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Municipal Elections
Election Day for Chicago’s Municipal Elections will be coming up on Tuesday, February 28th, and in preparation candidates have submitted their signatures to the Board of Elections to determine who will be on the ballot. Open offices include Mayor, City Clerk, City Treasurer, Alderpeople (for all 50 wards), and Police District Councils (3 per District in 22 Districts). Although ballots are not yet finalized as candidates can have their petitions challenged, here is the list of current mayoral candidates:
Mayor
- Lori Lightfoot (Incumbent)
- Kam Buckner, Democratic State Representative
- Frederick Collins, Chicago police officer
- Jesús (“Chuy”) García, Congressman of Illinois’ 4th Congressional District
- Ja’Mal Green, activist
- Brandon Johnson, Cook County Commissioner
- Sophia King, Alderman for the 4th Ward
- Johnny Logalbo, freelance counselor
- Roderick Sawyer, Alderman for the 6th Ward
- Paul Vallas, former Chicago Public Schools CEO
- Willie Wilson, businessman and philanthropist
Residents can now apply to vote by mail by filling out an online application and can submit their Vote By Mail ballots from January 19th to February 23rd. For information on candidates for Alderpeople and Police District Councils, visit your local ward or district council websites. For more information on the upcoming Municipal Elections, visit https://chicagoelections.gov/en/key-dates-and-fast-facts.html.
Childhood Mental Health
Chicago Speaks is honored to be joined this week by Dr. Audrey Brewer, Attending Physician in Advanced General Pediatrics and Primary Care and Instructor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Brewer has recently released a report with the journal Pediatrics centered around the mental health of children aged 5-19 years old in Illinois. Dr. Brewer’s study found a steady increase in the number of children who are seen in emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts between January 2016 and January 2021. Over the course of the study, researchers noticed significant increases in hospitalizations for suicidal thoughts amongst children as young as five years old. While the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 certainly exacerbated feelings of isolation that have affected children’s mental health, Dr. Brewer’s study discloses a concern for mental health before the pandemic, with huge increases in ER visits occurring from 2016-2017 and onward. Dr. Brewer provides her insight on what factors have influenced this increase in childhood suicidal ideation, which resources are available to help these children, and provides interventions that parents, caregivers, educators, and other adults can implement.
Hope Chicago
With a mission to reduce economic and social inequity for former CPS students, Hope Chicago has a goal of raising and investing over $1 billion over the next decade to help students access post-secondary education—and they are well on their way to achieving this goal. Dr. Janice Jackson joins us on Chicago Speaks this week to discuss Hope Chicago’s recent $20 million fundraising initiative, and what it means for thousands of Chicago families. Hope Chicago was recently named one of the winners of the 21st Annual Chicago Innovation Awards for their program’s approach to helping students and family members earn post-secondary credentials and building generational wealth. For more information on Hope Chicago’s mission or to make a donation, visit https://www.hopechicago.org/.