Ald. Anthony Quezada (35) is pictured during a City Council meeting prior to his confirmation on April 7, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council voted to confirm the appointment of Cook County Comm. Anthony Quezada (D-8) to be the next 35th Ward alderperson at a special meeting Monday, with the young progressive succeeding former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and allowing Mayor Brandon Johnson to maintain a likely favorable vote in that seat for the remainder of his term.

“Anthony's commitment to justice is one that is appreciated and critically valued, and [I’m] confident that he is the right person for the job,” Johnson told reporters after the vote. “I look forward to working with him.” 

The council voted 32-11 to approve Quezada’s appointment to the body and also voted unanimously to approve his committee assignments. Quezada was sworn in at the council meeting following the confirmation vote. 

The vote tally is below 

Quezada, a 29-year-old elected to the county board in 2022, is also a former community organizer, former Cook County Democratic Party committeeperson for the 35th Ward and former constituent services director under Ramirez-Rosa. 

In remarks following his swearing in, Quezada touted his accomplishments on the county board, such as the passage of a paid leave ordinance and expansion of dental services within Cook County Health, and said he’d continue to fight for the working class on the council by helping improve public transit and creating more affordable housing. 

“My work has always been informed by my own and my neighbors’ lived experiences, from families being displaced by rising rents and a lack of affordable housing options, to people sleeping under viaducts or trains, to seniors forced to sell their homes due to increased property taxes,” Quezada said. “From students at our neighborhood schools who don't have the resources they need to succeed and deserve, to the neighbors who can't access mental health care or are forced to choose between medicine and groceries. These are the daily realities many Chicagoans are experiencing.” 

The council confirmed the new alderperson after a rules committee meeting that was drawn out over the committee assignments proposed for Quezada and after some alderpeople said they were dissatisfied with how Quezada addressed social media comments he made more than a decade ago that used the n-word.  

Quezada, who apologized for and deleted the 11-year-old posts between him and a friend when they resurfaced, told reporters he understood some of the votes against him and didn’t hold it against anyone. 

“This is not a personal matter,” Quezada said. “I think that there are a lot of tensions right now everywhere, and we have to make sure that we're working together, that we're bringing people together. That is the work that I've done as a legislator, as a community organizer and as a leader in my community.” 

While Ald. David Moore (17) told colleagues he felt Quezada didn’t express genuine contrition in apologizing for using the word, Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20) said Quezada’s actions were more reflective of his values. 

“[It] 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 he’s going to vote against my interests, don’t think I won’t have an ally in here [and] don’t think he won’t vote for things that are great for my community.” 

Some alderpeople also took issue with Quezada being given the same committee assignments as Ramirez-Rosa, including membership on the powerful budget, finance and zoning committees.  

Ramirez-Rosa also previously chaired the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards but was forced to resign due to allegations he had bullied colleagues during contentious council proceedings over Chicago’s sanctuary city law. Quezada will not serve as a chair on any committee. 

“It seems that [Quezada is] inheriting committees that were given to a senior member of the City Council with 10 years of service,” Ald. Brendan Reilly (42) said during the council meeting. “I know of members that have served here for multiple terms who do not have the pleasure of serving on both the budget and finance committees.” 

But Ald. Michelle Harris (8), the rules chair, told reporters there was precedent for newcomers to be added to the committees their predecessors sat on and related it to her own appointment in 2006. 

“It has not always been based on seniority,” Harris said. “I came in at the end of a term and went right into budget and zoning, very powerful committees, as a freshman alderman … There is precedent all around, I could go through all the other appointees that have been here that have walked right into those (committee) seats.” 

Ultimately, a compromise was reached whereby Ald. Anthony Beale (9) was also allowed to join the Committee on Budget and Government Operations alongside Quezada after Beale motioned to be added to the committee during the rules meeting. Beale argued that as a senior alderperson, he was deserving of a spot on the budget committee. He was removed from the committee under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. 

“Anybody that has 26 years of seniority … with the experience and knowledge base that I have of how government works, I think it's only fitting to have me on one of the most important committees,” Beale told reporters. 

Additionally, Harris told alderpeople that she would be sending out emails asking the rest of the council about their committee preferences for a potential reorganization of membership. 

Asked about the committee membership conflict, Johnson said “ultimately, what it's a sign of is there are alders who wish to serve in other capacities and on certain various committees. It's a good thing.” 

Quezada also said it was “customary” for newly appointed alderpeople to take over their predecessor’s committee assignments and added, “I'm a seasoned legislator, so I'm well prepared to sit on any committee.” 

The new 35th Ward alderman will sit on the following committees: 

• Committee on Budget and Government Operations 
• Committee on Committees and Rules 
• Committee on Finance 
• Committee on Health and Human Relations 
• Committee on Housing and Real Estate 
• Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights 
• Committee on Workforce Development 
• Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards 

Quezada’s confirmation also tees up a process to replace him on the county board. The new 35th Ward alderman declined to name any preferred successor Monday

The selection process will include a nominating committee made up of the Democratic Party committeepersons representing parts of the 8th District. Committeepersons will select someone via a vote that’s weighted by how much of the vote Quezada got in each committeeperson’s area within the 8th District.