2023 Endorsements
The 40th Ward Democrats are committed to a transparent and inclusive endorsement process. Each person on the General Candidates Recommendation Subcommittee is a Member of the 40th Ward Democratic Organization. On December 3, candidates running for Mayor of Chicago, 40th Ward Alderperson, and Police District Board Members of the 20th and 24th Police Districts spoke with in front of the committee. Two mayoral candidates submitted written answers to questions that were provided by the Committee.
You may see the submitted questionnaires by each candidate here:
POLICE DISTRICT COMMUNITY BOARD MEMBER
Committeewoman Maggie O’Keefe and the 40th Ward Democrats are proud to endorse the following candidates for the 2023 Municipal Elections:
MAYOR OF CHICAGO
UNDECIDED
Message from Committeeperson O’Keefe: The committee went round and round on the endorsement for Mayor of Chicago. This job is certainly not a job anyone can take on. There are candidates that simply do not fit our values as a community/political organization. There are others that do not have the experience in governance or the campaign apparatus to make it past Election Day on Feb. 28. And to those candidates, we wish you the best and would hope you make the decision to leave the race.
It is inevitable that there will be a runoff election on April 4. It is nearly a guarantee that this will be a low turnout election where only the informed and available will cast a ballot.
Mayor Lightfoot had one of the toughest jobs at the onset of COVID-19 and the civil unrest after the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in the Spring of 2020. The question that continued to come up was two-fold: Did the Mayor stand up during these two challenges and would any candidates have met this moment any differently if they were Mayor.
We came to an Undecided decision because we know the weight of an endorsement and how it resonates for the community. As one of the only ward organizations left who have an endorsement process, we do not make any decision because of political expediency.
In 2019, voters were inspired to vote for the aspirations of the candidates running. In 2023, we are looking beyond aspiration and voters want to see concrete plans of how to get the job done as the Mayor of the 3rd largest city in the country. We find that even when sitting down with the candidates and reading their questionnaires submitted, we need to see more from these candidates. Our intention is to make an endorsement in the runoff following the February 28 election.
Questionnaires for all mayoral candidates can be found here
CITY CLERK (unchallenged)
Anna Valencia
CITY TREASURER (unchallenged)
Melissa Conyears-Ervin
40th WARD ALDERPERSON
ANDRE VASQUEZ
Message from Committeewoman O’Keefe: With a guaranteed 16 new alderpeople entering City Hall in May 2023, and the potential for even more seasoned alderpeople ousted, it will be important to have someone representing the ward that is not an incoming freshman to ensure city services are being deployed to our community. I encourage Ald. Vasquez to continue to build in-roads with community members and City Hall colleagues to pass progressive legislation that aligns with our collected community voice.
To the other candidates, I applaud you for your courage to run. It has been a pleasure getting to know you. You’ve maintained your integrity throughout the process and it does not go unnoticed.
Questionnaires from all aldermanic candidates can be found here.
19th POLICE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS
(up to three)
JULIE KAVIAR
DEMERIKE (DEMI) PALECEK
SAM SCHOENBURG
Message from Committeewoman O’Keefe: We were extremely impressed by the candidate pool for the 19th Police District. The 40th Ward only holds a sliver of the 19th Police District, but we know crime does not know invisible ward boundaries. We believe this group would be a great trifecta - Julie with her background in government and PR, Demi with her former military background and personal history of reform, and Sam with his law degree and overall vision for this new democracy.
Questionnaires for the 19th Police District Council can be found here.
20th POLICE DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBERS
(up to three)
ANNA RUBIN
Message from Commiteewoman O’Keefe: The 20th District makes up the majority of the 40th Ward. We were disappointed that we did not to hear from all five candidates running for this position.
We find Anna was a standout and support her run for the Police District Council. Her answers both in her questionnaire and during our endorsement session were thoughtful and concise. Anna clearly thought about this position beyond the one-a-month community meeting and that instilling trust in the community in this role would take time. We look forward to seeing what Anna does in this role.
One other candidate came in front of us for the position. The committee believes being a full time staffer in the alderman’s office is a conflict of interest.
Questionnaires for the 20th Police District Council can be found here.
Outside the ward endorsements
Aida Flores - 25th Ward Alderperson
Denali Dasgupta - 39th Ward Alderperson
Andre Peloquin - 48th Ward Alderperson
Mueze Bawany - 50th Ward Alderperson
(click on their image to go to their website)
