About the Candidate
Name: Alex Acevedo
DOB: Oct. 9, 1985
Family: Wife, Juliana Ceja-Acevedo, Daughter, Ava
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Political Experience: Currently serving as Local School Council member at Joseph Jungman Elementary School.
Website: alexfor25.com
Candidate Statement
My name is Alex Acevedo, and I'm running for 25th ward Alderman to secure a bright future for our next generation. I love this community. I've lived in the ward my entire life and I'm driven to make it better every day. I'll be a 21st century Alderman that embraces progress and will work hard for you and your family.
This campaign is about building a vision for the future: I want to live in a Ward where my daughter can walk down the street safely. A neighborhood where she can breathe clean air, drink clean water, play in beautiful parks and green spaces. I want her to live in a ward where ALL neighborhood schools get the resources students need to excel. A community that is supported with at least a $15 minimum wage.
As a registered nurse, I want a future where my daughter has access to affordable healthcare as a human right. Where mental health care and senior home care are provided to neighbors regardless of income or immigration status.
This campaign is also about experience: My work as a registered nurse for the past 10 years is what motivated me to run for office. I see our city's challenges through the eyes of my patients and if elected, I would be the first Registered Nurse to serve in Chicago's City Council. But I am also a leader in community service, and as an elected Local School Council member and non-profit board member I have balanced budgets and managed millions in funding for community services. I'll bring this lived experience to City Council from day one.
This campaign is about delivering results: Government must represent working people and lead with integrity. I'll open a 21st century Alderman's office that embraces technology, transparent budgeting and participatory government. I'll be an accessible Alderman that is responsive to requests for sidewalks, roads, and other city services. Effective leaders realize that the little things are a big deal.
Progress is on the ballot! This vision for the future is possible with the right leadership, and I'm asking for your vote to make that vision a reality.
Candidate Q&A
What is your vision for this office?
To be a 21st century Alderman who leads with integrity. Supporting neighborhood economic development by linking small businesses to the resources they need to get started and grow will keep more revenue in the ward. I am supportive of creating resource equity for neighborhood schools, supporting fair teacher pay, and bringing more trade schools that will create a pipeline to quality union jobs.
Being a responsive, 21st century Alderman that utilizes innovative communications tools to efficiently addresses citizen requests and is accountable on public safety, road maintenance, streetlights, trash pickup and graffiti removal is critical. Being accountable and transparent with ward and city budgeting is also critical. I embrace collective decision-making structures like participatory budgeting and community-led development. I reject the idea that local elected offices like Alderman are a career job. This is about public service. Ordinary people taking a leave from their regular career and stepping up to serve their communities for a time.
What is the most pressing issue facing constituents, and how can you help address it?
Our campaign is putting the health and safety of our neighbors front and center. Healthier communities see better social and economic outcomes. As a nurse, I have seen the health disparities in our community first hand. I have worked at Pilsen Mental Health as a Nurse, where I see the critical role these resources play in our neighbors’ lives. We can improve access and restore funding for these critical services that have been cut over the past decade. By improving public health interventions and expanding community and mobile clinics to reach our youth and seniors, we have a chance to improve quality of life and reduce economic inequality. We also have a chance to keep more of our seniors in their homes and communities as they age with better home care services. The 25th ward is also home to the Fisk Generating Station and other polluting sites that are a major health hazard. We have a responsibility to shut them down for good and for the community to receive reparations. Pilsen has some of the highest rates of Lupus and upper respiratory illnesses in Chicago due to environmental factors, which also led to me and my family suffering from seizures and epilepsy. Moving forward, we are also focused on expanding parks, green spaces in our industrial corridors, and bringing green jobs with union labor to the ward in conjunction with funding from the Future Energy Jobs Act (FEJA).
