Maria Elaine Hadden is an American politician and community activist from
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. She is a member of the
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...
, serving as alderperson for the city's 49th ward. She won election to that office after defeating 28-year incumbent
Joe Moore in the
2019 election, and was reelected
in 2023. The 49th ward includes most of
Rogers Park and portions of
West Ridge. She is a member of the
Progressive Caucus,
Black Caucus, and
LGBT Caucus in the City Council.
Early life and education
Hadden was born in
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
in 1981.
She earned her bachelor's degree in international peace and conflict studies from the
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
, and subsequently moved to
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 census, its population was 89,321, makin ...
to begin a job with the
AmeriCorps VISTA program in 2003.
She moved to Chicago in 2004.
She later earned a master's degree in international public service management from
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...
.
Early activist and political career
Hadden was a founding board member of the Participatory Budgeting Project, where she worked from 2010 to 2018 to bring
participatory budgeting
Participatory budgeting (PB) is a type of citizen sourcing in which ordinary people decide how to allocate part of a municipal or public budget through a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making. These processes typically begin ...
to cities in the midwest and south.
She later served as the executive director of the non-profit Our City Our Voice.
She also served on the boards of directors of the non-profit Voqal and of
Black Youth Project 100.
She has been an active member of Network 49, an independent political organization based in Rogers Park, and of
United Working Families.

On January 20, 2018, Hadden announced her campaign to run for alderman in the 49th ward, which covers most of
Rogers Park and portions of
West Ridge. After the submission and processing of ballot petitions, Hadden and incumbent Joe Moore were the only candidates to make it on the ballot for the
February 2019 election. Hadden's campaign emphasized development without displacement, funding local public schools, and supporting a strong local economy as key issues in the race.
She received several endorsements from progressive activist groups, labor unions, and local politicians such
Chuy García
Jesús G. "Chuy" García ( ; born April 12, 1956) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's Illinois's 4th congressional district, 4th district since 2019. A member of the ...
and
David Orr. Although both candidates self-identified as progressives, observers and media outlets generally characterized Hadden as challenging Moore from
the left.
Hadden won the election on February 26, 2019, with 63% of the vote. She won a majority of the vote in 32 out of 33 precincts in the ward. With her win, Hadden is the first
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
woman of color to be elected to the Chicago City Council.
While Hadden is affiliated with the
Democratic Party, she has said she would be an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States
* Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
alderman.
After her election, Hadden said that in her first few months in office, she would pursue a full assessment of infrastructure and services in the ward and set up an advisory committee for community engagement. On April 10, 2019, Hadden 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 i ...
for the
Lincoln Yards and
The 78
The 78 is a plot of land in Chicago from Roosevelt Road south to 16th Street and Clark Street west to the Chicago River that is not developed as of June 2025. The plot of land gained its name from a proposal in 2018, not built, that consisted ...
real estate developments.
Chicago City Council (2019–present)
Hadden was sworn in as a member of Chicago City Council on May 20, 2019.
City-wide issues
City budget
Hadden was one of 11 aldermen who voted against Mayor
Lori Lightfoot
Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who was the mayor of Chicago#List of mayors, 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she ...
's proposed 2020 budget, alongside 8 other members of the
progressive caucus. In a statement about her vote, Hadden stated, "I’m optimistic about the increased investments in housing, mental health care, homelessness prevention and concrete investments in the south and west sides of our city, but remain concerned that we haven’t exhausted all prospects of progressive revenue in order to take greater strides towards a budget that starts to repair decades of harm and inequity." Prior to the vote, Hadden spoke with constituents about the budget at multiple town hall meetings.
Public health
Hadden sponsored a "senior safety" ordinance, in collaboration with the Jane Addams senior caucus, that was passed in July 2020. The ordinance requires building managers in senior housing to conduct regular wellness checks on residents.
Environmental issues
Hadden was an early co-sponsor of legislation to ban single-use plastics and styrofoam in most restaurants.
Ward-level issues
Public health
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Hadden coordinated with state representative
Kelly Cassidy and local community groups to create the Rogers Park community response team.
The team's stated goal is to help Rogers Park residents stay informed and access resources needed amid the
social distancing
In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dise ...
and
shelter-in-place
Shelter-in-place (SIP; also known as a shelter-in-place warning, SAME code SPW) is the act of seeking safety within the building one already occupies, rather than evacuating the area or seeking a community emergency shelter. The American Red Cr ...
measures in place during the crisis.
They have offered informational resources online, set up a hotline for residents to request advice, and volunteers trained to safely deliver groceries and prescriptions.
In August 2021, Hadden pushed for the
Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, 10 boat docking harbors, two botanic conservat ...
to install
life rings at lakefront beaches and parks, following a drowning death and ongoing efforts by neighborhood residents. The Park District installed life rings in Rogers Park in September 2021 and pledged to add additional devices along the lakefront in subsequent months.
Committees
During the 2019–23 term, Hadden is a member of eight standing committees in the City Council: economic, capital, and technology development; ethics and government oversight; environmental protection and energy; housing and real estate; human relations and health; special events, cultural affairs, and recreation; zoning, landmarks, and building standards; and committees and rules.
Alliances and relationships
In the 2019–23 term, Hadden joined the City Council's
Progressive Caucus,
Black Caucus, and
LGBT Caucus, and pledged to join the council's Women's Caucus.
She served as the treasurer for the Progressive Caucus.
In the 2023–27 term, Hadden serves as the co-chair of the Progressive Caucus.
After winning her seat in the first round of the 2019 elections, Hadden endorsed several candidates vying for City Council seats, including
Andre Vasquez, Jessica Gutierrez,
Matt Martin, Robert Murphy,
Rossana Rodríguez Sanchez, Rafa Yañez, and
Jeanette Taylor. She declined to make an endorsement in the
2019 mayoral election, citing her goal of being an independent alderman as well as strong support received by both run-off candidates in the 49th ward in the first round.
In the
2023 Chicago mayoral election, Hadden endorsed
Brandon Johnson
Brandon Johnson (born March 27, 1976) is an American politician and educator who is currently serving as the 57th mayor of Chicago since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Johnson previously served on the C ...
, who went on to win the election.
Personal life
Hadden's longtime partner and spouse is Natalia Vera.
Vera was elected as a member of the
local school council for Joyce Kilmer Elementary School in Rogers Park in April 2018.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of Chicago aldermen since 1923
The Chicago City Council assumed its modern form on April 16, 1923, with fifty wards each electing one alderperson. Here is a list of the people who have served as an alderperson since that time.
Since its incorporation as a city in 1837 Chicago ...
External links
Campaign websitearchived pre-election victory version
Official aldermanic website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadden, Maria
1981 births
20th-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American women politicians
20th-century American women politicians
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century Illinois politicians
21st-century American women politicians
African-American city council members in Illinois
21st-century African-American women politicians
American LGBTQ city council members
Chicago City Council members
DePaul University alumni
Illinois Democrats
LGBTQ people from Illinois
Living people
Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
Politicians from Columbus, Ohio
Women city councillors in Illinois