Candidate for Chicago City Council

About the Candidate

Name: Harry Osterman
DOB: April 14, 1967
Family: Married to Peggy Osterman and father of three great kids.
Occupation: Alderman of the 48th Ward
Political Experience: Since 2011, I have represented the diverse communities of Edgewater, Andersonville and Uptown as Alderman of the 48th Ward. Previously, I served as State Representative from 2000-2011.
Website: harryosterman.org

Candidate Statement

Hello. My name is Harry Osterman and I am the Alderman of the 48th Ward.

I am a lifelong resident of Edgewater and a progressive Democrat.

It has been a privilege to represent our diverse communities of Edgewater, Uptown, and Andersonville in the Chicago City Council.

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I have worked in collaboration with neighbors, block clubs, small business owners and many community stakeholders to help our community improve in many positive ways.

I am running for re-election as Alderman to build on the progress that we have made in our community and to take on the many ahead challenges ahead facing our community and the City of Chicago.

Public Safety is my number one priority.

Over the last 8 years working closely with residents, business owners and the police we have vastly improved the public safety throughout our community, making it one of the safest in the City.

We have added foot patrolmen on key streets, addressed problem buildings and businesses, and joined together for community safety events throughout the summer.

The safety in our neighborhood has also been also achieved by the significant investments in mentoring, after school and summer job programs for our youth, providing them positive alternatives.

As Alderman and the father of three, I know that our schools are the backbone of our community. I have worked closely with principals, teachers, and parents to help make our schools some of the best in the City.

I have fought for additional funding for programs and capital improvements for our schools, including $13 million to renovate Senn High School.

I have worked tirelessly to support our small businesses that play a vital role in our neighborhood and have successfully brought many new businesses to our Ward, adding jobs and vibrancy.

As Alderman, I have focused on the improvement of Parks, the renovation of the CTA Redline, the building of the Argyle Streetscape, and helping neighbors with their constituent service issues.

The progress we have made in our community has been accomplished in partnership in an open, transparent, and inclusive way with community input on the many issues that we face.

I need your help in this Election. I ask for your support and Vote on February 26th. Thank you.

Candidate Q&A

What is your vision for this office?

As Alderman, my vision has been to run a community oriented, responsive aldermanic office that effectively addresses issues for residents of our community.  I have focused on collaboration and partnership to address community issues. Working side by side with neighbors and many community stakeholders we have improved public safety, supported and improved our local schools, attracted over a 100 new businesses and improved our infrastructure.

I look to build on this progress over the next four years.

What is the most pressing issue facing constituents, and how can you help address it?

Public safety remains my top priority for my community and the city. Locally, we work closely with the Chicago Police to address problem areas, we partner with community residents on community building safety events throughout the summer months, and we work with neighborhood court advocates to support victims and follow up on criminal court cases. We also effectively support the youth of our community with positive mentoring, after school and job programs. I will work to enhance these initiatives to further improve our public safety throughout the 48th Ward.