This mainly Hispanic district covering a large swath of the Southwest Side, including Pilsen, is represented by mayoral appointee and now candidate Emma Lozano, 72, retired pastor of Lincoln United Methodist Church in Pilsen. She faces Jesus Ayala Jr., 34, former chief operating officer of MetroSquash in Woodlawn, which provides out-of-school athletic programs for kids, and now is attending the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in a part-time MBA program.
Chicago Teachers Union-endorsed Lozano has been a reliable vote for the union and the mayor. Expect more of the same if she’s elected in her own right. She supports continuing the moratorium on any school closures after next year despite the fact that more than a third of Chicago’s public schools are half-empty or worse and Chicago Public Schools students now number barely more than 300,000, down from more than 400,000 13 years ago.
Ayala has the backing of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of several instances where the two unions representing most CPS workers differ in this election. He told us he would take a balanced approach to CPS’ financial problems and that his “priority would be to strengthen schools” rather than close them. “At the same time,” he went on, “we cannot ignore the financial and educational challenges created by declining enrollment. CPS itself identifies declining enrollment and rising facility costs as contributors to its structural deficit.”
That explains with clarity why he doesn’t back continuing the school-closure moratorium, which would be irresponsible management. We endorse Jesus Ayala Jr.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here.
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