Mayor Brandon Johnson has called a special City Council meeting for next Monday to confirm his choice of Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada as the new alderperson of the 35th Ward.
Quezada would replace former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, (35th), who spent his first day on the job as Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Tuesday.
Quezada, 29, had no immediate comment about his appointment.
During his weekly City Hall news conference, Johnson said he has “not made any announcement on who” will replace Ramirez-Rosa. However, City Hall sources say Quezada is Johnson’s choice for the job, and that the appointment will be announced Wednesday.
The announcement will come as no surprise. Quezada spent six years as Ramirez-Rosa’s neighborhood services director and was Ramirez-Rosa’s choice.
Chicago mayors have a long history of deferring to the wishes of a retiring City Council member, though they routinely go through the motions of appointing a screening committee.
“Every mayor has enjoyed the responsibility of appointing someone that reflects the values of that particular community. I will do the same,” Johnson said, denying that the screening committee was a rubber stamp.
Ramirez-Rosa was 25 when he was elected to the Council in 2015. He was the youngest Chicago alderperson ever, and the Council’s first Democratic Socialist. He departs as the dean of a seven-member Democratic Socialist Caucus.
In a statement announcing his candidacy, Quezada claimed that the “unique set of hands-on experiences” he gained on Ramirez-Rosa’s staff gave him a “deep knowledge of city services, legislative processes and the everyday needs” of Logan Square residents.
“I oversaw hundreds of infrastructure improvement projects, organized dozens of community events and successfully resolved thousands of constituents service requests,” Quezada wrote.
Quezada’s 2022 election to the Cook County Board made him the board’s first openly gay Latino member. He easily knocked off incumbent Democrat Louis Arroyo Jr. in a five-way primary, then spent a year serving alongside Johnson, a former Cook County commissioner.
“I have spent years organizing at the grassroots level, building coalitions in the 35th Ward and across Chicago’s Northwest Side to uplift working class neighborhoods and advance social and economic justice,” Quezada wrote in his statement of candidacy.
“I have been on the front lines in the fight against housing displacement, the push to build affordable housing, the defense of immigrant families from deportation, the support of striking workers, the advocacy for our neighborhood schools, and the support of our most vulnerable neighbors during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Quezada’s appointment is not without controversy.
During the interview process, Quezada issued a public apology for using the N-word in a 2014 tweet. At the time, he was an 18-year-old high school student.
In the apology, Quezada noted that he promptly deleted the tweet “when it was brought to my attention in 2023,” only to see it resurface in an apparent attempt to derail his candidacy.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express again my deep regret for making that mistake as a high school student and take full responsibility for my tweet,” Quezada wrote.
“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. I am keenly aware of our country’s political moment. We must all be vigilant and oppose all forms of divisiveness and hatred.”
Quezada also met privately with the City Council’s Black Caucus in an attempt to smooth things over at the behest of top mayoral aides.
Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) said he accepts Quezada’s apology even though, “I did not find the need to forgive him.”
“I understand the mistake of his youth in utilizing the word and he has apologized for the use of that word. We all make mistakes — especially in our high school years,” Taliaferro said.
“I believe that his leadership over the last several years in that district speaks for the maturity that he’s gained since that time… He’s grown up to be a very responsible and effective leader. If that’s the person the mayor puts forward, I believe he will be put through.”
During Tuesday’s news conference, Johnson was asked why he needs a special Council meeting to confirm a new 35th Ward alderperson, rather than waiting until the regularly scheduled April 16 meeting.
“We don’t have a lot of time, quite frankly, with all of the attacks that are coming from the federal government as we push back and stand up to the Trump administration,” Johnson said.