Ald. Maria Hadden projected as winner in heated race in Rogers Park's 49th Ward

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ald. Maria Hadden (49th) unseated longtime incumbent Joe Moore as a political newcomer, four years ago.

This year, Hadden faced two opponents in a race for reelection that has grown heated. But she was projected a winner with no trouble.

Challenging Hadden were Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce president Bill Morton, and entrepreneur and former Rogers Park Business Alliance board president Belia Rodriguez.

With all but two precincts reporting, Hadden had 74 percent of the vote, compared with 16 percent for Rodriguez and 10 percent for Morton.

In her campaign for reelection, Hadden touted herself as a progressive leader – and emphasized that prioritizing investment in infrastructure, social programs, and service has helped "improve community health and decrease violence."

She specifically touted a successful effort to bring life rings to piers and access points on Lake Michigan, and working to prevent similar tragedies after the heat-related deaths of residents of Rogers Park's James Sneider apartments.

Morton focused his campaign on economic development including retaining and attracting local businesses, an infrastructure plan involving proactively searching for issues such as potholes and graffiti and fixing them right away, and addressing the homelessness crisis in Rogers Park – among other issues.

Rodriguez's platform focused on community safety and violence prevention, development and affordable housing guidelines, the local economy and entrepreneurship opportunities, the neighborhood's public schools, sustainability including shoreline protection, and also the homelessness crisis.

Crime, public transit, and homelessness were major issues and subjects of discord in the race. At a 49th Ward Candidate Forum at the Loyola University Crown Center last week, the candidates were questioned among other things about a controversial affordable housing development at Howard and Paulina streets near the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line terminal.

The project at 7603 N. Paulina St. would be composed of below-market housing.

Rodriguez said affordable housing should be spread more evenly throughout Rogers Park rather than concentrated on Howard Street. Hadden said affordable housing is already spread throughout the ward – and noted that the upper annual income limit for most of the units would be nearly $44,000 for one person. She said about 56 percent of Rogers Park residents make $50,000 or less, and thus, "This housing is for people here."

Morton called Howard and Paulina the wrong location for the development – and said theproblems with violent crime, gang activity, and drug dealing in the area should be dealt with first. He also said the development would eliminate the only remaining U.S. Post Office in Rogers Park and there are no plans to replace it.

Also drawing heated discussions in the 49th Ward is a homeless encampment in Touhy Park – bounded roughly by Jarvis Avenue, Paulina Street, Chase Avenue, and Clark Street. At the forum last week, the candidates were asked how they would deal with the homelessness crisis long-term.

Hadden said more funding is needed to expand services and keep people from losing their homes – and the area will continue to see people going unsheltered as long as those services are underfunded.

Morton said about 100 people ended up getting funneled to Touhy Park – and he would have prevented that from happening. He noted that the park closed its fieldhouse and moved children's programming to Pottawattomie Park as the encampment grew.

Rodriguez said there is, in fact, sufficient funding from the federal government, and a plan to house people is what is actually needed.

One of the most bizarre Rogers Park political sagas of the past several months involved the Touhy Park homeless encampment. None of the aldermanic candidates were involved, but two of their names were invoked.

As reported by the Chicago Tribune and other sources in October, flyers were posted saying residents of the tent encampment were to be removed from the park and would be moved to the Four Seasons Hotel off the Magnificent Mile. Then-17-year-old DePaul University freshman Sarah Lim – who said she was considering a run for mayor at the time – later admitted she had posted the flyers with false information in an effort to "get (her) name out there" and drive traffic to her website, the newspaper reported.

Both Hadden and Morton's names appeared on the flyers. Hadden told Block Club Chicago the flyers did not come from her office or any other city agency, and Morton also told the publication he was not involved. Morton did tell the Tribune and Block Club that Lim had sought his help gathering ballot signatures for her prospective campaign for mayor.

Lim later apologized for the publicity stunt at the encampment.

Complaints about public transit – including bus service, clean and safe trains, and law enforcement on the CTA – are also a major issue in Rogers Park that came up in the debate. A question on the subject at the forum led Morton to claim that Illinois state Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Illinois) had been assaulted on the CTA Red Line and had said she would never take it again.

On Twitter, Hadden's campaign fired back and said the claim was not true – and Cassidy herself called Morton a "jackass."

Four years ago, Hadden unseated Moore – who had occupied the seat since 1991. Hadden was the first openly gay Black woman in Chicago history to be elected alderwoman.

Morton ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for alderman in 2019 after being knocked off the ballot when both Moore and Hadden challenged his petition signatures. Rodriguez ran for the first time.

In:
• Chicago City Council
• Rogers Park