Surrounded by neighbors who have known her for years, Melanie Jacobs Stathis launched her campaign for 19th Ward alderman Tuesday night, leaning heavily on her lifelong ties to the South Side community she hopes to represent.
The Morgan Park resident formally announced her candidacy at Horse Thief Hollow, 10426 S. Western Ave., nearly a full year before the 2027 election.
Stathis told supporters she decided to run after hearing growing frustration from residents who feel overlooked and eager for more responsive leadership.
“I am running for alderman because it is time for our community to have honest conversations about how to support every corner of the ward,” she said. “I envision a ward with more community-engaged decision-making, more responsive city services, and better supported schools, small businesses and public safety initiatives.”
A lifelong 19th Ward resident, Stathis framed her campaign as an extension of her work and relationships in the neighborhood. She said strong neighbor-to-neighbor connections would be central to both her campaign and, if elected, her approach to governing.
Stathis earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, focusing on international development in Latin America and Africa, and later received a master’s degree in policy economics from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She said her global studies ultimately sharpened her belief in grassroots change at home.
“I have since turned my focus toward local issues,” she said.
Her professional background includes more than 15 years in the nonprofit sector. Before opening her own nonprofit consulting firm, Confluential Impact Advisors LLC, in February 2024, Stathis spent eight years with the YMCA of Metro Chicago as director of mission-driven analytics. She also serves as a board member at the Beverly Arts Center.
“Politics is new to me,” she said. “The urgency of the current political climate made it such that my consulting work felt less urgent and community organizing felt more urgent.”
Stathis and her husband, Tim, are raising two children in the ward. Their son, Logan, attends St. John Fisher School in Beverly, and their daughter, Cassidy, attends Keller Regional Gifted Center in Mount Greenwood.
She emphasized backing local businesses and directing city resources efficiently so families can afford to remain in the community long term.
The launch date carried personal and civic significance. The event was held on her mother Leslie Jacobs’ birthday, as well as the 189th anniversary of the incorporation of Chicago. Stathis briefly acknowledged both milestones, calling it “a special day for my family and for the city we love.”
As the evening wound down, the crowd did not rush out. Neighbors lingered over drinks, swapping stories about their blocks and asking Stathis direct questions about taxes, schools and public safety. She answered some and took notes on others. For a first-time candidate, it felt less like a formal kickoff and more like a long neighborhood conversation—the kind she said she plans to continue in the months ahead.
