Count me among those who assumed Vallas’s entry into the race would change some of Peraica’s plans. In 2006 Peraica, a county commissioner, captured the Republican nomination for board president in a primary that wasn’t exactly fierce, since he was the only candidate in it. He went on to lose a bitter general election race against Democrat Todd Stroger, but by not getting slaughtered, and by spending the next three years reminding people that he was still not Todd Stroger, Peraica appeared to be positioning himself for another run in 2010.
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That doesn’t mean he won’t do it again—“I’m looking at all of the options and ruling none of them out.” Peraica said he doesn’t really know Vallas but was left with a good impression after their first conversation. “Mr. Vallas was kind enough to call me and say he wanted to give me a heads-up that the stories were coming out,” Peraica said. “He also indicated he wanted to sit down with me and talk the next time he’s in town.”
