Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada was sworn in as 35th Ward alderman on April 7, filling the vacancy left by former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa when he left to lead the Chicago Park District.
An openly gay man, Quezada is now one of nine members that make up City Council’s LGBTQ+ Caucus, which Ramirez-Rosa also sat on.
Ramirez-Rosa, along with Quezada’s friends and family, surrounded Quezada as he was sworn into office. The new alderman stopped to give each one of them a hug and kiss on the cheek before taking his first steps to his seat in City Council Chambers. Quezada shook hands with every alderperson he passed along the way.
City Council voted 32-11 to confirm Quezada’s appointment. Naysayers included Ald. David Moore (17th Ward), who raised concerns about Quezada’s use of the N-word in a 2014 social media post, and Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward), who also sits on the LGBTQ+ Caucus.
Addressing his new colleagues in his acceptance speech, Quezada said he looks forward to “building meaningful relationships and collaborating to meet our diverse needs.”
“And to the people of the 35th Ward, know that I will be an alderman who listens, organizes and governs alongside you,” Quezada said.
Quezada has represented the area as Cook County Commissioner since 2022, when he made history as the first openly gay Latino elected to the board. An appointment process will begin soon to fill Quezada’s former seat on the Cook County Board.
Before being elected commissioner, Quezada served as Ramirez-Rosa’s constituent service director and a 35th Ward Democratic committeeman.
But Quezada’s ties to the 35th Ward run deeper. He was born and raised in Logan Square by his parents, working-class immigrants who moved to the area from Mexico and Costa Rica. This upbringing inspired Quezada’s work as a politician, he said.
“I learned from my parents and our neighbors that a community can thrive when people from diverse backgrounds care for each other, even under challenging economic circumstances and poverty, like which impacted my family.”
Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th Ward) highlighted Quezada’s track record as a community organizer and politician to express her support for his confirmation. She said Quezada has helped constituents in her ward by offering support for property tax appeals and organizing students’ field trips to the forest preserve.
“He has been nothing but a great partner, bringing every single resource that the county has to offer residents across my ward,” Fuentes said.
Much of the conversation before Quezada’s confirmation centered on a 10-year-old tweet he posted while in high school that used a racial slur. Quezada has deleted and addressed the tweet, stating it “does not reflect my values or character.” But some members of City Council said his response was insufficient.
“Please don’t spit in my face and then tell me it’s raining,” Moore said. “That’s the way I felt about the apology.”
Quezada has met privately with City Council’s Black Caucus to address the issue. Several Black alderpeople also said Quezada’s apology was sufficient, including Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th Ward), who called it a “teachable moment” and highlighted Quezada’s support from leaders like Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.
“Our young people need to understand what they say is important and it lives with you,” Robinson said. “And so you’ve apologized, and I believe I know where your heart is because of the people behind you.”
Connie Hernandez, a 35th Ward resident, attended the City Council meeting to share his support for Quezada’s appointment.
Hernandez spoke about growing up as a trans person and watching his other queer friends struggle with mental health, access to health care and housing. He said Quezada—a queer Latino man from a working-class family—has the life experience needed to understand and address these issues.
“Anthony understands that the odds are against us and that any liberties we have today are hard won by people who did not have those liberties,” Hernandez said.
Robert Castillo, a lifelong LGBTQ+ and Latinx activist and Logan Square community organizer, also attended to show his support for Quezada and spoke on the significance of his representation in City Council.
“I remember the day when there was no such representation on this council,” Castillo said. “We’ve come a long way in terms of LGBTQ+ visibility, equality and life, but we’re still not there and we’re in a tumultuous time. Representation matters, [and] Anthony has been a strong voice for our community.”
