African-American ministers endorse Berrios for Cook County Assessor

Chicago, IL – A coalition of African-American ministers from throughout Cook County voted on Thursday to endorse Democratic candidate for Assessor, Joseph Berrios.

“Joe Berrios represents everything we need in our next Assessor,” said Bishop Claude Porter. “He will correctly assess properties, and work with the minority communities to make sure we are treated fairly, and more importantly, equally.”

Porter, chairman of the Proviso Ministers Alliance Network, led Thursday’s vote among the ministers during a meeting at Roditys restaurant in Greektown.

Berrios, who won the Democratic primary in February, said he was proud and honored to be endorsed by the group.

“This is a key endorsement for me because it represents a large community in Cook County,” Berrios said. “They’re showing the faith that I won’t forget their communities. Throughout this campaign I have met with their constituents to hear their concerns about property taxes, and that’s something I will continue to do once I’m elected.”

Robert Shaw, who ran against Berrios in the February primary, also attended. He encouraged the ministers to talk to their constituents and urge them to vote on November 2nd.

“I went up against Joe Berrios in the primary, but that was an in-house Democratic fight. Now, we’ve come together and I’m with him, and I plan to work day in, day out to get him elected. He’s going to win.”

If elected, Berrios, currently a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review, would be the first minority Assessor. He was the first Hispanic state legislator when he became a member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1982, where he served three terms. He is also the first Hispanic to serve as chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Berrios noted that he has been campaigning throughout Cook County – not just on the north side.

“This race isn’t all about the north side,” Berrios said. “This is about Cook County as a whole.”

Among the ministers attending Thursday’s event: Bishop Claude Porter; Pastor Leonard Deville; Leonard McCoy, Andrew Tucker; Kublai Toure; Craig McLendon; Rev. T. Jackson; Rev. David Colewax; Rev. Ronald Mitchell; Rev. John Harrell; Samuel L. Evans; Mario Miller; Don Patterson; William McCoy; Willie Lowe; James Sims; and David Woods..

For more information about the Berrios campaign, visit www.electjoeberrios.com.