Commissioner George Cardenas

George Cardenas is currently in his first term as Cook County Board of Review Commissioner of the First District, which consists of the southwest side of Chicago, parts of the northwest side of Chicago, the western suburbs, and the northwest suburbs. Before he was Commissioner, he served 20 years as a Chicago alderman, where he was the Deputy Floor Leader of City Council, Chair of the Environmental Protection and Energy Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Commissioner Cardenas is also an appointed member of the Cook County Environmental Commission.

As a young child, Cardenas and his family came to Chicago in search of the American Dream after emigrating from Durango, Mexico. After graduating from Lane Technical High School in 1984, Cardenas joined the United States Navy to help pay for his education. After earning an honorable discharge, George successfully earned an undergraduate degree in accounting and a master’s degree in Political Science from Northeastern Illinois University. Before joining government, Cardenas accumulated over a decade of experience working for Fortune 500 companies. This background gives him valuable insight into the needs of the community and a desire to be a voice for positive change for the area.

Commissioner George Cardenas, who was raised in the Chicago neighborhood of Little Village, currently resides in McKinley Park with his family.