Every ten years, immediately following the completion of the United States Census, the Chicago City Council must redraw the ward map for all of Chicago's 50 wards to ensure equal population within each ward, and to maintain compliance with the Voting Rights Act, which provides for equal minority representation in City Council.

The redistricting process is run by the City Council Committee on Rules, which hosts public meetings to gather public input on potential ward maps, and coordinates the mapping process amongst Aldermen. To be adopted, a proposed ward map must be approved by at least 41 aldermen through an affirmative vote in City Council. If the 41 vote threshold is not reached, any 10 aldermen may introduce their own ward map and have the City's ward map decided by voter referendum.

The 3rd Ward has experienced tremendous growth over the past 10 years, and in order to balance the ward's population with some of the other wards that have lost residents, the boundaries of the current 3rd Ward must be changed. That means while the ward will sadly lose some of existing constituents, much of the ward will remain the same, and there is a tremendous opportunity to bring other parts of surrounding neighborhoods into the 3rd Ward in the next map.

As a Chicago resident, there is ample opportunity to participate in the redistricting process. The Committee on Rules has set up the following website (www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/committee-on-rules/home/chicago-redistricting-information.html) for residents to view potential ward maps, as well as to try their hand at drawing ward maps themselves.

The redistricting process is a critical part of our democracy. If you would like to participate in this process, please follow the link above. If you would like to submit public comment during a City Council committee meeting conducted by videoconference, please call (312) 744-6800 in advance of the meeting and leave a voice message with their name and telephone number. Requests to comment are accepted from 10:00 a.m. two business days before the scheduled meeting until 9:00 a.m. the business day before the scheduled meeting.

Everyone age 18 and older who received Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines can get a booster at least 6 months after their initial series. Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States can be used for the booster dose.

You should get a booster if you are:

You may get a booster if you are:

Individuals age 18 and older who received a J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine should receive a booster dose at least 2 months after receiving their initial vaccination. Any of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States can be used for the booster dose.

There is ample supply across the city among providers to meet demand for booster doses. Use the City’s Vaccine Finder to locate a nearby vaccination site.

In addition, masks remain required in all indoor public settings for everyone 2 years of age and older, regardless of vaccination status. Learn more.

Finally, at this time, the City of Chicago is monitoring the new COVID-19 Omicron Variant. While scientists worldwide are moving quickly to understand this new variant, please follow all public health guidance to best protect yourself and your community.

Make Chicago safe for everyone by clearing snow and ice from the public sidewalk around your property. We are all pedestrians at some point in the day, whether walking to the bus, to a car, or to a neighborhood store. Without a wide, clear path, snow and ice on the sidewalk make it difficult for everyone - especially people with disabilities, seniors and children - to walk safely.

Be a good neighbor and offer to help those in your community who are physically unable to clear their own sidewalks. Chicago Municipal Code sections 4-4-310 and 10-8-180 specifies that both homes and businesses must clear snow from sidewalks next to their property.

Happy Diwali! Alderman Dowell hosted the 1st ever celebration of this Indian holiday in City Hall in November, complete with the traditional lighting of candles and festive conversation. Alderman Dowell is proud to have organized this event working with Dr. Vijay Prabhakar and the Multi Ethnic Advisory Task Force and the American Multi-Ethnic Coalition. During the celebration, Alderman Dowell had the pleasure of meeting the Honorable Amit Kumar, Consul General of India and learning about the special significance of this holiday. Moving out of darkness into the light!

On Saturday, November 13, 2021, 3rd Ward Alderman and DuSable Museum FriendRaiser Ambassador Pat Dowell, along with Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry, 3rd District, and the Women’s Board of the DuSable Museum of African American History successfully raised over $20,000 this past July at the DuSable Museum’s first annual FriendRaiser Membership Campaign and provided over 94 DuSable Museum Student Memberships to 47 nominated schools (2 student memberships per school). Thank you to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry for his tireless dedication to the advancement of African American history and culture through his work on behalf of the DuSable Museum. His efforts were at the heart of this great event.

Among the schools selected by Alderman Dowell and provided memberships from the 3rd Ward included Edmund Burke Elementary School and Thomas A Hendricks Community School. Students will be able to take advantage of the wonderful and outstanding educational experiences they’ll encounter at the Historic DuSable Museum of African American History.

The DuSable Museum Women’s Board and FriendRaiser Ambassadors continue to actively support the DuSable Museum in its endeavor as the oldest caretaker of African American history and culture in the United States. Part of this support requires supporting local students. It is imperative that we expose neighborhood students to culture, art, heritage, and history through DuSable membership.

The congregation of Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church (5141 S. State St.) showed their appreciation for their Pastor, Eric Thomas, with a surprise celebratory dinner. Located in the shadow of the former Robert Taylor Homes, Greater Harvest under Pastor Thomas’ leadership continues to serve the neediest of our community. As he said during the celebration “He loves people.” Thank you to everyone who made this evening special, Alderman Dowell is truly thankful to have dedicated clergy like Pastor Thomas in the ward.

On November 20th, Alderman Dowell joined the Brave Space Alliance and Life is Work for a Transgender Day of Remembrance Town Hall and Vigil. At the town hall meeting, attendees learned about the issues, opportunities, and challenges facing Chicago's transgender community. As the former Chairman of the City Council Committee on Human Relations, Alderman Dowell has worked towards equity for the transgender community, in particular through the passage of ordinances providing equal access to restrooms in Chicago regardless of gender identity, expanding self-identification of gender identity in City forms, and condemning former President Trump for his decision to ban members of transgender community from military service.

Greencorps Chicago NFP worked with the Terra Firma program of Emerald South Economic Development Collaborative to help Dr. Sokoni Karanja and his team do fall clean-up at the Burke School Garden (54th St. and Calumet Ave.) Greencorps Chicago NFP is a new job training and community gardening program modelled after the original Greencorps Chicago except that it will have a geographical focus that includes parts of the 3rd Ward. Greencorps crews also visited the Piece of Peace Garden at 5131 S. Calumet on Friday, November 5th to spruce up this important community space.

Starting this holiday season, the recently opened L1 Retail Store (319 E. Garfield Blvd.) will host weekly activations highlighting specialty products from their four brands featured in Washington Park’s newest retail space. Stay tuned later this month, when UChicago's Arts + Public Life releases the official roster of holiday events produced by the inaugural L1 fellows cohort. Shop the South Side, shop Black-owned! Learn more at shopL1.org.

The Metra Board of Directors approved a 2022 operating budget of $900 million and a 2022 capital program of nearly $261 million, with no fair increase. The operating budget makes conservative assumptions about ridership growth in 2022 but funds the restoration of service to pre-pandemic levels. To incentivize short trips and attract more customers, the agency will test a new $6 Day Pass that will be valid for unlimited rides within three zones for a full day.

The new $6 Day Pass, valid for unlimited travel all day between three zones or less, will be offered as a one-year pilot program in addition to the current $10 Day Pass, which is valid for unlimited travel all day across all 10 fare zones. The three-zone pass will be a more affordable option for shorter and intermediate trips, such as between suburbs or between Chicago neighborhoods, and could also be useful for college students commuting to class. Both day passes will be available only in the Ventra app, and the Round Trip Plus Ticket will be discontinued.

Other fare changes include reducing the expiration dates on the 10-Ride Ticket from one year to 90 days and on the One-Way Ticket from 90 days to 14 days. The changes will begin Feb. 1, 2022.

As of November 9th, a summary closure order was issued by the the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department for The Renaissance Bronzville (4641 S. King Dr.). The summary closure order was issued due to a public safety incident at the business. The Renaissance Bronzeville must remain closed until further notice. Questions regarding the business or the closure can be directed to the 3rd Ward Public Service Office at 773-373- 9273.

As of November 12th, an emergency closure order has been issued for Star Studded Soiree (500 E. 47th St./4649 S. Vincennes Ave.) by the Chicago Department of Buildings. An inspection of the premises found serious electrical, fire protection, and safety violations including: fire damage above the drop ceiling, renovations without plans or permits and the electrical conduit and boxes have not been properly maintained. This has resulted in a public nuisance that is dangerous and hazardous. The building must remain closed and unoccupied until plans are submitted to the City and the dangerous conditions are abated. Questions regarding this case can be directed to the 3rd Ward Public Service Office at 773-373- 9273.

For a complete list of Soldier Field events, please visit www.SoldierField.net/event. The 3rd Ward is providing the list below as a courtesy to residents and visitors and does not assume liability for the accuracy of the monthly list of South Loop events. All Soldier Field events are subject to change, including cancellation or the scheduling of additional events. It is your responsibility to adhere to the parking restrictions in place. 

CHA is conducting a waitlist update to ensure they have current contact information for all applicants on the Public Housing and Project-Based Voucher program waitlists and to verify whether applicants are still interested in CHA housing. In January 2021, initial communications went out to all families on these waitlists. This fall, CHA is sending additional communications to families on the lists that have yet to complete the update. If applicants have not completed the update yet, they must log in to CHA's online web portal to complete the update by December 31, 2021. Applicants on CHA's waitlists can call 312-913-7400 or email [email protected] with any questions.

We Will Chicago pillar research teams are seeking the public's input on a series of questions drafted over the past several weeks. These questions are being developed for every pillar to help the We Will Chicago teams frame the issues, direct their research, and provide the basis for objectives and recommendations. This will provide the objectives and recommendations for the citywide plan. To learn more, participate or provide input, please click here.

The Chicago South Side Film Festival is back for 2021, and this year's festival promises to be dynamic, provocative, exciting, and nostalgic. The South Side Film Festival celebrates the South Side of Chicago on film with their annual festival that brings together film-goers and film-makers at venues on Chicago's South Side to view a diverse variety of films. Learn more about this year's lineup and purchase tickets on sale now at www.southsidefilmfest.org.

Where: Various South Side Locations

When: November 27th through December 5th

Employers are looking for the missing link, you! Available positions include, but are not limited to: warehouse workers, drivers, forklift, logistics, sales associates and customer service. Amazon, UPS, Sherwin Williams, FedEx, Pepsico, Walmart and more will be on hand. Click here to register.

Where: Olive-Harvey College (10001 S. Woodlawn Ave.)

When: Wednesday, December 1st from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Olive-Harvey City College is offering information sessions for their Automotive and Diesel Technology program. Register at www.eventbrite.com/e/205724396207.

When: December 1st and January 5th from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (virtual), December 15th and January 12th (SCLC - 3055 E. 92nd St.)

The Washington Park Chamber of Commerce invites you to a tree lighting ceremony! Come out for hot cocoa, treats, and meet Santa Claus! For more information call 773-955-0199 or email [email protected].

Where: 5531 S. King Dr.

When: Saturday, December 4th at 4:30 pm

Learn about the home buying process such as the basics of budgeting, improving credit, understanding

the closing process and down payment assistance programs. This is an eight-hour course delivered in two 4-hour sessions.

When: Saturday, December 4th at 9:00 pm and Saturday, December 111th at 9:00 am (link to register)

For the past eight years, Arts + Public Life (APL) has hosted the monthly jazz performance First Monday Jazz (FMJ) series featuring an impressive roster of established and emerging Chicago artists. This December's First Monday Jazz featured artist is 2 Brown Sisters. Africa Brown and Maggie Brown love doing what they do best together- singing with theatrics on stage. These “2 Brown Sisters” energetically merge their foundations in jazz, with the melting pot of their mixed musical upbringing. RSVP here.

Where: Green Line Performing Arts Center (329 E. Garfield Blvd)

When: Monday, December 6th from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Whether you are planning to purchase a home or simply need to improve your finances, this webinar will

prepare you for financial security. Learn How To: develop a spending plan, reduce your debt, and

increase your credit score.

When: Tuesday, December 7th at 6:00 pm (link to register)

ComEd is offering a career education course where participants ages 17-22 years old can lean about ComEd's entry level positions and application requirements, gain interview and resume tips, and obtain experience with the required entrance exam. For more information email [email protected].

When: Tuesday, December 21st from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm