Rounding out a series of promotions for 35th Ward progressives, Democrats from Chicago’s Northwest Side appointed Jessica Vásquez to fill a vacancy on the Cook County Board for the next 18 months.
The shuffle started when Mayor Brandon Johnson elevated Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from the Chicago City Council to become CEO of the Chicago Park District. Johnson then tapped Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada to replace Ramirez-Rosa on the City Council last month. Vásquez will replace Quezada representing the 8th District on the county board.
Ramirez-Rosa’s former chief of staff at City Hall, Vásquez was a frontrunner for the county post from the moment Ramirez-Rosa kicked off the musical chairs by taking the Park District job.
She beat out four other applicants during a Sunday meeting at Avondale-Logandale Elementary School of Democratic committeepeople whose wards overlap with the 8th district.
As 35th Ward Democratic committeeman, Ramirez-Rosa led the selection process. Vásquez drummed up support from several progressive allies and local organizations heading into the process and was greeted by applause and cheers as she spoke at Sunday’s meeting.
After candidate interviews concluded, Quezada said he was “proud that this community, this movement, has nominated Jessica Vásquez,” and shot back at critics who complained progressives were “installing their own person.”
“They didn’t say that when they installed a state representative or the former state senator. They didn’t say it then. They had every opportunity to organize a community-led process this time around,” Quezada said.
She beat out Logan Laurie, who founded a nonprofit to fix up urban skateparks and now works as a staff assistant to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand; Ray Doeksen, a designer and retired Army captain; Joanne Fehn, a bureau chief in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office; and Enrique Morales, a policy researcher and founder of an arts nonprofit.
Morales was the only other candidate to receive final votes, from 1st Ward committeeperson Laura Yepes, 31st Ward committeeperson Felix Cardona, and a proxy for 36th Ward committeeman Gilbert Villegas.
Vásquez is the first woman to represent the 8th District on the county board, according to a release announcing her appointment, and also tilts the 17-member board to be majority women for the first time.
“I’m deeply humbled and grateful to the Committeepeople and community members who placed their trust in me,” Vásquez said in the release.
Vásquez was born and raised in Belmont Cragin and lives in Logan Square. She studied political science and social sciences at DePaul and the University of Chicago, worked for three years as an external relations associate for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and began working for Ramirez-Rosa in 2017. Her most recent position was running the City Council’s Zoning Committee. She intends to run for the county seat in the 2026 election, according to a release.
In her application to the appointment committee, Vásquez said her focus would include “advocating for property tax reform to prevent working families from being displaced, protecting and fully funding our Cook County Health hospitals and clinics, and practicing collaborative governance by working hand-in-hand with elected officials and community organizations to ensure that policies are rooted in the needs and priorities of the people we serve.”
