Maria Pappas is running as a Democrat for Cook County Treasurer in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She has held the office since 1998, according to BallotReady profile data.

The treasurer's office collects and distributes property tax payments for Cook County's taxing districts. For Park Ridge and Niles residents, the office handles the property tax bills that fund local schools, parks and municipal services.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Office sought: Cook County Treasurer
  • Residence: Cook County
  • Born: June 7, 1949, in Warwood, West Virginia, according to her campaign website
  • Education: Bachelor's in sociology, West Liberty State University; master's in guidance and counseling, West Virginia University (1972); doctorate in counseling and psychology, Loyola University; juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology (education details per 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 county government, Pappas said she worked as a manager at the Day One Drug Abuse Center in Altgeld Gardens and as a professor at Governors State University. BallotReady profile data also lists her as an attorney.

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

On the issues

Taxes and budget transparency: Pappas has said taxpayers have a right to know about spending and debt incurred by the bodies 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.

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 has described remaking the office into what she calls a service-oriented operation that uses technological tools for greater efficiency.

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 in this profile is drawn from a producer-reviewed candidate packet. Policy positions reflect the candidate's own stated responses unless otherwise noted. The Park Ridge Wire did not interview the candidate for this profile.