Gilbert Villegas
American politician (born 1970)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gilbert Villegas (born October 26, 1970)[1][2] is an American politician. He is a member of the Chicago City Council, serving as alderperson for the city's 36th ward. The 36th ward includes Belmont-Cragin, Galewood, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Montclare and Portage Park. [3] Prior to his election to the Chicago City Council, he served as chief of staff of the Illinois Capital Development Board.[4]
Gil Villegas | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chicago City Council from the 36th ward | |
| Assumed office May 18, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Sposato (redistricted) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 26, 1970 |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Northeastern Illinois University (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Unit | 2nd Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion |
| Battles/wars | Gulf War |
Political career
Chicago City Council
In 2015, Villegas was elected as the 36th ward alderman. He was reelected in 2019 and 2023. He is a member of the following committees; Aviation, Committees, Rules and Ethics, Economic, Capital and Technology Development, Health and Environmental Protection, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, and Transportation and Public Way.[5] He is also a member of the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus.[6]
Villegas has served on the boards of the Democratic Municipal Officials.[7] the National Association of Latino Elected Officials,[8] and the National League of Cities. He was the Vice Chair of the National League of Cities 2021 Large Cities Council.
In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, Villegas endorsed Lori Lightfoot.[9] During her transition, Lightfoot named Villegas to be her floor leader in the City Council as well as the economic development committee chair.[10]
2022 Congressional Election
In November 2021, Villegas declared his candidacy for Illinois's 3rd congressional district in the 2022 election.[11] During the election he was accused of “misleading the public” in campaign mailers touting the congressional candidate's support for a massive affordable housing development near the Blue Line.[12] On June 28, 2022 he was defeated by Delia Ramirez (66% to 24%) for the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois 3rd Congressional District.[13]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Omar Aquino | 2,124 | 35.61 | |
| Nonpartisan | Gilbert Villegas | 1,945 | 32.61 | |
| Nonpartisan | Christopher M Vittorio | 1,437 | 24.09 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alonso Zaragoza | 458 | 7.68 | |
| Total votes | 5,964 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Gilbert Villegas | 4,594 | 55.68 | |
| Nonpartisan | Omar Aquino | 3,656 | 44.32 | |
| Total votes | 8,250 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Gilbert Villegas (incumbent) | 5,376 | 99.99 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard Benedict Mayers (write-in) | 1 | 0.01 | |
| Total votes | 5,377 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Delia Ramirez | 37,296 | 66.39 | |
| Democratic | Gilbert Villegas | 12,990 | 23.12 | |
| Democratic | Iymen Chehade | 3,719 | 6.62 | |
| Democratic | Juan Aguirre | 2,175 | 3.87 | |
| Total votes | 56,180 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Gilbert "Gil" Villegas (incumbent) | 4,240 | 46.49 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leonor "Lori" Torres Whitt | 2,741 | 30.05 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Herrera | 1,466 | 16.07 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jacqueline "Jackie" Baez | 673 | 7.38 | |
| Total votes | 19,120 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Gilbert "Gil" Villegas (incumbent) | 5,934 | 57.31 | |
| Nonpartisan | Leonor "Lori" Torres Whitt | 4,421 | 42.69 | |
| Total votes | 10,355 | 100 | ||