City Club of Chicago

Hon. George Cardenas

George Cardenas is currently in his fourth term as Alderman of the 12th Ward, which consists of portions of Little Village, Brighton Park, and McKinley Park. Alderman Cardenas is the Chairman of the Health and Environmental Protection Committee, and his Committee memberships include Budget and Government Operations; Committees, Rules and Ethics; Education and Child Development; Finance; Aviation; Housing and Real Estate; and Zoning. In addition, Cardenas is the Chairman of the Latino Caucus.

As Alderman, Cardenas is committed to improving the quality of life for every resident of the ward. Cardenas’ top priorities are improving the educational opportunities for our children, reducing crime, bringing real economic development and job opportunities into the ward, and providing the highest level of city services possible.

As a young child, Cardenas and his family came to Chicago in search of the American Dream. Working his way through school, Cardenas earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in political science from Northeastern Illinois University. Before joining government, Cardenas accumulated over a decade of experience working for Fortune 500 companies. This background gives him valuable insight into the needs of the community and a desire to be a voice for positive change for the area.

As an entrepreneur, Cardenas understands that we need government to be run with a business approach. From providing top quality constituent service to looking for ways to streamline government, Cardenas brings his business background into the decision making process of our City Council.

George is proud to raise his two young daughters in Little Village, where he and his family have lived for over 25 years.

Hon. Roderick Sawyer

In 2011, Roderick T. Sawyer was sworn in as Alderman of the 6th Ward, representing the Chatham, Chesterfield, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Park Manor, and Auburn-Gresham neighborhoods. Alderman Sawyer prides himself on being independent and working for what is in the best interest of his community.

Re-elected in 2015, Alderman Sawyer presides as Chairman of the City Council Black Caucus and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation Committee. Additionally, he is an active member of the City Council Committees on Budget and Government Operations; Committees, Rules and Ethics; Education and Child Development; Finance; Human Relations; License and Consumer Protection; and Pedestrian and Traffic Safety.

Since 2012, Sawyer has also served as the Democratic Committeeman of the 6th Ward, which is part of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Presently, Sawyer is on the Board of Directors of the South Shore Drill Team, eta Creative Arts Foundation, and Meyering Park Advisory Council. Sawyer also serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church, and since his election in 2001, he has served on McDade Classical School’s Local School Council as a member and former Chairman. Every year he co-chairs a fundraiser, which raises monies for a scholarship fund that provides financial assistance for disadvantaged African-Americans who attend his high school alma mater.

Sawyer was born and raised in Chicago’s 6th Ward and has called it home his entire life. He is the youngest of three children born to Celeste C. Taylor and the Honorable Eugene Sawyer, the late Mayor of Chicago and former 6th Ward Alderman.

In his spare time, Sawyer enjoys deejaying as an amateur music mixologist, and playing basketball, softball, and dominoes. He is married to Cheryll and they have two children, Sydni Celeste and Roderick T. Jr.

Hon. Scott Waguespack

Scott Waguespack has served as Alderman of the 32^nd Ward since 2007. Waguespack lives in Bucktown, and his family has called Wicker Park-Bucktown home for many generations. He helped organize and coach underprivileged kids in Little League baseball at Churchill Park and basketball at Wicker Park, giving them an alternative to joining a gang. He is also an active parishioner at St. Hedwig’s Church.

Alderman Waguespack sits on seven City Council Committees: Budget and Government Operations; Committees, Rules, and Ethics; Education and Child Development; Finance; Housing and Real Estate; Human Relations; and Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation. He is working with citizens, neighborhood and business organizations, our neighboring aldermen, and the mayor to improve the 32nd Ward and the city of Chicago by finding solutions to the issues we all face and by providing the best city services possible.

Waguespack obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science at Colorado State University and his Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law. After college, he served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Kenya where he worked with UNICEF and various women’s groups to build health clinics and water supplies, and provided training in primary health. He remains active with the Chicago Area Returned Peace Corps Association, an organization that works for world peace, with an emphasis on “Bringing the World Back Home” after service overseas.

After law school, Waguespack helped create and implement Global Chicago, which fosters global collaboration with Chicago’s many economic, cultural, and intellectual institutions. He worked on projects involving the U.S. State Department, the American Bar Association, and various governments in the Balkans. He focused on developing nation-building projects that assisted the War Crimes Tribunal in the former Yugoslavia, established a rule of law, and worked on economic development projects. Waguespack served as an advisor to the President of Kosovo and the interim government after the end of the Kosovo War. He is also a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.