210 people filed petitions to run for an aldermanic seat. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

A total of 210 candidates filed petition signatures to run for an aldermanic seat across the city’s 50 wards and Monday marks the final day to file objections to get any of the City Council hopefuls kicked off the 2023 municipal ballot. 

And while this year’s more than 200 candidates may seem like a large number of people running for any office, it’s almost the exact average of the number of aldermanic candidates who filed petitions to run in the past four municipal elections. Still, with a big swath of alderman retiring at the end of this term or running for mayor, some say they expected this year’s aldermanic pool to be higher. 

The City Council Committee on Housing and Real Estate is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Monday to consider the sale of four city-owned parcels and the acquisition of properties in the 3rd Ward. 

Members of the City Council Committee on Finance during a meeting Thursday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

Black and Latino Chicagoans are denied mortgage loans at higher rates than white residents, and aldermen are pushing the city to take more drastic actions to penalize banks that engaging in such inequitable lending while also holding city assets.  

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas speaks to the Cook County Finance Committee on Oct. 25. [Cook County Board of Commissioners Livestream]

As property tax bills begin to hit Cook County taxpayers’ mailboxes, an analysis from the Cook County Treasurer’s Office found that while most property owners saw their taxes increase, the impact is uneven between residential and commercial payers. The office released a study Thursday which shows some gentrifying Latino communities experienced dramatic spikes in their bills, increasing as much as 46 percent, sparking worries about existing residents being priced out. 

“There are still inequities in our property tax system and we need to straighten it out,” Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said in a news release Dec. 1. 

The City Council Committees on Budget and Government Operations and Finance will hold meetings Thursday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line] 

The City Council Committee on Finance is set to meet at 9 a.m. Thursday for a subject matter hearing on municipal depositories. Aldermen will also hear an update on the city’s Workers’ Compensation program. 

Aldermen during the Zoning Committee meeting Tuesday. [City of Chicago livestream] 

Aldermen gave an initial OK to a proposal to build a 63-unit affordable housing development in Lincoln Square near the CTA’s Western Brown Line train station. 

Several questions about the Chicago Police Department’s overhaul of its controversial gang database remained unanswered after a three-hour meeting Monday where representatives from the police department, Office of Inspector General and the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) discussed the proposed changes.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Monday filed her petitions to run for reelection. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

Monday marked the close of the window for candidates to file petitions to get on the 2023 municipal ballot, and by the end of the day 11 people filed petition signatures to run for mayor. 

Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady, left, sat for a hearing before the City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations Monday [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line] 

Chicago Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady said more money is needed to fulfill the goals of a proposed resolution that calls for the establishment of a citywide African American HIV/AIDS Response Fund. 

Members of the Zoning Committee on Tuesday will consider a proposal for a 63-unit affordable development in Lincoln Square. [City of Chicago] 

A proposal to build a 63-unit affordable housing development in Lincoln Square could come one step closer to reality Tuesday if it nets approval from a key City Council committee.  

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards will consider the proposal during its 10 a.m. meeting in City Council chambers, marking the first time the committee is set to meet in person since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin both filed their petitions Monday to run for reelection. And five incumbent aldermen won’t face challengers next year. 

Ald. Ed Burke (14) during a City Council meeting. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

After more than 50 years on the Chicago City Council, Ald. Ed Burke (14) will not run for reelection next year.  

Burke did not file petition signatures by Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline for candidates seeking to run for election next year, Chicago Board of Elections spokesperson Max Bever told reporters Monday evening.  

Burke, who is the longest serving alderman on the Chicago City Council, was indicted in 2019 on 14 counts including bribery, attempted extortion and racketeering. 

Chicago Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady speaks during a press conference [File] 

The City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations will hear an update on the city’s COVID-19 response from Public Health Comm. Allison Arwady and discuss funding citywide programs to fight HIV and AIDS among the city’s Black population during a Monday meeting. 

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability along with representatives from the police department and the city’s inspector general will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the police department’s proposed overhaul of its controversial gang database.

Candidates wait to file petition signatures on Monday. [Erin Hegarty/The Daily Line]

More than 120 people have filed petitions to run for alderman in the city’s 50 wards ahead of the Feb. 28 election.