Sophia King

Sophia King (born 1966)[1] is the alderman for Chicago's 4th Ward, which includes Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland and South Loop at its northern edge. King was appointed as alderman on April 13 to replace retiring incumbent Will Burns. She was elected to a full term on the Council in 2019. She is a member and chair of the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus.[2]

Sophia King
Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 4th ward
Assumed office
April 13, 2016
Preceded byWilliam D. Burns
Personal details
Born (1961-11-08) November 8, 1961
Colorado, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Alan King
EducationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA)
Northwestern University (MEd)

Early life and education

King was born in Colorado and later raised in Evanston, Illinois.[3] She earned a bachelor's from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's in education and social policy from Northwestern University.[4] In the late 1980s, King moved to Kenwood in a house she built with her husband Alan.[1][5] Her husband studied for the bar with Michelle Obama and they are friends of the Obama family.[1]

Professional career

In 1996, King helped to establish Ariel Community Academy, a K-8 school, with Ariel Investments C.E.O. Mellody Hobson.[1] She was involved in 2007–2008 with Obama's primary campaign and general election campaign.[1]

Prior to her appointment to City Council, she was President of Harriet's Daughters, a non-profit organization dedicated to employment and wealth creation opportunities for African-American neighborhoods.[3]

In April 2016, King was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to replace outgoing 4th ward alderman Will Burns, who had resigned to become Vice President of Governmental Affairs with AirBnB.[4]

Chicago City Council

King was sworn in to the City Council on April 13, 2016.

In anticipation of running for the seat in the 2017 special election, King created a political action committee on March 9, 2016.[6] King was appointed from a field of three finalists and eighteen initial applicants.[4]

She is a member of the following committees; Committees, Rules and Ethics, Health and Environmental Protection, Housing and Real Estate, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, Transportation and Public Way and Workforce Development and Audit.[7]

In the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, King endorsed Toni Preckwinkle, declaring her support for her in advance of the first round of the election upon Preckwinkle's entrance into the mayoral race.[8]

References
  1. Dardick, Hal (2015-04-08). "Emanuel's 4th Ward alderman pick is friends with Obamas". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
  2. Kapos, Shia; Carrasco, Maria (2020-06-12). "PASS THE POPCORN! — PROGRESSIVES PICK ALD. KING — ANALYZING PRITZKER'S HIRES". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  3. Spielman, Fran (2016-04-12). "Sophia King, new 4th Ward alderman, is not nobody nobody sent". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  4. Ahern, Mary Ann (2016-04-11). "Emanuel Names Sophia King as New 4th Ward Alderman After Burns' Surprise Resignation". WMAQ-TV. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  5. Bushey, Claire (2012-06-30). "King of beats: Attorney juggles cases by day, DJs at night". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  6. Cholke, Sam (2016-04-12). "Sophia King Named 4th Ward Alderman". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  7. "Legistar Profile – Sophia King". City Clerk of Chicago. 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
  8. "Preckwinkle announces mayoral run, pledges a Chicago 'that works for all of us'". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
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