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Jeanette Taylor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeanette Taylor
Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 20th Ward
Assumed office
May 20, 2019
Preceded byWillie Cochran
Personal details
Born
Jeanette Beatrice Taylor

(1975-05-15) May 15, 1975 (age 49)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
WebsiteOfficial website

Jeanette Beatrice Taylor[1] (born May 16, 1975) is an American politician and community organizer. Taylor is the alderman of Chicago, Illinois' 20th ward, taking office as a member of the Chicago City Council in May 2019. She won an open race to succeed outgoing alderman Willie Cochran in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic elections.[2][3] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[4]

Early life and career

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Taylor was born in Chicago on May 15, 1975.[5][6] Her parents were a clerk at Chicago Public Schools and a taxi driver.[6] For high school, Taylor attended Dunbar Vocational High School.[6][7] At age 19, Taylor was elected as a member of the local school council for Mollison Elementary School, where her son attended school, and served in that position for over 20 years.[5] She has been an organizer at Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, and is a member of People United for Action and United Working Families.[5] In 2015, Taylor led a hunger strike that successfully protested the proposed closure of Dyett High School.[3][8]

Chicago City Council (2019–present)

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Taylor took office as a member of Chicago City Council on May 20, 2019. In July 2019, Taylor and fellow alderman Leslie Hairston introduced a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) ordinance aimed at protecting affordable housing near the proposed Barack Obama Presidential Center development.[9][10] The ordinance gained the support of nearly 30 aldermen, but in January 2020, the Lightfoot administration announced that it would support a scaled-back version. Taylor opposed the scaled-back version and reiterated support for the initial CBA ordinance.[11] In July 2020, a compromise ordinance was formulated after negotiations between Lightfoot's administration, aldermen Taylor and Hairston, and community groups.[12] Taylor called the compromise ordinance a "step in the right direction" and called for further action.[13]

In November 2019, Taylor was one of eleven aldermen to vote against Mayor Lori Lightfoot's first budget.[14] She joined all five other members of the Socialist Caucus in signing a letter to Lightfoot which criticized her budget for "an over-reliance on property taxes" and "regressive funding models" that are "burdensome to our working-class citizens, while giving the wealthy and large corporations a pass."[15]

References

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  1. ^ Facebook, Jeanette Beatrice Taylor
  2. ^ "Jeanette Taylor Declares Victory, Vows To Unite The 20th Ward: 'We've Got To Come Together'". Block Club Chicago. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  3. ^ a b "South Side incumbent clings to lead as Dyett hunger striker poised to win 20th". Chicago Sun-Times. 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  4. ^ "Socialists Surge to Victories in Chicago City Council". The Guardian. 2019-04-03. Archived from the original on 2019-04-04.
  5. ^ a b c "Jeanette B. Taylor | Candidate for City Council | 2019 Election Voters' Guide | Chicago News | WTTW". WTTW News. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  6. ^ a b c ""I Love Chicago. I'm Gonna Fight to Stay Here."". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2019-04-04.
  7. ^ Dunbar Vocational High School, Prospectus, (Chicago, Illinois), 1991 Yearbook
  8. ^ Taylor-Ramann, Jeanette (August 24, 2015). "Why I'm hunger striking for Dyett High School". Chicago Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  9. ^ Bowean, Lolly; Byrne, John (2019-07-23). "Chicago aldermen to introduce plan aimed at protecting affordable housing around planned Obama Presidential Center site". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-24.
  10. ^ Evans, Maxwell (July 24, 2019). "Obama Center Community Benefits Ordinance Can Be Chicago's Model For Development Without Displacement, Alds. Say". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  11. ^ Evans, Maxwell (January 29, 2020). "City's Scaled-Back Obama Center Housing Plan Doesn't Do Enough To Protect Woodlawn, Alderman Says". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  12. ^ Nitkin, Alex (July 22, 2020). "How Lightfoot And Housing Activists Reached An Uneasy Truce In The Battle For Woodlawn's Future". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  13. ^ Evans, Maxwell (July 22, 2020). "Organizers Celebrate Woodlawn Housing Protections, But Fight Continues To Keep Affordable Housing Near Obama Center". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. ^ Spielman, Fran (26 November 2019). "City Council approves Lightfoot's $11.6 billion budget — with 11 'no' votes". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  15. ^ Bremer, Shelby (26 November 2019). "Chicago City Council Passes Lightfoot's Budget Proposal". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2 February 2020.