FEATURE STORY — May/June 2007

Steady as he goes

An orphaned immigrant by age 13, Tony Peraica managed to put himself through school, start a law firm and earn a spot in Cook County government. But his work is not yet done

By Rachel Parker
Photography By Lloyd Degrane

As the Lincoln Continental rounded the curve of the Kennedy Expressway, 13-year-old Tony Peraica ’90 LAS was plastered to the window, awe-struck by the sight of the Chicago skyline. Just off the plane from Croatia, he wondered which of the glittering high-rise buildings belonged to his aunt Lucy, the relative who had agreed to take him in following his parents’ recent passing. But the car didn’t stop at any of the high-rises; instead, it crossed downtown, exited at 31st Street and pulled into the driveway of a modest-looking house in Bridgeport.

“I was so disappointed,” says Peraica, flashing a boyish grin. “I thought we were going to the Taj Mahal! And the next day I was working in my aunt’s [Italian deli], putting in long hours, six days a week.”

“I am not giving up.
Not by a long shot.”

Life hasn’t since changed much for Peraica, 50, at least when it comes to putting in long hours. As Cook County Commissioner of the 16th District, an attorney at Anthony J. Peraica and Associates, and Lyons Township Republican Committeeman, he typically works 15 hours a day and only takes a vacation once every few years. He likes it that way. “Some people couldn’t handle it,” he says. “Not only can I handle it, I thrive on it.”

The same was true earlier in life. As a UIC student, Peraica took a full load of classes, worked nights as a First National Bank clerk, interned for 11th Ward Alderman Patrick Huels and volunteered for Mayor Jane Byrne’s transition team—and he completed his degree in only three years. He then attended John Marshall Law School while working full-time for FNB. Post-graduation, he simultaneously served as an FNB supervisor and launched his own law practice from a tiny, $150-a-month rental office.

Peraica hasn’t achieved success through hard work alone. He is a stubbornly determined person, one who gets fired up, rather than discouraged, by defeat. Although he lost the race for Cook County Commissioner in 1994, treasurer in 1998 and president in 2006, that didn’t stop him from running in and winning the race for commissioner in 2002 and 2006. “Death before surrender,” Peraica says. “That’s my motto. You have to outlast or outrun the rest. And those that show up get the prize—it’s just a matter of time.”

During his little free time, Peraica likes to make Cabernet Sauvignon in his Riverside home (he gets his grapes from a place on 35th and Morgan), jam on the guitar with his 26-year-old son or lace up his sneakers and go for a run. One day, he says, he’d like to return to painting, something that he wanted to do professionally until he found law and politics at UIC.

But he won’t have time for hobbies come 2010, when the next race for Cook County president kicks off. Peraica says he’ll run. Last November’s loss “made me stronger and more determined,” he says. “I am not giving up. Not by a long shot.”