuel left Congress to become White House Chief of Staff to President Obama. She beat out other contenders, including openly gay lawyer Jay Paul Deratany, now Alderman Michele Smith, Quigley's former Chief of Staff Kim Walz, Jim Madigan, former city attorney Sara Ellis, Democratic National Committee affiliated lawyer Robert Block, and electrician Michael Hickey.

As commissioner she ensured the CCLBA works independently from the Cook County Board earning revenue from the property sales and reinvesting into the budget to provide an infrastructure to provide additional resources for first-time home buyers and small neighborhood developers. Since the program began, 400 homes have been purchased and rehabbed.[3]

In 2015, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Gainer founded a Chicago chapter of Off the Sidelines, a civic impact organization for women which gained over 3,000 members.[7]

In 2017, Off the Sidelines Chicago was renamed Cause the Effect Chicago.[9]

Personal life

Gainer has three children.[1]

References

References

1. [https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/Felsenthal-Files/May-2017/Bridget-Gainer/ Is Bridget Gainer a Mayoral Contender?]
2. "Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer won't run against Emanuel for mayor".
3. (6 February 2018). "She-nannigans to host event for local women running for office Feb. 8".
4. "Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer won't run against Emanuel for mayor".
5. tlemke. (2017-09-21). "Bridget Gainer".
6. (15 April 2009). "Gainer selected to replace Quigley".