43rd Ward 2019 Aldermanic Election Candidate Previews

CHICAGO — Residents in the 43rd Ward, which includes parts of Lincoln Park and Old Town, will be voting for their top picks for alderman and mayor in the Feb. 26 election. Many voters have already marked their ballots during the early voting period.

Five candidates are trying to unseat 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith, who has held her position for eight years.

The city council is responsible for adopting the city budget and levying taxes. It's also tasked with creating and amending city laws, policies and ordinances.

43rd Ward endorsements

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: Michele Smith
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board: Derek Lindblom

43rd Ward candidates

Michele Smith (i) is a full-time alderman. In 2008, she was elected to serve as Democratic Committeeman of Chicago’s 43rd Ward, and re-elected in 2012. She has also worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago and for Navistar International Corporation. As alderman, she renegotiated the Lincoln Park Hospital Redevelopment to decrease intensity of use on site. Since she assumed office, the number of street lights repaired in the ward has doubled, the number of potholes filled has doubled and the number of sewer cleanings has tripled. Her top priorities for the ward include increasing public safety, acquiring funding for local schools and being a "fiscal watchdog."

Derek Lindblom is a Vice President at 7 wire Ventures, an early stage venture fund. He served in the mayor's office from 2011 to 2014 as the Chief of Staff to the Mayor's Economic Council, in which he worked as the city's lead policy negotiator on pensions from 2013-2014. Lindblom also served as a legislative staffer on the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2003 to 2005 for Sen. Charles Schumer. Lindblom's top priority is solving the city's debt problem.

Leslie Fox leads events at senior homes and founded the public relations firm Fox & Associates. She was executive director of the Chicago Host Committee for the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Democratic National Convention. A mother of four, Fox was formerly the elected chair of the Lincoln Park High School's Local School Council. She also created the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Chicago and developed it into a city-wide event. Leslie's priorities include reducing crime, investing in education and reducing the tax burden on residents.

Jacob Ringer's current occupation is campaigning full time for 43rd Ward alderman. He has served as the chief of staff for the Chief Financial Officer of Chicago and helped create the first Chicago Investors Conference. Ringer has also worked for mHUB, a non-profit manufacturing incubator that's focused on creating jobs. He joined the Lincoln Park Auxiliary Board in 2012 and from 2016 to 2018, he served as president. He's also served Executive Committee of the Center for Economic Progress, the Night Ministry's Associate board and as an advisor for Rags of Honor. Ringer's priorities include lowering crime, cutting red tape for local businesses and boosting the local economy in the ward.

Steven McClellan is the program director and founder of Youth Producers After School Programs, an organization that offers activities to students in lower income neighborhoods. He also ran for 43rd Ward alderman in 2015 as a write-in candidate. McClellan was elected to the Local School Council as a community representative, and is involved with a number of community organizations. He's also spent the past seven years coaching Menomonee Club Basketball and Football teams. His top priorities include neighborhood safety, economic development and education.

Rebecca Janowitz is a lawyer and civil servant. She has worked for Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Public Schools, the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Cook County Justice Advisory Council. Janowitz founded the 57th Street Children's Book Fair and served on the board of Directors of Illinois Citizens Against Handgun Violence. She also served on Local School Councils at Ray Elementary School and Kenwood Academy High School. Her priorities include creating safer and better schools, fully funding pensions, balancing Chicago's budget, creating a fair tax plan and making communities safer.

For more information on voting in the city's municipal election, click here.

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