Nearly a week after the election, community organizer Ronnie Mosley won the City Council seat representing the Far South Side’s 21st Ward on Monday — making him the youngest member of the Council when he’s sworn in next month.
Mosley’s challenger, retired firefighter Cornell Dantzler, conceded on Monday, acknowledging, “the votes needed to win are simply out of range.” A spokeswoman for Mosley’s campaign told the Sun-Times Dantzler called Mosley to concede.
“I want to congratulate Alderman-Elect Ronnie Mosley on his election victory and wish him the absolute best in his efforts to unite and push the 21st ward forward,” Dantzler said in a written statement.
Dantzler’s concession brings to four the number of City Council runoff races that remain undecided as candidates await the arrival of mail-in ballots, which will be counted up until April 18, as long as they were postmarked in time for the April 4 runoff.
Monday’s results showed Mosley leading Dantzler, 52.41% to 47.59%, with a victory margin that had grown to 655 votes in the 21st Ward, which includes Auburn Gresham and parts of the Chatham, Roseland and Washington Heights neighborhoods.
The number of outstanding mail ballots was 827, meaning Dantzler, 63, would have needed nearly 90% of them win, assuming all outstanding ballots were returned and deemed valid. Election officials have said the return rate for mail ballots is closer to 50%.
Mosley will become the youngest member of the Council when he is sworn in next month. At age 31, Mosley is about five months younger than Angela Clay, another Council newcomer, who will represent Uptown’s 46th Ward.
Mosley had the endorsement of retiring Ald. Howard Brookins Jr., as well as Gov. J.B. Pritzker and City Clerk Anna Valencia.
In the other undecided runoffs, Desmon C. Yancy, a religious charity director and community organizer, led Martina “Tina” Hone, an attorney, in the South Side’s 5th Ward, 51.78% to 48.22%. Just 423 votes stand between them, with 689 outstanding ballots. Whomever prevails will be dealing with the impending opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. The South Side ward covers parts of Hyde Park, South Shore, West Woodlawn and Greater Grand Crossing.
In the 29th Ward, Ald. Chris Taliaferro held onto his lead by 318 votes, leading CB Johnson 51.49% to 48.51%. Johnson is a longtime leader of a nonprofit that helps people recovering from drug use. And Taliaferro served as chairman of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee. There are 547 outstanding ballots in the West Side ward.
In the 30th Ward, Jessica Gutiérrez is trailing Ruth Cruz by just 296 votes. Cruz led 51.34% to 48.66%. Cruz has already declared victory in the Northwest Side ward, but Gutiérrez’s campaign is awaiting all missing mail ballots, with 583 remaining as of Monday. Gutiérrez is the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez and the former policy director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. She narrowly lost to Ald. Ariel Reboyras four years ago.
And in the 43rd Ward, Ald. Timmy Knudsen led Brian C. Comer 52.91% to 47.09% — with Knudsen ahead by 1,007 votes. Knudsen celebrated “his apparent win” last week but stopped just shy of declaring victory. As of Monday, there were still 1,152 outstanding ballots in the ward that encompasses Lincoln Park, Old Town and the Gold Coast.
Knudsen was appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in September to replace retiring former Ald. Michele Smith. Comer is a consultant and president of the president of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association.
Three of four Lightfoot appointees faced runoffs. The other two, Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) and Ald. Monique Scott (24th) held their seats. The fourth Lightfoot appointee, Ald. Anabel Abarca (12th), lost to community organizer Julia Ramirez in the first round of voting on Feb. 28.
