Sharon Fairley

Name: Sharon Fairley

Age: 57

Party: Democratic

Current residence: Chicago

Current position: Attorney, recently resigned as chief administrator of the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability

Past legal experience with years of each job: Chief administrator, Civilian Office of Police Accountability/Independent Police Review Authority, City of Chicago, 2015-17;  First deputy inspector general/general counsel, Office of the Inspector General, City of Chicago, April-Dec. 2015; assistant United States attorney, Northern District of Illinois, 2007-15; assistant Illinois attorney general, 2006-07

Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $495,120.43

Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $107,279.96

Law school: University of Chicago Law School, 2006

Campaign website: sharonfairley.com

Family: Two adult children, David and Leslie

Hobbies/interests: Music, running, family

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

Creating and executing the vision for the new Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

My educational credentials, professional background and life experience make me uniquely qualified to serve as the Illinois Attorney General at this critical, challenging time for our state. My legal expertise spans criminal, civil, and administrative matters and includes prosecutorial experience and complex litigation. I am the only candidate who has experience leading an organization responsible for complex legal matters. I have lead organizations through difficult, challenging transitions by clearly articulating vision, marshaling the necessary resources and motivating the organization to move in lockstep toward a common goal.

What would be your top priority as attorney general? 

The attorney general is responsible for defining a clear vision for the office and making sure the agency’s resources are aligned in support of that mission. As attorney general I will focus on the following priorities:

1. Working to protect the civil rights, health and well-being of all citizens;
2. Ensuring Illinois residents receive effective representation; and
3. Working to promote accountability within government.

Regarding the ongoing consent decree talks with the Chicago Police Department, what policies or measures do you view as being necessary for the department to adopt?

Finalizing or enforcing the consent decree between the office and the City of Chicago regarding police reform is one of my priorities for this office. The goal of the lawsuit will be to develop a comprehensive plan for reforming the department in a way that will result in: (1) effective crime prevention and prosecution; (2) significantly improved community trust and engagement; and (3) an organizational culture that embraces accountability, procedural justice and community service.

How do you view the attorney general’s role in conjunction with the federal government?

The attorney general should always work to protect Illinois residents when federal policies and politics conflict with the protections provided by our laws and our constitution. I look forward to having a personal role to play in fighting back against the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional attacks on women, people of color, our LGBT communities, health care, environment and the foundations of our government.

Do you believe state employees should be paid absent an appropriation? Under the current laws of the state, would you go to court to block their pay if they continued receiving checks absent a budget?

Having personally experienced the disruption and havoc a government shutdown inevitably causes, I would use any and all legal remedies available to ensure that state workers do not become pawns in a political stalemate over our state budget.