Nicole Lee (politician)

Nicole T. Lee[1][2] (born 1974/1975)[3] is an American politician in Chicago, Illinois. She is a member of the Chicago City Council as the alderwoman for the 11th ward, which includes portions of Bridgeport, New City, and Chinatown. She took office in March 2022, after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the removal of Patrick Daley Thompson.[4][5][6] She was elected to a full term in 2023. She is the second Asian American and first Chinese American to serve on the City Council.[lower-alpha 1]

Nicole Lee
Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 11th ward
Assumed office
March 28, 2022
Preceded byPatrick Daley Thompson
Personal details
Born1974 or 1975 (age 48–49)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationIndiana University, Bloomington (BS)
University of Chicago (MPP)

Early life and education

Lee was born and raised in the Chinatown neighborhood of Chicago.[7] She attended Mark Sheridan Math and Science Academy and Whitney Young Magnet High School.[6] She received a bachelor's degree in public affairs from Indiana University and a master's degree in public policy from University of Chicago.[2][5][6]

Career

Prior to her appointment to City Council, Lee was an executive at United Airlines and worked on philanthropy and corporate social responsibility efforts.[6] She had previously worked in several executive roles for Private Bank, BP America, and other corporations.[7] She has also served as an independent consultant for community organizations, president of the Chicago chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, interim executive director and board member of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, and a member of the University of Illinois at Chicago Asian American Advisory Council.[7][8] From 2017 to 2021, she served on the local school council for Haines Elementary School.[5]

Chicago City Council

Appointment

On February 14, 2022, incumbent 11th ward alderman Patrick Daley Thompson was removed from his position after his conviction for federal tax fraud charges made him ineligible to serve.[9] The office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot, charged with nominating a replacement, announced on March 15 that it had received 27 applications.[10] Lightfoot nominated Lee on March 24, citing her "dedication to empowering communities and building coalitions."[7] On March 28, the City Council approved her appointment in a 45-0 vote.[11] Lee stated that her top three priorities for the ward were city services provision, public safety, and educational opportunities.[12]

Personal life and family

Lee's father, Gene Lee, was a long-time political aide for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. He pled guilty to charges of embezzlement and fraud, unrelated to his position as an aide, in 2014.[12]

Electoral history
2023 Chicago aldermanic election, 11th ward, runoff election[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nicole Lee 8,045 62.64%
Nonpartisan Anthony "Tony" Ciaravino 4,799 37.36%
Total votes 12,844 100%
2023 Chicago aldermanic election, 11th ward, first round[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Nonpartisan Nicole Lee (incumbent) 3,561 30.9
Nonpartisan Tony Ciaravino 3,384 29.4
Nonpartisan Don Don 2,254 19.6
Nonpartisan Ambria Taylor 1,552 13.5
Nonpartisan Vida Jimenez 326 2.8
Nonpartisan Froy Jimenez 275 2.4
Nonpartisan Steve Demitro 159 1.4
Total votes 11,511 100.0

See also

Notes
  1. The first Asian American member of the Chicago City Council was Ameya Pawar.

References
  1. "11th Ward Alderman Selection Process". www.chicago.gov. Archived from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  2. "11th Ward Candidate Resumes" (PDF). www.chicago.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  3. Armentrout, Mitchell (May 15, 2023). "Find Your Alderperson". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. "Nicole Lee takes seat in City Council after unanimous confirmation vote". Chicago Sun-Times. 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  5. Laurence, Justin (2022-03-28). "History In The Making: Nicole Lee is Chicago's First Chinese-American Alderperson". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  6. Yin, Alice (2022-03-28). "Nicole Lee confirmed as Chicago's newest alderman; here's a look at the woman behind the historic 11th Ward appointment". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  7. Nitkin, Alex; Hegarty, Alex (2022-03-24). "Who Is Nicole Lee? 11th Ward Alderman Pick Has Background In Corporate Giving, Chinese-American Organizing And Oil Consulting". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  8. Wang, Judy (2022-03-28). "Nicole Lee appointed for 11th Ward, first Asian American woman to serve on City Council". WGN-TV. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  9. Woelfel, Mariah (2022-02-14). "Chicago Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson is found guilty of tax fraud". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  10. Cherone, Heather (2022-03-15). "27 People Apply to Fill Vacant 11th Ward Seat on the Chicago City Council". WTTW News. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  11. "Lightfoot nominates Nicole Lee for 11th Ward alderperson". WGN-TV. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  12. Spielman, Fran (2022-03-24). "Lightfoot's pick to replace Patrick Daley Thompson would be 1st Asian American woman to serve on City Council". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  13. Chicago Board of Elections. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE MUNICIPAL RUNOFF ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AND FOR THE SUPPLEMENTARY ALDERPERSON ELECTIONS HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN WARDS 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 21, 24, 29, 30, 36, 43, 45, 46, AND 48 IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON APRIL 4, 2023" (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  14. Chicago Board of Elections (March 15, 2023). "Tabulated Statement of the Returns and Proclamation of the Results of the Canvass of the Election Returns for the February 28, 2023 Municipal General and Alderperson Elections Held in Each of the Precincts in All the Wards in the City of Chicago" (PDF). Retrieved March 15, 2023.
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