Mayor Johnson taps loyalist Alderman Ramirez-Rosa to head Chicago Park District

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Brandon Johnson has appointed 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as the Chicago Park District general superintendent and chief executive officer.

The appointment comes after the resignation of Superintendent Rosa Escareno, who held the job for four years.

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Her departure follows Johnson's warnings to replace people from other administrations.

"Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is a passionate public servant with a decade of municipal leadership experience and a successful track record of building coalitions and delivering significant community investments," Johnson said. "My administration is committed to investing in our city's residents and communities. Making our Park District more equitable and accessible, particularly in disinvested communities, is critical to improving the quality of life for all Chicagoans. Carlos is an effective leader and will be a strong Superintendent of the Chicago Park District.

Alderman Ramirez-Rosa, 36, has been elected alderman of the 35th Ward three times.

"I want to thank Mayor Johnson for this opportunity and CEO Escareño for her leadership. I also want to thank the residents of the 35th Ward who have put their trust in me to advocate on their behalf for the past decade. It has been the honor of my life to serve you all," Ramirez-Rosa said. "I look forward to carrying on that spirit of service to this new role to ensure that all Chicagoans can enjoy our parks."

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The mayor's selection is subject to approval by the Chicago Park District Board.

"He's cleaning house and trying to put loyalists in positions where he needs them, and this is the latest move in that direction," said David Greising, Better Government Association president.

Mayor Johnson said he will soon outline a process for identifying his appointment for the next 35th Ward alderman.

Ramirez-Rosa was the youngest member elected to City Council and the first Democratic Socialist.

"I was born and raised in this city. I grew up enjoying our public parks. And the public parks you see here in the city is a gem," he said.

Ramirez-Rosa is one of Johnson's earliest loyalists, but one who has been controversial. He resigned as City Council's Zoning Committee chair and floor leader after other alders accused him of using his position to bully his colleagues.

On Friday, the Anti-Defamation League denounced Ramirez-Rosa's appointment because of his support of a movement to punish Israel over the war in Gaza.

"So, I'm committed to addressing antisemitism. I'm sorry that the ADL, you know, feels that I have not done enough, but I want to sit down with them," Ramirez-Rosa said.

Ramirez-Rosa takes over April 1. He goes from managing 11 people in the 35th Ward office to over 6,000 full- and part-time employees. Ramirez-Rosa's priorities include equitable improvement projects, youth employment and homelessness.

"Housing is a solution to homelessness, and what we have to do is we have to work to get people into housing expeditiously so that they're not sleeping in a tent in a park," Ramirez-Rosa said.

Stopping short of an endorsement, Ramirez-Rosa said Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada would be a good choice to replace him as alderman.