Ald. Jason Ervin (28) began his political career as the village manager of Maywood, where he worked with many of his predecessor and mentor Ed Smith’s allies. Smith was the longest serving Black official in Cook County and had held the alderman’s office for 27 years. Ervin was appointed to the City Council when Smith unexpectedly resigned from his seat in 2011. He won the 2015 election unopposed and handily avoided a runoff with 62 percent of the vote in 2019.

Shortly after his victory, Ervin was elected to chair the Aldermanic Black Caucus. He used his newly gained power to advocate for communities of color when he threatened to derail new zoning rules for weed dispensaries in 2019 unless the city created new measures to bring in more BIPOC cannabis entrepreneurs.

Though the measure eventually failed, Ervin continued his mission to ensure equitable representation for Chicago’s majority-Black wards. When the new ward remap plan was in the works, Ervin became a vocal opponent of any map that would reduce the number of majority Black wards. Ervin has been a relatively strong supporter of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as he offered an early endorsement of her reelection last September. After Ald. Carrie Austin (34) resigned from her chairmanship of the Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity, Lightfoot hauled Ervin forward as her replacement.

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