Brian Doherty

Brian G. Doherty (born October 25, 1957) was the alderman of the 41st Ward (map) of the City of Chicago from 1991 to 2011. First elected to the Chicago City Council in 1991 when he defeated longtime incumbent Roman Pucinski, Doherty represented portions of the city's Northwest Side, including O'Hare International Airport. In 2010, Doherty won the Republican nomination for Illinois State Senate District 10 to replace retiring Senator James DeLeo (D-Chicago), but he lost the general election to John Mulroe. Doherty did not seek re-election after his defeat in the Senate contest and left office in 2011. Political career While on the City Council, Doherty had a record of opposing property tax increases. Political columnist Russ Stewart wrote, "Doherty has opposed the Daley Administration on every tax hike ordinance." He voted for a sunshine ordinance that aimed to make it easier to determine how taxpayer dollars are spent on Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts. He also established a Zoning Advisory Board to give residents a voice in local zoning issues. Doherty was notable as the only member of the Republican Party in the Chicago City Council, but supported some of the policies of Chicago's Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley. Doherty voted in favor of the mayor's parking meter plan that leases out the revenue rights to a private firm. According to the Chicago Tribune, the plan would increase the hourly meter rate at some Chicago parking meters to $6.50 in 2013. In 1986, Doherty ran in the at-large election to be a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from the city of Chicago, succeeding in the primary to be one of ten Republican nominees, but losing the general election.