Michael D. Rodriguez (born August 31, 1978) is a

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 ...

politician. He is the alderman of Chicago's 22nd ward and took office as 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 ...

in May 2019. He was elected in the 2019 aldermanic election, in an open race to succeed incumbent alderman Ricardo Muñoz.

Early life and education

Rodriguez earned a bachelor's degree 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 ...

and a master's degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. He worked as an executive officer at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office and was the executive director of the non-profit Enlace, an organization founded by Congressman Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, that worked on social issues in Little Village. Rodriguez ran for 22nd ward alderman in the 2019 election for Chicago City Council, in an open race to succeed incumbent Ricardo Munoz. Facing three other candidates in the first round of the election on February 26, 2019, he won 64% of the vote and became the alderman-elect. On April 10, 2019, Rodriguez 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

Rodriguez took office as a member of the Chicago City Council on May 20, 2019. In November 2019, Rodriguez was one of eleven aldermen to vote 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 first budget. On April 11, 2020, Hilco Redevelopment Partners, with approval by the administration of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, coordinated an implosion of a 275-foot smokestack during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a cloud of dust and particulate matter to envelop the surrounding area, mostly contained within the boundaries of Chicago's 22nd Ward. Rodriguez notified the community of the pending implosion through social media after Hilco failed to inform the community as it had promised.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Michael 1978 births 21st-century Illinois politicians DePaul University alumni Hispanic and Latino American city council members Hispanic and Latino American people in Illinois politics Living people University of Chicago alumni

Early life and education

Chicago City Council

Electoral history

See also

References