Ald. Debra Silverstein Running Unopposed In West Ridge’s 50th Ward

WEST RIDGE — The incumbent alderperson representing the 50th Ward is running unopposed in next year’s election. Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th) is seeking a fifth term representing her West Ridge ward. She was the only candidate who filed to run for leader of the 50th Ward in next year s election, according to petitions submitted to the Chicago Board of Elections by Monday’s deadline to make the ballot. Silverstein has been the 50th Ward alderperson since 2011, when she forced 38-year incumbent Bernard Stone into a runoff before unseating him. She then won her reelection bids in 2015, 2019 and 2023, when she faced CPS teacher Mueze Bawany and won with roughly 66 percent of the vote.  In 2023, when a slew of longtime aldermen retired or didn’t run for reelection, Silverstein told Block Club she didn’t think twice about running again, saying, “There’s still more work that needs to be done.”  Throughout Silverstein’s tenure, she improved the streetscape along Devon Avenue and a