February 2023 Chicago Municipal Elections Guide

For the first time ever, in all the contested races on my ballot, I was able to vote for friends, colleagues, or fellow comrades -- either people I know personally or with whom I have one degree of separation. To have so many great candidates on the ballot gives me HOPE for the city I'm raising my children in. I hope you'll join me in electing progressives and up and down the ballot. 

Here is my voter guide. If I don't cover your ward or police district, please let me know and I'll be happy to weigh in. :) But first: Find your ward and police district. 


Mayor: BRANDON JOHNSON!!! 

Brandon comes from the progressive movement in Chicago. He worked as a teacher in CPS, was an organizer with CTU, now serves as a Cook County Commissioner. He lives in Austin with his wife and children. He knows intimately the struggles so many Chicagoans are facing. I want our next mayor to share my values and vision for this being a city where everyone can thrive, not just a place where real estate developers can make huge profits by displacing multi-generation Chicago families, particularly Black and Brown and poor white families. I believe Brandon best shares that vision. He is running on a platform that fights for housing affordability, thriving public schools, and investments that get at the root causes of crime. He has also built a powerful coalition not just to propel him to victory but also to hold him accountable while in office. The progressive organizations and labor unions I respect most have all backed Brandon.  

Why not Chuy? Well, in my opinion, he waited too long to get into the race. He has not courted progressive organizations in the way Brandon has, or even showed up for them. Brandon met with the members of my organization, Chuy has never reached out to our org. Chuy didn't come to a city-wide mayoral candidate forum with over 500 grassroots leaders (even Vallas attended!). Chuy has dodged making commitments or flat out refused to support on key campaigns like Bring Chicago Home, Treatment Not Trauma, Rideshare Living Wage, and the Peace Book. I think he's trying to appeal to everyone by committing to nothing. That is not visionary leadership. He is also endorsing candidates who are running against progressive incumbents, like in the 33rd ward. 

There are competing polls out there now. But the intel I hear is that Brandon and Lori are neck and neck fighting to come in second; that is why she keeps attacking him now. Paul (Vallas) is in first. Brandon has a real chance, but he needs every vote to make it to the runoff. 

Alderpeople:

  • 5: Desmon Yancy
  • 30: Warren Williams
  • 39: Denali Dasgupta
  • 40: Andre Vasquez
  • 46: Angela Clay - she is an amazing human, 4th generation Uptown resident, super progressive, mother, grew up in subsidized housing and CPS and will fight for those institutions and the families that use them when in office. 
  • 47: Matt Martin
  • 48: Nick Ward - in this messy 10-way race where most are claiming to be a progressive, Nick has the combo of being strongest on progressive issues and having a powerful enough campaign operation that he has enough juice to make it to a run-off. He's backed by many grassroots progressive organizations who will hold him accountable. There was some drama that broke earlier this month, but through ONE People's Campaign (OPC), I spent no fewer than 20 hours trying to understand what happened and concluded, as did our members, that Nick is still the one we want to back in this race. Read our full statement here. Joe Dunne said no to 4 of the questions on OPC's candidate questionnaire. I also don't think he'd caucus with other progressive elected officials in city council to wield collective power. I like Leni personally, but I didn't find her to be strong on policy solutions to the ills our city faces (she didn't make her platform until January, which felt late). 
  • 49: Maria Hadden
  • 50: Mueze Bawany - again there's been drama here too. He's still going to be a much more progressive vote than Deb Silverstein, who has consistently stood in the way of issue campaigns we support. I'm watching to see what happens with other progressive orgs who endorsed him.  

Police District Councils:

These races matter because this is the new, more democratic tool we have to force changes in the police department, while we continue to work toward a world in which prisons and police do not exist. Whether you're an abolitionist or not, I think we can all agree our current system of policing does not match our values. We need people in these new roles who want to transform our policing system, not FOP loyalists (of which there are many who are running).  ChiDistrictCouncils.org is a great website with links to multiple voter guides and other resources that explain this role. 
  • 17th PD: Beth Rochford, Anthony Tamez, Steve Spagnola
  • 19th PD: Maurilio Garcia, Sam Schoenburg, Jenny Schaffer
  • 20th PD:  Anna Rubin, Darrell Dacres, Deirdre O'Connor
  • 24th PD: Veronica Arreola, Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagan-Banks, EdVette Jones
Interested to hear your reactions, questions, differences of opinion. I also am happy to hop on the phone to discuss any of these races or other wards/district councils. 

Join me and ONE People's Campaign in getting out the vote for these progressive candidates: bit.ly/opcsignup2023

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