Tom Tunney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tom Tunney
Tunney at the Chicago Pride Parade in June 2013
8th Vice Mayor of Chicago
In office May 20, 2019 – May 15, 2023
Mayor	Lori Lightfoot
Preceded by	Brendan Reilly
Succeeded by	Walter Burnett
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 44th ward
In office January 16, 2003 – May 15, 2023
Preceded by	Bernie Hansen
Succeeded by	Bennett Lawson
Personal details
Born	(1955-08-22) August 22, 1955 (age 69) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) Cornell University (MA)

Thomas M. Tunney (born August 22, 1955) is an American politician and entrepreneur from Chicago, Illinois. An entrepreneur is someone who starts and runs their own business. From 2003 to 2023, he worked as an alderman on the Chicago City Council. An alderman is a local elected official who helps make decisions for a city ward. He represented the 44th Ward of Chicago, which includes popular places like Northalsted and Wrigleyville. He was also the vice mayor of Chicago from 2019 to 2023.

Education and Learning

Tom Tunney was born and grew up on the southwest side of Chicago. After finishing high school at Brother Rice, a local Catholic school, he went to the University of Illinois. There, he earned his bachelor's degree in restaurant management. Later, Tunney continued his studies and earned a master's degree in hotel administration from Cornell University.

Starting Businesses

After college, Tunney moved to the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago. In 1981, he heard that Ann Sather, who owned a restaurant in Lakeview, was planning to retire and close her business. Tunney met with her and offered to buy her restaurant. He took full ownership of the Ann Sather Restaurant and made it a very successful local chain with multiple locations.

Tunney became involved with several important business groups. He was the chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association. He also started and led the Lakeview Center Business Association and the White Crane Wellness Center. Because of his success and community work, Tunney was honored and added to the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1995.

Helping the Community

Tom Tunney used his restaurants to help local groups and charities. He let them use his restaurants as free meeting places, like town halls. He also worked to help people with HIV and AIDS by creating programs that were later used by the Illinois Masonic Hospital. As his business connections grew, Tunney became a fundraiser for groups that supported the rights of gay and lesbian people in politics.

Tunney was the chairman of a special committee that focused on small businesses for the Chicago Economic Development Committee. The Mayor at the time, Richard M. Daley, also asked Tunney to join a special group called the Mayor's Parking Task Force.

Serving as Alderman

In 2002, just a few months before the city elections, the alderman for the 44th Ward, Bernie Hansen, announced he would retire. He resigned early so the mayor could choose his replacement. Mayor Richard M. Daley, with Hansen's agreement, chose Tom Tunney to take Hansen's place in December 2002. The city council approved Tunney's nomination with a vote of 41 to 0 on January 16, 2003. With strong support from the Democratic Party, Tunney was elected to a four-year term as alderman on February 25, 2003. He was re-elected four more times, in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.

During his first campaign, Tunney said he would sell his share in four of his restaurants to avoid any conflicts of interest with his new job. However, after he was elected and officially started his role, Tunney decided not to sell them.

In July 2007, Tunney introduced a new rule to remove Chicago's ban on foie gras, which is a food product. He led the effort to pass this new rule, and it was approved on May 14, 2008.

Tunney thought about running for mayor in 2011, but he decided not to.

In 2013, there were rumors that Tunney supported moving or tearing down the famous scoreboard at Wrigley Field. This would have helped nearby rooftop owners get a better view. However, Tunney said these reports were not true.

Tunney often had disagreements with the Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs' stadium, Wrigley Field, is in Tunney's ward. The Ricketts family said that Tunney was "needlessly disrespectful" during talks about making changes to Wrigley Field. The chairman of the Cubs, Thomas S. Ricketts, even criticized Tunney publicly.

Tunney also thought about running for mayor in 2019, but he chose not to. In the final round of that election, Tunney supported Lori Lightfoot.

On May 17, 2019, three days before she became mayor, Lori Lightfoot asked Tunney to be both the vice mayor and the chairman of the City Council's Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards. On May 29, 2019, Tunney was officially appointed as the chairman of that committee.

In August 2022, Tunney announced that he would not seek another term on the Chicago City Council in 2023. He considered running against Mayor Lightfoot in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election and even collected signatures to get on the ballot. However, Tunney decided not to run and instead supported Paul Vallas before the election's first round. Tunney has said that after leaving the City Council, he plans to work to help the city's business community.

Personal Life

Tom Tunney is the cousin of actress Robin Tunney, who played Agent Lisbon on the TV show The Mentalist.

See also

• List of Chicago aldermen since 1923