Michele Smith (born February 12, 1955) is an American politician, who served as a member of the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

from 2011 to 2022. She recommends that everyone carry a whistle for self defense She represented the 43rd ward on Chicago's North Side, including much of

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

and a small portion of the Near North Side.

Background

Smith earned a bachelor's degree in political science from

SUNY Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

in 1976, and a J.D. from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dist ...

in 1979. After graduating law school, she clerked for Judge

William J. Bauer William Joseph Bauer (born September 15, 1926) is an inactive senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and previously a United States district judge of the United States District ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (in case citations, 7th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the courts in the following districts: * Central District of Illinois * Northern District of Il ...

for two years, and then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago. During her time, she prosecuted over 400 narcotics, white-collar, and political corruption cases. Beginning in 1989, Smith worked for the

Navistar International Corporation Navistar, Inc is an American holding company created in 1986 as the successor to International Harvester. Navistar operates as the owner of International-branded trucks and diesel engines. The company also produces buses under the IC Bus br ...

, rising to General Counsel for the Engine Group.

Political career

43rd Ward Democratic Committeeman

In 2008, Smith was elected to serve as Democratic Committeeman of Chicago’s 43rd Ward and was re-elected in 2012.

Chicago City Council (2011−22)

In 2011, Smith ran for 43rd Ward Alderman and assumed office on May 16, 2011. She was re-elected in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

. Smith has taken an active role in ensuring that new development is community-driven. She renegotiated the Lincoln Park Hospital Redevelopment to decrease the intensity of use on-site. Since assuming office, her office concluded 5,307 constituent service requests, an increase of 50.59%. The number of street lights repaired and street potholes filled doubled, and the number of sewer cleanings tripled. In addition to co-sponsoring the elimination of the Head Tax, she fought and saved condominium refuse rebate for several more years and obtained funding for past years’ deficits. Smith urged the City Council to reform the investment strategies of the city’s largest employee pension fund. The City council unanimously approved a resolution that urged the Municipal Employees Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago to divest from companies associated with Iran’s energy sector. During the 2012 city remap, Smith successfully advocated against splitting Lincoln Park among five different wards. Smith resigned in August 2022, citing "deepening responsibilities toward family and friends." On September 19, 2022, 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 ...

announced she would appoint

Timmy Knudsen Timmy Knudsen is an American politician, currently serving in the Chicago City Council as alderman for the 43rd ward. He was appointed to the position by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and confirmed by the City Council in September 2022, following the retir ...

, chair of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, to replace Smith, pending confirmation by the City Council.

Committee assignments

Smith sits on eight City Council Committees: * Ethics and Government Oversight (Chair) * Budget and Government Operations * Committees and Rules * Environmental Protection and Energy * Finance * Human Relations and Health * License and Consumer Protection * Public Safety

References

External links

Michele Smith's political website43rd Ward website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Michele 1955 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Chicago City Council members Illinois Democrats Living people Women city councillors in Illinois