OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Cook County, Illinois/Board of Commissioners
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Cook County Technology and Innovation Committee Meeting - May 13, 2026

Board of Commissioners — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodyCook County, Illinois
SessionBoard of Commissioners
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 11:46

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

You I'd like to call the Cook County Technology and Innovation Committee back to order.

0:04

I believe we had quorum at the time of recess.

0:08

That is correct.

0:08

You have one member that has added to remote participation for McCasco.

0:15

Commissioner McCaskill, are you still connected?

0:19

Yes, ma'am.

0:19

I'm here.

0:20

We need remote participation, sir.

0:22

Very well, uh, Commissioner.

0:26

I'm move forward.

0:27

Remote participation.

0:28

Scott moves for remote participation.

0:30

Second by Commissioner Aguilar.

0:32

Uh may we please have a uh roll call vote for that.

0:34

Thank you, Commissioner Agatha, your vote.

0:37

I Commissioner Aguilar is aye, Commissioner Decknan.

0:40

Aye.

0:40

Commissioner McCasco.

0:43

Hi.

0:43

Commissioner Miller.

0:44

Hi.

0:45

Previous votes were all aye.

0:46

Vice Chair Sean Morrison.

0:48

Commissioner Scott.

0:50

Commissioner Trevor.

0:52

Commissioner Vasquez.

0:54

Mr.

0:54

Chairman.

0:55

Aye.

0:55

All votes were in an aye.

0:57

You have nine ayes, zero nays.

1:00

The motion succeeds.

1:01

And with that, do we have any registered public speakers for this meeting?

1:05

Registered speakers.

1:06

I see three in the room.

1:08

George Blakemore, Jessica Jackson, Zoe Lee is Taiwan Sims here.

1:13

No, those three, please come to public speaking mic.

1:16

You have three minutes to address the body, and I will keep time for you.

1:20

George Jack or George Blakemore is next.

1:25

George Blakemore is first, followed by Jessica Linzoe.

1:29

Thank you.

1:31

So many of you.

1:32

You do everything in one day.

1:36

I guess you get to get and say, let's get it over in one day.

1:40

One right behind the other.

1:41

I asked the young man which one is this.

1:43

He said technology.

1:46

Technology.

1:52

The caliber technology.

1:55

So evidently, something is wrong with this technology.

2:07

All this time and mess up all these taxes technology.

2:12

Now I just couldn't believe it.

2:14

One right behind the other one.

2:16

I guess you all say we're gonna get them all uh done today.

2:20

Stealers done.

2:21

I'm always trying to correct my my verbs.

2:25

My mother can speak very good English.

2:28

I said I have saw her.

2:30

Shut up.

2:30

I have seen her.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Technology and Innovation██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural████████████████████████████████32%
Public Engagement███████████████████████23%
Criminal Justice███████████11%
Summary of Proceedings

Cook County Technology and Innovation Committee Meeting - May 13, 2026

The Cook County Technology and Innovation Committee met on May 13, 2026, at 9:30 AM. The meeting was called to order, quorum was confirmed, and remote participation was approved via a roll call vote (9 ayes, 0 nays). The committee then heard public comments, approved the minutes from the previous meeting, and deferred a proposed contract with Safeware Inc. for the Sheriff's Office before adjourning.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (Item 26140): The committee unanimously approved the meeting minutes from April 15, 2026. The motion was made by Vice Chair Sean Morrison and seconded by Commissioner Trevor. No discussion. All in favor voted aye.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • George Blakemore: Expressed frustration with the committee's technology and the pace of meetings, criticizing the lack of effective advocacy for the Black community and alleging mental and educational deficiencies among Black leaders. He was warned about time limits and became confrontational.
  • Jessica Jackson: Accused the committee of ignoring public speakers, playing on phones, and being distracted by paid 501(c)(3) presenters. She alleged that the county cheats in court by manipulating electronic filings and that technology is used to corrupt court records, causing people to lose cases and go to jail. She also claimed the committee only cares about money and not about the people.
  • Zoe Lee: Criticized the poor public Wi-Fi access, alleging it is intentionally kept poor to allow corruption in property deed changes and records manipulation. She stated that her family keeps all paper records but the county claims not to have them, and she threatened to sue and educate elders to vote against the current leadership.

Discussion Items

  • Deferral of Proposed Contract with Safeware Inc. (Item 260816): Commissioner Vasquez moved to defer the item, seconded by Commissioner Trevor. No discussion ensued. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote (all ayes in the opinion of the chair).

Key Outcomes

  • Remote Participation Approved: By a roll call vote of 9 ayes, 0 nays, the committee allowed Commissioner McCaskill to participate remotely.
  • Minutes Approved: The minutes from April 15, 2026, were approved without objection.
  • Contract Deferred: The proposed contract between Safeware Inc. and the Sheriff's Office (Item 260816) was deferred. No new date for reconsideration was announced.
  • Adjournment: The committee adjourned following a motion by Commissioner Aguilar, seconded by Vice Chair Sean Morrison.

Meeting Transcript

You I'd like to call the Cook County Technology and Innovation Committee back to order. I believe we had quorum at the time of recess. That is correct. You have one member that has added to remote participation for McCasco. Commissioner McCaskill, are you still connected? Yes, ma'am. I'm here. We need remote participation, sir. Very well, uh, Commissioner. I'm move forward. Remote participation. Scott moves for remote participation. Second by Commissioner Aguilar. Uh may we please have a uh roll call vote for that. Thank you, Commissioner Agatha, your vote. I Commissioner Aguilar is aye, Commissioner Decknan. Aye. Commissioner McCasco. Hi. Commissioner Miller. Hi. Previous votes were all aye. Vice Chair Sean Morrison. Commissioner Scott. Commissioner Trevor. Commissioner Vasquez. Mr. Chairman. Aye. All votes were in an aye. You have nine ayes, zero nays. The motion succeeds. And with that, do we have any registered public speakers for this meeting? Registered speakers. I see three in the room. George Blakemore, Jessica Jackson, Zoe Lee is Taiwan Sims here. No, those three, please come to public speaking mic. You have three minutes to address the body, and I will keep time for you. George Jack or George Blakemore is next. George Blakemore is first, followed by Jessica Linzoe. Thank you. So many of you. You do everything in one day. I guess you get to get and say, let's get it over in one day. One right behind the other. I asked the young man which one is this. He said technology. Technology. The caliber technology. So evidently, something is wrong with this technology.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com