North Shore property owners are among the Cook County taxpayers who will see the treasurer's race on their Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot.

Maria Pappas, a Democrat who has held the office since 1998, is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data. Homeowners in Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield are among those the treasurer's office serves.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Cook County Treasurer
  • Election: Nov. 3, 2026, general election
  • Birthplace: Warwood, West Virginia (born June 7, 1949), according to her campaign website
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in sociology, West Liberty State University; master's degree in guidance and counseling, West Virginia University (1972); doctorate in counseling and psychology, Loyola University; juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology, according to BallotReady profile data and her campaign website

Pappas has said she is the granddaughter of Cretan immigrants and was raised in Warwood, a town of 2,000 near the coal-mining city of Wheeling, West Virginia.

Experience and public service

Before entering elected office, Pappas said she worked as a manager at the Day One Drug Abuse Center in Altgeld Gardens and then as a professor at Governors State University. She also practiced law, according to BallotReady profile data.

Pappas served as a Cook County commissioner from 1990 to 1998, according to BallotReady. She has served as Cook County Treasurer since 1998.

On the issues

Taxes and budget transparency: Pappas has said taxpayers have a right to know about spending and debt incurred by the governments that tax them. She said she was the chief proponent of the Cook County Debt Disclosure Ordinance, passed in 2009, which requires taxing districts to publicly report their finances, including pension debt. That ordinance applies to the taxing districts that levy property taxes on North Shore homeowners, according to the candidate's description of the measure.

Government efficiency: Pappas has said she reduced the treasurer's office budget for 15 consecutive years and cut staff from 250 employees to 89 while expanding services. She said she modernized the office's technology to serve taxpayers more efficiently. Those staffing and budget figures are the candidate's own claims, as stated on her campaign website.

Endorsements

The following endorsements are listed in BallotReady profile data, credited to the endorsers:

  • IUOE Local 150
  • International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134
  • International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399
  • Chicago Federation of Labour
  • Cook County Democrats
  • United Hellenic Voters of America
  • Personal PAC

Candidate information is drawn from BallotReady election data and the candidate's own campaign website. Policy positions reflect the candidate's stated views.