Fighting a whirlwind of scandals, embattled Ald. Jim Gardiner failed to win enough votes to secure his reelection in the Northwest Side’s 45th Ward last month, forcing the freshman incumbent into an April 4 runoff against lawyer Megan Mathias.
Despite the storm of controversy, Gardiner still managed to capture 48% of the vote in the six-candidate race in February. But failing to win a majority, he now faces Mathias, 46, who came in second with just under 17%.
