- Credibility:
DOWNTOWN — Ald. Brian Hopkins has secured a third term as 2nd Ward alderman after running without a challenger in Tuesday’s election.
In 2015 Hopkins won a tight runoff to succeed former Ald. Bob Fioretti, but he has been unopposed in his reelection bids since then.
“Even though I’m unopposed, I take every election seriously,” Hopkins said in a statement. “Voters can always skip over an uncontested race on the ballot if they don’t believe the incumbent has earned their vote. I’m grateful for every vote I receive, because each one represents an individual voter entrusting me with another term as their alderman.”
During this next term, Hopkins said, he will aim to overhaul how City Council draws its wards — after seeing his own 2nd Ward get changed.
During last year’s redistricting process, the 2nd Ward was shifted east, so the ward now includes parts of Streeterville, the Near North Side, the Gold Coast, Old Town and Lincoln Park.
That meant Hopkins, a fervent supporter of Lincoln Yards, lost a contentious battle to retain oversight of the megadevelopment straddling Lincoln Park and Bucktown. The $6 billion project will shift to the 32nd Ward, led by Ald. Scott Waguespack, who was also unopposed for reelection and has opposed the development.
In an interview in February, Hopkins said he hopes to enact legislation to take meddling by alderpeople out of the redistricting process.
Hopkins introduced a resolution in 2021 to overhaul the process with the support of Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th). The legislation was held in the council’s Rules Committee, where legislation historically stalls or dies. But a wave of new council members could be the key to its success, Hopkins said.
Additionally, Hopkins plans to advocate for a new library in Streeterville. The current branch at 163 E. Pearson is too small, Hopkins said, calling it “the size of the average living room.”
Also high on his list: exploring ideas for a “post-retail identity” for Michigan Avenue. Hopkins would like to see entertainment and other attractions added to the strip following a recent exodus of retail tenants because of the pandemic.
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