Bernie Hansen

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Bernie Hansen was a longtime Chicago alderman, serving on the Chicago Board of Aldermen from 1983 to 2002, when he retired as alderman of the 44th Ward citing health reasons. He is a Democrat.

Hansen was appointed to the Council when the incumbent alderman unexpectedly resigned. In 1987 he defeated Dr. Ron Sable, a liberal gay activist, by a 52% to 47% margin in the race for 44th Ward alderman. It was a hard-fought campaign in the city's 44th Ward, which at the time was the heart of the city's gay community. Sable ran against Hansen again in 1991, but lost badly to Hansen, 65% to 35%.

Since 1994, he has served as one of four U.S. commissioners to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, a presidential appointment to a bilateral treaty organization with Canada responsible for fisheries management research and recommendations and for sea lamprey control for the Great Lakes fisheries. For part of that time, he has chaired the commission.

He sponsored or co-sponsored several human rights ordinances, including the Human Rights Ordinance expanding protection against discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations, and credit to gay males, lesbians, and persons with disabilities, an ordinance to assist victims of hate crimes, and a 1997 ordinance Hansen introduced to extend health-care benefits to the domestic partners of gay and lesbian city employees. Thomas M. Tunney, his successor as 44th Ward alderman whom accounts said Hansen had "hand-picked", became Chicago's first openly gay alderman.

Hansen was also an active proponent of environmentalist measures, including recycling programs and the extension of Chicago's moratorium against the creation of new landfills.

Since his retirement from the city council, he has also continued to serve as Democratic committeeman from the 44th Ward.