Gilbert Villegas - 2023 Aldermanic Candidate

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Elected: 2015

An active leader in the Chicago Latino community, Gilbert Villegas grew up on the North Side of Chicago and served in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He was honorably discharged after four years of service in the military and went on to work for the Illinois Capital Development Board, the state government’s construction management agency.

He then helped manage the campaign of Cook County Comm. Stanley Moore (D-4) while working for the Illinois Department of Transportation, and later lobbied for the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. After incumbent Ald. Nicholas Sposato was redistricted out of his post into the 38th ward, Villegas tossed his hat in the ring. Villegas ran his first campaign for alderman on uplifting minority and low-income communities through business development and progressive tax policies.

Villegas won his 2019 re-election unopposed. He maintained his focus on economic and workforce development throughout his first and second term as the 36th ward’s alderman, in which he particularly emphasized expanding opportunities for minorities and veterans.

He’s been a sporadic critic of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, particularly when Lightfoot did not support the early plans for a universal basic income.

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