Ariel Reboyras Poised To Keep Northwest Side Ward

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Reboyras tells supporters gathered in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood Tuesday night that challenger Jessica Gutierrez gave him his toughest campaign since 2003, when he emerged from a patronage operation of Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Veteran Chicago Ald. Ariel E. Reboyras fended off a former congressman’s daughter Tuesday in a heated runoff election to represent a Northwest Side ward in the City Council.

The four-term incumbent had 52 percent of the 30th Ward vote with 100 percent of precincts reporting. Jessica W. Gutierrez, daughter of retired Democratic U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, had 48 percent.

At a bar next to his campaign headquarters in the city’s Avondale neighborhood, Reboyras told dozens of supporters Tuesday night that this campaign was as hard as his first aldermanic race 16 years ago.

“I walked my ward three times,” Reboyras said. “I knew every street when I was working. And I want to say to my constituents that I love you, I thank you, and I’m looking forward to continue working with you.”

The tight results were not surprising after the first round five weeks earlier, when the two finished just 27 votes apart.

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Ald. Ariel Reboyras held off a challenge from Jessica Gutierrez

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Ald. Ariel Reboyras held off a challenge from Jessica Gutierrez, the daughter of a former congressman, in a runoff election in Chicago’s 30th Ward Tuesday night.

Reboyras earned 52 percent of the vote on Tuesday, earning 296 more votes than Gutierrez with 100 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial election results showed.

Reboyras finished the Feb. 26 election ahead of Gutierrez by a razor-thin 27-vote margin, setting the stage for the two to face off once more in a race that pitted two longtime allies of outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel against one another.

Reboyras chairs the City Council Committee on Public Safety, which oversees the Chicago Police Department, and has backed Emanuel’s agenda items on multiple occasions, including police reform.

10 Races to Watch in Chicago’s Municipal Runoff Elections

10 Races to Watch in Chicago's Municipal Runoff Elections

Emanuel offered Reboyras his support at a fundraiser in September, according to a video Reboyras posted on his Facebook page, in which Emanuel gave Reboyras credit for bringing a new elementary school to the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood. Reboyras, who was first elected in 2003, also earned the endorsements of the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Jessica Gutierrez is the daughter of former Rep. Luis Gutierrez, another Emanuel ally who chaired the mayor’s re-election campaign in 2015. Luis Gutierrez announced in 2017 that he would not seek re-election the following year, engineering the victory of his chosen successor, now-Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia – who was Emanuel’s mayoral opponent in 2015.

Jessica Gutierrez most recently worked as a field director on Garcia’s Democratic primary campaign for her father’s Congressional seat. She ran to Reboyras’ left, with the Chicago Teachers Union’s endorsement, a vow to join the Progressive Caucus, and hope that Emanuel’s support would prove detrimental to Reboyras.

In the end, that wasn’t enough to oust the longtime alderman from the 30th Ward, which includes parts of the Belmont-Cragin, Portage Park and Irving Park neighborhoods on Chicago’s Northwest Side.

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Festival Cubano (Cuban Fest Chicago) 2019

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A vibrant celebration of Latin culture in the Midwest

Festival Cubano is an annual three-day event taking place every August in Riis Park, in Belmont-Cragin neighborhood of the Northwest Chicago. Grammy-winning musicians, dancers, and Chicago’s greatest street food will be available during a fun-filled weekend. Over 30 vendors will be serving delicious jibarito sandwiches, lechón, tostones, and ropa vieja. Over 75 vendors will offer arts, crafts, and souvenirs.

Since the early 2000s, the festival features premier Cuban stars like Willy Chirino and Jerry Rivera. One of the biggest highlights of this summer fest is traditional rumba parades. There are also carnival rides, drumming classes and exciting competitions. Over 30 rides feature the Giant Wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, ThunderBolt, Yo-Yo, Touch Down, Rock Star, and Zipper. Master Cigar Makers create elite hand-rolled cigars from Cuba and the Dominican Republic with the best Cuban-shredded tobaccos, originating from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Festival Cubano also includes a Classic Vintage Cars show. Over 15 vehicles from 1950 to 1970 will be on display. Dancers can learn some new moves during several workshops led by best instructors. The weekend will also provide plenty of opportunities for domino game fans. Players can compete for cash prizes, trophies, and bragging rights. The Boxing Corner at Festival Cubano will feature a series of duels among athletes from Chicago and other cities.

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Mayor Emanuel, CTA and World-Renowned Artist Theaster Gates Unveil Two Works of Art at the New 95th Street Red Line Terminal

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Civil tapestries and one-of-a-kind radio station part of larger, long-term art program envisioned by the South Side artist to engage community members and create new jobs

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson and CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. today joined world-renowned, Chicago artist Theaster Gates in officially unveiling two new, one-of-a-kind works of art commissioned  for the recently completed 95th/Dan Ryan Terminal, located at the southernmost end of the Red Line, CTA’s most-heavily traveled rail line.

“A world-class transportation hub such as the newly renovated 95th Terminal deserves to be enhanced with world-class art such as that created by Chicago’s own Theaster Gates,” said Mayor Emanuel. “An internationally-renowned artist, Mr. Gates’ artwork will add an element of community and collaboration to this important South Side rail station.”

Displayed at the South Terminal is artist Theaster Gates’ visual piece, america, america, a pair of large tapestries made from decommissioned fire hoses. The civil tapestries were created by the artist to formally materialize the history of the civil rights struggle in the U.S. The work also serves as a reminder of struggle and acknowledgment that the work of equity and equality is an ongoing effort not carried by one people but by all.

The artists’ performance space and radio station, called An Extended Song of Our People (AESOP), is located in the North Terminal and is the first of its kind public broadcast studio/disc jockey (DJ) booth. Occupying a dedicated 200 square foot space inside the North Terminal, AESOP will provide riders with real-time programming, including an on-site DJ. Programming will be broadcast over the 95th Street Station’s public address system, and possibly via an internet radio station sometime in the future.

Studio image

“We are proud and honored to have the impactful and thought-provoking artwork of world-renowned artist Theaster Gates displayed at the 95th Street station,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter. “By creating a visually stunning piece, as well as an interactive DJ booth, Mr. Gates has transformed the southernmost Red Line station into a vibrant community hub where local artists, and musicians can share their work with the greater Chicago area.”

Theaster Gates’ unique art pieces represent not only the largest public artwork project in CTA’s history, but helped establish local jobs, employment training and promoted community involvement in the South Side.

“I am honored every chance I get to create art in my community,” said artist Theaster Gates. “My goal for the installation was to create a work that could absorb the memories and hopes of riders through music, and shift what we imagine a work of public art should be. It’s not only monumental objects. Public art can also be a way of harnessing the many voices of our people. The radio station will do that.”

Under the leadership of Mayor Emanuel, 60 new art installations have been announced or installed across the entire system – more than doubling CTA’s collection of public art, which includes mosaics, art glass and sculptures created by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, many of whom are local. Upon completion of all announced projects, a total of 98 (68%) CTA rail stations will feature artwork and significant architectural details

The artwork serves as a finishing touch to the $280 million 95th Terminal Reconstruction Project, which generated thousands of jobs and created a new state-of-the-art transit facility that serves as a landmark for Chicago’s Far South Side.  This project is the latest in more than $8 billion of transit investments made by Mayor Emanuel and CTA since 2011, including a number of station and track projects on the Red Line.

For additional project information, visit: http://www.transitchicago.com/95thTerminal/.

About the artist
Theaster Gates lives and works in Chicago. Gates creates work that focuses on space theory and land development, sculpture and performance. Drawing on his interest and training in urban planning and preservation, Gates redeems spaces that have been left behind.

Known for his recirculation of art-world capital, Gates creates work focused on the possibility of the “life within things.” Gates smartly upturns art values, land values, and human values. In all aspects of his work, he contends with the notion of Black space as a formal exercise – one defined by collective desire, artistic agency, and the tactics of a pragmatist.

Gates has exhibited and performed at Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany (2018); Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland (2018); National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., USA (2017); Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada (2016); Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy (2016); Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2013); Punta della Dogana, Venice, Italy (2013) and dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012). He was the winner of the Artes Mundi 6 prize and was a recipient of the Légion d’Honneur in 2017. He was recently awarded the Nasher Prize for Sculpture 2018, as well as the Urban Land Institute, J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development.

Gates is a professor at the University of Chicago in the Department of Visual Arts, and serves as Senior Advisor for Cultural Innovation and Advisor to the Dean at the Harris School of Public Policy.

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