Mary Ann Smith, longtime 48th Ward Chicago alderwoman, dies at 77
CHICAGO (CBS) -- People across Chicago are mourning the loss of former Ald. Mary Ann Smith, who helped re-shape the North Side during more than two decades in office.
Smith died last week of complications from Parkinson's disease. She was 77 years old.
Smith served as alderwoman of the 48th Ward from 1989 to 2011, representing parts of the Edgewater, Uptown, and Andersonville neighborhoods.
She has been credited with beautifying the area, helping create new parks and public spaces, and helping businesses develop in the ward.
Smith was also inducted into Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame as a friend of the community in 1997. The Hall of Fame noted that Smith convened the 48th Ward Gay and Lesbian Coalition—later known as the North Lake Shore Gay and Lesbian Community. She was credited in particular for supporting affordable housing for those with HIV/AIDS.
Early in her time in office, Smith also opened her home to host a meeting between members of the coalition and three Chicago Police commanders to ensure police responsiveness to LGBTQ issues, the hall of fame said.
Smith was also an advocate for marriage equality at a time when it was not yet the law in Illinois or the vast majority of the country. She told the Windy City Times in a February 2007 interview: "I don't see why a gay couple should settle for anything less. As a human being, a mother and a neighbor, I wouldn't presume to tell someone who he should love."
Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), who now represents the ward, wrote a tribute to Smith on Facebook.
"She cared deeply for the 48th ward and continued to serve long after her time in office, most recently volunteering on our Zoning Advisory Council. Alderwoman Smith was part of a long history of exceptional female leadership in the 48th Ward, and paved the way for other women like me to sit on City Council. She will be greatly missed, and my thoughts are with her family," Manaa-Hoppenworth wrote.
A funeral mass for Smith has been scheduled for Aug. 23 at St. Ita Catholic Church in Edgewater.