Sam Schoenburg

Sam is running for the brand-new office of District Council in Chicago’s 19th Police District to put the community’s voice at the center of public safety and decision-making. He wants to make policing more accountable, fair, and effective. As a student at NYU Law, amid nationwide calls for police reform, Sam came to understand that policing is among the government institutions most shielded from genuine community input. After moving to Chicago, Sam joined the grassroots effort to create a new elected office focused specifically on bringing the community’s voice to public safety and policing: District Councils. Now that this new position exists, Sam and the two candidates he’s running alongside—including fellow Run For Something endorsee, Maurilio Garcia—are committed to making sure it gets off to a strong start. They seek to modernize our public safety approach to include expanded emergency services with mental health and substance abuse crisis teams. They also aim to ensure needed policing reforms are implemented and that officers have the resources to do their jobs responsibly and effectively.

Sam got involved in advocacy after high school as an organizer on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He later graduated from Yale University, and then worked for non-profit organizations dedicated to removing corporate money from politics and expanding access to health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. In Chicago, Sam works as an attorney and is involved in local social justice efforts. He lives with his husband, Nigel, in Northalsted (formerly Boystown), a mainstay of Chicago’s LGBTQ community.