Ald. Derrick Curtis is seeking a fourth term representing Chicago's 18th Ward, and this time he's got five people standing in his way: Joshua Barksdale, Nicole Allison, Artemiza “Tammy” Chavez, Glenford Flowers Jr. and Toni C. Galloway. All five, however, are currently facing objections to their nominating petitions that could still knock them off the February ballot.
The ward, which includes parts of Ashburn, Scottsdale, Parkview, Marycrest, Wrightwood and Beverly View, has stuck with Curtis through three straight elections. According to Block Club Chicago, Curtis has won each of his previous elections with more than 60 percent of the vote since defeating former Ald. Lona Lane in a 2015 runoff. Before taking office, Curtis worked as a ward superintendent and Democratic committeeman, the outlet reports.
The ballot for the 18th Ward could be crowded when residents vote in February, per the same report, and all five of Curtis's challengers are currently tangled up in the same legal snag. Objections to their nominating petitions were filed by Nelson Garcia and Donald Kimball, according to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners' candidate objection list, which names Barksdale, Chavez, Galloway, Allison and Flowers as subjects of challenges. The board's document lists the contest as the General Municipal Election set for Feb. 23, 2027.
Ford City Mall Becomes a Dividing Line
No single issue looms larger over the race than what happens to Ford City Mall. The mall closed amid deteriorating conditions and had become a public safety concern tied to break-ins and other criminal activity, the station's report notes, and the site now awaits demolition and redevelopment into a warehouse campus.
Curtis backed the mall's transformation into a warehouse facility, a plan some neighbors opposed, and several of his challengers have made his handling of the property a centerpiece of their criticism. City Council members approved the developers' plans in September to replace the deteriorating mall with a warehouse and distribution facility, Block Club Chicago reported separately. The $200 million project is expected to create about 185 permanent jobs and 90 construction jobs, according to that report.
The approval followed a go-ahead from the Chicago Plan Commission, with the Chicago Tribune noting in August that the City Council still needed to sign off before Kurv could begin construction. That step cleared the following month, setting the stage for the industrial campus now central to the ward's political fight.
Meet the Field Challenging Curtis
Chavez, a real estate agent, nonprofit board member and member of Stevenson Elementary's Local School Council, says she's lived in Ashburn for more than 35 years and is a mother of three. Her campaign has opposed Curtis's handling of the Ford City Mall rezoning and has urged neighbors to demand accountability through emails to the 18th Ward and mayor's offices, per the outlet's reporting. Chavez says she's running on a commitment to listening, transparency and the community.
Barksdale founded 67 Social in 2024, a nonprofit focused on developing minority communities in Chicago affected by gun violence, drug use and domestic violence. His campaign, per his Facebook page, focuses on safe neighborhoods, economic development, strong families and a cleaner community.
Flowers, described on his campaign website as a lifelong Chicago resident and college student pursuing a political science degree, has raised concerns about Curtis's handling of Ford City Mall and advocated against the City Council's approval of the industrial campus. His platform centers on ward audits, budget transparency, local transportation infrastructure and giving residents more control over infrastructure spending.
Galloway, a longtime 18th Ward resident who works as an administrative assistant at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office according to her LinkedIn profile, has outlined a platform in a social media post focused on public safety, local businesses, new investment, infrastructure and community services. Allison, who lives in Auburn Gresham, has submitted petitions to run, though no campaign website or social media page for her could be found at publication time.
Whether any of the five will ultimately appear on the February ballot remains tied up in the petition objection process now underway before the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
