Byron Sigcho-Lopez (born July 7, 1983) is a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

politician and community activist. He is the

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

of Chicago's 25th ward, having taken office as a member of the Chicago City Council in May 2019. He won an open race to succeed outgoing alderman Daniel Solis in the

2019 Chicago aldermanic election The 2019 Chicago aldermanic election took place in two rounds on February 26 and April 2, 2019, to elect 50 aldermen to the Chicago City Council. Each alderman represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. The elections are non-partisan and use a two-ro ...

. He is a member of the

Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a Left-wing politics, left-wing Democratic Socialists of America#Tendencies within the DSA, multi-tendency Socialism, socialist and Labour movement, labor-oriented political organization. Its roots ...

. He was elected as 25th Ward Democratic Committeeperson in 2020.

Early life and education

Sigcho-Lopez was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador. Sigcho-Lopez earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Mathematics from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and a Master's in Economics from the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois ...

. He is pursuing a PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Political career

Sigcho-Lopez unsuccessfully challenged Danny Solis in the 2015 Chicago 25th Ward aldermanic election. In 2019, Sigcho-Lopez was elected to succeed outgoing 25th Ward alderman Danny Solis. On April 10, 2019, prior to being sworn in, Sigcho-Lopez joined six other newly elected members of the City Council in protesting against the approval of

tax increment financing Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects in many countries, including the United States. The original intent of a TIF program is ...

for the Lincoln Yards and

The 78 The 78 is a development in Chicago that will consist of several office and residential towers, high-rises, and will also include a riverwalk. The name "The 78" refers to the existing 77 community areas in Chicago and the mega-development is to ...

real estate developments. Sigcho-Lopez assumed office May 20, 2019. On June 12, 2019, Sigcho-Lopez demanded a review of all permits and licenses approved by disgraced former Alderman Danny Solis. In November 2019, Sigcho-Lopez was one of eleven aldermen to vote against Mayor

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

's first budget. He 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." Sigcho-Lopez, over the course of Lightfoot's mayoralty, would be regarded to be a vocal critic of her.

Personal life

Sigcho-Lopez is married to Loreen Targos. In June 2022, Sigcho-Lopez and Targos became parents to triplets.

References

External links

Official campaign website
1983 births 21st-century American politicians American politicians of Ecuadorian descent Hispanic and Latino American politicians Chicago City Council members Ecuadorian emigrants to the United States Living people Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from Illinois {{Illinois-politician-stub

Early life and education

Political career

Personal life

See also

References

External links