Manuel Flores
Encyclopedia
Manuel "Manny" Flores (born January 21, 1972) is the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking . A member of the Democratic Party
, Flores was elected to the Chicago City Council
in 2003. He was the youngest alderman on the Council and represented part of the city's near Northwest Side.
Flores is a noted advocate for government transparency and the development of Chicago's green economy
.
where he earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in political science. He later went to The George Washington University Law School
where he earned a law degree and was awarded honors for his clinical work on immigration and human rights litigation in political asylum cases.
He served on seven Chicago City Council committees: Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Historical Landmark Preservation; Rules and Ethics; Parks and Recreation; Special Events and Cultural Affairs; and Transportation and Public Way.
Flores is noted as a champion of sustainability and government transparency, passing several landmark ordinances and initiating programs to develop the region’s green economy.
and provide jobs for the mixed-income workforce housed at Lathrop Homes. His vision combines a sustainable philosophy with a plan to bring competitive jobs to the ward and retain the neighborhoods socioeconomic diversity.
Flores also sponsors the development of the Green Exchange
. He worked closely with Baum Development, LLC, the City of Chicago Zoning Committee, and private businesses to ensure the former factory was not converted into residential condominiums.
Flores has also been developing the Lathrop Homes LEED Neighborhood Development (ND) project with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to create the nation’s first ever LEED certified public housing project. Lathrop Homes, one of the oldest public housing projects in the city, is located in the northeast corner of the 1st Ward, close to the Green Exchange and the Addison Industrial Corridor. Alderman Flores and CHA are working to develop affordable sustainable housing in a transit-oriented development. LEED ND is a sustainability certification in the experimental stages and Lathrop Homes could become the first development in the United States to receive the qualification.
Flores instituted the Building Green in the First Ward program in January 2008. This program requires that all residential and commercial developers who receive a zoning change for new construction projects must participate in the Chicago Green Homes Program. Developers are required to achieve the maximum 3-star certification, ensuring that this new construction is an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and high-quality project.
The website and program—a collaborative effort between Alderman Flores, Mike Bueltmann of Clear Content, and Comcast CN 100—features discussion and information pages that will be moderated by experts from academia, the private sector, and government. Moderators will translate these pages into steps individual citizens can take to promote economic development in Chicago based on sustainable practices and values.
GreenEconomyChicago.com seeks to tap into the groundswell of expertise and initiative occurring at the non-governmental level. The site utilizes a Web 2.0 approach to organizing and delivering information, allowing participants to directly provide input and feedback, and enhancing social networks directed at specific policymaking and implementation processes.
Follow on the heels of the TIF Sunshine Ordinance is the City Asset Lease Disclosure Ordinance, introduced by Alderman Flores on May 13, 2009. The ordinance would publish and track documents pertaining to City asset lease agreements worth more than $10 million, such as the leasing of the Chicago Skyway, the Chicago Downtown Public Parking System and the Chicago Parking Meter System. The ordinance would make all documents available online in a searchable format at a single location and provide a single accounting document to track the appropriations, income earner, investments, and future budget distributions generated through the lease of City assets. Currently, information about City lease agreements is available online. However, the information is scattered across several websites in lengthy budget documents. The ordinance would make this information accessible by creating a single accounting document, updated quarterly, on the City of Chicago Department of Finance website to track monies spent and generated in City asset lease agreements.
In addition to the above ordinances, Alderman Flores has been praised for his use of new social media to keep his constituents informed of the work his office is doing and other programs of interest.
(BPA), a disputed chemical used in many plastics. The Chicago City Council adopted an ordinance proposed by Flores and Alderman Ed Burke
to ban the sale of baby bottles and cups manufactured with BPA.
's seat for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois' 4th Congressional District.
On August 28, 2007, Flores withdrew from the race, due to Luis Gutierrez
's decision to seek re-election to the office.
to be the chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission
, replacing Charles E. Box. On February 28, 2011, Flores become the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking .
neighborhood with his wife, Georgina, their son, Teddy, and their daughter Sofia Alexis.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Flores was elected to the Chicago City Council
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
in 2003. He was the youngest alderman on the Council and represented part of the city's near Northwest Side.
Flores is a noted advocate for government transparency and the development of Chicago's green economy
Green economy
A green economy is one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities - United Nations Environment Programme...
.
Early life
Flores graduated from West Leyden High School and Dominican UniversityDominican University (Illinois)
Dominican University is a coeducational, comprehensive, Catholic institution of higher education and research in River Forest, Illinois. Affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, it offers bachelor's and master's degrees and certificate programs...
where he earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in political science. He later went to The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1825 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
where he earned a law degree and was awarded honors for his clinical work on immigration and human rights litigation in political asylum cases.
Aldermanic career
Flores was elected Alderman of Chicago's 1st Ward in 2003, defeating Daley-backed incumbent Jesse Granato in a runoff election.He served on seven Chicago City Council committees: Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Historical Landmark Preservation; Rules and Ethics; Parks and Recreation; Special Events and Cultural Affairs; and Transportation and Public Way.
Flores is noted as a champion of sustainability and government transparency, passing several landmark ordinances and initiating programs to develop the region’s green economy.
Sustainability Initiatives
Flores works on the Addison Industrial Corridor Redevelopment Project, a revitalization plan sponsored by the City of Chicago and the Metropolitan Agency for Planning to redevelop the underutilized planned manufacturing district at the north end of the 1st Ward. Alderman Flores has been working closely with the planning team to realize his vision to create the city’s first green manufacturing district in the Addison Industrial Corridor. The green manufacturing district will leverage retail opportunity and demand for manufacturing created by the nearby Green ExchangeGreen Exchange
The Green Exchange is a sustainable and green retail and office development project in the Logan Square community area of Chicago, Illinois that is designed to house more than one hundred eco-friendly businesses and organizations within a single building...
and provide jobs for the mixed-income workforce housed at Lathrop Homes. His vision combines a sustainable philosophy with a plan to bring competitive jobs to the ward and retain the neighborhoods socioeconomic diversity.
Flores also sponsors the development of the Green Exchange
Green Exchange
The Green Exchange is a sustainable and green retail and office development project in the Logan Square community area of Chicago, Illinois that is designed to house more than one hundred eco-friendly businesses and organizations within a single building...
. He worked closely with Baum Development, LLC, the City of Chicago Zoning Committee, and private businesses to ensure the former factory was not converted into residential condominiums.
Flores has also been developing the Lathrop Homes LEED Neighborhood Development (ND) project with the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to create the nation’s first ever LEED certified public housing project. Lathrop Homes, one of the oldest public housing projects in the city, is located in the northeast corner of the 1st Ward, close to the Green Exchange and the Addison Industrial Corridor. Alderman Flores and CHA are working to develop affordable sustainable housing in a transit-oriented development. LEED ND is a sustainability certification in the experimental stages and Lathrop Homes could become the first development in the United States to receive the qualification.
Flores instituted the Building Green in the First Ward program in January 2008. This program requires that all residential and commercial developers who receive a zoning change for new construction projects must participate in the Chicago Green Homes Program. Developers are required to achieve the maximum 3-star certification, ensuring that this new construction is an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and high-quality project.
GreenEconomyChicago.com
In May 2009, Alderman Flores launched GreenEconomyChicago.com http://www.greeneconomychicago.com, a joint website and TV program, to bring everyday citizens into policymaking decisions concerning the development of the green economy in Chicago.The website and program—a collaborative effort between Alderman Flores, Mike Bueltmann of Clear Content, and Comcast CN 100—features discussion and information pages that will be moderated by experts from academia, the private sector, and government. Moderators will translate these pages into steps individual citizens can take to promote economic development in Chicago based on sustainable practices and values.
GreenEconomyChicago.com seeks to tap into the groundswell of expertise and initiative occurring at the non-governmental level. The site utilizes a Web 2.0 approach to organizing and delivering information, allowing participants to directly provide input and feedback, and enhancing social networks directed at specific policymaking and implementation processes.
Transparency Initiatives
The TIF Sunshine Ordinance was introduced by Aldermen Flores and Waguespack (32nd Ward) and passed into law on April 22, 2009. The TIF Sunshine Ordinance publishes all documents pertaining to Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district agreements online in a searchable format to be accessed by the public. This important transparency ordinance places information about the City’s expenditure of tax dollars raised in TIF districts that was previously obscured to the public.Follow on the heels of the TIF Sunshine Ordinance is the City Asset Lease Disclosure Ordinance, introduced by Alderman Flores on May 13, 2009. The ordinance would publish and track documents pertaining to City asset lease agreements worth more than $10 million, such as the leasing of the Chicago Skyway, the Chicago Downtown Public Parking System and the Chicago Parking Meter System. The ordinance would make all documents available online in a searchable format at a single location and provide a single accounting document to track the appropriations, income earner, investments, and future budget distributions generated through the lease of City assets. Currently, information about City lease agreements is available online. However, the information is scattered across several websites in lengthy budget documents. The ordinance would make this information accessible by creating a single accounting document, updated quarterly, on the City of Chicago Department of Finance website to track monies spent and generated in City asset lease agreements.
In addition to the above ordinances, Alderman Flores has been praised for his use of new social media to keep his constituents informed of the work his office is doing and other programs of interest.
BPA-Free Kids Ordinance
In May 2009, Chicago became the first US city to ban the sale of products containing bisphenol ABisphenol A
Bisphenol A is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications....
(BPA), a disputed chemical used in many plastics. The Chicago City Council adopted an ordinance proposed by Flores and Alderman Ed Burke
Ed Burke
Edward M. Burke is alderman of the 14th Ward of the City of Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969, and represents part of the city's Southwest Side. Burke has been called Chicago's "most powerful alderman" by the Chicago Sun-Times...
to ban the sale of baby bottles and cups manufactured with BPA.
Congressional Campaign
On May 10, 2007, Flores officially announced his candidacy for Congressman Luis GutierrezLuis Gutiérrez
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. Gutiérrez was the first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest. From 1986 until his election to Congress he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward...
's seat for the Democratic nomination for Congress in Illinois' 4th Congressional District.
On August 28, 2007, Flores withdrew from the race, due to Luis Gutierrez
Luis Gutiérrez
Luis Vicente Gutiérrez is an American politician and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. Gutiérrez was the first Latino to be elected to Congress from the Midwest. From 1986 until his election to Congress he served as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 26th ward...
's decision to seek re-election to the office.
Illinois state positions
On January 4, 2010, Flores was appointed by Illinois Governor Pat QuinnPat Quinn (politician)
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Quinn III is the 41st and current Governor of Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Previously elected three times to statewide office, Quinn was the sitting lieutenant governor and became governor on January 29, 2009, when the previous governor, Rod Blagojevich,...
to be the chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission
Illinois Commerce Commission
The Illinois Commerce Commission is a quasi-judicial tribunal which regulates public utility services in the U.S. state of Illinois. The mission of the ICC is "to pursue an appropriate balance between the interest of consumers and existing and emerging service providers to ensure the provision of...
, replacing Charles E. Box. On February 28, 2011, Flores become the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking .
Personal life
Alderman Flores lives in the Wicker ParkWicker Park, Chicago
Wicker Park is a Chicago neighborhood northwest of the Loop, south of Bucktown and west of Pulaski Park within West Town. Charles and Joel Wicker purchased of land along Milwaukee Avenue in 1870 and laid out a subdivision with a mix of lot sizes surrounding a park...
neighborhood with his wife, Georgina, their son, Teddy, and their daughter Sofia Alexis.