Collins ran for Cook County Sheriff in 2010, but lost to Tom Dart. Collins said he learned a lot in that race.
“It was very closely-contested and I was able to build a strong grassroots backing which I feel that I can expand in this race,” he said.
Collins was born and raised in the Union Park neighborhood on the West Side, attending William H. Brown Elementary School before attending Crane Technical High School. He later attended Lewis University in Romeoville for a semester studying criminal justice. An illness to his mother, however, forced him to leave before graduation.
He eventually joined the police academy and completed his training in 1993. Despite the fact that he has never held political office before, Collins, a divorced father of three, has been socially active in the community. He’s a Boys and Girls Club volunteer and a member of the West Side Branch NAACP.
“My philosophy has always been that I’ve wanted to go where there is a need,” he said. “There is a leadership vacuum in the mayor’s seat. I feel that is where I can make my presence felt, and give the people of this great city an ear to listen to their issues.”