Negocios Now

WHO'S WHO IN HISPANIC CHICAGO

Negocios Now is the Hispanic Business Publication in Chicago with National Distribution

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www.negociosnow.com Julio 2019 3 By Hannah Faris I f you want to look for influential Latinos in the city of Chicago, put the name of Gilbert Villegas among one of the first on the list. As the first Latino floor leader and chairman of the Department of Economic, Capital, and Technology Committee, Alderman Gil- bert Villegas (36th) plans to use these positions to help Chicago's Latino communi- ty prosper. "My goal is going to be to make sure that our com- munity is at the table as dis- cussions are going on," said Villegas. "I will be making sure that Latinos are being reflected in contracts and jobs – that appropriations of the budget and projects are doled out equally." Villegas said that one of his priorities in his first term is parity for the Latino commu- nity. As Latinos make up 30 percent of the population in Chicago, Villegas would like to see Latinos occupy 30 per- cent of the contracts and 30 percent of the jobs in the city. Preceding Villegas is Alderman Pat O'Connell (40th), who spent 16 of his 36 years in office as floor leader under Mayor Richard M. Daley and Mayor Rahm Emmanuel. Villegas says that his appointment to floor leader is especially sig- nificant, not only because he is the first Latino floor leader, but also because he is serving under Chicago's first African American woman and openly gay mayor. As floor leader, Villegas will have the opportunity to speak with Mayor Light- foot on a daily basis, giving her recommendations and making sure she's keeping the Latino community in mind when making decisions. "We should be hiring more Latinos, more African Americans and more fema- les because when you diver- sify that pool, you get a sen- se of what every commu- nity in every neighborhood of Chicagoans is thinking about," said Villegas. As Chair of the Econo- mic, Capital and Technolo- gy Committee, Villegas also plans to break each category into silos, putting together subcommittees lead by experts in these fields. His initiatives include wor- king with prominent econo- mic development organiza- tions, identifying opportuni- ties for capital investments while encouraging women and minority-owned busi- ness participation and enga- ging minorities and women in IT sectors. Additionally, Villegas see- ks to offer tax incentives to large corporations relocating to or expanding in Chica- go, freezing their taxes for 10 years while these busines- ses invest in the city. Ville- gas noted the importance of ensuring that corporations are fulfilling their duties in order to receive the subsi- dies, something city council has neglected to enforce. "It's going to be a change, and some people don't take well to change," said Ville- gas. "You have to be able to be flexible and learn how to adapt within the changes that are being promoted." Villegas was first elected to the city council in 2015 after a long career of public service, serving in the Uni- ted States Marines, non- profit and for-profit com- panies and as the chief of staff to the Illinois Capital Development Board. Throughout his first term in the city council, Ville- gas advocated for minority communities across Chica- go. In addition to creating ward-level bonds and pro- posing legislation to relie- ve the financial burden of unpaid tickets, Villegas also served as chairman of the Latino and veterans caucuses. The power of Gilbert Villegas PRESENTING SPONSOR GOLD SPONSOR SILVER SPONSORS SMALL BUSINESS SPONSORS MEDIA SPONSOR BRONZE SPONSORS " WE SHOULD BE HIRING MORE LATINOS, MORE AFRICAN AMERICANS AND MORE FEMALES BECAUSE WHEN YOU DIVERSIFY THAT POOL, YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT EVERY COMMUNITY IN EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD OF CHICAGOANS IS THINKING ABOUT." Alderman Villegas (Ward 36) is the floor leader and the chairman of the Department of Economic, Capital, and Technology Committee.

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