11/30/2017
Who is Abdelnasser Rashid and why is he running for Cook?
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Why I'm Running:
I am running for County Commissioner to be a voice for working families. My dad moved from Palestine to America with just fifty dollars and a dream to build a better life for his family. He worked minimum wage jobs and saved money that he pooled with his brother to open a small retail business. My mom ran a booth at the local flea market to put my sisters through college. Like so many parents in Cook County, they never stopped working to create a better life for my siblings and me.
I graduated from Harvard University and now work as a public administrator at the office of Cook County Clerk David Orr. I live with my wife, Fidaa, and our two young daughters in Justice. Fidaa, an attorney, served as a Library Board Trustee when we resided in Worth.
My parents were able to work their way into the middle class while working minimum wage jobs. It saddens and angers me to know that today, most people cannot do the same. That is why, like the overwhelming majority of voters, I supported Cook County’s minimum wage increase last year. But I watched in frustration as wealthy trustees in Western Springs—one of America’s richest areas—along with dozens of other towns, voted to take this wage increase away from the most vulnerable people in their community.
I decided to run for Commissioner because I could no longer stand by as working families continue to come under attack. In my conversations with residents of the 17th District—Democrats, Republicans and Independents—I’ve seen that people are tired of politicians who care more about pleasing special interests than on helping working families face challenges and overcome hardships. As your Commissioner, I will fight every day to make government work for the people of the 17th District.