A guide to the powers and responsibilities of a Chicago City Council member, also known as an alderman.
By India Daniels
Chicago’s City Council is composed of 50 alders, and some also sit on committees, like the Committee on Committees and Rules, pictured here. (Screenshot: City of Chicago/Vimeo)
This article was first published in the Documenters Newswire newsletter on January 20, 2023. Note that while the official term for a City Council member is “alderman,” Documenters Newswire uses “alder” for both brevity and gender neutrality.
In Chicago, an alder is elected by the residents of a geographic area (known as a ward) to represent them as a member of City Council. Whether or not you know who they are, your alder is the reason many things do or do not happen in your ward. They’re about as close to home as an elected official can get in Chicago; a big fish in a small pond. But when they head to City Hall, they’re just one in a crowded fish bowl of 50, each doing the job differently.
This 2023 municipal election promises to bring a lot of changes and twists, especially when it comes to ward races.
First of all, the ward you live in may have changed. New lines for Chicago’s 50 wards were approved by City Council last year, based on population changes captured in the 2020 Census. For example, the 34th Ward, which previously covered much of Roseland, was moved to a completely different side of town; it now refers to Greektown and other areas west of the Loop. The 11th Ward, long defined by the Daley family and the Irish, German, Polish and Lithuanian communities in and around Bridgeport, now includes Chinatown, making it an Asian-majority ward, with seven very different candidates running to represent it.
Plus, at least 16 wards will elect someone different than the alder they had this time last year. A mix of one federal tax fraud conviction, two bids for mayor, three early resignations and 10 retirements (with a healthy sprinkling of indictments and scandals) mean we’re going to see the most turnover in City Council in years.
With so much at stake, we’re taking a step back to explain some basics.
What does an alder even do?
The short answer? A lot. An alder’s responsibilities fall under two main categories:
Citywide politics: Sit on or chair City Council committees; sponsor, discuss and vote on legislation on everything from parking permits to megadevelopments; provide an accountability check on the mayor’s power to set city policies and appoint city officials; pass the annual budget and assess the performance of city departments
Ward-specific services: Represent the ward’s best interests at City Hall; request street and infrastructure improvements; connect the ward’s local businesses, organizations and residents to city services and information
For more on aldermanic dynamics, see the Newswire’s crash course on City Council.
What does it look like to do the job well?
Few people are equally competent at public speaking, crafting legislation, community engagement, political negotiation and constituent services, all while remaining likable, fair and honest.
It’s more likely that a candidate excels in one area, like drafting policies that make our city a better place, but falls short in another, like working with the local police commander—a criticism of progressive Alder Maria Hadden (49th Ward) that her two challengers have zeroed in on.
Or, they might be well-liked but corrupt.
Others may get elected even though they’re just treading water.
And while being involved in two accidental shootings (one of which was during a gun safety class you were teaching) within a span of months and being salty that the mayor didn’t check in on you isn’t necessarily that relevant to the job, it’s not a great reason to be making headlines.
How do you choose who to vote for?
Who you vote for comes down to the very situational factors of who’s running, what your community needs and what you personally value.
In the 25th Ward, which spans the Lower West Side, the race has been particularly tense. Many former supporters of incumbent Alder Byron Sigcho-Lopez are disillusioned by his approach to local issues and relationships, but others stand by him; he has supported policies intended to protect the city’s low-income residents and remains an outspoken darling of the Chicago Democratic Socialists. Challenger Aida Flores is running on her neighborhood roots and has snagged the support of Chuy García and other key endorsements, but some question her values (or see her use of the Encanto font as deeply sinister).
Here are four ways you can get a better sense of who best fits the bill:
Identify your current alder and who’s running against them using the TRiiBE’s ward lookup tool.
Find an aldermanic forum happening near you to get a quick read on how candidates compare and what others in the community think of them. These forums are typically hosted by community groups and publicized on social media and other local news sources.
Dig into what your current alder has been up to, both in City Hall and around the ward. Chicago Councilmatic allows you to explore key stats like how many years they’ve been in office, what legislation they’ve sponsored and whether they’re affiliated with a political caucus. Local news coverage, social media and other sources of information in your community can also add to the picture (just be aware of when unfair bias may creep in).
Check out who supports who. Endorsements (or the lack thereof) from public officials, labor unions and other political organizations can tell you a lot about a candidate’s track record and values (props to whoever edited this Wikipedia article to put that info in one place). Money also talks; you can search a candidate on Illinois Sunshine to see who’s contributed to their campaign.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to the Documenters Newswire, where each Friday leading up to the Feb. 28 municipal elections, we will break down a different issue on the ballot.
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