Mahmoud Bambouyani in the 38th Ward and Bita Buenrostro in the 43rd Ward are both campaigning to be alderman, as members of the City Council in Chicago are called. The council has 50 seats and alderman serve four-year terms. Both of those districts are on Chicago’s northside, the 43rd on the lakefront and the 38th inland.
Chicago municipal elections are officially non-partisan, although most candidates are Democrats and only one member of the current City Council is a declared Republican.
Buenrostro mentions her Iranian origins in the second sentence of her biography on her website. But Bambouyani does not mention his origins in his website biography.
Bambouyani told the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), “I wake up every morning looking ahead to the day and asking: how can I serve more.”
As the owner of ITKA Shotokan Karate School, a community activist, and a small business owner of 35 years, Bam-bouyani says he wants to be a leader who will take community issues to the next level.
“The next level can be attained if we start with each person, then each family, and then each neighborhood,” said Bambouyani, who has served as both a director and vice president over the past decade of the Portage Park Chamber of Commerce. “As the alderman of the 38th Ward, I can continue to serve the community by having more resources and great individuals working together to make this city even better.”
Bambouyani, who received a degree in economics from Southern Illinois University, explained to the Chicago Tribune what issues he believed were most critical.
“The major issues in the ward are access to the alderman, transparency, and more communication amongst the various ethnic groups and organizations. I will have an open door policy with complete transparency and accountability to my constituents in our community. One way I intend on doing this is by having a ward website that will display all the information for the public including transactions, negotiations, zoning, construction, and any other community projects. I’d like to have a message board that will require someone from the alderman’s office to respond to the constituents within 24 hours.”
Buenrostro, an Iranian-born businesswoman, told PAAIA she believes being an elected official is not only about communicating ideas but also about hearing and responding to constituents’ concerns.
“I listen when people speak with me, and I do strongly consider their concerns and make it part of my decision-making process,” Buenrostro said. “As an alderman, I will continue this level of communication—keeping in touch with the ward’s residents and enhancing the methods of communication and service to my neighbors.”
As the general manager of Dublins, a popular and successful local restaurant for more than 14 years, Buenrostro says she understands the importance of operating within a budget, managing people, clearly stating and setting expectations, prioritizing tasks, and handling the general public.
Buenrostro migrated with her family to Sweden when she was nine years old. Ten years later, she arrived in Chicago with only $30 in her pocket and what she described as “a will to succeed.”
Once in Chicago, Buen-rostro earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from North Park University; she was given a full scholarship, one of only 140 awarded. During a volunteer trip to Karachi, Pakistan, where she worked with a Christian church, she helped feed the hungry. It was during that trip that she realized how strong her passion was to advocate for others, she explained.
Buenrostro lives with her husband Marcus, a decorated senior Chicago police officer. She says her history of community involvement include cleaning up the streets and parks on weekends, supporting local charities with both time and money, and promoting the safety of the ward’s residents.
Both the Iranian-American candidates said their strong Iranian heritage—combined with a relentless pursuit of the “American Dream”—drives their dedication to community service and involvement.
“My experience as an immigrant makes me sensitive to the needs and challenges faced by our culturally diverse community,” Bambouyani told PAAIA. “I want to build bridges of opportunity and involvement for the various ethnic and religious groups in the community. I will not only be a strong advocate and champion for my own Iranian heritage, but also for the various cultures in the city. We are all Chicagoans and we can spend more time respecting our sense of commonality than looking at our differences.”
Buenrostro also uses her heritage as motivation in pursuing her public service goals. “I am a regular person but I also represent the American Dream,” she explained. “I am a successful businesswoman who brings her Persian philosophy and ideals with her to work every day. These values have helped make my business a success and given me inspiration in times of stress. For example, after a stressful day at work, I come home and open the Book of Hafez for support and inspiration.”
The two said the issues they are focused on include economic development, jobs, and public safety.
Bambouyani’s website is http://www.38ward.com/. Buenrostro’s site is at http://www.bitabfor43.com/.
The February 22 municipal elections will choose a mayor, city clerk, city treasurer and all 50 aldermen. If a candidate fails to get a majority in the February 22 balloting, there will be a run-off April 5.
Bambouyani is one of eight candidates in his district and Buenrostro is one of nine in her district, so the likelihood of runoffs is high.
Chicago is a highly ethnic city and election information is provided in 12 languages in addition to English. Farsi is not one of them, however. The 12 languages include, according to the city website, Srpski, Bosanski and Hrvatski or Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian, reflecting the large Balkan population of Chicago. Election information is also provided in Arabic and Urdu.
