45th Ward Aldermanic Elections Preview

Pictured from top left to bottom right: Susanna Ernst, Jim Gardiner, Megan Mathias, Ana Santoyo, Marija Tomic, and James Suh / Courtesy of Block Club Chicago

The 2023 Aldermanic Elections are taking place on Feb. 28, and the 45th ward, home to Wright College, has a particularly competitive race.

There are six declared candidates in the 45th ward race – a fairly large amount for an aldermanic race, especially when compared to the four who ran in the 45th’s 2019 Aldermanic Election.

The six candidates up for election are:

Alderman Jim Gardiner: Throughout his tenure, Gardiner has championed himself as someone who can bring change to the ward. His main points of focus are community safety through policing, lowering property taxes, and increasing economic development. Gardiner has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police.

Marija Tomic: Tomic is a local resident and a mother of two. The daughter of first-generation Croatian immigrants, she grew up in the Jefferson Park neighborhood and is disillusioned with how it has degraded over the years. With a focus on safety in her campaign, she is calling for the ending of police redeployments and the restoration of mental health services with the hopes of alleviating crime before it can happen.

James Suh: A father of two, Suh prides himself on being an elected Local School Council member and an active member of the Parent-Teacher Association at his daughter's school. Like many of the other candidates, Suh believes public safety is a core issue in the 45th, and he himself was a victim of an armed robbery at his local small business, Car Care Auto Spa. Suh is also no stranger to butting heads with the incumbent, having organized rallies against the stalling of a major development project at Six Corners in 2019.

Megan Mathias: Mathias is a local attorney and the mother of three CPS students with a campaign focused on reducing crime, protecting reproductive freedom, and getting rid of unnecessary city taxes. She plans to implement community policing by invigorating police mental health services as well as having officers “walk the beat" when on patrol.

Susanna Ernst: Ernst is a founding member of both the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association and Jefferson Park Forward. A longtime resident of the ward, she has been an active member of the community for over 20 years. A strong proponent of community organizing, Ernst believes collaboration is a key factor in improving the various neighborhoods.

Ana Santoyo: Santoyo is a local socialist activist and a first-generation college graduate, having graduated from the City Colleges of Chicago in 2010. A champion of affordable housing and defunding the police, Santoyo believes the ward's constituents need an alderman who will stick up for the working class.