Laura Ayala-Gonzalez

Name: Laura Ayala-Gonzalez

Party: Democratic

Age: 44

Current residence: Lyons Township

Current position: Cook County assistant state’s attorney, 2002-present; office supervisor, Felony Trial Division

Past legal experience: Within state’s attorney’s office — Deputy Supervisor, Felony Review Unit; Gang and Complex Homicide Unit, First Chair; Felony Trial Division, First Chair; Felony Review Trial Supervisor; Preliminary Hearings/Felony Review/Children’s Advocacy Center; Juvenile Justice Bureau: Child Protection & Juvenile Delinquency; Child Support/Appellate Division

Campaign funds available, Aug. 20 to Dec. 31: $47,724.72

Campaign funds spent, Aug. 20 to Dec. 31: $40,530.22

Law school: The John Marshall Law School

Campaign website: ayala-gonzalez4judge.com

Family: Married, three sons

Hobbies/interests: Playing soccer with children, cooking

Have you ever run for office before?

No.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

I think voters are looking for authenticity in the person that they’re trying to elect, and I think that outside of being experienced and qualified I bring the same level of authenticity that I’ve always had as a person.

I hope to never lose that, and I think most people who aspire to be on the bench can maybe change a bit in their demeanor. I aspire to be the same person I am on the bench that I am in my career now.

Why do you want to be a judge?

I was born in this country because my mom gave me that as a huge gift. My mom worked as a single mom to raise me and instill the values of giving back.

I went to Mexico every summer until I was 15 years old, so I got to see a lot. That led me to law school, and once I was in law school I found my calling. I wanted to be a voice for victims of violent crime, and that led me to my career now.

I feel now I am finally ready to give back in the highest calling one could have as a public servant and serve all people in Cook County. I’m finally ready to tackle much bigger problems and be part of more of a solution for communities as a whole.

What was the most interesting case handled as a lawyer?

There are so many of them — some of the hardest cases as a very young mom in this office were when I was in the Juvenile Justice Bureau and Abuse and Neglect. You are dealing with instances of child abuse.

As a young mom I was really impacted by some of the cases I would see. There was one particular case where there was an infant that was dumped in a bathtub full of boiling water. This child’s skin was falling off, and he suffered serious, serious burns all over, and I think he couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 months old.

It was then that shifted my thinking of “Oh my goodness, this is something happening to an infant child by the person that’s there to protect them.” I did my best to be able to be the voice for that child, and I think that’s really something that activated my passion even more for continuing on this path.

I got to see the whole case through, and the mom received services. It ended up being that it took a long time, but this child was finally able to be safely returned back to his mother.

There have been countless other situations when it involves children that are hurt or any other individual that is severely hurt and they don’t even know it’s coming to them. Sometimes you have to have somebody like me to stick up for somebody like them.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

I have been able to climb up the ladder in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. From my standpoint of how I grew up, my mom has a fifth-grade education — so I’m not only first generation but also the first to go to college, first to go to law school.

The greatest accomplishment is looking at my kids and saying, “I’m doing this all for you.”

The way I’ve worked in my career I’ve worked really hard to get where I am. I started off in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office with no connections to the office. I’m proud that I was able to get here with the work that I’ve done, being a woman of color, being a minority. I think that to me that symbolizes a lot of growth in this office, and I’m very proud they entrusted the supervisory position to me.

I also love to be able to give back.

What qualities do you bring to the bench?

I think I really have a pretty good skill at listening — I’ve worked really hard at it. You want to not just hear people, but you want to be able to listen to them, to be able to explain what’s happening throughout the process.

I also bring good judgment. I’ve had the fortune of being in supervisory positions that have enabled me to make really, really difficult decisions that take into account a whole host of issues. I can make those tough decisions without having to somehow compromise any of my values.