West Chicago mayor resumes weekend walks with residents

One hour each weekend.

That's all Mayor Ruben Pineda is asking of his fellow West Chicago residents.

This weekend, Pineda resumed his Team Pineda 5K walks around the city in an effort to get himself and others moving. If the weather is nice, he'll be seen walking through different neighborhoods nearly every Saturday and Sunday through November.

Anyone is invited to join him. In fact, the more, the merrier, he says.

"It's fun," he said. "It gets me out there to do something healthy, it allows me to see the community and it allows the community to see me."

Originally, the initiative was called "Lose a Layer with the Mayor," but Pineda said he worried that was giving off the wrong message.

"It's not about losing the weight, it's about getting active," he said, adding that his walks align with the mission of Healthy West Chicago, a communitywide effort to make the city healthier. "In order to get kids there and their parents I wanted to make it sound less about losing weight."

Upcoming walks start promptly at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 9, Turner Elementary School, 750 Ingalton Ave., and 10 a.m. Sunday, April 10, at West Chicago Community High School, 326 Joliet St.

For information on Team Pineda and future walks, visit facebook.com/TeamPineda or check the community calendar at westchicago.org.