Howard Brookins

Howard Brookins Jr. is the Alderman of the 21st Ward of the City of Chicago. He was elected in 2003 and is currently serving his second term.

Brookins attended Mendel Catholic High School, Southern Illinois University, and received his JD from Northern Illinois University.

Brookins is a former Assistant Defender, Assistant States Attorney, and Special Assistant Attorney General. Brookins serves on the Board of Directors for Community Media Workshop and he is active with the 9100 South Union Block Club. Brookins is currently a partner in Brookins and Wilson Law Firm.

On March 14, 2016, Brookins lost a Democratic Congressional primary to Bobby Rush.

Brookins was elected as alderman in 2003. He serves on sixteen committees, and chairs two:

Although he was not able to achieve a majority of votes in the February 27, 2007 general election, he was re-elected in the April 17 runoff election against his challenger Leroy Jones.

Brookins made $114,913 as a part-time alderman in 2011, making him one of the 19 highest paid alderman. While others chose not to accept annual pay raises while city employees were laid off, Brookins did stating, "Once it's out there, I think for me to give it back to the city for someone else to waste it somewhere else in the city doesn't make sense, and it doesn't help me with my obligations to my family." An additional source of revenue for Alderman Brookins is his law firm.

On February 28, 2014, Brookins' chief of staff, Curtis V. Thompson Jr. was charged with accepting a $7,500 bribe as part of an undercover corruption probe, and sentenced to 15 months in prison bu U. S. district Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan. The Chicago Sun reports that "Thompson helped a federal informant land Brookins’ essential support for a liquor license in the 21st Ward in 2013. In exchange, the informant handed Thompson 75 $100 bills stuffed into a Christmas card during a party at Brookins’ office, court records show."

On November 13, 2016 Brookins was biking along Cal-Sag Trail when a squirrel jumped into the spokes, and crashed the bike. This left Brookins with a fractured scull, broke his nose, and knocked out a few teeth. The squirrel died. The attack came after Brookins had given a series of speeches denouncing squirrels in Chicago, denouncing squirrels, saying “It’s a pet peeve. It does invoke some giggles. But we are spending too much money on replacing garbage carts because the squirrels continue to eat through ’em,” and “I get calls [with residents saying], ‘I need a new garbage can.’ I just gave you a garbage can. [And the caller says], ‘Well, the squirrels ate through it in two days and nobody wants trash throughout the community. So they keep asking us for garbage cans.” A survey found that 11% of the cities garbage carts are damaged, costing $300,000 in repairs. At least some of that damage does come from squirrels.

Brookins is married to Ebonie Taylor-Brookins. He has two children, Howard Brookins III, and Harihson.