Chicago City Wire

In the 49th Ward, political tensions continue to mount around Ald. Maria Hadden as constituents in Rogers Park come forward with new allegations of harassment, intimidation and what some describe as “coordinated suppression” of dissent.

Following a formal ethics complaint related to liquor licensing and campaign contributions, a 49th Ward resident has come forward anonymously to detail their personal experience with what they claim is a toxic political environment fostered—or at least tolerated—by Hadden and her allies.

The resident described their volunteer work for Belia Rodriguez, one of Hadden’s challengers in the 2023 election. 

“I knew the risk going into it,” the resident who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation told Chicago City Wire. “[I] knew this was gonna come my way, I just didn't know how. “

Rodriguez, a business owner from Chicago, ran for the 49th Ward seat on the Chicago City Council in 2023. She finished second in a four-way race, losing to Hadden. Rodriguez received 16.6% of the vote (1,867 votes) in the February 28 election. Hadden won re-election with 73.7% (8,266 votes). Other candidates included Bill Morton, who received 9.7% (1,086 votes), and Williamton Davis, a write-in candidate who received three votes.

“I collected signatures, I walked the ward, I signed my name and address—it’s all public record once submitted. But I didn’t expect what came next,” the resident said. 

The resident explained their perspective clearly concerning their reasons for supporting Rodriguez.

“I knew Belia before she announced. She is the past president of the Rogers Park Business Alliance,” the resident said. “That’s how I met her. She is business-oriented, wants to bring industry and economic growth to Rogers Park. She always seems rational and doesn’t make rash decisions. She stops and thinks before deciding. I thought she would be a good alternative to what we have now because, honestly, Maria’s supporters are kind of cuckoo.”

The resident described the hostile response they and others faced from Hadden’s supporters online. 

“During the election, anytime we criticized Maria, her supporters just came at us. One of them called me,” the resident said. 

The resident said that after petition sheets were submitted in late 2022, a small group of Rodrguez supporters—including her—were doxxed and targeted by fake social media accounts.

“Once they started seeing my name come up and starting criticizing Maria, and they got the petition sheets,” the resident said. “Of course, they scoured them to figure out who I am. Sure, and then, um, the fake accounts started appearing. And that’s who posted my last name. They—I think they threatened [another critic] to show up at his house.”

While they acknowledge that Hadden—who has refused to remove harassment and slurs made against other critics on her Facebook account—eventually had the offending content taken down, the resident said they believe her actions were reluctant and delayed.

“I think she realized how serious it really was, and that's probably the only reason why she took it down,” the resident said. “Really, we just filed the police reports, and that was it. You know, the police did not submit a request to Facebook to find out who the user was or anything, so it just kind of died.”

The resident pointed to the harassment of another critic, Vaughn Buxton, a child sexual abuse victim who previously accused Hadden of allowing false claims of pedophilia to circulate on her official pages, was also referenced. 

"They started latching on to the claim that he's a pedophile. And we started saying, well, that's a pretty huge accusation without any proof,” the resident said. “And of course, these fake accounts—nobody can back it up."

Critics have pointed to Hadden’s Chief of Staff Leslie Perkins as likely being behind or turning a blind eye to the harassment issues. 

Perkins previously played a central role in compiling and maintaining a surveillance-style database targeting 31 Chicago police officers who opposed a local housing project. 

“[Perkins] used to work under Alderman John Arena, where they tried to do a development,” the resident said. “[Perkins] scoured the internet to see who complained; they were city workers. Then she filed about 32 or 33 complaints with COPA (Civilian Office of Police Accountability) trying to get those critics, who work for the city, fired.”

The Chicago Contrarian reported that Freedom of Information Act requests later revealed that most of these complaints were baseless, with even the Anti-Defamation League disputing the evidence. 

The controversy raised serious ethical and legal questions about Perkins' use of city resources and her potential exposure to perjury charges for supporting false affidavits.

“They exposed all that, right?” the resident said. “So, come on, those habits don’t die hard. I’m sure there’s a bad neighbor’s list with us.”

The resident identified one suspicious figure who sent them a direct message. 

“Sure enough, right before Christmas, [the person] sent me a DM like, you know, basically, ‘Haha, I know who you are.’ That kind of thing. You know, I'm like, really dude, whatever.” 

The alleged harassment extended beyond individuals to businesses.

“When I was out walking, putting up posters and what the business is, nobody would come out and admit it, but you would hear comments like, ‘Hey, we know Maria threatens businesses,’ just so they knew that we knew,” she said. 

Allegations of intimidation tactics surfaced from local business owners as well during the campaign.

“Maria and her goon squad threatened businesses with business license or health code violations if they didn’t put up her campaign poster,” the resident said. 

Buxton said Hadden's wife has also threatened businesses. 

"It's been reported that her wife Natalia Vera has gone to businesses threatening them with their business license if they displaying millions of campaign signs," Buxton previously told Chicago City Wire.  

These personal accounts add to growing allegations of misconduct against Hadden. 

In 2023, Maria Hadden faced an ethics complaint alleging she used political influence to lift a liquor license moratorium in exchange for campaign donations. 

The complaint accused Hadden and associates of a scheme with liquor store owner Gaurav Patel, helping approve two stores and then reinstating the moratorium to limit competition. 

It also claimed Hadden’s office failed to disclose dealings with the Patel family or their contributions. Critics said the community survey supporting the zoning change was manipulated, and local business owners and the Rogers Park Business Alliance raised concerns about favoritism and fairness in development.

Critics blame Alderman Maria Hadden’s policies and anti-police stance for contributing to a decline in public safety and prompting experienced officers to leave. Local gangs are said to be taking advantage of the situation, while residents question the direction of leadership in the area.

Similarly, the resident’s opposition to Hadden began with local safety concerns.

“One day I drove down Sheridan and saw that Motel 6—some dumpy motel north of Touhy [Park]. People were saying, ‘Oh, it’s a couple of cop cars,’ and others said, ‘Whoa, that’s a lot of action at that motel.’ The next day or so, Maria had a monthly town hall on Zoom, and of course, I tuned in,” the resident said. “That’s when she said they moved a lot of the migrants, quote-unquote, to that motel without informing the neighborhood. Well, that made sense about what was happening.” 

Concerns about public safety and local homelessness have intensified during Hadden’s tenure, with some residents pointing to conditions in Rogers Park as evidence of her approach.

“At that time, there were encampments in Rogers Park that Maria enabled," the resident said. "There were rats, drugs, needles. The porta-potty guy even had a knife pulled on him while trying to change it out. She just enabled it. She also started promoting the North Side Men’s Shelter, a homeless shelter where people can be referred.” 

Frustration grew among residents after a community survey about the North Side Men’s Shelter raised questions about transparency and trust.

“She basically lied to us,” the resident said. “That was my first, ‘Really? Okay, now I’m paying attention.’ I have screenshots of the survey and everything that show this. At that point, I said, ‘Game on, lady. I’m done. It’s time to start holding you accountable.’”

Despite the harassment due to their criticism, the resident remains unshaken. 

“[I] don't want to be involved with politics, [but] I'm speaking up for my neighborhood,” the resident said.