The City Council confirmed Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada as the new alderperson of the 35th Ward on Monday.
Mayor Brandon Johnson chose Quezada to fill the vacancy after tapping former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa to lead the Chicago Park District in February. Quezada took his seat in the council chambers Monday afternoon to rousing applause from family, friends, fellow Cook County commissioners, and members of the 35th Ward Independent Political Organization.
“Growing up, 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, which have impacted my family,” Quezada said after taking the oath of office. “The 35th Ward and city of Chicago are made up of diverse communities and families where we share common values and concerns. Inspired by the diversity and values of our neighborhoods, I’ve always believed that we can have an elected leadership that does work to advance our shared compassionate values.”
A Logan Square native and progressive protege of Ramirez-Rosa, Quezada previously worked as his constituent services director in the 35th ward. In 2022, Quezada ran as a socialist for the Cook County Board’s 8th District and won 54 percent of the 35th ward, becoming the county’s first openly gay Latino commissioner.
Though Quezada received the majority of votes needed for his appointment, the newly minted alderperson also met pushback from some council members who seized upon a decade-old tweet he had sent that used a racial slur. Quezada, who at twenty-nine will become one of the youngest members of City Council, was a teenager at the time he sent the tweet.
The post resurfaced shortly after Quezada announced his intention to seek the 35th ward seat. On March 7, he posted an apology statement on the social media site X (formerly Twitter).
“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.”
That apology didn’t satisfy Ald. David Moore (17th Ward) who argued that there was a difference in apologizing for writing the tweet versus saying the word.
“If I was to have an opportunity to have an affair with Beyonce and Jay-Z catch me and shoot me in my behind, and people say to me, ‘Alderman, How do you feel about this?’ Well, I regret being in that hotel room with Beyonce. I regret that Jay- Z came in there,” Moore said. “But you’re never going to say ‘I’m sorry for sleeping with Beyonce.’”
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, (20th Ward), who represents the Woodlawn community, acknowledged the slur still held power and that she was offended by it. However, she expressed faith in Quezada moving forward.
“Shouldn’t have never been on social media, but it is what it is,” Taylor said. “But him saying those words, don’t make me think you’re gonna vote against my interests. Don’t think I won’t have an ally in here. Don’t think that you won’t vote for things that are great for my community.”
Quezada was ultimately approved by a vote of 32–11. Alds. Brian Hopkins (2nd), Anthony Beale (9th), Desmon Yancy (5th), Raymond Lopez (15th), Moore, Silvana Tabares (23rd), Felix Cardona (31st), Gilbert Villegas (36th), Brendan Reilly (42nd), Jim Gardiner (45th), and Debra Silverstein (50th) voted against.
Quezada’s appointment hit a snag earlier in the day when some of its opponents argued during a rules committee hearing that freshman alders should not inherit their predecessor’s committee appointments. Quezada was slated to take over Ramirez-Rosa’s positions on the powerful budget and zoning committees.
When Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), suggested that the committee assignments should be handed out based on seniority, his comments set off a flurry of confusion and political jockeying in the council chambers. Ald. Beale took the opportunity to request a seat on the budget committee, contending that his twenty-six years in City Council gave him the right to serve on the influential body. Rules Chair Michelle Harris (8th Ward) countered Beale, noting that when she was appointed in 2006, she took on her predecessor’s appointments on the budget and zoning committees.
The sound and fury was all for naught when Harris ultimately added Beale to the budget committee. Beale later told reporters that move signaled that the Johnson administration didn’t have the votes to keep him off the committee.
The brief attempt at committee musical chairs came in the wake of rumors that Johnson was considering dethroning three progressive council members from their chairmanships. A week before Quezada’s appointment vote, Crain’s Chicago Business reported Johnson’s top staff were discussing removing Alds. Andre Vaquez (40th Ward), Maria Hadden (49th) and Matt Martin (47th) from their leadership positions on the immigration, environmental protection, and ethics committees, respectively.
Before Monday’s vote, Hadden told reporters that the mayor’s top legislative aide, Kennedy Bartley, gave the three alders assurances that the reassignments wouldn’t happen. Moving the committee assignments would have required a vote in council and Hadden said she believed the mayor would not have had enough support. Still, she expressed more concern over whether there had been any discussion at all about reshuffling the chairmanships. Even after speaking with Bartley, Hadden said it wasn’t clear to her whether those conversations had occurred.
“I don’t know that we reached that understanding, but I think we’re close enough to move forward,” Hadden said.
Bartley, meanwhile, tried to quell the simmering controversy on Monday.
“I really haven’t spent much time concerning myself with any of the interpersonal rumors and drama. I have a lot of respect for those three alderpeople. [I’ve] been fortunate enough to have conversations with all of them,” Bartley said. “I think that we’re on the same page. I think we all share in our desire to just move forward because the city is depending on it and there’s a lot of real work to do.”
Following his first gaggle with reporters as an alderperson, Quezada joked that he had received both congratulations and condolences as he stepped into City Council. The new council member is leaving a more collegial body in Cook County and filling the shoes of a controversial predecessor.
Once a rising star in the city’s progressive movement, Ramirez-Rosa’s quick ascent to Johnson’s floor leader and the Zoning Committee chair plummeted after council members accused him of bullying his colleagues, including an alleged attempt to physically block Ald. Emma Mitts from entering the chambers during a controversial vote. Ramirez-Rosa apologized to Mitts on the council floor, and in November 2023, he resigned from both his leadership positions.
“My approach to getting things done has always been building coalitions both with internal government partners and external government partners,” Ramirez-Rosa told the Weekly. “Ultimately as you work to build coalitions, you’re going to make mistakes. You’re not always going to get everything right. But the important part is to own those mistakes and to seek to make amends. And that’s what I did in November in 2023. And I’m really grateful to have mended a lot of those relationships and continue to work towards bringing people together for the collective advancement of our entire city.”
Asked how he would conduct himself in the City Council, Quezada emphasized his cooperative nature.
“Collaboration, communication, and listening to each other is extremely important. It’s a core tenet to the way that I lead, and that’s how I plan on leading as well,” Quezada said. “I’ve had fantastic conversations with the majority of the City Council, and I’ve heard the concerns that folks communicated today, and I plan to make sure that we’re always working together, that we are always collaborating and communicating.”
Leigh Giangreco is a freelance reporter based in Chicago. You can follow her work on Twitter/X @LeighGiangreco and at leighgiangreco.com.
