Deb Mell

{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Deb Mell.png | caption = Mell in 2014 | office = Member of the Chicago City Council from the 33rd ward | term_start = July 24, 2013 | term_end = May 20, 2019 | preceded = Richard Mell | successor = Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez | state_house1 = Illinois | district1 = 40th | term_start1 = January 14, 2009 | term_end1 = July 24, 2013 | preceded1 = Rich Bradley | successor1 = Jaime Andrade Jr. | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|07|30}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | birth_name = | party = Democratic | spouse = {{marriage|Christin Baker|2011|2014|reason=div}} | children = | alma_mater = Cornell College | relatives = Patricia (sister)<br>Rod Blagojevich (brother-in-law) | parents = Richard Mell<br>Marge Mell | profession = | website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070816124955/http://www.debmell.org/ debmell.org] }} '''Deborah L. Mell''' (born July 30, 1968) is an American politician from Chicago. She is a Democrat and was formerly a member of the Chicago City Council, representing the 33rd ward from 2013 to 2019. She previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013.

==Early life, education and career== Mell is the daughter of long-time Alderman Richard Mell. Her sister, former Illinois First Lady Patti, is married to former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Mell was educated in Chicago, at St John Berchman's Elementary School and St Scholastica High School. She then attended Cornell College with a dual major in political science and history, before earning a culinary arts degree from California Culinary Academy.

Mell returned to Chicago in 2000 and began working at Christy Webber Landscape, Chicago's largest landscaping company owned by prominent lesbian Christy Webber.<ref name="campaign">{{cite web |title=About Deb |periodical=Citizens for Deb Mell |accessdate=2008-10-05 |url=http://www.debmell.org/about-deb.html |archive-date=2008-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206172306/http://www.debmell.org/about-deb.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="WCT">{{cite news |title=Deb Mell: Breaking New Ground |periodical=Windy City Times |date=October 29, 2008 |accessdate=2026-03-19 |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2008/10/29/deb-mell-breaking-new-ground/ |last=Wooten|first=Amy}}</ref>

Mell was arrested in 2004 while protesting her inability to get a same-sex marriage license from the Cook County clerk's office.<ref name="arrest">{{cite news |last=Patterson |first=Steve |title=Gays rip denial of marriage licenses; Gov's sister-in-law lone protester to be arrested |date=March 5, 2004 |periodical=Chicago Sun-Times |page=8 |id={{NewsBank|10132B1D3080E430|subdomain=chicagosuntimes}}. {{ProQuest|258950624}}. }}</ref>

==In politics==

===State legislature=== The 40th district, located on Chicago's northwest side, was represented by Rep. Rich Bradley prior to 2008. Bradley was pressured to not seek re-election in 2008 by Ald. Richard Mell after Deb Mell announced her intention to run for the seat, choosing instead to challenge Sen. Iris Martinez for a seat in the Illinois Senate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Joravsky |first1=Ben |title=Mell Family Politics |url=https://chicagoreader.com/news/mell-family-politics/ |periodical=Chicago Reader |date=January 24, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011081103/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/mell-family-politics/Content?oid=1212897|archive-date=2012-10-11|url-status=live|volume=37|issue=18|page=11|id={{ProQuest|204543732}}.|issn=1096-6919}}</ref> With the help of her father and of Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Joseph Berrios, Mell ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the seat in the overwhelming Democratic 40th district.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Davis |first1=Andrew |title=Election 2008: Joseph Berrios Strikes Back |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2008/01/30/election-2008-joseph-berrios-strikes-back/  |website=Windy City Times |date=January 30, 2008 |accessdate=2019-01-12}}</ref> Mell's campaign had the support of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.<ref name="victory">{{cite web |title=Deborah Mell |website=Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund |accessdate=2008-01-02 |url=http://www.victoryfund.org/endorsed_candidates/profile/candidate:112 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102015218/http://www.victoryfund.org/endorsed_candidates/profile/candidate%3A112 |archivedate=2008-01-02 }}</ref> She won 75% of the vote in the general election of November 4, 2008; her opponents, Republican Christine Nere-Foss and Green Party candidate Heather Benno,<ref>{{cite news |title=For the Illinois House |periodical=Chicago Tribune |date=October 25, 2008 |accessdate=2009-01-31 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/10/25/for-the-illinois-house-19/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090131093901/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-1025edit1oct25,0,2682341.story |archive-date=2009-01-31 |url-status=live }}</ref> garnered 15% and 10% respectively.

On January 14, 2009, in one of her first votes in the Illinois House of Representatives, Mell cast the lone vote opposed to impeaching her brother-in-law, then-Governor Rod Blagojevich.<ref>{{cite news | title = House votes to impeach Blagojevich again | work = Clout Street | publisher = Chicago Tribune | date = 2009-01-14 | url = http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/01/blagojevich-ove.html | accessdate = 2009-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119214603/http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clout_st/2009/01/blagojevich-ove.html|archive-date=2009-01-19|url-status=dead}}</ref> This was the second time the House had voted to impeach Blagojevich, and the tally was 117–1.

In November 2008, Mell expressed interest in running in the special election to replace Rahm Emanuel, who would be resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives to serve as President Obama's White House Chief of Staff.<ref name="Special">{{cite news |title=Emanuel departure starts race for vacant seat |periodical=TheHill.com |accessdate=2008-11-06 |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/14496-emanuel-departure-starts-race-for-vacant-seat/ |archive-date=2008-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081109061014/http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/emanuel-seat-mell-in-quigley-likely-to-run-2008-11-06.html |url-status=live |last=Blake|first=Aaron|date=November 6, 2008 }}</ref> Several weeks later, she withdrew from the race.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title=Illinois First Lady Faces Scrutiny |periodical=The New York Times |accessdate=2008-12-11 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/11/us/politics/11wife.html?hp | first=Pam | last=Belluck | date=2008-12-11}}</ref>

===City council=== In July 2013, Alderman Richard Mell, Deb Mell's father, retired from the city council after nearly 40 years. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was charged with appointing his successor and settled on Deb Mell. The appointment was announced on July 24 and confirmed by the city council later that day.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-deb-mell-alderman-0725-20130725,0,694318.story|title=Deb Mell inherits Richard Mell's 33rd Ward aldermanic seat / Deb Mell faces skepticism about family ties: New alderman vows to win over critics with hard work|work=Chicago Tribune|date=July 25, 2013|accessdate=2013-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130725234246/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-deb-mell-alderman-0725-20130725,0,694318.story|archive-date=2013-07-25|url-status=dead|last=Byrne|first=John|last2=Long|first2=Ray|last3=Garcia|first3=Monique}}</ref>

A member of the city council's Committee on Housing and Real Estate, Mell has been criticized by local activists for her financial ties to real estate developers and her involvement in allowing a developer to evict residents of her ward from their homes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Campaign donors come first: The Silver Properties story |url=https://www.debmell.money/ |website=Deb Mell dot Money |publisher=Chicago Working Families |accessdate=31 January 2019 |archive-date=31 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131092940/https://www.debmell.money/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lopez |first1=Lynda |title=Latino Residents Are Being Displaced From Transit-Friendly Buildings in Albany Park |url=https://chi.streetsblog.org/2017/12/04/latino-residents-are-being-evicted-from-transit-friendly-buildings-in-albany-park/ |accessdate=2019-01-31 |publisher=Chicagoland Streets Project  |date= December 4, 2017|work=Streetsblog Chicago}}</ref>

Mell's tenure in office ended after losing her 2019 reelection bid. After placing second in the general election round of the 2019 Chicago municipal election, Mell was narrowly defeated in a runoff by Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez.

In the runoff of the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, which coincided with her aldermanic runoff, Mell endorsed Lori Lightfoot.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2019/03/25/alderman-deb-mell-endorses-lori-lightfoot-in-mayoral-race/  |title=903 - Alderman Deb Mell endorses Lori Lightfoot in mayoral race - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive |work=Windy City Times |publisher=Windy City Media Group |date=March 25, 2019 |accessdate=|agency=From a press release}}</ref> This came despite Lightfoot having, in the first round of Mell's aldermanic reelection campaign, endorsed one of her opponents (Katie Sieracki).<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Release - Lightfoot announces aldermanic endorsements • Lightfoot for Chicago Mayor 2019 |url=https://lightfootforchicago.com/press-release-lightfoot-endorses-aldermanic-endorsements/ |accessdate=2 February 2020 |date=January 30, 2019 |archive-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065243/https://lightfootforchicago.com/press-release-lightfoot-endorses-aldermanic-endorsements/ |url-status=dead |website=Lightfoot for Chicago Mayor 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life== Mell is openly lesbian. She was married to Christin Baker from 2011 to 2014.<ref name="interview">{{cite news |date=June 27, 2007 |title=Mell Runs for Rep |periodical=Windy City Times |accessdate= |url=https://windycitytimes.com/2007/06/27/mell-runs-for-rep/ |last=Baim|first=Tracy}}</ref><ref name="engagement">{{cite news |title=Iowa's nice, but Mell wants to marry partner in Illinois |periodical=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2010/04/27/iowa8217s-nice-but-mell-wants-to-marry-partner-in-illinois/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119043452/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-deborah-mell-0428-20100427,0,5777395.story |url-status=live |archive-date=2013-01-19 |date=April 27, 2010 |last=Daniels|first=Serena Maria}}</ref><ref name="article">{{cite news |date=July 3, 2014 |title=Deb Mell says her same-sex marriage is over: 'Divorce is painful' |periodical=Early & Often |accessdate=2014-11-01 |url=http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/deb-mell-says-her-same-sex-marriage-over-divorce-painful/thu-07032014-354pm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101224749/http://politics.suntimes.com/article/chicago/deb-mell-says-her-same-sex-marriage-over-divorce-painful/thu-07032014-354pm |archivedate=2014-11-01 |last=Korecki|first=Natasha|publisher=Sun-Times Media}}</ref> She was one of four openly LGBT members of the Illinois General Assembly, along with Reps. Greg Harris and Kelly Cassidy, both Democrats from Chicago, and Sam Yingling a Democrat from Round Lake Beach, Illinois, in suburban Chicago.

Mell served on former Mayor Richard M. Daley's Advisory Council for Human Relations and is active in numerous LGBT activist groups. She has received a National Organization for Women award for her activism, as well as the Howard Brown Cornerstone Award for community excellence.<ref name="campaign" />

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100528153002/http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=1537 Representative Deborah Mell (D) 40th District] ''official IL House website'' **[https://web.archive.org/web/20101212112940/http://ilga.gov/house/RepBills.asp?MemberID=1180 Bills] [https://web.archive.org/web/20101208194414/http://ilga.gov/house/RepCommittees.asp?MemberID=1180 Committees] *[http://www.debmell.org Deb Mell for State Representative] ''official campaign website'' *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110112195300/http://www.housedem.state.il.us/members/melld/index.htm Rep. Deborah Mell] at Illinois House Democrats * {{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=101751 | fec= | congress= }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mell, Deb}} Category:American lesbian politicians Category:LGBTQ state legislators in Illinois Category:Women state legislators in Illinois Category:Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Category:Chicago City Council members Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Cornell College alumni Category:Women city councillors in Illinois Category:American LGBTQ city council members Category:California Culinary Academy alumni Category:21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:Chicago City Council members appointed by Rahm Emanuel

Deb Mell

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