James A. Balcer (born June 24, 1950) is a former alderman of the 11th Ward of the City of

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

map
. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, he was appointed to the Chicago City Council by Mayor

Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...

in 1997. In May 2015, he was succeeded by former Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner,

Patrick Daley Thompson Patrick Daley Thompson (born July 8, 1969) is an American politician who most recently served as an alderman from Chicago's 11th ward and was previously a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. A member o ...

Military career

Balcer served as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

and in 2001 was belatedly awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Political career

Balcer served as an alderman on six committees: Budget and Government Operations; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Finance; Human Relations; Police and Fire; and Transportation and Public Way. He was appointed to the Council in the aftermath of a scandal about disclosures about then-Ald. Patrick Huels' private security firm that resulted in Huels' resignation. Ald. Balcer's former ward encompasses part of Chicago's Southwest Side, and includes the neighborhood of

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

, which has been home to five Chicago mayors, including both Richard M. and

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...

. Ald. Balcer attracted media attention in May, 2009 for ordering the removal of a mural that had been commissioned on private property. Ald. Balcer also received
2010 "Jefferson Muzzle"
from th
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression

References

Balcer's official contact information

Fran Spielman, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', January 24, 2006.

Scott Fornek, ''Chicago Sun-Times'', May 6, 2003.

External links

Balcer participates on ''Vietnam War Panel''
at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library on May 19, 2011 1950 births Living people Chicago City Council members appointed by Richard M. Daley Illinois Democrats {{Illinois-politician-stub