Chicago School Reform Act, which gave the Mayor of Chicago unprecedented new control over Chicago Public Schools. Daley asked Chico to become the CEO, but Chico declined because he was resuming his law career. Chico instead recommended that Daley appoint colleague Paul Vallas as CEO, and Chico was named chairman of the School Reform Board of Trustees, which was renamed the "President of the Chicago Board of Education" in 1999 (the title which the board had originally held before 1995). In 1997 Chico was named Outstanding School Board President by the Illinois State Board of Education for his reforms in education and fiscal policies. Chico was responsible for efforts to preserve and restore hundreds of murals in the public schools, which had been commissioned by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Progressive and New Deal eras. They had since been hidden under layers of dirt and paint. Under his administration, CPS appointed an Arts Education Task Force and a Bureau of Cultural Arts. Chico resigned as President of the Chicago Board of Education in 2001. His departure was considered sudden, and came after a number of failing standardized testing scores eliminated the improvements to test scores that had been experienced in the previous two years. Soon after his departure, Paul Vallas also announced his resignation. Chico was succeeded in this office by Michael W. Scott. 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate In 2004, Chico ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Republican U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald. He was the first Democrat to declare his candidacy, doing so on July 30, 2002, during a rally with Hispanic leaders. His Senate committee preferences included education, transportation, and judiciary. He also criticized the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act and the No Child Left Behind Act, but supported gay marriage, abortion rights, stem cell research, the death penalty, and universal healthcare. Chico was the only candidate who supported gay marriage out of all seven Democrats and eight Republicans. Then-State Senator Barack Obama ultimately won the nomination over six other candidates including Chico. Chicago Park District board In October 2007, Mayor Daley appointed Chico as president of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners. Chico supported the construction of a new soccer field in Lincoln Park despite opposition from local residents. In 2010, he stepped down. City Colleges of Chicago board In March 2010, Mayor Daley nominated Chico as chairman of the board of trustees of