Longtime Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri will retire this year, leaving 1 of 2 GOP seats up for grabs

Silvestri, who hails from Elmwood Park in the 9th District, was first elected in 1994 and joins at least two other longtime commissioners in announcing their retirements when their current terms end in December: Larry Suffredin, a Democrat from Evanston, and Deborah Sims, a Democrat from Posen.