Community groups challenge Chicago ward remap
Damon Smith and Chaundra Van Dyk of Change Illinois organized "people's map" hearings. East Village Association membership meeting Nov. 1, 2021, 1019 N. Wolcott Ave. Presiding: Michael VanDam West Town's diverse community groups will be flexing their muscle this month to influence a ward remap that threatens to divide them. Guests advised members of the East Village Association and neighboring organizations Nov. 1 to reach out to aldermen and lobby for more cohesive, responsive wards. "We have to have sharp elbows too," said Andrew Schneider, Logan Square Preservation president. "Don't believe the map has to look this way." The odds are stacked against East Village retaining its current representatives. Daniel La Spata's 1st Ward is likely to follow migration northwest or risk losing its Latino majority. Brian Hopkins' lobster-shaped 2nd Ward is expected to sacrifice its western claw to consolidate around the Lincoln Yards
