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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING ANTHONY JOEL QUEZADA FOR HIS SERVICE AS COMMISSIONER OF COOK COUNTY’S EIGHTH DISTRICT
WHEREAS, Anthony Joel Quezada was elected commissioner of Cook County’s 8th district in 2022 and has proudly represented over 300,000 residents across Logan Square, Avondale, Humboldt Park, Irving Park, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, and Dunning; and
WHEREAS, Anthony was the youngest and the first openly gay Latino commissioner to be elected to the Board of Commissioners at 26 years old; and
WHEREAS, Anthony is the first commissioner of Costa Rican descent to serve on the Board of Commissioners; and
WHEREAS, Anthony is the proud son of immigrant parents from Mexico and Costa Rica, and is a lifelong Chicagoan who was raised on Chicago’s northwest side in Logan Square; and he is a proud alumnus of the Chicago Public Schools system, having attended Goethe Elementary and Lane Tech High School; and
WHEREAS, Anthony has been a fierce champion for economic justice and workers’ rights; as vice chair of the Labor Committee, he has had the honor of convening regularly with workers’ centers to hear directly from workers about the challenges they face, he has joined picket lines to demonstrate solidarity with all workers of Cook County, and he was the chief co-sponsor of Cook County’s Paid Leave ordinance to expand workers’ benefits; and
WHEREAS, Anthony has worked to address social, racial, and economic disparities caused by generational disinvestment and poverty across low-income, working-class, and immigrant communities; and
WHEREAS, Anthony introduced amendments to the Cook County annual budget to fund dental health services at the Belmont Cragin Health Center; and
WHEREAS, Anthony secured $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for infrastructure improvements on Fullerton Avenue; and
WHEREAS, as a commissioner on the Board of Commissioners for the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Anthony has been an energetic advocate for environmental protections, rapidly converting toward renewable energy systems, and has facilitated more engagement and access for community members to the Forest Preserve system, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the Brookfield Zoo Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Anthony has worked to protect lifelong residents of the northwest side of Chicago from housing displacement by providing property tax relief to thousands of homeowners, as he and his staff have assisted thousands of residents with property tax appeals and exemption applications; and
WHEREAS, as the child of immigrant parents, Anthony has worked to protect immigrant communities in Cook County by expanding the scope of the Cook County Public Defender to represent undocumented residents of Cook County in immigration court outside of Chicago, and called on President Biden to provide work authorization to undocumented immigrants; and
WHEREAS, on April 7th, 2025, Anthony Joel Quezada will serve his last day as Cook County Commissioner of the 8th District before he transitions into serving the city of Chicago as the next Alderman of the 35th Ward.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby congratulate and honor Anthony Joel Quezada for his distinguished public service and commitment to the people of the 8th District and Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Anthony Joel Quezada.
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