Matt Martin (born March 5, 1984)
is a Chicago politician and the alderman of the city's 47th ward.
He won election as alderman
in 2019 and took office 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 mon ...
in May 2019. The 47th ward includes all or parts of
North Center,
Lincoln Square,
Lakeview, and
Uptown
Uptown may refer to:
Neighborhoods or regions in several cities
United States
* Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico
* Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina
* Uptown, area surrounding the University of Ci ...
.
Early life and career
Matt Martin was born in Arizona and attended
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
on a music scholarship, where he majored in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
studies and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...
.
He later graduated from
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each c ...
.
Martin later worked as a civil rights lawyer in the
Illinois Attorney General
The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois, the attorn ...
's office,
and co-founded the Heart of
Lincoln Square Neighbors Association.
2019 aldermanic campaign
Matt Martin's campaign emphasized funding public schools, maintaining affordability in the ward, property tax relief for homeowners, and police accountability.
He was endorsed by the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' which noted that Martin "has an independent streak and shares our determination that a new City Council put away its rubber stamp and flex its legislative muscle. We believe Martin can be an influential new voice on a re-energized council." In addition, he was endorsed by former
Cook County Clerk
A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...
David Orr and organizations such as ONE People's Campaign and
United Working Families
United Working Families (UWF) is an independent political organization based in Chicago, Illinois. It was formed in 2014 as a coalition between the Chicago Teachers Union, SEIU Healthcare Illinois Indiana, Grassroots Illinois Action, and Action N ...
.
He finished first with 39.4% in a nine-candidate field in the
election held on February 26, 2019 and then faced Michael Negron, who finished in second place with 21.4%, in a runoff election held on April 2, 2019.
Following the first round election, he received a number of additional endorsements from elected officials and organizations including 49th ward alderwoman-elect
Maria Hadden, 35th ward alderman
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa,
U.S. Representative
Jan Schakowsky
Janice Schakowsky ( ; née Danoff; born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative from since 1999. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district is anchored in Chicago's North Side, including mu ...
(D-IL),
the
Chicago Teachers Union, and
SEIU Healthcare Illinois. On April 2, 2019, he won the runoff election with 62.6% of the vote.
On April 10, 2019, Martin joined six other newly elected members of the City Council in protesting against the approval of
tax increment financing 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.
Chicago City Council (2019–present)
City-wide issues
City budget
Martin was one of 11 aldermen who voted 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 proposed 2020 budget, alongside other members of the
Progressive Caucus. In a statement, Martin said "While I commend the Mayor and her budget team for filling this year’s budget gap without layoffs or a significant property tax increase, ultimately, I saw a number of critical missed opportunities to seek more progressive sources of revenue, fund our social services in a more robust manner, and pursue structural changes that will set us on the path to solvency." Martin held multiple public events and town hall meetings about the budget before and after the vote.
Alliances and relationships
At the start of the 2019–23 term, Martin joined City Council's
Progressive Caucus and
Black Caucus.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of Chicago aldermen since 1923
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Matt Martinat Illinois Sunshine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Matt
1984 births
21st-century American politicians
African-American lawyers
African-American people in Illinois politics
American people of Hausa descent
American people of Nigerien descent
Chicago City Council members
Harvard Law School alumni
Illinois Democrats
Living people
Northwestern University alumni
Politicians from Chicago
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people