Manuel "Manny" Flores (born January 21, 1972) is the Director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation - Division of Banking . A member of the Democratic Party, Flores was elected to the Chicago City Council in 2003. He was the youngest alderman on the Council and represented part of the city's near Northwest Side. Flores is a noted advocate for government transparency and the development of Chicago's green economy. Early life Flores was born in El Paso, Texas, but raised in suburban Northlake, Illinois, where he attended West Leyden High School. He received his bachelor's degree in political science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, and his law degree from George Washington University Law School. At GW Law he was awarded honors for his clinical work on immigration and human rights litigation in political asylum cases. He went on to work as a congressional aide to Luis Gutiérrez and later an assistant state's attorney with the Cook County State's Attorney Office. Political career Chicago City Council A year and a half after moving to the 1st ward, Flores chose to challenge Daley-backed incumbent Jesse Granato. Flores outpolled Granato in the February primary election. In the April runoff, Flores was elected Alderman with 5,290 to Granato's 3,717. He served on seven Chicago City Council committees: Economic, Capital and Technology Development; Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities; Historical Landmark Preservation; Rules and Ethics; Parks and Recreation; Special Events and Cultural Affairs; and Transportation and Public Way. Flores is noted as a champion of sustainability and government transparency, passing several landmark ordinances and initiating programs to develop the region’s green economy. Sustainability Initiatives Flores works on the Addison Industrial Corridor Redevelopment Project, a revitalization plan sponsored by the City of Chicago and the Metropolitan Agency for Planning to redevelop the underutilized planned manufacturing district at the north end of the 1st Ward. Alderman Flores has been working closely with the planning team to realize his vision to create the city’s first green manufacturing district in the Addison Industrial Corridor. The green manufacturing district will leverage retail opportunity and demand for manufacturing created by the nearby Green Exchange and provide jobs for the mixed-income workforce housed at Lathrop Homes. His vision combines a sustainable philosophy with a plan to bring competitive jobs to the ward and retain the neighborhoods socioeconomic diversity. Flores also sponsors the development of the Green Exchange.