Michael M. Cabonargi (born January 29, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer who formerly served as a commissioner of the

Cook County Board of Review The Cook County Board of Review is an independent office created by statute by the Illinois General Assembly and is governed by three commissioners who are elected by district for two- or four-year terms. Cook County, which includes Chicago, is the ...

from the 2nd district from 2011 until 2022. From 2019 until 2023, he also served as a vice-chair of the

Democratic Party of Illinois The Democratic Party of Illinois is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the oldest extant state party in Illinois and one of just two recognized parties in the state, alon ...

. In 2023, he was appointed regional director of the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

. In his early career, Cabonargi worked on the staffs of Illinois

U.S. senators The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

and

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...

. He then worked as a law clerk to U.S. District Court judge

William J. Hibbler William James Hibbler (August 7, 1946 – March 19, 2012) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in Kennedy, Alabama, ...

. Thereafter, he entered the private sector, working as a lawyer concentrating in complex commercial and regulatory litigation. From 2005, until being appointed to serve on the Cook County Board of Review in 2011, Cabonargi worked as senior attorney and prosecutor at the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

. Cabonargi also held leadership roles within the

, and served as a 2020 presidential elector. In 2020, he unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic primary for clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court.

Early life and career

Cabonargi was born January 29, 1971. Cabonargi graduated from

Loyola Academy Loyola Academy is a private, co-educational college preparatory high school run by the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, and in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It is a ...

high school in 1989. In 1993, Cabonargi graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

with

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in both

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

foreign affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership or ...

. From 1993 to 1997, Cabonargi worked as a staff assistant and economic development advisor in the Chicago office of

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. In 1997, Cabonargi worked as a staff assistant in the Chicago office of U.S. senator

. In 2000, Cabonorgi received his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Illinois College of Law The University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign is the law school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public land-grant research university in Champaign and Urbana, Illinois. It was established in 1897 and offers th ...

with honors. Cabonorgi worked as a lawyer. From 2002 to 2004, he worked at the law firm of Gardner Carton and Douglas LLP, where he concentrated on complex commercial litigation. During his time at this firm, he defended the City of Chicago in both federal and state litigation deriving from the closure of

Meigs Field Merrill C. Meigs Field Airport (pronounced , formerly ) was a single-runway airport in Chicago, named for newspaper publisher and aviation enthusiast Merrill C. Meigs. It was located on Northerly Island, an artificial peninsula in Lake Michigan, ...

. From 2004 to 2005, he worked at the law firm of Bell, Boyd, and Lloyd, LLC, where he concentrated on complex commercial and regulatory litigation. While working here, he was also appointed Special Assistant

Cook County State's Attorney The Cook County State's Attorney is the District attorney, chief prosecutor for Cook County, Illinois. The State's Attorney oversees the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States, with over 600 attorneys and 1,200 employees. The off ...

, defending the Cook County Sheriff's Department against claims of

police misconduct Police misconduct is inappropriate conduct and illegal actions taken by police officers in connection with their official duties. Types of misconduct include among others: sexual offences, false confession, coerced false confession, intimidation, ...

. In 2000, Cabonargi received his

from the

with honors. From 2000 to 2002, Cabonargi worked as a law clerk to U.S. District Court judge

. During his time in this position, he initiated and helped to establish the courts first help desk for pro se litigants. For this, he was given the Award for Excellence in Public Interest Service from the

Federal Bar Association The Federal Bar Association (FBA) is the primary voluntary professional organization for private and government lawyers and judges practicing and sitting in federal courts in the United States. Six times a year, the FBA prints ''The Federal Lawye ...

and the U.S. District Court. From 2003 to 2005, he served on the

Illinois Comptroller The Comptroller of Illinois is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Illinois. Ten individuals have held the office of Comptroller since the enactment of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, replaci ...

's Ethics Commission.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

From 2005 until 2011, Cabonargi worked as a senior attorney and prosecutor in the Division of Enforcement at the Chicago Regional Office of the

. He brought a $2.8 billion private offering fraud case, at the time the largest private offering fraud case filed by the Commission. For this he was bestowed the Chairman's Award. In 2008, for his work against financial fraud targeting seniors, he was bestowed the SEC Director's Award for Excellence.

Cook County Board of Review

Michael Cabonargi 2016 Chi Hack Night 02

Cabonargi was appointed by Chief Justice of the

Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...

Timothy C. Evans Timothy C. Evans (born June 1, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, former alderman and the current Chief Judge of the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County, Cook County Circuit Court. Evans is noted as the first African-American Chief Judge ...

to serve as commissioner of

from the 2nd district, after the position was vacated by

Joseph Berrios Joseph "Joe" Berrios (born February 14, 1952) is an American Democratic politician who was the Assessor and Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party of Cook County, Illinois, as well as a registered Illinois state government lobbyist. H ...

, who had been elected

Cook County Assessor The Cook County Assessor is the Assessor (property), assessor and county government officer of Cook County, Illinois. Office description Before the creation of the position of Cook County Assessor in 1932, the Cook County Board of Assessors com ...

. Cabonargi had been selected over several other people who had also expressed interest in the position, including

Joseph Mario Moreno Joseph Mario Moreno was Commissioner for the 7th district of Cook County, Illinois from 1994 until 2010. Early life Moreno earned his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. Public service Prior to his election as a commissioner, ...

and

Eugene Schulter Gene Schulter (born November 14, 1947) was alderman of the 47th ward of the city of Chicago. He was first elected in 1975 and served until his retirement in 2011. Early life Schulter is the youngest of five children, all raised in Chicago. He ...

. Evans had picked Cabornargi from among 11 candidates. Cabonargi was sworn in on February 10, 2011. Cabonargi was reelected, unopposed, in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. In March 2018, Cabonargi's campaign was asked by the Board of Ethics to return $68,950 in funds received from 97 contributions that were in excess of limits. Cabonargi complied with the Board of Ethics ruling and returned the $68,950 in donations and cited the multiple changes in county reporting measures. In 2020, Cabonargi voiced disagreement with a notion expressed by former

Cook County clerk The Cook County Clerk is the Municipal clerk, clerk of county government in Cook County, Illinois. History The office of Cook County Clerk was established in 1831, the year that Cook County, Illinois was created. For the first several years, th ...

David Orr David Duvall Orr (born October 4, 1944) is an American Democratic politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 1990 to 2018. Orr previously served as alderman for the 49th ward in Chicago City Council from 1979 to 1990. He briefly serve ...

that the Cook County Board of Review has a "longtime

pay-to-play Pay-to-play, sometimes pay-for-play or P2P, is a phrase used for a variety of situations in which money is exchanged for services or the privilege to engage in certain activities. The common denominator of all forms of pay-to-play is that one mu ...

culture" and needed reform. Cabonargi said "the Board of Review has ethics protocols in place to ensure transparency and professionalism..." In 2022, Cabonargi lost his bid for reelection to the Cook County Board of Review. His loss to political newcomer Samantha Steele was considered an upset to the incumbent Cabonargi.

2020 Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County campaign

In 2020, Cabonargi ran to replace outgoing

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County The Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County is the Court clerk, clerk of Circuit Court of Cook County, located in Cook County, Illinois. Office description The office was first established in 1831, the year that Cook County was created. In 18 ...

Dorothy A. Brown. Cabonargi received the endorsement of the

Cook County Democratic Party The Cook County Democratic Party is an American county-level political party organization which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated Chicago politics (and ...

. He also was endorsed by the

Chicago Federation of Labor The Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) is an umbrella organization for Trade union, unions in Chicago, Illinois, US. It is a subordinate body of the AFL–CIO, and as of 2011 has about 320 affiliated member unions representing half a million union ...

and

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

He additionally received endorsements from Dick Durbin,

Toni Preckwinkle Toni Lynn Preckwinkle (née Reed; born March 17, 1947) is an American politician and the incumbent County Board president in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was elected to her first term as president of the Cook County Board of Commis ...

, and Jesse White. Cabonargi pledged, if elected, to modernize the office. Meiseter filed an ethics complaint against Cabonargi in mid-January 2020 alleging that Cabonargi had accepted $120,000 in improper campaign donations from individuals who had argued property tax appeals before him at the Cook County Board of Review. Cabonargi's campaign claimed the allegations in the ethics complaint were false. Cabonargi placed second, losing to Iris Martinez.

Regional Director of the Department of Health and Human Services

In early 2023, Cabornargi sent an email to colleagues within the Democratic Party to inform them that he would be departing his role in Illinois' State Democratic Central Committee in order to accept an appointment by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

to serve as a regional director for the

. He was formally appointed to this role on March 13, 2023.

Democratic Party leadership roles

In 2018, Cabonargi was elected as the Illinois Democratic state central committeeman for

Illinois's 9th congressional district The 9th congressional district of Illinois covers parts of Cook County, Illinois, Cook, Lake County, Illinois, Lake, and McHenry County, Illinois, McHenry counties as of the 2021 redistricting which followed the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...

. Per the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

s Rick Pearson, as of 2021, Cabonargi was one of the more politically progressive members of the Illinois Democratic State Central Committee. In 2019, Cabonargi was appointed a vice-chair of the

. In 2021, Cabonargi supported

Robin Kelly Robin Lynne Kelly (born April 30, 1956) is an American politician from Illinois who has served as the U.S. representative from since 2013. A Democrat, Kelly served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007. She then served as c ...

in her successful bid to become the chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. Cabornargi was a delegate to both the

and

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s. Ahead of the

2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...

, Cabonargi, with Chicago government affairs consultant Mike Alexander, organized for more than 120 lawyers and other legal professions to travel to the

swing state In United States politics, a swing state (also known as battleground state, toss-up state, or purple state) is any state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican candidate in a statewide election, most often refe ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, with the goal of helping to assist in enabling a potential victory for the Democratic presidential ticket of Joe Biden and

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

in the state's vote. On January 27, 2023, Cabornargi departed his role as a state central committeeman in the Illinois' Democratic State Central Committee in order to accept the position of regional director for the Department Health and Human Services.

Other work

Cabonargi served on the local school council of the Brentano Elementary School from 2006 to 2008. From 2007 to 2009, he served on the 35th Ward's Zoning Advisory Committee. Cabonargi also formerly served as a member of the University of Illinois College of Law Alumni Board. After the

2018 Illinois gubernatorial election The 2018 Illinois gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of Illinois, concurrently with the 2018 Illinois general election and other midterm elections. Incumbent Republican governor Bruce Rauner ran f ...

, Cabonargi was a member of

J. B. Pritzker Jay Robert Pritzker (born January 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2019 as the 43rd governor of Illinois. A member of the wealthy Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker has started several vent ...

's Governor Elect's Budget and Innovation Transition Committee. In 2012, Cabonargi was selected to be a fellow with Leadership Greater Chicago. Cabonargi serves as a board member of the

Bar Association, District 39 Educational Foundation, Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, and Milan Committee of Chicago’s Sister Cities Program. Cabonargi served as a

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Democratic

United States Electoral College In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the President of the United States, president and Vice President of the United States, vice p ...

elector from Illinois, casting his votes for Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice-president.

Personal life

Cabonargi is married to Erin Lavin Cabonargi and has two sons. His wife, Erin, once served as head of Chicago's Public Building Commission. She more recently served as director of construction at

Sterling Bay Sterling may refer to: Currency * The English penny, historically known as the ''sterling'' * Pound sterling, the currency of the United Kingdom * Sterling silver, a grade of silver Places United Kingdom * Stirling, a Scottish city whose al ...

, before leaving to start Hibernian Advisors and Hibernian Real Estate Development in 2018, a consulting firm and a development firm. In 2011, Cabonargi lived in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. Cabonargi now lives in

Wilmette Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...

Electoral history

Cook County Board of Review

;

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Illinois Democratic State Central Committeeman for the ninth congressional district

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

References

1971 births Living people 2020 United States presidential electors Illinois Democrats Loyola Academy alumni Members of the Cook County Board of Review University of Illinois College of Law alumni Miami University alumni People from Wilmette, Illinois Politicians from Chicago Lawyers from Chicago {{Cook County Board of Review commissioners, state=collapsed