Ward 45 · James M. Gardiner

About Ward 45

Ward 45 sits on Chicago's Northwest Side, encompassing parts of Jefferson Park [1], Forest Glen, which includes Sauganash, Edgebrook and Wildwood [2], and Portage Park, which borders Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and Harwood Heights to the west, Irving Park to the east, and Belmont-Cragin to the south [3].

In September 2026, the ward recorded 197 crime incidents, totaling 2,379 over the prior 12 months, a decrease of 11.3% from a year earlier, ranking 45th of 50 wards [4]. Building permits reached 67 in September 2026, with 617 issued over the last 12 months, up 19.6% year-over-year, ranking 17th of 50 [5]. Construction cost tied to those permits was $5.7M in September 2026, totaling $54.1M over the past year, a 243.2% increase from a year ago, ranking 35th of 50 [5]. The ward logged 1,770 311 service requests in September 2026, with 23,931 over the last 12 months, down 6.3% from the prior year, ranking 12th of 50 [6]. Business licenses issued numbered 55 in September 2026, totaling 602 over the last 12 months, a decline of 1.8% from a year earlier, ranking 15th of 50 [7].

The ward is represented by Alderperson James M. Gardiner [8]. On the five Top-5 council items tracked, the ward's alderperson voted with the Mayor on 0 of 5 (0%), compared with a council average of 45% on those same items.

Written by Claude from the sources below · generated October 22, 2026