Who's running for 33rd Ward alderperson in 2027? Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez and Maria Gordils

Two candidates have filed to run for 33rd Ward alderperson in Chicago's Feb. 23, 2027 election: the incumbent, Ald. Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez, and Maria Gordils. Both turned in nominating papers to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners on Oct. 19, the first day of filing, according to the Board's receipts that we list on our 33rd Ward race page.

Filing stays open until 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, so the field can still grow. The Board hasn't posted its own list of candidates yet.

The 33rd Ward takes in about half of Albany Park and parts of Irving Park and Avondale, by the City's neighborhood boundaries. About 59,800 people live there; 58% of homes are rented, and the median household income is $84,455, according to Census figures on the race page.

Who is running?

Candidates for alderperson need at least 473 valid signatures from voters in their ward, according to the Board's 2027 calendar. The counts below are ours: the filled-in signature lines on every sheet of the petition copy the Board gave us, with crossed-out lines left out. They aren't the Board's count of valid signatures, which it makes only if someone objects.

Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (incumbent)

Rodríguez Sánchez has held the seat since May 2019. She unseated Ald. Deb Mell in an April 2019 runoff by 13 votes, after every mail and provisional ballot was counted, and Mell conceded weeks later, CBS Chicago reported. She is finishing her second term.

• Petition: 167 pages; at least 1,093 signature lines by our count (23 crossed out). Our copy has seven fewer readable sheets than the Board's receipt lists, so the count is incomplete.
• Campaign committee: People for Rossana. Her committees had $118,485 on hand on Sept. 30.
• On the Council: She chairs the Committee on Health and Human Relations. Read her record this term and her full page.
• Candidate page

Maria Gordils

• Petition: 148 pages; 1,391 signature lines by our count (4 crossed out).
• Campaign committee: Friends of Maria Gordils, registered with the Illinois State Board of Elections on July 21, 2026. The purpose on file with the State Board lists better city services, safer streets, the schools and property taxes.
• Background: We found no news coverage of her campaign, no earlier campaign committee under her name in the State Board's records, and no campaign website as of Oct. 22. We'll add what she publishes.
• Candidate page

What does a 33rd Ward alderperson do?

The 50 alderpersons are the City Council. They vote on the City's budget, taxes and borrowing and on citywide ordinances, and they sit on the committees that review them first. The 2026 revenue ordinance, which set many of the City's fees and taxes, passed 29-19 on Dec. 19, 2025.

An alderperson also files the ward's own business: liquor-license limits on a stretch of a street, parking rules and alley access. Budget transfers for the ward's office and Municipal Code amendments are the most common subjects of what Rodríguez Sánchez filed this term, according to our records. The ward office, at 4747 N. Sawyer Ave., handles residents' service requests.

What are the key dates?

All from the Board's calendar:

• Oct. 26, 5 p.m.: filing closes.
• Oct. 27 to Nov. 2: voters can object to a candidate's nominating papers. We track objections on our objections page.
• Dec. 17: the last day to withdraw; the Board certifies who is on the ballot.
• Jan. 26, 2027: the last day of regular voter registration. Grace-period registration continues in person through Election Day.
• Feb. 23, 2027: Election Day, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• April 6, 2027: a runoff between the top two, if no one wins more than half the vote.
• May 17, 2027: the new term begins.

How to follow the race

Our 33rd Ward race page lists every filing as we receive it, the campaign committees and the incumbent's record next to the Council median. Each candidate has a page: Rodríguez Sánchez and Gordils. Not sure of your ward? Start with your address in the voter guide, or see who's running in every ward.

We list a candidate once they file with the Board, and we don't endorse. The next date to watch is Monday, Oct. 26, when filing closes at 5 p.m.