Will Guzzardi is a state representative from the 39th District, which includes parts of Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa, Belmont Cragin and Portage Park. He’s been in the legislature since January of 2015.

Will won election in 2014 by defeating a six-term incumbent with deep ties to the Chicago Democratic political establishment. He chose to run in the first place because he believed that Democrats in Springfield weren’t doing their jobs. They were giving huge tax breaks to the biggest corporations in Illinois while cutting services to the people and communities that needed them most. (In other words, they were acting like Republicans.)

Will ran because he believes that Democrats should stand up for basic decency for everyone. We should stand for quality education for every child in every neighborhood. We should stand for good-paying jobs with decent benefits for every worker in every sector. We should stand for guaranteed healthcare for everyone, a criminal justice system that’s fair to everyone, a planet that’s livable for everyone. And he knows we can accomplish all of these things, but only if we take control of our political system back from the CEOs and corporations who use government as a tool for their own enrichment.

As one of the leading progressive voices in Illinois politics, Will has continued that fight since his election. He introduced and passed the $15 minimum wage legislation. He has fought to make prescription drugs more affordable, and led a campaign for free tuition at Illinois’s public universities and community colleges. He has introduced and passed major reforms to the criminal justice system, protections for immigrants, expanded rights for LGBT Illinoisans, and transformational new clean energy policies. (For a complete list of the bills he’s passed, visit his government page.)

He also continues to help organize neighbors in our community. Will knows that in order to win the kind of long-term structural change we need, it’ll take people getting organized, building power, developing relationships, and transforming into a movement. That kind of work takes time and investment, and it’s what Will is building his career to accomplish.

Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Guzzardi attended Brown University, where he graduated with a degree in comparative literature, and has lived in Logan Square ever since. He is passionate about education, and taught after school programs and tutored school children for many years. 

If you’d like to learn more about will, please email info@willguzzardi.com, or call us at 773-888-1634.