Ian Watkins Seeks to Bring Community-Centered Leadership to Chicago’s 25th Ward (Chicago, IL) — For Ian Watkins, the decision to run for alderman of Chicago’s 25th Ward was not sparked by political ambition or a desire to hold public office. It was a deeply personal experience involving a familiar neighborhood figure that ultimately convinced him to enter the race.
Watkins, a longtime Pilsen resident, recalled a woman affectionately known in the neighborhood as the “Tamale Lady,” whom he had known for years. When he first moved to the community more than a decade ago, she sold tamales from a cooler, often giving him an extra one and encouraging him to eat more.
Over time, Watkins watched her small business grow from a cooler to a food truck and eventually a storefront. But he said witnessing her being detained by federal immigration agents changed his outlook on what his community needed from its elected leadership.
“For me, that was my call to action,” Watkins said during an interview with The Chicagoland Journal. “That was my last straw in regards of whether or not I was going to run.”
Now, Watkins is seeking to translate that experience into a campaign focused on immigrant protections, housing affordability, public safety, economic opportunity and a more accessible ward office.
He is running for the seat currently held by Alderman Byron Sigcho-López in Chicago’s February 2027 municipal election.
A Background in Public Service and the Arts
Watkins brings a professional background spanning government communications, congressional speechwriting, community organizing and the arts.
He believes those experiences have given him an understanding of both the workings of government and the consequences residents face when public institutions fail to respond to their needs.
“I’ve learned how government works and then I’ve lived through the consequences of what happens when it doesn’t,” Watkins said.
Through his work alongside elected officials and community organizations, Watkins said he has observed how legislation is developed, how public resources are distributed and how government decisions directly affect working families.
But he argues that understanding policy alone is not enough to be an effective alderman.
Having lived in Pilsen for more than 12 years, Watkins said he has watched the neighborhood evolve as rising costs have challenged longtime residents, small businesses and artists.
Those experiences, he said, have strengthened his belief that city government must do more to ensure communities remain accessible to the people who helped build them.
Fighting Displacement and Protecting Affordable Housing
Housing affordability is among Watkins’ central campaign priorities.
As development continues to reshape neighborhoods throughout the 25th Ward, Watkins said he wants to pursue policies that protect renters, preserve existing affordable housing and expand opportunities for homeownership.
“No family should be priced out of the community that they helped to build,” he said.
His proposed housing agenda centers on three areas.
Watkins wants stronger enforcement of tenant protections, greater access to legal representation for residents facing eviction and increased accountability for landlords who neglect their properties. He also proposes a ward-level housing resource initiative connecting residents with legal aid and rental assistance.
He also supports stronger affordability requirements for developments seeking city assistance or zoning changes, along with community land trusts and other strategies aimed at preserving affordable housing.
Watkins wants to expand access to down payment assistance, first-generation homebuyer programs and property tax relief for eligible longtime homeowners.
He believes homeownership should remain a realistic goal for working families rather than an opportunity increasingly limited to higher-income households.
Public Safety Through Accountability and Community Investment
Watkins’ public safety approach combines support for safer streets with demands for greater police accountability.
Drawing on his experience surviving a violent attack and his family’s history in law enforcement, Watkins said he understands both the trauma caused by violence and the responsibilities that come with policing.
“We can demand safer communities and greater police accountability at the same time,” he said, emphasizing that those goals should not be viewed as mutually exclusive.
Watkins said his grandfather served as a senior-ranking police officer, giving him an appreciation for the challenges facing law enforcement.
However, he also believes traditional policing alone cannot address the underlying causes of neighborhood instability.
“I don’t believe we can arrest our way out of poverty, homelessness, addiction,” he said.
Instead, Watkins advocates for community engagement, youth programming and regular discussions that bring residents and law enforcement together.
He also expressed opposition to indiscriminate surveillance and emphasized the importance of building trust between residents and police.
A Commitment to Immigrant Families
Immigrant protections are another defining element of Watkins’ campaign.
He has pledged to donate 10% of his aldermanic salary, if elected, to a fund supporting immigrant legal assistance and community protection.
During the interview, Watkins outlined how he believes the fund should operate, proposing an independent nonprofit administrator, an advisory committee and partnerships with qualified immigration legal service providers.
He said the fund should maintain transparent financial records and establish clear eligibility standards to ensure that assistance is distributed based on need rather than political affiliation.
“That money will not be controlled by my political campaign or distributed according to political loyalty either,” Watkins said.
The proposal reflects his broader argument that ward leadership must play a more active role in supporting families affected by federal immigration enforcement.
Tackling Food Insecurity With Nourish 25
Watkins also discussed Nourish 25, a proposed food assistance initiative intended to connect struggling families with groceries, fresh food and existing public benefits.
“A family shouldn’t have to choose between keeping the lights on, paying rent and putting food on the table,” he said.
Under the proposal, families could seek help through schools, community organizations, neighborhood partners or the alderman’s office.
Participating food pantries and meal providers would then help residents access groceries with fewer administrative barriers.
Rather than relying exclusively on shelf-stable donations, Watkins wants to establish partnerships with grocery stores, urban farms, restaurants and food distributors to provide fresh produce, proteins and culturally familiar ingredients.
The initiative would also connect families with assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC and school meal benefits, including language support when necessary.
Watkins said eliminating the stigma sometimes associated with requesting assistance would be an important part of the program.
Making the Ward Office More Accessible
Beyond his policy proposals, Watkins wants to change how residents interact with their alderman’s office.
His campaign calls for a bilingual constituent services portal, more opportunities for in-person assistance and measurable standards for responding to neighborhood concerns.
“Presence is power. There is power in presence,” Watkins said.
If elected, he proposes acknowledging general constituent inquiries within one business day and offering in-person appointments within three business days.
Urgent situations involving housing instability or unsafe living conditions would receive priority for same-day assistance whenever possible.
Watkins also wants to establish rotating community office hours throughout Pilsen and Little Village, ensuring residents can seek assistance without relying entirely on digital systems.
His office would provide English- and Spanish-language assistance and publicly report how effectively constituent concerns are being addressed.
Watkins argues that residents should not need personal political connections to receive reliable city services.
Protecting Neighborhood Businesses and Cultural Identity
With Pilsen’s artistic and cultural identity playing a significant role in the community, Watkins said preventing the displacement of neighborhood businesses and artists would be another priority.
“One of the greatest injustices of gentrification is that the very people who make a neighborhood desirable are often the first people who are no longer able to afford to remain,” he said.
His proposals include preserving affordable commercial spaces and artist studios through community land trusts, nonprofit ownership models and long-term leasing arrangements.
He also wants to establish a resource initiative connecting small business owners and artists with grants, licensing assistance, technical support and opportunities for city contracts.
Additional priorities include public art commissions, youth mentorship programs, neighborhood festivals and partnerships with schools and cultural institutions.
Watkins believes local businesses should have a meaningful voice in economic development decisions affecting neighborhood commercial corridors.
Turning Campaign Promises Into Results
As Watkins outlines an ambitious platform, questions remain about how his proposals would be funded and implemented within the city’s budget constraints.
When asked which initiative he would prioritize during his first year in office, how he would pay for it and what measurable results residents should expect, Watkins focused largely on community communication and transparency rather than identifying a specific first-year spending priority or funding source.
He proposed weekly progress updates, opportunities for residents to raise concerns and a constituent portal that would allow people to communicate directly with the ward office.
For Watkins, the campaign ultimately comes back to the relationships that connect neighbors and the role local government can play in strengthening those bonds.
He said he wants residents to see their alderman not simply as an elected official, but as someone present and responsive to the community’s everyday needs.
“My campaign more than anything else is a reminder that, at the end of the day, we are all neighbors,” Watkins said. “And we are all trying to make the place that we call home stronger and better for future generations.”
As the 25th Ward prepares for the 2027 municipal election, Watkins is presenting voters with a platform centered on housing stability, immigrant assistance, neighborhood economic development and more accessible local government.
Whether those proposals can be translated into funded, measurable programs remains a question for the campaign to address as the election approaches.
Ian Watkins Seeks to Bring Community-Centered Leadership to Chicago’s 25th Ward
