CityRoom video: An election night to remember (starring Berny Stone)

CityRoom video: An election night to remember (starring Berny Stone)
WBEZ/Kate Dries
CityRoom video: An election night to remember (starring Berny Stone)
WBEZ/Kate Dries

CityRoom video: An election night to remember (starring Berny Stone)

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For all the hoopla over Daley’s era ending, a longer tenure will end when Berny Stone leaves office this year. Though the stature of the office is smaller, you could argue that the drama is greater due to Stone’s age (83) and unwillingness to resign his post. Even as he conceded defeat on Tuesday he was steadfast that he was the right man for the job. He told the cameras, “I feel sorry for the ward.”

Stone also embodies an old school style of local politics that relies heavily on precinct captians and boots on the ground. As results came in on Tuesday, Stone stood in one corner of a crowded room personally examining the results from each precinct as they were hand-delivered and freely spoke his mind to the assembled media. It seemed a world apart from many candidates who hide up in hotel rooms and limit media access until the outcome of the race is determined.

Regardless of his politics, Stone is a true character. Let’s hope someone can fill his (entertaining) shoes.

With this video, we continue our occasional web-series “City Room” where we follow our WBEZ City Room staff in action. This episode is set against the backdrop of the aldermanic runoff in the 50th ward, and follows our North Side Bureau Reporter Odette Yousef at Berny Stone’s headquarters. 

We set out to report on an election and we were witness to Chicago political history. Tuesday April 5th, 2011, Berny Stone was voted out of office. This video documents that moment.