BUCKTOWN — Long‑time Alderman Scott Waguespack, who has represented Chicago’s 32nd Ward since 2007, will be challenged by two candidates in the upcoming February 23 aldermanic election. The challengers, financial‑regulatory lawyer Patrick Gilsenan and transportation consultant Jonathan Stevanovich, have each filed the required nominating petitions, though Stevanovich’s signatures are currently being contested.
Ward profile and development backdrop
The 32nd Ward now covers all of Bucktown and portions of Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Roscoe Village, some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods. The ward also includes the former Lincoln Yards site along the Chicago River. While the Sterling Bay‑backed mega‑development never materialized, the northern portion is being rebuilt as Foundry Park, a mixed‑use project that broke ground last month and promises thousands of new apartments, retail, office space and public parks.
Incumbent’s record
Waguespack first won office as a progressive critic of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and was one of a handful of alderpeople who voted against the 2008 sale of the city’s parking meters—a decision whose financial impact continues to be debated. He later served as former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s finance chair and has since been described as a moderate voice on the City Council, often opposing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget proposals.
Challenger profiles and platforms
Patrick Gilsenan, a Bucktown resident, emphasizes easing the construction of “missing middle” housing such as two‑flats, three‑flats and courtyard buildings. He also seeks to eliminate the aldermanic prerogative, which gives council members unilateral authority over local development decisions, and proposes a participatory budgeting process that would let neighbors vote on a portion of the ward’s “menu money” for street and infrastructure projects.
Jonathan Stevanovich, who lives in Lakeview, runs on a platform of expanding housing, improving public transit, and enhancing bike and pedestrian infrastructure. In a recent Substack post, he highlighted environmental stewardship as a defining priority, pledging to plant more trees, develop green infrastructure, and ban gas‑powered leaf blowers. However, two challenges to the validity of his petition signatures could remove him from the ballot.
Petition challenges and ballot certification
Petition challenges are being heard by the elections board, which is also reviewing challenges against several mayoral hopefuls. The board is expected to certify the February 23 ballot by mid‑December. Stevanovich told Block Club he is confident his petition contains enough valid signatures, but the outcome of the challenges remains pending.
What’s at stake
The race pits an experienced incumbent with a record of both progressive and moderate positions against two newcomers advocating for more housing, greater neighborhood input on spending, and stronger environmental protections. Voters in the 32nd Ward will decide whether to retain Waguespack’s seasoned leadership or shift toward the reform‑focused platforms of Gilsenan and Stevanovich.
Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.
