PROGRESSIVISM 2.0
For the past decade, “progressivism” in American cities has come to mean many things—much of it necessary, most of it unfinished, and some of it disconnected from the everyday realities of working people. But historically, progressivism has meant something very grounded:
Systems change
Not just what we stand for, but how we make government function.
Not just what we protest, but what we build and sustain over time.
I believe that here In Chicago, we’re ready for the next version.
Progressivism 2.0 is about carrying the progressive agenda forward—grounded in both material outcomes and shared standards. Doing so means restoring the capacity of government and public services to operate reliably, inclusively, and—yes—transparently.
One of the greatest challenges facing Chicago today is not disagreement—it's fragmentation. Too often, government struggles to coordinate across departments, agencies, and competing political pressures. Residents experience that breakdown as inconsistency, delay, missed opportunity, and declining trust in public institutions.
But disagreement is not the problem.
Difference is not the problem.
The problem is when government fails to translate diverse feedback into coherent action that helps improve people's lives.
I believe that translation requires specific skills and structures.
My campaign is rooted in the principles of good governance: transparency, accessibility, and accountability. I bring a background in communication and facilitation, and a commitment to building structures where diverse perspectives can surface in a spirit of curiosity and respect, where tension is not avoided but made workable, and where decisions can move forward without breakdown
I offer a platform focused on restoring public trust in 48th Ward government by improving how people encounter it day to day, across departments, and in the places where life already happens.
Only then can we become an example for the City—and for the Nation. At a time of increasing fragmentation, from a widening wealth gap that concentrates political influence, to social media, to declining trust in institutions, democracy requires renewed attention and care.
WHO IS JUSTIN CARMIEN?
After moving to the 48th Ward in 2021 with my wife, we quickly made Uptown and Edgewater our home. Today, I am a grassroots community organizer and government designer.
Professionally, I work with the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), a Chicago-based organization focused on improving local government. In my role, I engage with reports and firsthand accounts from communities across the United States working to strengthen public budgeting and community engagement.
My background is in organizational and change management—helping multinational teams to align stakeholders, identify poor feedback loops, and manage conflict when it arises, bringing diverse groups to the table and producing workable solutions.
This work has given me a practical view into how governments succeed—and where they break down. I am now applying that perspective to build a grounded and effective platform for the 48th Ward.
MY EXPERIENCE
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
Communications Designer, 2022 - present
Edgewater Beach Neighborhood Association (EBNA)
President, 2024 - present
Edgewater Coalition of Block Clubs
Member, 2024 - present
Edgewater Environmental Coalition (EEC)
Member, 2023 - present
Edgewater Parks Improvement Coalition (EPIC)
Member, 2023 - present
Edgewater Historical Society (EHS)
Member, 2026 - present
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS)
Beat 2023/2024 Meeting Facilitator, 2025
Bryn Mawr Alliance, economic development taskforce of the 48th Ward office (BMA)
Community Outreach Committee Leader, 2025
THE INCUMBENT I AM CHALLENGING
Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth comes to office with a background in activism shaped by national political struggles, including organizing in response to Trump-era policy and work around immigration enforcement.
That experience brings passion—but it has also oriented neighborhood leadership toward the language of highly-polarized national-level conflicts. Manaa-Hoppenworth’s proximity to our nation’s culture war has aligned her closely with the Mayor’s office. I have seen this proximity fuel division and stall progress in the 48th Ward.
Culture war politics in the 48th Ward are unproductive. Our community deserves leaders capable of managing conflict when it arrives, managing change when it is necessary, and who are capable of building durable consensus across differences. That requires less ideology. More importantly, it requires listening deeply, acting practically, and approaching every resident with a sense of shared stake in the future of the 48th Ward.
DEMOCRACY IS IN JEOPARDY
Democracy is not something we inherit once and for all—it is something we maintain together. It lives in how we listen, how we decide, and how we follow through. It depends not only on participation, but on the structures that allow participation to become meaningful action.
My own path to this work has been shaped by years of study in political theory, and through writing that explores the conditions under which public life holds together—or begins to fragment. Those interested can explore more of that work on my Amazon author’s page.
This campaign is my way of bringing that reflection into practice—here, in the 48th Ward. Because at its best, democracy is not just a system of government. It is a shared project: one that asks us to build something durable together.