City Council confirms Anabel Abarca as new 12th ward alderwoman
CHICAGO (CBS) – The full City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to confirm a new alderwoman for Chicago's 12th Ward.
Ald. Anabel Abarca replaces former Ald. George Cardenas, who stepped down last month after he was elected to the Cook County Board of Review. Abarca previously served as Cardenas' chief of staff from 2013 to 2016.
"I am honored and excited to join you as a colleague," Abarca told the City Council after she was sworn in. "Hard work, integrity, love of family, love of our city, and uplifting others; these are the principles and values that I was taught as a child, and that so many of our communities share."
"It is these principles, these lessons, this work ethic that I take with me, and I pledge to give my 100%," she added.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Abarca as her pick to replace Cardenas on Monday.
A resident of McKinley Park, Abarca was one of three people to apply to replace Cardenas in the 12th Ward, which includes parts of the Brighton Park, McKinley Park, and Little Village neighborhoods.
Abarca was Cardenas' chief of staff in the 12th Ward from 2013 to 2016 before becoming a senior policy analyst for the Chicago Department of Public Health. She got her law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2020, and is currently an associate at the law firm of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath.
Abarca is running for a full 4-year term in the 12th Ward in the upcoming city elections in February, and her appointment will give her the advantage of running as an incumbent against two other candidates - Julia Ramirez and Joseph Mercado.
