{{short description|American politician (born 1995)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Anthony Quezada | image = (6-4-25) Anthony Quezada (cropped).jpg | caption = Quezada, circa 2025 | office = Member of the Chicago City Council<br>from the 35th ward | term_start = April 7, 2025 | term_end = | predecessor = Carlos Ramirez-Rosa | successor = | office1 = Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners<br>from the 8th district | term_start1 = December 5, 2022 | term_end1 = April 7, 2025 | predecessor1 = Luis Arroyo Jr. | successor1 = Jessica Vasquez | birth_name = Anthony Joel Quezada | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|11|10}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | other_party = Democratic Socialists of America<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cherone |first=Heather |date=April 7, 2025 |title=Anthony Quezada Confirmed as 35th Ward Alderperson by Chicago City Council |work=WTTW News |url=https://news.wttw.com/2025/04/07/anthony-quezada-confirmed-35th-ward-alderperson-chicago-city-council |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219045311/https://news.wttw.com/2025/04/07/anthony-quezada-confirmed-35th-ward-alderperson-chicago-city-council |archive-date=2026-02-19 |url-status=live}}</ref> | website = {{Official website|https://www.ward35.org/}} }} '''Anthony Joel Quezada''' (born November 10, 1995) is an American politician from Chicago. He is the alderperson for Chicago City Council's 35th ward, having been appointed to replace Carlos Ramirez-Rosa in April 2025. The 35th ward includes parts of the Avondale and Logan Square neighborhoods. He previously served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 2022 to 2025.
== Early life, education, and career == Quezada was born and raised in Logan Square, Chicago.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Parrella-Aureli |first=Ariel |date=2025-04-02 |title=Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada Picked By Mayor As Next 35th Ward Alderman |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/04/02/cook-county-commissioner-anthony-quezada-picked-by-mayor-as-next-35th-ward-alderman/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Block Club Chicago |language=en-US}}</ref> He attended Goethe Elementary School and Lane Tech College Prep High School.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Armentrout |first=Mitchell |date=2025-04-07 |title=City Council signs off on Anthony Quezada to fill 35th Ward seat |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/04/07/anthony-quezada-confirmed-35th-ward-alderperson |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref>
Prior to his roles in elected office, he was a community organizer with United Neighbors of the 35th Ward and served as constituent services director for then-35th ward alderperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Myers |first=Quinn |last2=Parrella-Aureli |first2=Ariel |date=2025-04-07 |title=Anthony Quezada Confirmed As Next 35th Ward Alderperson |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/04/07/anthony-quezada-confirmed-as-next-35th-ward-alderperson/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Block Club Chicago |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2020, he was elected as the Cook County Democratic Party committeeperson for the 35th ward.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chicago Board of Elections |date=April 6, 2020 |title=Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the March 17, 2020 General Primary Election Held in Each of the Precincts in All of the Wards in the City of Chicago |url=https://cboeprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/prod/2023-12/Proc-2020-03-17.pdf}}</ref>
== Cook County Board of Commissioners == Quezada ran for the 8th district seat in the 2022 Cook County Board of Commissioners election, defeating incumbent Luis Arroyo Jr. with 35% of the vote in a five-way Democracy primary election and winning uncontested in the general election. The 8th district is majority-Latino and includes all or parts of the northwest side Chicago neighborhoods of Logan Square, Avondale, Irving Park, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, Montclare, and Dunning.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guzzardi |first=Will |date=2022-07-27 |title=Progressives' Teamwork Beats a Crowded Field |url=https://convergencemag.com/articles/progressives-teamwork-beats-a-crowded-field/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Convergence |language=en-US}}</ref> Quezada was endorsed by several progressive political organizations and elected officials in the area, including U.S. Representative Chuy García.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yin |first=Alice |date=2022-06-24 |title=In primary races for Cook County Board, a new map and 3 retiring commissioners boost competition |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/06/24/in-primary-races-for-cook-county-board-a-new-map-and-3-retiring-commissioners-boost-competition/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Endorsements {{!}} Anthony Quezada for Cook County Commissioner |url=https://anthonyforcookcounty.org/endorsements/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=anthonyforcookcounty.org |language=en}}</ref> Quezada was the youngest Cook County Commissioner ever elected at 26 years old, and he was the first openly gay Latino to serve on the Board.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-30 |title=Anthony Joel Quezada: From Community Organizer to Cook County Commissioner |url=https://legacy.vocalo.org/chi-sounds-like-anthony-joel-quezada/ |access-date=2026-01-21 |website=Vocalo - |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Chicago City Council == On March 2, 2025, Quezada announced that he would seek appointment to the 35th ward seat after incumbent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa resigned to take office as CEO of the Chicago Park District.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quezada |first=Anthony |date=2025-03-05 |title=I am excited to announce today that I am formally seeking the appointment to 35th Ward Alderman and will be putting my name forward in the mayor's appointment process and our community endorsement process through @neighbors35th |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DG07BG_vpE2/?img_index=1 |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Instagram}}</ref> He gained the support of Ramirez-Rosa and United Neighbors of the 35th Ward.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parrella-Aureli |first=Ariel |date=2025-03-10 |title=Who Will Be Logan Square's Next Alderperson? 35th Ward Group Backs Commissioner Anthony Quezada |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/03/10/anthony-quezada-gets-support-from-key-35th-ward-group-to-replace-ald-carlos-ramirez-rosa/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=Block Club Chicago |language=en-US}}</ref> On April 2, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that he would appoint Quezada.<ref name=":1" /> The City Council voted to confirm his appointment on April 7 by a margin of 32–11.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cherone |first=Heather |date=2025-04-07 |title=Anthony Quezada Confirmed as 35th Ward Alderperson by Chicago City Council |url=https://news.wttw.com/2025/04/07/anthony-quezada-confirmed-35th-ward-alderperson-chicago-city-council |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=WTTW News}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Chicago City Council}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quezada, Anthony}} Category:1995 births Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people Category:American gay politicians Category:American LGBTQ city council members Category:Chicago City Council members Category:Hispanic and Latino American city council members Category:Hispanic and Latino American people in Illinois politics Category:Hispanic and Latino American LGBTQ people Category:LGBTQ people from Illinois Category:Living people