Manuel Flores (American politician)
Manuel "Manny" Flores (born January 21, 1972) is the alderman of the 1st Ward (map) in Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, Flores was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2003. He currently is the youngest alderman on the Council and represents part of the city's Northwest Side.
Early life
Flores attended Dominican University where he earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in political science. He later went to George Washington Law School, where he was awarded honors for his clinical work on immigration and human rights litigation in political asylum cases.
Public Service
Flores started his career in politics as a congressional aide to Congressman Luis Gutierrez. He was later a prosecutor for the Office of Cook County State’s Attorney.
In addition to his role as an alderman, Flores sits on two nonprofit boards. He sits on the board for Community Health which provides healthcare to the poor and uninsured. He also sits on the board of C.A.U.S.E.S which provides psychiatric therapy and treatment to children who have been the victims of domestic abuse and violence.
Aldermanic career
Flores was elected alderman in 2003, defeating Ald. Jesse Granato (who had the support of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, the powerful and controversial Hispanic Democratic Organization and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich) after a close election that resulted in a runoff.
As alderman, he sits on five city council committees: Economic, Capital and Technology Development, Historical Landmark Preservation, Rules and Ethics, Parks and Recreation, and Special Events and Cultural Affairs. Since 2004, he has introduced and passed legislation in the areas of consumer protection, land-use and development, banking, healthcare, and government operations and management. Flores has also fought for worker rights by calling for better severance packages for displaced workers.
Flores works to achieve greater access to computer technology; he serves on the Illinois Broadband Deployment Council and Chicago City Council Wireless Taskforce. Through these organizations, Flores helps in the development of strategies to ensure affordable internet access and create public wireless hot spots to every neighborhood in Chicago.
Personal life
Alderman Flores lives in the Wicker Park neighborhood with his wife, Georgina, and their son, Theodore.