Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to appoint former 46th Ward Ald. Helen Shiller to the Zoning Board of Appeals, his biggest bid yet to shift the makeup of the influential board with a longtime progressive with an outsized reputation in Uptown.
Three sources familiar with the mayor’s appointment deliberations confirmed to the Tribune that the mayor plans to put forth Shiller, who was alderman of the North Side ward from 1987 through 2011, soon to fill one of two vacancies on the five-member team that has not been at full capacity throughout Johnson’s term.
Shiller declined comment Friday, while Department of Planning and Development spokesman Peter Strazzabosco replied, “not disputing the above” in response to a Tribune inquiry. Johnson spokesman Cassio Mendoza declined comment on Friday.
The former alderman — a close ally of current 46th Ward Ald. Angela Clay — was both lionized and lambasted for campaigning as a “champion of the poor” in Uptown as it underwent much transformation. Johnson tapping her addresses his stated values on railing against rich elites while also potentially smoothing over an earlier snafu with a homeless shelter proposal in Uptown that failed.
The ZBA is a government board that controls major development decisions in the city. It had one unfilled seat at the start of Johnson’s term in May 2023, from when Timmy Knudsen was appointed 43rd Ward alderman by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot in fall 2022 and stepped down from the board.
The lack of urgency to fill that spot in the past year cost the Johnson administration a high-profile vote in February, when the ZBA tied 2-2 on a proposed homeless shelter in Uptown. Shiller showed up to that meeting to testify in favor. Every ZBA proposal requires at least three votes to advance, and an alternate member cannot fill a vacancy.
Since then, ZBA member Sam Toia left in March after a long tenure on the board, leaving another vacancy, while Zurich Esposito ended his term earlier this summer. Zurich, a Lightfoot appointee, told the Tribune Friday morning “there was absolutely no ill will” in his departure.
Another Johnson appointee introduced this spring, Vaishali Rao, withdrew her candidacy “due to the time commitment,” according to Strazzabosco. Rao, who did not immediately answer a Tribune request for comment, had been an alternate member of the board who voted against the Uptown shelter.
So the remaining members are: Brian Sanchez, Angela Brooks, and recently confirmed member Adrian Soto, executive director of the Greater Southwest Development Corp. Shiller would be the fourth, if approved by the full City Council.
Shiller’s 24-year tenure in the 46th Ward was followed by Ald. James Cappleman, who took Uptown in a different direction and was more friendly with developers while also being accused by Shiller’s camp of allowing gentrification in the neighborhood. He retired last year, and Clay, a Johnson ally, won his seat against a runoff opponent backed by the real estate industry.
In contrast, Shiller was known for fighting for affordable housing and social services in Uptown, but some residents bristled at the fact their neighborhood did so much of the heavy lifting in protecting vulnerable Chicagoans compared to nearby Ravenswood, Lake View and Andersonville.
She also helped shepherd to completion the controversial Wilson Yards project featuring a Target store and affordable housing on former CTA land between Broadway and the Red Line tracks north of Montrose Avenue.
The Tribune’s A.D. Quig contributed reporting.