The clock is ticking on Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's decision regarding who should fill the vacancy left by former Ald. Billy Ocasio, who left City Council last month to work as a senior adviser to Gov. Pat Quinn.
Before he left his 26th Ward office, Ocasio made known his wishes that his pastor, Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús, be his heir—but the decision ultimately falls to Daley.
The possibility of having De Jesús in City Council is raising eyebrows in the ward and beyond, due in no small part to his stance on homosexuality. De Jesús' New Life Covenant Ministries church is part of the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal fellowship that considers homosexuality a sin. In Chicago, many LGBT activists know him as the pastor who put the brakes last year on a planned Pride Campus, a school that designers hoped would act as a model school, providing a safe and affirming environment for LGBT and questioning youth and their allies.
Although De Jesús says that his opposition to the school stems from his belief that it would segregate LGBT youth, one former congregant, Esmeralda Román, said she left his church because of a sermon that he gave about the school that she said felt more "like an anti-gay rally."
Román, a lesbian, had asked De Jesús just weeks prior if she and her partner and their three children were welcome to worship at New Life Covenant. De Jesús said they were.
"We didn't go back because we didn't feel safe there," said Román. "I have sat in churches and seen people being hypocrites, people lying, people stealing—but I never felt hate like that at church. That's exactly what I felt."
De Jesús' office did not respond to calls requesting comment for this story.
The office of 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, whose district encompasses Boystown, confirmed that it has received many calls and letters from their constituents and the LGBT community about the potential new alderman, and have relayed those concerns to the mayor.
Although De Jesús' church is in the 1st Ward and he lives in the 31st, New Life Ministries is active in the 26th, the ward De Jesús would represent. The church organizes works to feed homeless people; advocate for affordable housing; and minister to prostitutes and people struggling with drug addictions. It's one of the reasons that groups like the Puerto Rican Cultural Center ( PRCC ) —which, among other things, advocates for LGBT rights and offers many services to the local LGBT community—is supporting his candidacy.
"Right now he's been named by Alderman Ocasio, and we support Alderman Ocasio's prerogative to make that recommendation," said Raul Echevarria, deputy director of the PRCC. "I think a lot has been made about some of the drawbacks, but I think he brings a lot to the table that would be beneficial to the community as a whole."
"That doesn't mean that we won't engage him in some of these other issues that are important in the community, including his stance on LGBT issues. Engagement whenever possible, I think, is the best way to work some of these things out," he said.
Some LGBT advocates say they have reached out to De Jesús, but that those conversations have only bolstered their reservations.
On June 3, a network of about 30 LGBT activists and community leaders met with De Jesús at La Bruqueúa restaurant, 2726 W. Division.
"People asked him very pointed questions about his Web site, which has a page about homosexuality and how it's sinful and wrong. They asked him if he would change that, and he said absolutely not," said Rick Garcia of Equality Illinois, who attended the meeting.
"Somebody asked, 'What if your daughter told you she was a lesbian?'. And I looked at this guy's reaction and it was sad. He looked like somebody threw cold water on him. He said something to the effect of, 'That's not how my wife and I raised our family.' Then she pushed him and he said 'Well, I would want to know who did that to her.'"
"I have to say that I don't think he swayed anyone in that room in his favor," said Garcia.
"Many of us at the meeting were not confident that Rev. De Jesús would be able to separate his religious views from his role as an alderman," said Lourdes Torres, president of Amigas Latinas, an organization that advocates for lesbian, bisexual and questioning Latinas, and their families.
Torres said her concerns go beyond his stance on sexuality and include his position on other hot-button issues, including a woman's right to choose.
Torres said she is disappointed to see other longtime LGBT advocates discount his social conservatism. Torres said she originally signed onto a letter endorsing his candidacy, at the urging of several members of the local Puerto Rican community, but that after learning more about him she asked that her name be removed.
"I think gay issues should be put at the same level as all of the other issues that they see as important—gentrification, immigration, workers rights. It's unfortunate that it's not considered significant enough," she said.
But concern over De Jesús' possible appointment isn't limited to the LGBT community.
"He's done a lot of good work as far as his church goes. But the 26th Ward is a very diverse ward and I don't think his views are very diverse. They come straight from his interpretation of the Bible—period—and he's admitted that," said Felipe Ortiz, who has lived in the 26th Ward since 1958.
"I know he's a great pastor in the new life church, but the only thing we're thinking is how is he going to run the church and take care of the community?," said Nancy Garcia, co-owner of Papas Cache, a popular restaurant in Paseo Boricua, a street section in the West Side of Chicago. "I know there's other people, candidates, and more people qualified, too. I don't know why Billy Ocasio only recommended specifically him."
Some people expressed hope that the amount of time the mayor is taking to make the decision could mean that he is looking at some of those other candidates.
"Knowing the mayor's level of support for gay and lesbian people and our families, I'm sure they mayor is looking at this issue," said Garcia, who added that no matter whether De Jesús is selected to be alderman or not, he already wields, and will continue to wield, a significant amount of clout in Chicago politics.
"But whether he's appointed or not, he's going to have political influence," he said.
Both Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús' and Mayor Daley's offices did not return calls for this story. In addition, a number of people that De Jesús has publicly claimed support him did not respond, either.
