Regner E. "Ray" Suárez (born October 26, 1946) is the former alderman of the 31st Ward of the City of
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 ...
; he was first elected in 1991. He was unsuccessful in the April 2015 election, and left office the next month.
In November 2015, he was appointed to a position on the
Illinois International Port District Authority.
Personal life
Suárez was born in
Yauco, Puerto Rico
Yauco () is a Yauco barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in southern Puerto Rico. Although the Yauco barrio-pueblo, downtown is inland, the municipality stretches to a southern coast facing the Caribbean Sea. Yauco ...
. He enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
era. He and his wife, Marta, live in the
Cragin neighborhood.
Early career
Suárez held various city jobs before becoming alderman. He worked for Streets and Sanitation, in the mayor's office as an Administrative Assistant working with Development Action Grants, and Assistant Commissioner of Department of Street and Sanitation.
In 1989, he was appointed to the Illinois Job Training Coordinating Council, where he advised the governor how to spend the budget for job-training.
Aldermanic career
Suárez was elected alderman in 1991. He was reelected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011. He lost reelection in
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 ...
to Milly Santiago.
He was the chairman of Housing and Real Estate, and sits on seven other committees: Aviation, Budget and Government Operations, Buildings, Finance, Transportation and the Public Way, and Zoning.
The alderman has proposed that private businesses such as bars be required to install police surveillance cameras on their premises. "If you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?" he demanded, in response to privacy concerns.
[Keen, Judy]
“Daley wants security cameras at bars”
''USA Today'', 14 February 2006.
From May 2011 until May 2015, Suarez was also Chicago's
Vice Mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected deputy mayors are members of the loca ...
.
References
External links
Suarez's City of Chicago website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suarez, Ray
1946 births
American politicians of Puerto Rican descent
Living people
People from Yauco, Puerto Rico
Chicago City Council members
Puerto Rican United States Marines
United States Marines
Puerto Rican people in Illinois politics
Vice mayors of Chicago