- Credibility:
WEST LAWN — Ald. Silvana Tabares was reelected to her 23rd Ward seat Tuesday.
With all 33 precincts reporting Tuesday night, the incumbent held 72 percent of the vote to challenger Eddie Guillen’s 27 percent, sealing Tabares’ third term in office.
Tabares — celebrating with supporters at Home Run Inn, 6221 S. Archer Ave. — said she feels “humbled” by the results and residents’ decision to allow her to continue “advocating for them at city hall.”
“It’s time to get to work,” Tabares said. “That’s what I plan on doing the next four years, working hard for public safety, for economic development in the ward and for better schools.”
In the next few days, Tabares will set goals for the future with her partners in the ward, including the police, principals and community-led organizations, she said.
“I want to set some clear goals about what we need to do in the coming years to improve our community and make it even better,” Tabares said.
Tabares said her top priorities for the future are making sure property taxes are affordable and improving public safety by supporting the police. She will also continue to beautify the ward and provide reliable city services to constituents, she said.
Guillen is a lifelong ward resident who founded his own small business and frequently volunteers in the community, organizing cleanups, supply drives, youth events and snow removal programs.
Both candidates had ties to former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.
Guillen briefly worked for Madigan’s powerful 13th Ward Democrats and was chief of staff for Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, who took Madigan’s House seat, the Tribune reported.
Tabares became alderperson in July 2018 when then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel appointed her to the seat with support from Madigan, with whom she’s since fallen out.
Tabares easily won a full term in 2019 against private investigator Paulino Villarreal, garnering more than 76 percent of the vote and securing backing from the Chicago Teachers Union, among other labor organizations.
As alderperson, Tabares has commissioned murals to clean up decaying viaducts, invested in security cameras throughout the ward and supported property tax relief.
A fervent supporter of police, Tabares has joined three other alderpeople to back ordinances that would have scrapped the city’s police oversight agency and made it harder for the department to cancel days off for officers.
The Fraternal Order of Police gave Tabares’ campaign nearly $60,000 in 2022, campaign records show.
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