Nine candidates between two neighboring South Side wards look to build businesses to reduce crime

21st Ward candidates (clockwise from top left) Preston Brown, Kweli Kwaza, Daliah Goree, Ayana Clark, Cornell Dantzler, Ronnie Mosley and Larry Lloyd. (Provided)

So many candidates filed to run in the South Side’s 21st Ward that even though half were ultimately knocked from the ballot or withdrew in the face of challenges, seven remain to battle it out for a City Council seat that has not been open for at least 40 years.

That’s more than three times as many candidates as in the nearby 18th Ward, where only one challenger filed to run against the incumbent fighting for a third term.