Age: 73
Occupation: President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

Preckwinkle may have lost the mayoral election in a landslide, but don’t forget that she’s still president of the Cook County Board, chair of the Cook County Democratic Party, and political mentor to Kim Foxx (see No. 10). She flexed her power as party head when she removed Ed Burke as chief of judicial slating after he was indicted for corruption. As board president, she recently took more control of the county’s health system, appointing one of her own staffers to the oversight board. Preckwinkle also pushed through a reform of the courts’ bond system, so most offenders go home with an electronic bracelet, rather than having to pay cash.