Cook County Comm. Tara Stamps is the new Democratic county commissioner representing District 1 following Brandon Johnson's election as Chicago mayor. [Office of Comm. Tara Stamps/claudia zunophoto.com]

Cook County Comm. Tara Stamps (D-1) shares many traits with her predecessor Mayor Brandon Johnson, who she was appointed to replace in June after the now mayor vacated his county board seat. Stamps, like Johnson, is an educator, an organizer, a progressive and a parent. 

While she wants to embody what she described as the best of what Johnson brought to his time as a county commissioner, she is also hoping her unique perspective and political background allow her to affect policy change from the grassroots level up.