Mayor Lori Lightfoot picks Nicole Lee as new 11th Ward alderman, first Asian American woman to serve on City Council

CHICAGO (CBS) — Mayor Lori Lightfoot has picked the first Asian American woman to serve on the city Council as the new 11th Ward alderman.

Lightfoot is appointing Nicole Lee, a United Airlines director who was born and raised in Chinatown, to replace former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, who left office last month after his conviction on federal charges.

“The 11th Ward is a diverse community of hard-working people who embody the grit, love, and neighborhood pride that make Chicago a great city,” Lee said in a statement provided by the mayor’s offce. “It’s a tremendous honor to receive this appointment to serve my fellow residents of the 11th Ward.”

Lee, director of social impact and community engagement at United Airlines, would also be only the second Asian American to serve on the City Council. The only previous Asian American alderman was Ameya Pawar, who represented the 47th Ward on the North Side for two terms from 2011 to 2019.

Lee has a long record of community service in the city’s Asian community, including as a member of the UIC Asian American Advisory Council, a former president of the Chicago chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, a former co-chair and founding member of the Asian Giving Circle, and a former vice president of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association.

“Nicole Lee has spent her life expanding and amplifying 11th ward issues and voices,” Lightfoot said in a statement on Lee’s appointment. “Her dedication to empowering communities and building coalitions is evident in her career and in her involvement in a variety of community organizations. She is the right choice to make sure 11th ward residents are fully represented on the Chicago City Council.”

The City Council Rules Committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing for Lee at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. A special City Council meeting has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Monday for a final vote on Lee’s appointment.

Lee has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, and a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

The 11th Ward covers a diverse, skinny sliver of the South Side that includes parts of Chinatown, Bridgeport, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, University Village, and Pilsen – as well as Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox.

The 11th Ward has been the home base of the Daley political dynasty for decades. Mayor Richard J. Daley lived on Lowe Avenue south of 35th Street and raised his family there – including son Mayor Richard M. Daley. While the younger Daley moved to the South Loop while in office, the dynasty remained in Bridgeport – and Ald. Thompson, the senior Mayor Daley’s grandson and the younger Mayor Daley’s nephew – was elected alderman of the 11th Ward in 2015.

But with Thompson’s conviction forcing him out of office, many had been calling on Lightfoot to name an Asian American to serve in the ward.

The ward is all but certain to become the city’s first majority Asian American ward when the city’s new ward maps are set. While new ward maps have yet to be approved, and will likely have to be decided by voters in a June referendum, both competing versions drawn up by the City Council’s Black Caucus and Latino Caucus would make the 11th Ward an Asian American majority ward.

Lee was one of 27 people who applied for the 11th Ward seat. Lightfoot originally expected to appoint someone to the seat in time for a confirmation vote at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, and the Rules Committee had been set for an initial vote on Tuesday, but Monday night, Lightfoot’s office announced she would need “a bit more time” to make her choice.

Asked about the delay after Wednesday’s council meeting, Lightfoot reiterated that she simply needed more time to make her choice.

Lightfoot has scheduled a 2 p.m. press conference in Bridgeport to announce Lee’s selection.