Nick Ward

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Nick Ward

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

February 28, 2023

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Nick Ward ran for election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 48 in Illinois. Ward lost in the general election on February 28, 2023.

Ward completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2023

See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2023)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 48

Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth defeated Joe Dunne in the general runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 48 on April 4, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (Nonpartisan)	52.5	9,289
	Submit photo	Joe Dunne (Nonpartisan)	47.5	8,411

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,700
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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General election

General election for Chicago City Council Ward 48

The following candidates ran in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 48 on February 28, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joe Dunne (Nonpartisan)	26.3	4,181
✔	Submit photo	Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (Nonpartisan)	22.9	3,647
		Nick Ward (Nonpartisan)	18.6	2,956
	Submit photo	Isaac Freilich Jones (Nonpartisan)	10.1	1,609
	Submit photo	Larry Svabek (Nonpartisan)	6.5	1,039
	Submit photo	Roxanne Volkmann (Nonpartisan)	5.5	880
		Andrew Peters (Nonpartisan)	3.7	589
	Submit photo	Nassir Faulkner (Nonpartisan)	2.5	394
		Andre Peloquin (Nonpartisan)	2.4	374
	Submit photo	Brian Haag (Nonpartisan)	1.5	234

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,903
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ward received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Ward's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.

• Chicago Teachers Union
• Illinois Nurses Association
• Independent Voters of Illinois — Independent Precinct Organization
• Northside Democracy for America
• The Sierra Club Illinois Chapter PAC

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nick Ward completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ward's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a community organizer, renter, artist, former restaurant worker, and I’m one of ten candidates running for Alderperson to replace the retiring Harry Osterman, who’s served the 48th Ward for three terms. I was raised by two unionized public school teachers just outside of Detroit. I moved to Chicago in 2004 to be an actor and found a life pursuing the art that I loved while working in restaurants to survive. I currently live in Uptown with my partner Tarah and our cat Soda.

I’ve been deeply involved in our community. Prior to my decision to run for Alderman, I worked with the Uptown-Buena Park Solidarity Network to deliver groceries to seniors and deliver propane tanks to houseless neighbors. Since 2020, I’ve been an elected Community Representative on the Goudy Elementary Local School Council. I formed a Housing and Enrollment Committee to study why so many students were leaving the school. We documented how rising rents in the neighborhood contributed to an enrollment decline at nearly double the rate of Chicago Public Schools as a whole. In one instance, the conversion of an affordable building into luxury studios led to an enrollment decline of 90 students in four years.

I announced my campaign for 48th Ward Alderman in January of 2022 because I am confident that, with the right kind of leadership, we can better address the issues that affect us all: both the citywide priorities and the issues block by block in every neighborhood.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will deliver robust, compassionate, and equitable ward services efficiently and effectively.
• I understand how complex policy issues discussed in City Council affect the everyday lives of people living in the ward.
• Our campaign demonstrates our values every day—we’ve supported striking workers, hosted town halls on tenants’ rights, bike safety, racial equity, and environmental justice, and opened our office to everyone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing affordability is the number one issue facing the 48th Ward. 48th Ward renters are dealing with rapidly rising rents and poorly maintained buildings; homeowners are suffering increasing property taxes; and people who live in high rise buildings undergo too-frequent elevator maintenance and air conditioning issues. This issue is also personal for me. I’ve rented for almost two decades in Chicago. One landlord neglected to commit to basic maintenance after a tornado; another couldn’t be reached when a broken water pipe flooded the basement; and my current property management company won’t keep up with decent lighting in common areas. I’ve recently moved, and when looking for options to stay in the ward, I found scant few in my price range.

As the son of two unionized public school teachers, funding public neighborhood schools and supporting teachers, educators, students, and families is extremely important to me. I'm proud to have received the endorsement of the Cook County College Teachers Union because they know I will fight for educators and schools in City Council.

As a restaurant worker in Chicago for over seventeen years, I know how precarious life in the service industry can be for workers. That's why I support more protections for workers, especially in the service industry and gig work. I support One Fair Wage, which would eliminate the tipped minimum wage subsidy and ensure workers are paid a fair wage.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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Chicago City Council Ward 48

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