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Toi Hutchinson knows how to make a comeback.
Her first foray into politics came when she challenged an incumbent for a township supervisor seat in Illinois. She lost.
The day after the election, a state senator asked Hutchinson to be her chief of staff. A few years later, when the senator won a seat in the U.S. House, Hutchinson took her place in 2009.
Over the course of this journey, Hutchinson says she learned the value of her voice. She has used her platform to give a voice to others, sponsoring legislation on rape kit testing, paid sick leave and marriage equality.
She was recognized by Governing as a 2018 Public Official of the Year and as a member of the 2018 Women in Government program.
Still, she says her best work is yet to come.
Previous Guests:
- Mayors Melvin Carter of St. Paul, Minn.; Jenn Daniels of Gilbert, Ariz.; Jacob Frey of Minneapolis and Francis Suarez of Miami
- Chris Castro, director of sustainability fpr Orlando, Fla.
- Kim Foxx, state's attorney for Cook County, Ill.
- Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota
- Nan Whaley, mayor of Dayton, Ohio
- Steve Benjamin, mayor of Columbia, S.C.
- Kristen Cox, executive director of Utah Office of Management and Budget
- Acquanetta Warren, mayor of Fontana, Calif.
- Greg Fischer, mayor of Louisville
- Themis Klarides, minority leader of Connecticut House
- Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles
