Leonardo Rojas-Banda, a 28-year-old attorney and community organizer, kicked off his campaign on Aug. 23 for Chicago’s 23rd Ward aldermanic seat, challenging incumbent Silvana Tabares with a focus on constituent services and immigrant support.
Excitement and youthful energy was high as about 20 volunteers and supporters milled about waiting for the candidate’s speech before going out to collect signatures to put him on the ballot.
Rojas-Banda was born and raised on the Southwest Side and grew up in West Lawn.
He said the catalyst for his run came last fall when ICE raids swept through the ward, which has a Latino population exceeding 70 percent.
“It was really unfortunate that the current alderman didn’t say anything or provide any resources regarding how to help our constituents,” Rojas-Banda said. “And so, that was a primary driver for me.”
As he began organizing and talking with neighbors, Rojas-Banda said he discovered deeper concerns; a lack of responsiveness from the alderman’s office and neighborhoods feeling neglected.
“When they seek assistance from the office, whether it’s just pointing them in the right direction to a department that can assist them or connecting them to resources and things like that, neighbors just don’t receive assistance,” he said, citing flooding as a recurring issue. He also pointed to basic services like garbage can replacement and sidewalk repairs.
Rojas-Banda brings a background in law and community work. He most recently served as a Freedom of Information Act officer and assistant general counsel in the Illinois governor’s office. He stepped away from this role so “… I can devote my full time and energy to this campaign and to serving this community.”
Before that, he worked for the Greater Chicago Food Depository helping residents sign up for SNAP and Medicaid.
He also chairs the Civic Empowerment pillar at Southwest Action Network.
On the ICE raids, Rojas-Banda acknowledged the limits of local authority but said the alderman’s office can still help.
“There’s plenty of ways that we can help our neighbors, especially those who are being targeted by warrantless arrests and being taken away,” he said. “I look at other aldermen and we can provide know your rights information. We can coordinate with Southwest Rapid Response Groups.”
He also emphasized the alderman’s office could serve as a bridge for families seeking information about detained relatives.
“If I have a constituent and a family member is taken away, they’re scared, they’re confused, they don’t know where they are. They’re not given any information, and I think the office can be that bridge in acquiring that information,” he said.
Rojas-Banda believes the ward office should coordinate with immigration lawyers and organizations like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIR) to help families find loved ones, he said.
On public safety, Rojas-Banda expressed support for using the Midway Armory as a new police district station, a proposal backed by state legislators, to address slow response times in the 8th Police District, which covers 250,000 residents with 259 officers. Rojas-Banda has family and friends who are police officers.
He suggested freeing up police to focus on emergencies by expanding civilian response programs like the Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) program for lower-priority calls.
“A reoccurring idea is having police officers be able to respond to emergencies and make that a priority,” he said. “So they don’t have to deal with less priority issues, we already have departments and systems in place, for example, the [city’s] Crisis Response and Engagement (CARE) program.”
The CARE program currently faces significant funding uncertainty due to expiring federal aid and logistical hurdles such as limited hours and staff with bottlenecks forcing it to use 911 to dispatch calls, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and Southside Weekly.
On bike lanes, a contentious issue in the ward, Rojas-Banda was direct: “I will only ever do what the community wants. I’m never going to be an alderman that’s going to be making backdoor deals or trying to appease large funders or anything like that. It’s very clear that the community does not want bike lanes, and so I have no intention on doing that.”
On small business support, Rojas-Banda said he wants to build relationships with the local chamber of commerce and explore practical solutions like free parking to draw customers. He also pointed to vacant lots, particularly the abandoned Kmart at 70th and Pulaski, which has sat empty for a decade.
“There’s so much potential to do something with that,” he said. “And as we mentioned earlier, a parking lot is a possibility because that’s already a corridor of businesses right there on Pulaski.”
Rojas-Banda said his core message is rooted in lived experience. The candidate emphasized his being a neighbor and constituent who feels disconnected from the ward office and leaders who are not present, he said.
“I want to give people hope and faith back into their government systems, knowing that a neighbor is going to be occupying that position and knows how it feels and is going to be there to provide assistance,” Rojas-Banda said.
Tabares defends record on immigration, services, community Investment
Alderman Silvana Tabares pushed back against Rojas-Banda’s criticism, saying she was among the first city council members to sound the alarm on ICE raids and has consistently advocated for immigrant protections.
“I supported a measure that would curb the use of federal raids by directing them toward individuals who have a criminal record of violent crimes like murder, shootings, and child predators. I have been outspoken from the very beginning that we cannot treat hardworking immigrants the same as gang bangers and murderers,” Tabares said.
She noted that her office distributes “Know Your Rights” information, directs residents to resources, including her support of a ballot referendum calling on the federal government to reimburse Chicago for the economic impact of the raids.
In January, Tabares toured the Pulaski Road corridor, while working with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, to assess damage to local businesses and discuss recovery efforts. “What we need right now are people who are willing to offer solutions, not score political points by creating fear,” she said.
On constituent services and community presence, Tabares said she operates two ward offices—the only alderman in Chicago aside from Marty Quinn to do so—and keeps one open on Saturdays including moving her Garfield Ridge office closer to the center of the ward for better accessibility.
“We call people back, we follow up, and I’m out going door to door checking in on folks,” she said. On flooding, Tabares said she worked with Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to help residents complete federal surveys and distributed cleaning supplies donated by the Salvation Army.
She credited state legislators Mike Porfirio and Angie Guerrero-Cuellar for passing legislation providing $1,000 in assistance to affected residents beginning in 2027.
On property taxes, Tabares noted she voted against the mayor’s proposed property tax increase in 2024, joining all 50 aldermen in voting “no.”
She also highlighted her work securing school improvements, including new turf fields at Azuela and Twain elementary schools, a new playground at Byrne Elementary and ongoing efforts to secure a new annex for Hubbard High School.
On public safety, Tabares said she recently walked with TAC officers in West Lawn to address gang activity at a problem building, which led to residents coming forward with information that resulted in it being shut down.
“While we live in a free democracy where people can run [for office], I’m focused on the next term and delivering results to my constituents,” she said.