Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is a lifelong Chicagoan who has served as our Alderman since May 2015. Carlos has been one of the most outspoken progressive leaders in the city and has stood up to Rahm Emanuel, City Council leadership, and special interests to address community concerns from economic policy to police reform.

Carlos has:

• Passed more than 541 ordinances dealing with such issues as property tax relief for working-class families, protection of immigrant communities, and protecting the rights of people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender.
• Responded to over 25,000 local issues dealing with potholes, streetlight issues, rodent problems, and graffiti removal.
• Brought major improvements to every community of our ward:
  • a new playground in Hermosa,
  • a new library with senior citizen affordable housing in Irving Park,
  • a new boutique hotel with $17 an hour jobs in Logan Square,
  • a multi-family affordable housing development at the border of Irving Park and Albany Park,
  • a new Belmont Blue Line train station in Avondale, and
  • a new First Nations community garden on city-owned land in Albany park - just to name a few.
• Fought to address our unfair and broken property tax system. Carlos voted against Mayor Emanuel's massive property tax increase and then fought for and won $20 million in property tax relief for our most vulnerable families.
• Stood up to big landlords in Albany Park and Logan Square displacing families from our ward.
• Led the way in inclusive, transparent, and democratic local decision making. Through Community-Driven Zoning and Development process and Participatory Budgeting, Carlos has put local zoning and budgetary decisions in the hands of ward residents. Carlos' zoning process now serves as a model other communities are seeking to emulate to ensure local residents, not deep-pocketed and connected developers, are driving the decisions that will impact Chicago for generations to come.

Carlos supports:

• increasing the minimum wage to $15-an-hour,
• passing legislation to stabilize rents and make sure people can afford to stay in the community,
• addressing public safety by enacting strong police reform legislation and investing in education, job training, and mental health services.

Working with grassroots community organizations from across Chicago, Carlos has put forward a bold progressive vision that will:

• tax the rich,
• fully fund our public schools,
• address public safety,
• strengthen protections for immigrants,
• make sure people can afford to stay in their homes,
• and end regressive taxation.

Read the entire platform "A Progressive Platform to Take Back Chicago in 2018" by clicking here.

With the departure of Mayor Emanuel, and with Carlos' continued role as one of our city's most outspoken progressive leaders, we now have an opportunity to move forward this bold progressive vision that will ensure we have a City Hall that works for the many, not just a rich and powerful few.