George Cardenas
George A. Cardenas (born October 9, 1964) is alderman of the 12th Ward (map) in Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to his first term on the Chicago City Council in 2003, with the backing of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
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Cardenas was born in Santiago, a small town in the mountains of central Mexico. Cardenas and his family moved to Chicago in 1978 where he attended Lane Tech High School. After graduation he joined the Navy for four years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University and went on to work as an auditor and a substitute teacher in public schools. Cardenas later became a business consultant and went back to school to earn his master’s in political science from NEIU.
Cardenas was first elected in 2003. He defeated incumbent Alderman Ray Frias with the help of the powerful and controversial Hispanic Democratic Organization, a group with strong ties to Mayor Daley. Cardenas forced Frias to a run-off election. But in an unprecedented move, Frias resigned, leaving Cardenas as the winner.
Since his election, Cardenas has represented a portion of Chicago's Southwest Side, which includes the neighborhoods of Little Village, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards and McKinley Park.
In 2006, Cardenas lost to Ald. Ricardo Muñoz in the race for state central committeeman for Illinois' 4th Congressional District (map).
As alderman, Cardenas is committed to working for immigration reform. Cardenas serves on five committees: Committees, Rules and Ethics; Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Education; Health; and Finance.
In August 2007 Cardenas proposed a tax on bottled water to fill a $40 million shortfall.
Ald. Cardenas is married and has two children, Arianna and Miranda.
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