Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada is poised to be a frontrunner for outgoing Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa’s seat in the 35th Ward after being endorsed by a prominent community organizing group.
Quezada—the first openly gay Latino elected to the Cook County board—was endorsed by United Neighbors of the 35th Ward during a community meeting and candidate Q&A hosted March 9 at the Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.
More than a hundred neighbors filled the studio to hear from Quezada and two other candidates who were interested in filling the 35th Ward alderman position as Ramirez-Rosa leaves his post March 31 to lead the Chicago Park District.
The other candidates included Geary Yonker, president of the Kosciuszko Park Advisory Council and co-founder of the Logan Square Arts Fest, and Daniel Tobon, a community representative for the Kelvyn Park High School Local School Council and the Veterans Service Officer for the Logan Square – Avondale VFW Post No. 2978.
With 86% of the vote from 137 ballots cast at the meeting, Quezada won the endorsement of the United Neighbors group—and in turn, of Ramirez-Rosa, who promised to support whichever candidate the community chose.
“It’s no secret that as the outgoing 35th Ward alderman, that the mayor will give weight to my opinion in terms of who should continue on in this role,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “I am committed to supporting who the community supports here today because that is part of that commitment to participatory democracy and people power.”
Those endorsements will now go to Mayor Brandon Johnson, who picked Ramirez-Rosa to lead the Chicago Park District last month. Johnson will develop his own recommendation to fill the aldermanic seat, and his nominee will go to City Council for a vote.
“I want to make sure that the mayor and the city of Chicago hear it loud and clear from the 35th Ward that this decision came from the people, for the people and by the people, and god willing, I will continue our work for the people,” Quezada said while accepting the endorsement from the United Neighbors group.
Quezada’s vision for the 35th Ward
Quezada, 29, is a lifelong Chicagoan who grew up in Logan Square and attended Goethe Elementary School and Lane Tech High School.
Before being elected to the Cook County Board in 2022 as its youngest and first openly Gay commissioner, Quezada worked as the Neighborhood Services Director for Ramirez-Rosa and a community organizer with the United Neighbors of the 35th Ward group that endorsed him.
Because of these ties to the neighborhood and its community, Quezada said he was “overwhelmed with joy and emotion” to receive their support.
“This is my home—and not just my physical home, but my political home,” Quezada told Windy City Times. “These are the people that I work and struggle alongside every single day to advance justice, and I’m never going to take that for granted.”
Quezada announced his intent to run for Ramirez-Rosa’s seat shortly after news of the alderman’s transition to the park district broke.
Not long after, a 2014 tweet of Quezada’s containing a racial slur, sparking outrage on social media. Quezada has since apologized for the post, which he made while 18 years old and still in high school.
“That tweet does not reflect my values or character, and I am confident that my time in public service demonstrates my true values, commitment and solidarity in addressing the concerns of Black Chicagoans.”
As a Cook County commissioner, Quezada has worked to provide property tax relief, introduced and passed the county’s paid leave ordinance and secured funding for the Belmont Cragin Health Center to offer dental services, according to his website.
Quezada has also championed immigrants’ rights by working to expand the scope of the Cook County Public Defender to represent undocumented residents in immigration court outside of Chicago. In January, Quezada was among a number of political leaders who canvassed the Northwest Side with Know Your Rights information ahead of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that were brought on by the incoming Donald Trump administration.
“All of my efforts in public services have been driven by a simple yet powerful belief that the guiding principle of government should be to do the greatest good and serve our people,” Quezada said. “That is precisely why I’m seeking governance in our ward.”
If appointed alderman, Quezada would also continue work on the Transfemicide Working Group ordinance introduced by Ald. Ramirez-Rosa, which will convene an advisory group of experts to address fatal violence against transgender women in Chicago. Quezada has already done work on this issue by introducing a resolution in the Cook County Board ensuring that county offices like the sheriff, state’s attorney and medical examiner are cooperating with this process.
“We need to look at this issue holistically to make sure we have real proposals not just at the city level, but also at the county level, to address the crisis of violence towards our trans siblings,” Quezada told Windy City Times.
As alderman, Quezada said he would also champion grassroots initiatives like the 35th Ward’s community-driven zoning and development process, grow the ward’s participatory budget model and push for policies that uplift working people, he said. His priorities would include raising the minimum wage, expanding renters’ rights, building more affordable housing, taxing the rich and improving public transportation.
“Our vision for the 35th Ward is one where everyone, no matter their income or background, has the opportunity to thrive,” Quezada said.
Mayor Johnson’s selection process
While the United Neighbors of the 35th Ward’s recommendation will go to Johnson with Ramirez-Rosa’s support, the mayor has convened a separate committee made of 35th Ward leaders that will also inform his decision to fill the aldermanic vacancy.
The mayor’s office announced March 10 that Ald. Michelle Harris (8th Ward) will chair a committee tasked with reviewing applicants and making recommendations for the new 35th Ward alderman.
The committee is composed of Harris and four local leaders who were selected for their civic expertise, public services, community advocacy and deep ties to the ward. They include Juliet De Jesus Alejandre, executive director of Palenque LSNA; Marcela Reales Visbal, assistant director of the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University; Christian Diaz, director of equitable community development for Palenque LSNA; and Stephen Andrew Schneider, president of Logan Square Preservation.
Anyone interested in applying to fill Ramirez-Rosa’s seat can send their resume and relevant materials to aldermanicvacancy@cityofchicago.org through March 17. The committee will review these applications before giving its recommendations to the mayor.
“The 35th Ward deserves to be represented by a leader who has deep ties to the community and reflects the values of the residents in the 35th Ward,” Johnson said. “I trust that these community leaders will find a suitable candidate to represent the hardworking people of the 35th ward.”
If Quezada is selected, another community process involving the Democratic Party and local independent political organizations would begin to fill his seat on the Cook County Board.