Facing political headwinds from a string of first-term scandals, freshman incumbent Ald. James Gardiner on Tuesday appeared headed for a second round of voting in the April 4 runoff election for the Northwest Side 45th Ward seat.
With 97% of precincts reporting, Gardiner had 49% of the vote in a six-way race, near the 50%-plus total needed to avoid a runoff. Rivals Megan Mathias, an attorney, and businessman James Suh were in a close race for second, and a potential slot in the runoff, with around 15% each.
