Pat Dowell
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Pat Dowell 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 ...
representing the City of
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's 3rd
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
in
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,
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. Dowell was elected in April 2007 in a
runoff election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...
against
incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...
Dorothy Tillman Dorothy Jean Tillman (née Wright; May 12, 1947) is an American politician, civil rights activist and former Chicago, Illinois alderman. Tillman served as the alderman of the city's 3rd wardmap from 1985 until 2007. A member of the Democrati ...
. Dowell had lost to Tillman in 2003. Dowell is a member of the City Council's Housing and Real Estate, Transportation and the Public Way, Landmarks, Rules and Health committees.


Early life and education

Dowell has a B.A. degree in
developmental psychology Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development ...
from the
University of Rochester The University of Rochester is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded in 1850 and moved into its current campus, next to the Genesee River in 1930. With approximately 30,000 full ...
and a master's degree in
social service Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...
administration from 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 ...
.


Aldermanic career

Dowell was elected alderman for the 3rd ward in 2007, unseating incumbent Dorothy Tillman. She has subsequently been reelected in 2011,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, and
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
. Bronzeville is located in Chicago's 3rd ward, currently represented by Alderman Pat Dowell. Dowell introduced the amendment to the Vacant Property Ordinance that was passed by the Chicago City Council on July 28, 2011, holding banks responsible for maintaining foreclosed properties in neighborhoods across Chicago. Dowell commented on the issue, saying: "The foreclosure process sometimes takes a year or 18 months, two years for them to actually foreclose on the property and sometimes certain banks let those properties sit vacant....They can become haven for gang bangers and drug dealers; there is also the potential for fire hazards.....When vacant buildings are left to deteriorate, local property values tumble and criminality gains an entry into the neighborhood.....The landmark piece of legislation passed today will hold banks responsible for the upkeep of vacant properties, keeping them secure and keeping neighborhoods intact." Dowell also stated that: "This legislation goes a long way to keep our neighborhoods vibrant and soften the negative impact the housing foreclosure process has had on the city." Dowell was the recipient of the Independent Voters of Illinois' Best Aldermanic Voting Record for 2010, presented by the Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO), a not-for-profit, multi-partisan, independent political organization that has been in existence since 1944 dedicated to good government activism. Dowell along with Alderman Bob Fioretti (2nd) and Alderman Joe Moore (49th), was given IVI-IPO's Best Aldermanic Voting Award. Upon receiving the award Dowell stated: "I am thankful for the IVI-IPO recognition of my work in the City Council and my commitment to good government and participatory democracy. These are values I hold most dear and I'm proud to be associated with an organization like IVO-IPO that has been fighting the fight for social justice for over 60 years." In 2018, J. B. Pritzker appointed Dowell a member of the gubernatorial transition's Job Creation and Economic Opportunity Committee. In the runoff of the
2019 Chicago mayoral election The 2019 Chicago mayoral election was held on February 26, 2019, to determine the next Mayor of Chicago, Mayor of the Chicago, City of Chicago, Illinois. Since no candidate received a majority of votes, a runoff election was held on April 2, 2 ...
, Dowell endorsed Toni Preckwinkle. On May 17, three days prior to her inauguration,
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 ...
announced that she would be naming Dowell to be the City Council's budget chairman. Dowell has generally aligned with Lightfoot's preferences in votes on the City Council, and has supported each of Lightfoot's budgets. However, she has dissented from the mayor on occasion, such as by casting the only vote on the City Council against the creation of a
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 ...
district to fund an extension of the CTA Red Line to 130th Street. She also, alongside other alderman from downtown wards, criticized Lightfoot's decision to permit the
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Chicago Street Race to be held in the downtown. Despite being a regular ally of Lightfoot on the City Council, Dowell 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 ...
against Lightfoot in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election. Under Mayor
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 ...
, Dowell became the first woman to chair the
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough counc ...
's Committee on Finance.


Campaigns for other offices

In April 2021, Dowell announced that she will be a candidate in the 2022 election for
Illinois secretary of state The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of ...
. In January 2022, after U.S. Representative
Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist, and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades, ending in 2023. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter ...
announced his retirement, Dowell withdrew from the secretary of state race and announced that she would instead run in the primary to succeed Rush as representative for Illinois' 1st congressional district. She placed second in the Democratic
primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
.


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 ...


References

* Johnathon E. Briggs, "Tillman pins loss on new residents: 'It's a lack of understanding' the alderman says," ''Chicago Tribune'', April 18, 2007. * Mary Mitchell, "Third Ward race splits black voters; Old school backed Tillman; new residents wanted Dowell," ''Chicago Sun Times'', April 18, 2007.


External links


Map of Aldermanic WardsBoundaries of the 3rd WardHome page for Third Ward Alderman's officePat Dowell for CongressVacant Buildings and Lender ResponsibilityNew homes are transforming this historic neighborhoodAthletic Hall of Fame, University of Rochester
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowell, Pat 1957 births 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American city council members in Illinois African-American state legislators in Illinois Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Chicago City Council members Living people University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration alumni University of Rochester alumni Women city councillors in Illinois Women state legislators in Illinois 21st-century Illinois politicians