No Other Member of the Council Has Done More to Promote the Empowerment of Hispanic Americans.

Three U.S. congressmen who once served on the City Council are supporting the re-election of Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd).

Reps. Luis V. Gutierrez, Danny K. Davis and William O. Lipinski have joined forces in behalf of Munoz, a 10-year incumbent who is facing two challengers in the Feb. 25 municipal election.

As former aldermen, the three congressmen know the importance of having a progressive independent like Munoz on the Council.

No other member of the Council has done more to promote the empowerment of Hispanic Americans than Munoz.

Among his major accomplishments was co-sponsoring the city’s living wage ordinance that requires city contractors to pay their employees a salary adequate to support a family.

Munoz, 38, the senior Mexican American on the Council, is seeking to improve the quality of life in Hispanic neighborhoods. He alleges that Latino areas are being denied their fair share of police protection and is calling for public hearings.

Many policemen agree with Munoz. It should be noted that he has picked up the endorsements of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, Latin American Police Association and the Mexican-American Police Organization.

Lipinski, who represented the 22nd Ward for many years in the U.S. House, said that he is taking sides in the aldermanic race because Munoz is effective at delivering for the neighborhoods of the Southwest Side. He has helped to organize block clubs and also teaches classes in leadership at local schools.

Little Village is the largest community in the predominantly Mexican-American 22nd Ward. Munoz represents 80 percent of Little Village. Five new grammar schools were built in Little Village during the 1990s, and the first new high school in the community in more than 90 years is scheduled for construction. He would like this new school to be the first “dual language” academy in Chicago. Munoz was among the leaders in pressing for these new schools.

Lipinski, a ranking member of the U.S. House Transportation Committee, also said that Munoz played an important role in obtaining more than $400 million in public funding for the reconstruction of the CTA Douglas Blue Line.

Gutierrez, with whom Munoz has been closely allied for more than a decade, views him as among the more valuable members of the Council. Like Munoz, Gutierrez is a product of the Latino independent political movement.

State Sen. Miguel del Valle (D-Chicago), former state Sen. Jesus Garcia (D-Chicago) and Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado are also supporting Munoz.

The endorsement of Davis is also significant. About 19 percent of the 22nd Ward’s voters are African American, and Davis represents the ward’s North Lawndale precincts.

In a surprise development, newly elected state Sen. Martin A. Sandoval (D-Chicago) is seeking to oust Munoz. Just a year ago, when Sandoval ran for the Illinois Senate, he sought and obtained the endorsement of Munoz. In his campaign literature, Sandoval showcased the endorsement of the Council’s ranking Mexican-American alderman.

Sandoval, who has a short memory, is supporting party hack Ray A. Diaz, a supervisor in the city’s Water Department, over Munoz. Ben Martinez is also running against Munoz.

It seems strange that Sandoval would solicit the alderman’s endorsement and turn on him. “I’ve been stabbed in the back,” said Munoz. “He’s been in office for only a few weeks and he’s trying to be the boss.”

Munoz, who got 72 percent of the vote in winning election three years ago as the Democratic ward committeeman, received two-thirds of the vote in his most recent re-election to the Council over multiple rivals.

Mayor Daley, who appointed Munoz to the Council, has never endorsed him for re-election. When Daley’s allies twice sought to oust Munoz, they failed. Given the overwhelming mandate that Munoz has received over the last decade, the Hispanic Democratic Organization is misguided in seeking to oust him.

Gutierrez, Davis, and Lipinski, who once served on the Council, are supporting Munoz because he has been a valuable ally in working for the Southwest side. Like these three congressmen, Munoz gives voice to the powerless and isn’t afraid to take on City Hall.

22nd Ward deserves independent voice of Munoz