50th Ward Aldermanic Candidates Forum to be held THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2nd from 6:30-8:30 at the Croatian Cultural Center, 2845 W. Devon Ave. Chicago, IL 60659, sponsored by WRCO. Both Aldermanic candidates have been invited. The forum will be moderated by Mick Dumke of ProPublica. Attendees will be given an opportunity to ask questions. Under the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance there will be an election for the 24th Police District Council. Candidates for the newly created council will also be invited. Plan to attend to make an informed vote in the February 28th City election.

The 2022 WRCO Annual Meeting takes place on Thursday, September 22nd from 6-8pm at Warren Park. Ald. Andre Vasquez will be there to speak and meet his new constituents. Due to the ward remap Ald. Vasquez will represent many of our neighbors who live on the eastern edge of West Ridge. There will also be a presentation on the Western Avenue Corridor Study. 

Light snacks and drinks will be available. We encourage everyone to wear a mask and note that if you plan to attend let us know since space is limited. Use this link to the invite to respond.

If the City Council can not reach 41 votes for a map, we will be voting on June 28th in a referendum. The two choices currently on the ballot are the Chicago United Map which comes out of the Rules Committee and the People's Coalition Map. The United Map is a very gerrymandered map breaking up West Ridge into representation by 3 wards; the 49th, 50th and the 40th. The People's Map which came out of the independent Redistricting Commission will most likely not be on the ballot. 

WRCO plans to hold a community meeting in early June if a referendum vote is to take place. We want to provide residents with the information they need to make an informed choice. This remap will determine who represents us in the City Council for the next 10 years. 

Go to Chicago's Wards to view the proposed maps. Scroll down to see the Chicago Ward Maps Collection to compare and analyze the maps. Click the icon in the top left corner to select which map(s) you want to view and zoom into your neighborhood to see how it would be represented, OR click “View Larger Map” in the top right-hand corner to be able to search an address.

The Chicago Plan Commission has delayed the authorization to negotiate a sale of the old Northtown Library since WRCO, other organizations and residents have raised questions surrounding this sale. There has been a lack of transparency, communication and community involvement in the sale of this City owned public building. While authorization was on the March 17th Plan Commission agenda, that did not make sense as the Department of Planning and Development had issued an invitation for proposals with a deadline of March 31. We will keep you informed as further information and updates are available. 

In order to avoid such confusion and lack of transparency in the future, WRCO is planning to meet with Ald. Silverstein to propose a process through which community residents will have knowledge of and input into decisions regarding land use and developments in the 50th Ward. A majority of the city's wards have either a process of notification or a committee that advises the alderperson on matters of zoning, land use and development. 

 To show your support for creating a process in the 50th Ward please sign the petition below. 

Sign the Petition

Save the Date! The WRCO annual meeting is scheduled for 7PM on Thursday, August 12 at Devon Bank (6445 N. Western Avenue, lower level Conference Center). We look forward to seeing you so mark your calendars and plan to attend.  Details to come soon!