Ray Suarez (politician)

Suárez was born in Yauco, Puerto Rico. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 19 during the Vietnam War era. He and his wife, Marta, live in the Cragin neighborhood. ==Early career==

Suárez held various city jobs before becoming alderman. He worked for Streets and Sanitation, in the mayor's office as an Administrative Assistant working with Development Action Grants, and Assistant Commissioner of Department of Street and Sanitation. In 1989, he was appointed to the Illinois Job Training Coordinating Council, where he advised the governor how to spend the budget for job-training. ==Aldermanic career==

Suárez was elected alderman in 1991. He was reelected in 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011. He lost reelection in 2015 to Milly Santiago. He was the chairman of Housing and Real Estate, and sits on seven other committees: Aviation, Budget and Government Operations, Buildings, Finance, Transportation and the Public Way, and Zoning. The alderman has proposed that private businesses such as bars be required to install police surveillance cameras on their premises. "If you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?" he demanded, in response to privacy concerns. From May 2011 until May 2015, Suarez was also Chicago's Vice Mayor. ==References==