Latest news with #Ramirez-Rosa
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Democrats pick new Cook County Board member for NW Side seat
Rounding out a series of promotions for 35th Ward progressives, Democrats from Chicago's Northwest Side appointed Jessica Vásquez to fill a vacancy on the Cook County Board for the next 18 months. The shuffle started when Mayor Brandon Johnson elevated Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from the Chicago City Council to become CEO of the Chicago Park District. Johnson then tapped Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada to replace Ramirez-Rosa on the City Council last month. Vásquez will replace Quezada representing the 8th District on the county board. Ramirez-Rosa's former chief of staff at City Hall, Vásquez was a frontrunner for the county post from the moment Ramirez-Rosa kicked off the musical chairs by taking the Park District job. She beat out four other applicants during a Sunday meeting at Avondale-Logandale Elementary School of Democratic committeepeople whose wards overlap with the 8th district. As 35th Ward Democratic committeeman, Ramirez-Rosa led the selection process. Vásquez drummed up support from several progressive allies and local organizations heading into the process and was greeted by applause and cheers as she spoke at Sunday's meeting. After candidate interviews concluded, Quezada said he was 'proud that this community, this movement, has nominated Jessica Vásquez,' and shot back at critics who complained progressives were 'installing their own person.' 'They didn't say that when they installed a state representative or the former state senator. They didn't say it then. They had every opportunity to organize a community-led process this time around,' Quezada said. She beat out Logan Laurie, who founded a nonprofit to fix up urban skateparks and now works as a staff assistant to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; Ray Doeksen, a designer and retired Army captain; Joanne Fehn, a bureau chief in the Illinois Attorney General's Office; and Enrique Morales, a policy researcher and founder of an arts nonprofit. Morales was the only other candidate to receive final votes, from 1st Ward committeeperson Laura Yepes, 31st Ward committeeperson Felix Cardona, and a proxy for 36th Ward committeeman Gilbert Villegas. Vásquez is the first woman to represent the 8th District on the county board, according to a release announcing her appointment, and also tilts the 17-member board to be majority women for the first time. 'I'm deeply humbled and grateful to the Committeepeople and community members who placed their trust in me,' Vásquez said in the release. Vásquez was born and raised in Belmont Cragin and lives in Logan Square. She studied political science and social sciences at DePaul and the University of Chicago, worked for three years as an external relations associate for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and began working for Ramirez-Rosa in 2017. Her most recent position was running the City Council's Zoning Committee. She intends to run for the county seat in the 2026 election, according to a release. In her application to the appointment committee, Vásquez said her focus would include 'advocating for property tax reform to prevent working families from being displaced, protecting and fully funding our Cook County Health hospitals and clinics, and practicing collaborative governance by working hand-in-hand with elected officials and community organizations to ensure that policies are rooted in the needs and priorities of the people we serve.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ramirez-Rosa, as new Park District chief, pledges to work to keep Bears on lakefront, address district summer camp ‘hunger games'
Former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa laid out his plans for leading the Chicago Park District Wednesday, promising to work to help keep the Bears on the lakefront and to try to get people living in tents into housing before the city kicks them out of a Northwest Side park. After focusing on a handful of Northwest Side neighborhoods on the City Council, Ramirez-Rosa as Park District CEO now manages a $600 million budget, 615 parks and high-stakes events like Lollapalooza, NASCAR and Riot Fest, not to mention continued negotiations around the Bears' future at Soldier Field, which the district also owns. Ramirez-Rosa didn't touch on hot topics like the Bears or the future of NASCAR's downtown race during his interview in front of a downtown lunch crowd with City Club of Chicago CEO Dan Gibbons. But he did promise to address the 'hunger games' of summer park district camp registration for next year, spread improvements to park facilities equitably, and ensure the district is not 'criminalizing poverty' when it responds to encampments in city parks. Ramirez-Rosa told reporters after the event that he had an 'introductory phone call' with Bears CEO Kevin Warren and said he is 'committed to being a good partner' to the team while voicing his support for Mayor Brandon Johnson's hopes for a domed stadium along the lakefront. He volunteered for 'whatever role I can play' to help get the project off the ground. 'The proposal that was put forward ensures a net increase in public outdoor green space along the lakefront, and that's a good thing,' Ramirez-Rosa told reporters of the domed stadium plan, which faces opposition from the advocacy group Friends of the Parks and indifference from state lawmakers. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Warren announced their joint domed vision plans almost exactly a year ago. Warren, meanwhile, has not abandoned downtown plans, but kept his options open to move the team to Arlington Heights. Those plans have so far gone nowhere in Springfield, which would need to authorize borrowing to fund the construction of a new stadium and likely additional funding for road and park work around it. Still, Ramirez-Rosa said he is 'hopeful that Springfield will work with the city, with the Park District, and with the Bears to make this deal a reality.' He declined to say whether he and Warren had discussed an extension of the Bears' current lease and was similarly mum on NASCAR's future in the city. The current contract doesn't call for any races beyond 2025. Ramirez-Rosa only said he hoped 'to be able to share those details when they're ready to be shared.' Ramirez-Rosa also said he had visited the tent encampment at Gompers Park during his first week on the job. Some families with kids playing in a baseball league in the park had called for a clear-out, prompting heated debates over safety and spurring the city and park officials to try connecting those tent residents with housing. Ramirez-Rosa said the district 'identified areas within the park that are not impacted by programming, planned capital infrastructure work or flooding… where individuals could temporarily relocate to while we work to connect them with housing.' 'If we are pushing people out of the park and not getting them into housing, then we are just shuffling where people are camping at,' Ramirez-Rosa said. The district hopes to 'get as many people as possible into housing prior to May 12,' when park enforcement efforts will begin. Despite his lack of prior executive experience, Ramirez-Rosa, a progressive ally and appointee of Mayor Brandon Johnson, will earn $253,000 a year, the same salary as his predecessor, Rosa Escareno. According to his contract, received through an open records request, Ramirez-Rosa is also entitled to a Park District car or a $500 monthly car allowance and may be 'required to undergo continuing education in topics such as Managing Personnel Policies, Creating A Respectful Workplace and other such topics that help drive employee morale and conduct' and 'may avail himself' of other continuing education opportunities. Failure 'to complete continuing education as required by the Board' could result in termination for 'just cause,' according to the contract. Ramirez-Rosa said the professional development language in the contract was 'pretty standard,' and added he is 'committed to participating in fellowships and other trainings… I'm a lifelong learner, so I'm very happy that my contract' includes language to ensure it. The deal runs through the end of Johnson's first term in the spring of 2027. Escareno did not have a contract, the Park District confirmed, but prior Superintendent Mike Kelly did. Kelly's agreement, WBEZ reported at the time, made it costly for the board to terminate him despite the sexual misconduct scandal that engulfed the Park District in 2021, because he was guaranteed eight months of pay after he was fired. Ramirez-Rosa's contract provides a much smaller, three-month pay period after termination.
Chicago Tribune
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Ramirez-Rosa pledges to work to keep Bears on lakefront, address Park District summer camp ‘hunger games'
Former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa laid out his plans for leading the Chicago Park District Wednesday, promising to work to help keep the Bears on the lakefront and to try to get people living in tents into housing before the city kicks them out of a Northwest Side park. After focusing on a handful of Northwest Side neighborhoods on the City Council, Ramirez-Rosa now manages a $600 million budget, 615 parks, and high stakes events like Lollapalooza, NASCAR, and Riot Fest as Park District CEO, not to mention continued negotiations around the Bears' future at Soldier Field, which the district also owns. Ramirez-Rosa didn't touch on hot topics like the Bears or the future of NASCAR's downtown race during his interview in front of a downtown lunch crowd with City Club of Chicago CEO Dan Gibbons. But he did promise to address the 'hunger games' of summer park district camp registration for next year, spread improvements to park facilities equitably, and ensure the district is not 'criminalizing poverty' when it responds to encampments in city parks. Ramirez-Rosa told reporters after the event that he had an 'introductory phone call' with Bears CEO Kevin Warren and said he is 'committed to being a good partner' to the team while voicing his support for Mayor Brandon Johnson's hopes for a domed stadium along the lakefront. He volunteered for 'whatever role I can play' to help get the project off the ground. 'The proposal that was put forward ensures a net increase in public outdoor green space along the lakefront, and that's a good thing,' Ramirez-Rosa told reporters of the domed stadium plan, which faces opposition from the advocacy group Friends of the Parks and indifference from state lawmakers. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Warren announced their joint domed vision plans almost exactly a year ago. Warren, meanwhile, has not abandoned downtown plans, but kept his options open to move the team to Arlington Heights. Those plans have so far gone nowhere in Springfield, which would need to authorize borrowing to fund the construction of a new stadium and likely additional funding for road and park work around it. Still, Ramirez-Rosa said he is 'hopeful that Springfield will work with the city, with the Park District, and with the Bears to make this deal a reality.' He declined to say whether he and Warren had discussed an extension of the Bears' current lease and was similarly mum on NASCAR's future in the city. The current contract doesn't call for any races beyond 2025. Ramirez-Rosa only said he hoped 'to be able to share those details when they're ready to be shared.' Ramirez-Rosa also said he had visited the tent encampment at Gompers Park during his first week on the job. Some families with kids playing in a baseball league in the park had called for a clear-out, prompting heated debates over safety and spurring the city and park officials to try connecting those tent residents with housing. Ramirez-Rosa said the district 'identified areas within the park that are not impacted by programming, planned capital infrastructure work or flooding… where individuals could temporarily relocate to while we work to connect them with housing.' 'If we are pushing people out of the park and not getting them into housing, then we are just shuffling where people are camping at,' Ramirez-Rosa said. The district hopes to 'get as many people as possible into housing prior to May 12,' when park enforcement efforts will begin. Despite his lack of prior executive experience, Ramirez-Rosa, a progressive ally and appointee of Mayor Brandon Johnson, will earn $253,000 a year, the same salary as his predecessor, Rosa Escareno. According to his contract, received through an open records request, Ramirez-Rosa is also entitled to a Park District car or a $500 monthly car allowance and may be 'required to undergo continuing education in topics such as Managing Personnel Policies, Creating A Respectful Workplace and other such topics that help drive employee morale and conduct' and 'may avail himself' of other continuing education opportunities. Failure 'to complete continuing education as required by the Board' could result in termination for 'just cause,' according to the contract. Ramirez-Rosa said the professional development language in the contract was 'pretty standard,' and added he is 'committed to participating in fellowships and other trainings… I'm a lifelong learner, so I'm very happy that my contract' includes language to ensure it. The deal runs through the end of Johnson's first term in the spring of 2027. Escareno did not have a contract, the Park District confirmed, but prior Superintendent Mike Kelly did. Kelly's agreement, WBEZ reported at the time, made it costly for the board to terminate him despite the sexual misconduct scandal that engulfed the Park District in 2021, because he was guaranteed eight months of pay after he was fired. Ramirez-Rosa's contract provides a much smaller, three-month pay period after termination.
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Chicago City Council approves Anthony Quezada as 35th Ward alderman in special meeting
The Chicago City Council approved Mayor Brandon Johnson's pick to be the next 35th Ward alderman at a special meeting Monday. Alderman Anthony Quezada was all smiles after being confirmed in the special council meeting Monday afternoon. He replaces Carols Ramirez-Rosa as the representative for the Northwest Side ward. Quezada was one of two candidates interviewed by the mayor's search committee, which included several 35th Ward community leaders. Five people applied for the job, but only two submitted complete applications – Quezada and Daniel Tobon, an entrepreneur and Army veteran. The hearing was surprisingly contentious. Eleven councilmembers voted against Quezada's confirmation, objecting to the plum assignments on the budget and finance committee he will inhering from his predecessor. Ramirez-Rosa stepped down as alderman last month after Johnson chose him as the new head of the Chicago Park District . Before he was elected as a Cook County Commissioner in 2022, Quezada served for six years as Ramirez-Rosa's constituent service director. He was also the 35th Ward Democratic Committeeman from 2020 to 2022. Quezada was the youngest and first openly gay Latino to be elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners when he was elected in 2022.
CBS News
02-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson picks Anthony Quezada as next 35th Ward alderman
Mayor Brandon Johnson has picked Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada to replace Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as the new alderman of the 35th Ward on the Northwest Side. Quezada was one of two candidates interviewed by the mayor's search committee, which included several 35th Ward community leaders. Five people applied for the job, but only two submitted complete applications – Quezada and Daniel Tobon, an entrepreneur and Army veteran. "I am honored to receive this appointment to represent the people of the 35th Ward as our next alderman," Quezada said in a statement. "Our neighborhoods deserve bold, principled leadership, and I am ready to continue building a ward and city that prioritizes working families, strengthens public services, and empowers our neighbors." Ramirez-Rosa stepped down as alderman last month after Johnson chose him as the new head of the Chicago Park District. The move to replace Ramirez-Rosa with Quezada is no surprise. Before he was elected as a Cook County Commissioner in 2022, Quezada served for six years as Ramirez-Rosa's constituent service director. He was also the 35th Ward Democratic Committeeman from 2020 to 2022. Quezada was the youngest and first openly gay Latino to be elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners when he was elected in 2022. The mayor praised Quezada for a number of progressive initiatives during his time on the county board, including passage of the county's paid leave ordinance, which requires most employers in the Cook County suburbs to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave per year. "The 35th Ward deserves a progressive champion with a proven track record to lead in this moment," Johnson said in a statement. "Anthony is a lifelong Chicagoan who embodies the values of the 35th Ward, and I have no doubt that he will be a tremendous advocate for his community." Quezada must be confirmed by the City Council, and the mayor has scheduled a special meeting for Monday to consider Quezada's appointment.
