49th Ward Hosts First Town Hall of Year as Resource Fair

The 49th Ward hosted a town hall March 7 at Sullivan High School, celebrating Chicago’s 189th birthday while connecting residents to resources at local, state and federal levels. Roughly 80 people attended. Representatives from different government departments spoke about their offices and the resources they offer for constituents, allowing people after the event to talk to them at their booths.

The town hall was the 49th Ward’s first town hall of the year, led by Alderwoman Maria Hadden (49th).

Hadden said her office created three goals in January — continue to be a source of accurate information, consistently be there for constituents and help maintain trust in government by making the 49th Ward reliable and dependable.  

Hadden said the purpose of the event was to encourage attendees to get involved with community resources provided, such as volunteer work.

“They want to connect more,” Hadden said. “They want to know these organizations. They want to know their neighbors. They want to do something.”

Representing the City of Chicago, Alderwoman Hadden (49th) spoke first, followed by Cook County Commissioner of 13th District Josina Morita, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, Michael Amunde from the office of Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Mario Casciaro representing Commissioner Samantha Steele of Cook County’s Board of Review.

From the state government, Chief of Staff Heather Saenger from the office of Senator Mike Simmons and Chief of Staff Taylor Ortiz on behalf of Representative Kelly Cassidy’s office spoke.

From the federal government, Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s office Leslie Combs spoke.

Before and after the Town Hall started, about 25 resource booths were set up in the hallways before the auditorium for people to stop and ask questions.

Hadden said her office felt they already had many constituents reaching out to them and were having to redirect them, so a Q&A style town hall wouldn’t be as helpful as a resource fair.

“They’re feeling uncertain,” Hadden said. “They’re feeling overwhelmed. They’re feeling afraid, and the antidote for that is connectedness and community building.”

Hadden said while an alderperson might be the most accessible elected official, she hopes to highlight some other elected officials and organizations while also having community members meet new people.

“People don’t always know how to reach their water rep person or their Board of Review commissioner or their congresswoman,” Hadden said. “I hope people were able to make those connections. I hope people learned something and met somebody new and walked away feeling a little bit more connected.”

Ward Director Shenicka Hohenkirk (49th) said the Ward hosts town halls quarterly which vary in formats, but this was the first time they’ve combined a town hall and resource fair to connect constituents to resources the Ward can’t. She said they’ll use community feedback and the success of the event to make decisions and create events moving forward. 

“We just brought the organizations down too. It just made it easier for a one-stop shop type of event,” Hohenkirk said.

Michael Almonte, director of public engagement for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago under Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, said they often speak about water and storm water management at community events, an often overlooked agency by residents.

“I think it’s important to have visibility and be face-to-face with people to answer any questions that they have,” Almonte said.

Community member Shara Miller recently moved back to the 49th Ward and said they attended the town hall to learn more about local resources.

“I used to live in the 40th ward,” Miller said. “So I’m very used to transparency, and I like that [Hadden] is going out of their way to be a visible alderperson.”

Miller said they didn’t speak to any booths but learned a lot from listening to the speakers.

“I like how this one is a little bit more free form where there’s booths and things,” Miller said. “You can speak to different organizations.”

Chief of Staff for State Senator Mike Simmons Heather Saenger attended and spoke at the event.

“We are very intentional about attending as many events in all parts of the 7th District as possible,” Saenger said in an email to The Phoenix after the event. “We knew this event would be a great opportunity to connect with Rogers Park neighbors in-person!”

Cook County Commissioner, 13th District Josina Morina spoke at the event and had a booth. Morina said it was important for them to be there to make sure residents are aware of them and their services.

“People often don’t know what the county does,” Morina said in an email to The Phoenix after the event. “So sharing the good news of how we have helped people and what we can do is appreciated.”

Loyola’s Neighborhood Initiatives had a booth to receive community input and questions as a way of being accessible to the community. Associate Vice President of Campus and Community Planning Jennifer Clark was there to get community input and feedback.

“I love in-person events whenever possible because I can really connect with people,” Clark said in an email to The Phoenix after the event. “It’s also a great time to catch up with neighbors and partners with whom we have long-standing relationships. Loyola is ‘in, of, and for’ the community, so it’s important to be part of the community all the time, not just when it’s related to Loyola.”

Chief of Staff for Representative Kelly Cassidy Taylor Ortiz spoke about the services of their office, especially mentioning their upcoming vaccine clinic.

“It is important for us to be out in the community, ensuring that they know we are here to help and what services we offer,” Cassidy said.