ENDORSEMENT: Roberto Maldonado for 26th Ward alderman

Humboldt Park, West Town, Logan Square

Ald. Roberto Maldonado is endorsed for re-election over entrepreneurs Theresa Siaw and David Herrera with hopes that he will stay true to progressive values, especially when it comes to housing. Besides safety and keeping up schools, Maldonado says securing and preserving affordable housing in his ward is a top priority. That has become a more pressing issue since the 606 trail opened four years ago. Communities along the 606 are rapidly gentrifying, raising property values — which many residents welcome — but also forcing out many other longtime residents. Part of the trail runs through this ward, in Humboldt Park. Maldonado got behind a pilot program last year to give some homeowners along the 606 up to $25,000 in grants to fix up the exteriors of their homes, a measure to help people stay in their homes as property taxes rise. Last year, he also proposed an ordinance in the City Council to make it easier for some building owners to convert unused garden-level space to apartments that could be accessible to people with disabilities.

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