Ald. Leslie Hairston, a longtime member of the Chicago City Council who has represented the Hyde Park and South Shore neighborhoods for nearly a quarter century, announced Friday she is joining the growing list of aldermen retiring at the end of this term.
The alderman of the 5th Ward since 1999, Hairston stated in a news release that she will not seek reelection in 2023. She has been a member of the council’s progressive caucus and led the neighborhood through the contentious selection and development of the upcoming Obama Presidential Center next door.
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“After 24 years as alderperson, I am announcing my decision to retire at the end of my term in 2023,” Hairston wrote. “For more than 30 years, I have held jobs serving the public and it is time for me to look at the next chapter of my life. While I haven’t made any decisions yet, rest assured it will be active, engaged and committed to making my community better. It just will not be as alderperson.”
Hairston, who is also a lawyer and former state assistant attorney general, defeated incumbent Ald. Barbara Holt in 1999 when Hairston ran as an independent while Holt was backed by Mayor Richard M. Daley.
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Most recently, Hairston has grappled with issues of affordable housing and gentrification following the announcement that the Obama center would be located in Jackson Park. Hairston supported the original council ordinance that OK’d construction of the complex while she later called for greater transparency on how the center would affect South Side residents.
In 2019, she narrowly defeated challenger and activist William Calloway.
Hairston joins several City Council members who have resigned or announced they are stepping down at the end of the term next year: Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, Harry Osterman, 48th, James Cappleman, 46th, and Michael Scott, 24th. Mayor Lori Lightfoot already replaced Scott with his sister Monique Scott, while Lightfoot has not yet announced who will succeed Smith.
Ald. George Cardenas, 12th, will exit the council before the end of his term should he be elected in November to serve on the Cook County’s Board of Review. Three other members of the council — Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, Sophia King, 4th, and Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th — are running for mayor next year against Lightfoot, so they are unable to seek reelection as City Council members.
Former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, 11th, was convicted of felony tax fraud and forced to vacate his seat in February. Lightfoot replaced Daley Thompson with United Airlines director Nicole Lee.
Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, who was indicted on federal bribery charges, has also announced she’s retiring at the end of the term. Ald. Edward Burke, 14th, the longest-serving alderman in city history, is facing a federal corruption trial after being charged in 2019 with racketeering and other counts. But his trial is not set until after the 2023 election, and he has not announced whether he is seeking a 14th term as alderman.
