City Council Shaped In New Light With New Candidates

To be in politics, these days, is to demand a whole lotta something out of the world while the whole world demands something outta you. And currently, that’s what the Windy City city council is dealing with as substitutes run rampant down the halls..

Just last December, Mueze Bawany had been the undefeated challenger, aimed at removing 50th Ward incumbent Ald. Debra Silverstein from the throne.

Bawany was a certain candidate who had an inch on the game. He would’ve been even more welcomed if no one knew who she was. But as life would have it, there was already a groan from the public. “This guy.”

Bawany is a public schools teacher from Pakistan who basically grew up in West Ridge. He’s on leave to campaign against three-term incumbent Silverstein.

He so far has garnered endorsements from the Chicago Teachers Union, United Working Families and even the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America. Beyond that however, Bawany represents the new class of progressive candidates. And they’re jumping with joy to insert a new policy in City Council.

However, 16 empty seats in the Chicago City Council are on the radar for Progressives and others.

Any conservative would agree with their more liberal counterparts when the record shows how making friends, in-House, is just as crucial as it is to win seats. There’s a hope that indie-minded City Council discourse would keep the movement of Chicago fresh and without boundaries or limitations.

What about this Progressive Movement in the City Council?

Way back in 2019, five self-identified Democratic Socialists had earlier made history with their election to the City Council, by joining 35th Ward Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who in specific had been elected in 2015 by being the first-ever and then-sole member of the Democratic Socialists of America in council.

By then, some of the political organizations, like United Working Families, had seen a number of successes by getting issues socialists care about passed.

In that instance, the mental health providers of Chicago had started a program that would make it easier to respond to 9-1-1 calls. This is all thanks to the socialist caucus member Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, 33rd Ward, while the program can’t quite extend as far as some members would like.

Progressive Aldermen had been limited for a long time. While separated, both socialist and progressive caucuses still have around 18 members, ten more than is needed to pass legislation on the council. There’s much anticipation of $500,000 to be spent upwards to 18 aldermanic races by plenty of political organizations.

Among those aldermanic candidates, Vicko Alvarez ran against the two-term incumbent, Lopez, from the 15th Ward. Among them are plenty of other Latina candidates who run in wards neighboring her’s on the Southwest Side.