BY ANDREW DAVIS, TRACY BAIM AND AMY WOOTEN
While incumbent Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley 'took care of business' in a landslide win Tuesday, many aldermanic candidates were not so lucky—some lost while others will face run-offs in April.
For Daley, it was over quickly.
A couple hours after the polling places closed Feb. 27, Daley was declared the winner of his political race, having secured more than 70 percent of the vote. More impressively, he garnered that amount against two opponents: Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County Dorothy Brown and former Harold Washington aide Bill 'Dock' Walls.
Daley, 64, won his sixth term. If he serves out the entire four years, he will have served as Chicago's mayor longer than any other individual, topping the record set by his father, Richard J. Daley. The elder Daley died in office in 1976 after serving 21 years.
Some speculated that Daley might have encountered trouble because of the scandals that plagued his administration. However, backed by enormous support from various demographics—including the LGBT community—he easily prevailed.
'There's no better job than being mayor of the city of Chicago,' Daley said during his acceptance speech. 'We will re-dedicate ourselves to making this city even better.'
During his speech, he also talked about various issues that he plans to pay special attention to, including education, public safety and affordable housing.
Miguel del Valle, who Daley appointed as city clerk in December, easily won over challengers Diane Jones and Jose Cerda. Stephanie Neely, who ran unopposed, retained her seat as city treasurer. She, too, was appointed by Daley.
Aldermanic showdowns
and runoffs in April
In a night of surprises, perhaps none was as big as the loss of long-term incumbent Burton Natarus to challenger Brendan Reilly in downtown's 42nd Ward. Incumbent Arenda Troutman also lost her race after coming under legal scrutiny in recent weeks. Challenger Willie Cochran has taken control of the 20th Ward over Troutman. Another South Side incumbent, 16th Ward Ald. Shirley Coleman, appears to be facing a run-off in April against challenger Joann Thompson, who was ahead of the incumbent in late vote counts.
In the 2nd Ward, incumbent Madeline Haithcock came in second in late vote tallies to Bob Fioretti, but with so many candidates running, no one achieved the magic 50% + 1 of the votes needed to avoid an April run-off.
Openly gay candidate James Cappleman came close to a victory in the 46th Ward, but late vote counts show him receiving just under 47% of the vote to incumbent Ald. Helen Shiller's 53%. Shiller thus avoids a run-off in April, unlike some of her colleagues. With 98% of the votes counted, Cappleman had 5,133 votes ( 46.8% ) to Shiller's 5,834 ( 53.2% ) .
Some incumbents faced no challengers, including openly gay Chicago Ald. Tom Tunney and 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith, who was able to keep opponents off the ballot through legal challenges.
In the Far North Side, 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore did not muster enough votes to avoid a runoff with Don Gordon, who had 29%. Two other challengers were far behind. 43rd Ald. Vi Daley also appears headed for a run-off against Michele Smith, as does Ald. Rey Colon against Vilma Colom in the 35th, Ald. Dorothy Tillman against Pat Dowell in the 3rd, Ald. Howard Brookins against Leroy Jones in the 21st, and Ald. Bernie Stone against Naisy Dolar in the 50th.
Most incumbents who faced challengers did win, including 47th Ward Ald. Eugene Schulter, 36th Ward Ald. William Banks, 4th Ward Ald. Toni Preckwinkle, 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, 11th Ward Ald. James Balcer, 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz, 25th Ward Ald. Danny Solis, and 26th Ward Ald. Billy Ocasio.
In an election seen as critical for larger citywide politics and family legacies, short-term incumbent Darcel Beavers, daughter of Dem Cook County Commissioner and powerbroker William Beavers, lost to challenger Sandi Jackson, wife of U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., in the 7th Ward.
With Jackson's win, and the win of several other challengers, the City Council might become more independent, but Daley's allies will still have a clear majority.
While Chicagoans turned out to vote in record low numbers Tuesday ( hovering at around 32% ) , this April 17, voters appear to be facing the largest number of run-offs in many years, with a total of 12.
For additional political race results, see www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com .