CHICAGO — Members of the City Council's Latino Caucus unanimously chose Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) to be their new leader, the alderman announced Wednesday.
Villegas will succeed Ald. George Cardenas (12th), who stepped down Wednesday after a two-year term as chair of the 11-member caucus.
The first-term alderman will aim to "build on the great work of Alderman Cardenas and focus on public safety, education and economic development,” he wrote in a statement.
Villegas, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, won an open election in 2015 to succeed Ald. Nicholas Sposato, who decided to run in the 38th ward after 36th ward's boundaries were changed to include a majority of Latino voters.
Making up around 30 percent of city residents, Latinos are Chicago's fastest growing group, powering population growth in the Far Northwest Side neighborhoods represented by Villegas. His ward includes parts of Belmont Cragin, Dunning, Hermosa, Montclare and Hermosa.
