Chicago swears in first Chinese American woman onto the City Council

CITY OF CHICAGO

Nicole Lee, center, was sworn into the Chicago City Council.

It is not often that the 45-member Chicago City Council agree on something but on Monday, they unanimously voted to seat Nicole Lee, the first Asian American woman to serve on Chicago's governing body. 

Lee will serve as the alderman for the city's 11th Ward, which is home to Chicago's Chinatown.

“I’ve spent most of my 47 years as a resident in Chinatown,” Lee told reporters after Monday’s confirmation. “I have deep roots in the community, I’m raising my two teenage sons and now they represent the 4th generation of Lee’s that live in the building my grandparents bought.”

Mayor Lori Lightfoot recommended the historic appointment after a selection committee picked her out of 29 candidates, which included several AAPI candidates.

Lee replaces former Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson, who was forced to resign after being convicted of income tax fraud and lying to federal regulators.

Lee, who holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, has worked at United Airlines for the past 15 years, spending the last three as director of social impact and community engagement. 

She has also served as president of the Chicago chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, vice president of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association, cofounder and co-chair of the Asian Giving Circle, leader of Haines Elementary Local School Council, and member of the UIC Asian American Advisory Council.

Lee told alderpeople her “top priority” would be delivering essential constituent services to 11th Ward residents while staying focused on community safety, but has thus far not weighed in on where she stands on political issues facing the city.

Her father is Gene Lee, was a top mayoral aide of Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is the uncle of the alderman replaced by Nicole Lee.

Gene Lee was convicted in 2014 for embezzlement, stealing from charities. The crime did not involve his duties as Daley’s deputy chief of staff.

Nicole Lee’s father was also known as the “Mayor of Chinatown.” During his sentencing dozens of neighborhood supporters erupted into cheers when he avoided a prison sentence.

Her father's questionable past history apparently did not affect Lightfoot's final decision to appoint her. "She  is her own person," Lightfoot said of Nicole Lee.

Lee taking over a seat held by Daley Thompson is also seen as a change in Chicago's changing demographics.

The 11th Ward used to be a majority Irish American and served as the power base for the Daley's long reign in Chicago politics.

Lee's ascension reflects the fast growing Asian American population of the city. Chinatown is still the cultural hub of the Chicago's AAPI community.  

In Chicago, the Asian American population grew by 31%, an increase of about 45,000, according to the 2020 Census.

Lee will hold the 11th Ward seat until the city elections next year. She has not announced whether she will be running for the post.

“I will be the first ever woman and Chinese American to serve as the 11th Ward alderman,” Lee said to cheers at an introductory press conference last week in Bridgeport. “I cannot be more proud to represent the people that came before me, the communities that raised me and the neighborhoods that my boys are growing up in today.”

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