Ricardo Muñoz
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Ricardo Muñoz is alderman of the 22nd ward in Chicago. Muñoz was appointed to this position by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1993.
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[edit] Early life
Muñoz was born in Monterrey, Mexico. After he moved to Chicago, he graduated from Northern Illinois University.
[edit] Aldermanic career
Muñoz was appointed alderman of the 22nd ward in 1993; at the time he was the youngest serving member of the Chicago City Council. He was appointed to replace former Alderman Jesus Garcia. Muñoz has been considered independent of Daley and speaks out against the mayor when he sees fit.
In his first term as alderman, Muñoz proposed a plan to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new education spending without raising taxes. Muñoz’s plan was to link the bonding capacity of city agencies with poor bond ratings to those with higher ratings and allow for the issuing of new bonds at favorable rates for the city.
Muñoz has continually been committed to education by working for improvements for public schools in his community. He helped start construction of the first new high school in Little Village in 90 years. To accomplish this, Muñoz and community members led a hunger strike to demonstrate their commitment. The construction of the school began in 2003, the new high school will have a dual language curriculum.
Muñoz sees himself as a reformer and his accomplishments include improving public school opportunities, increased funding for CTA, and improved 9-1-1 response times. Also, he was one of the original sponsors of the Chicago Living Wage legislation.
Muñoz serves on four committees: Committees, Rules and Ethics; Education; Human Relations; and Parks and Recreation.
[edit] Personal life
Alderman Muñoz lives in the Little Village neighborhood with his wife Betty and their two kids, Ricardo and Angelica.
