Even as three incumbents held wide leads over challengers Tuesday, there will be at least five new faces in the Chicago City Council representing the South Side.
Incumbents Michelle Harris (8th), Anthony Beale (9th) and Jeanette Taylor (20th) each faced two challengers, but all three had comfortable leads over their opponents Tuesday night.
With a wide field of candidates, at least some races are expected to be headed to April 4 runoffs, preliminary returns show. Candidates had to garner at least 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s election to win outright.
Half of 10 South Side wards had open seats, with Sophia King (4th) and Roderick Sawyer (6th) both running unsuccessfully for mayor, and Leslie Hairston (5th), Susan Sadlowski Garza (10th) and Howard Brookins (21st) choosing not to seek reelection.
Desmon Yancy, endorsed by Hairston for the 5th Ward seat, led with 25% of the vote over Martina Hone with about 17%, with more than two-thirds of precincts reported.
Shortly after polls closed, Yancy leaned over a computer that showed the 51-year-old community organizer with an early lead in the 5th Ward. About 50 of his supporters cheered and took pictures as James Brown’s “Papa Don’t Take No Mess” pulsed through the storefront office in South Shore.
Eleven people were on the ballot to replace Hairston in the 5th Ward, which includes Hyde Park, South Shore, West Woodlawn and Greater Grand Crossing.
In the 4th Ward, Lamont Robinson led with about 47% of the vote over Prentice Butler with nearly 16%, with almost 90% of precincts reported results.
Robinson is a state legislator and Chatham native. He leads the race in fundraising and has endorsements from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
“I think that the city needs some new leadership,” Robinson said Tuesday night. “We can bring those crime numbers down if we create a safe and walkable community.”
Seven candidates set out to replace King, who was first appointed alderwoman in 2016. The 4th Ward includes Bronzeville, Hyde Park and Kenwood.
In the 6th Ward, William Hall and Richard Wooten were in a tight race, with each getting about 25% of the votes, with nearly 80% of precincts’ votes reported.
Eleven candidates were on the ballot to succeed Sawyer, who has represented the ward since 2011. The 6th Ward includes Chatham, Park Manor and Grand Crossing.
In the 10th Ward, two-term alderwoman Garza announced in September that she wouldn’t seek reelection, setting up a competition among five candidates.
The 10th Ward is heavily industrial and has never bounced back after the steel mills closed decades ago. The area includes South Chicago, South Deering, East Side and Hegewisch.
Peter Chico, a Chicago police officer and cousin to former mayoral candidate Gery Chico, led the five-person race with about 43% over Ana Guajardo, a labor and immigrants rights activist who had nearly 26%. Guajardo is endorsed by U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who was on the mayoral ballot.
In the 21st Ward, with nearly 90% of precincts reporting, Ronnie Mosley had about 25% of the votes and was in a close race with Cornell Dantzler, with nearly 22%, and Preston Brown Jr. with about 19%. In all, seven candidates were on the ballot to replace Brookins, a 20-year alderman.
The 21st Ward includes Auburn Gresham and parts of Chatham, Roseland and Washington Heights.
Incumbent Harris jumped out to a big early lead, with about 71% of the vote, over challengers Linda Hudson and Sean Flynn, with almost 90% of precincts reporting.
Beale also led his two challengers, Cleopatra Draper and Cameron Barnes, with 60% and more than 90% of precincts reporting.
Taylor led her opponents, Andre Smith and Jennifer Maddox, with about 54% and just over 60% of the precincts reporting.
In the 7th Ward, Ald. Greg Mitchell was unopposed, as was David Moore in the 17th.
Brett Chase’s reporting on the environment and public health is made possible by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust. Mariah Rush is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.
