Lowdown on Chicago runoffs and suburban elections
By Sam Hudzik
Lowdown on Chicago runoffs and suburban elections
By Sam HudzikIt’s now been a week since Chicago voters elected a new mayor. They also picked a city clerk, treasurer and 36 aldermen. Fourteen city council races remain unsettled; they’re heading to runoff elections five weeks from now.
We’ve broken these races down into three different categories: elected aldermen seeking re-election, appointed aldermen seeking election and open seats, in which the incumbent is not seeking another term. (Don’t know which ward you live in? Go here.)
Elected aldermen seeking another term
| Ward | Incumbent alderman | Took office | Challenger in runoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Side’s 6th Ward | Freddrenna Lyle - 44% | 1998 | Roderick Sawyer - 25% | Sawyer is the son of former Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer. |
| South Side’s 15th Ward | Toni Foulkes - 44% | 2007 | Raymond Lopez - 15% | Foulkes faced six challengers on Tuesday. |
| South Side’s 16th Ward | JoAnn Thompson - 43% | 2007 | Hal Baskin - 22% | Both Thompson and Baskin ran as challengers in 2007. |
| South Side’s 17th Ward | Latasha Thomas - 49% | 2000 | David Moore - 20% | Thomas faced seven challengers on Tuesday. |
| South Side’s 20th Ward | Willie Cochran - 46% | 2007 | Che “Rymefest” Smith - 20% | The other challengers endorsed Smith this week. |
| West Side’s 24th Ward | Sharon Denise Dixon - 19% | 2007 | Michael Chandler - 13% | This is a rematch from 2007, when Chandler was the incumbent alderman. |
| Southwest Side’s 25th Ward | Danny Solis - 49% | 1996 | Cuahutémac Morfín - 28% | This was a three-way race, with Ambrosio Medrano, Jr. winning 23% last Tuesday. |
| Far North Side’s 50th Ward | Bernard Stone - 37% | 1973 | Debra Silverstein - 34% | Silverstein’s husband, a state senator, walloped Stone in the ward committeeman’s race in 2008. |
Appointed aldermen looking for a full term
| Ward | Appointed alderman | Took office | Challenger in runoff | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Side’s 36th Ward | John Rice - 48% | 2009 | Nicholas Sposato - 24% | Rice was appointed by the mayor to replace Ald. William Banks, Rice’s former boss. |
| Northwest Side’s 38th Ward | Timothy Cullerton - 48% | 2010 | Tom Caravette -22% | Cullerton replaced his brother-in-law, Ald. Tom Allen, who left to become a judge. |
Open seats
| Ward | Retiring alderman | Runoff participants | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Side’s 41st Ward | Brian Doherty | Mary O’Connor - 31% | Maurita Gavin - 25% | The race pits the ward’s Democratic committeewoman (O’Connor) vs. an aide (Gavin) to the former alderman. |
| North Side’s 43rd Ward | Vi Daley | Michele Smith - 38% | Tim Egan - 29% | Smith is the ward’s Democratic committeewoman, and lost to Vi Daley in 2007. |
| Northwest Side’s 45th Ward | Pat Levar | John Garrido - 32% | John Arena - 23% | Levar’s endorsed candidate finished out of the runoff. |
| North Side’s 46th Ward | Helen Shiller | James Cappleman - 20% | Molly Phelan - 20% | Cappleman and Phelan got the exact same number of votes. |
To hear more about these aldermanic runoffs, click “Listen to this Story” at the top of the page.
Lots of action outside Chicago on April 5th
There are hundreds of races going on in Chicago’s suburbs on April 5th. Find out who’s running in your town by checking out the website of your local election authority: