Aida Flores, a community organizer and educator from Pilsen, has announced her candidacy for the 25th Ward alderperson seat. Her campaign launch comes shortly after current Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez began his run for Congress, though he has not clarified if he will also seek reelection as alderman.
The 25th Ward includes neighborhoods such as Pilsen, University Village, and part of Little Village. The next ward election is scheduled for February 23, 2027.
Flores previously ran for the position in both 2019 and 2023. In her first attempt she finished fourth; in the most recent race she received 47.6 percent of the vote compared to Sigcho-Lopez’s 52.4 percent. During that campaign, she was endorsed by Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
Explaining her decision to run again, Flores said: “I believe we’ve never achieved our full potential in this neighborhood. Having grown up here, it’s been a story of going from corruption to ineffective leadership.”
After the last election, Flores attended a City Hall news conference where she accused Sigcho-Lopez of enabling voter suppression and intimidation—allegations which Sigcho-Lopez denied and described as “a Trump-ian response.”
Flores works as an assistant principal at Darwin School in Chicago Public Schools and has held several roles in education including principal at Hernandez Middle School and history teacher at Benito Juarez High School.
She stated that her campaign aims to represent residents’ interests on City Council and develop policies based on their needs: “We cannot afford ineffective leadership,” Flores said.
Flores criticized ongoing issues such as gentrification under Sigcho-Lopez’s tenure and called for greater transparency in development processes within the ward. She argued that neighbors have not been involved early enough when reviewing new developments despite the existence of a resident-led zoning advisory board.
In response via email, Sigcho-Lopez highlighted his record: “We’ve made the ward office a space for community meetings; pursued accountability for police to successfully solve crimes and bring justice to victims; brought a democratic process to development and zoning, including The 78 development project; created and preserved at least 800 units of affordable housing,” among other accomplishments.
If elected, Flores said she would focus on supporting homeowners, preserving two- to four-flat buildings, bringing more housing units up to code, assisting with repairs, promoting non-displacement development strategies, and opposing expansion of tax-increment financing districts in the ward.
As the daughter of immigrants herself, Flores said she would work with local groups to help businesses and families prepare for immigration raids through emergency planning and legal support: “When businesses, when schools and residents are afraid like this, it’s not about telling them that you’re going to fix everything,” she said. “It’s a harsh reality, but it’s also one that gets families and people ready to respond.”
Flores also plans to advocate for increased oversight regarding how Chicago police handle immigration enforcement activities.
Education remains central to her platform amid rising financial pressures on Chicago Public Schools: “‘I’m a champion of public neighborhood schools. I think that we’re constantly facing more and more challenges, and we need more support in how we bring resources and help” public schools,’” she said.
She credits educators from her own school experience with helping her succeed academically despite challenges—including having her first child at age fourteen while attending an alternative middle school before transferring to Benito Juarez High School where she became its first Bill Gates scholarship recipient.
Flores later attended Georgetown University, Harvard University, National Louis University—and recently completed an Emerging Leaders Fellowship with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
