Chicago City Council to see major turnover with 12 open seats in municipal election
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Voters in 12 wards in Chicago will be choosing a new alderperson in this year's municipal elections, with their ward's incumbent either giving up their seat to run for mayor, or otherwise stepping down from office at the end of their term.
That means nearly a quarter of the city's wards are guaranteed to have a new member on the City Council come May – not counting four other wards where alderpersons already stepped down and have been replaced and are running for election to a full term, or many other wards where sitting aldermen face serious challenges on Election Day.
In any ward, if no candidate wins a majority of the vote on Feb. 28, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff election in April. Below are the 12 wards where there is no incumbent on the ballot:
In the 4th Ward – which includes parts of the South Loop, Bronzeville, Hyde Park, and Kenwood neighborhoods – six candidates are vying to replace incumbent Sophia King, who is running for mayor:
- Helen West, a retired teacher from Bronzeville, who also has worked in telecommunications and marketing, and is making her first run for public office.
- Tracey Bey, president of mortgage brokerage Bey Financial Corp and operations director for the nonprofit Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, who also ran for the 4th Ward seat in 2015.
- Illinois State Rep. Lamont Robinson, who has represented the 5th District in the Illinois House since 2019.
- Matthew "Khari" Humphries, a Bronzeville native who is making his first run for public office.
- Ebony Lucas, a real estate attorney from the Oakland neighborhood, who also ran against King in 2019 and the 2017 special election in the 4th Ward.
- Prentice Butler, who is King's chief of staff, and has worked in the 4th Ward office since 2011 under her predecessor, Will Burns.
In the 5th Ward – which includes parts of the Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore, and Grand Crossing neighborhoods – 11 candidates are running to replace incumbent Leslie Hairston, who is retiring at the end of her term:
- Renita Q. Ward, an attorney and associate minister from Hyde Park, who is making her first run for public office.
- Marlene Fisher, a community organizer and senior administrator at the University of Chicago, who is making her first run for public office.
- Joshua Gray, an political consultant and former chairman of the Cook County Juvenle Temporary Detention Center, who ran for the Cook County Board in 2018.
- Robert Palmer, who also ran for Congress in the 1st District in 2022, after Bobby Rush announced his retirement.
- Martina "Tina" Hone, a former top aide to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, as chief engagement officer, who stepped down to run for alderman.
- Jocelyn Hare, senior assistant director of Harris Policy Labs at University of Chicago, who also ran for alderman in the 5th ward in 2015.
- Dialika "Dee" Perkins, a professional boxer and business manager from South Shore, who is making her first run for public office.
- Desmon C. Yancy, a community organizer with the Inter-City Muslim Action Network, who also helped organize grassroots efforts to create a civilian board to oversee CPD.
- Kris Levy, a wine and spirits distributor from South Shore, who is making his first run for public office.
- Gabriel Piemonte, a journalist and community organizer from Woodlawn, who ran against Hairston in 2019.
- Wallace Goode Jr., who led the Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce for more than a decade before stepping down to run for alderman.
In the 6th Ward – which includes parts of the Auburn Gresham, Chatham, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Park Manor, West Chesterfield, and West Woodlawn neighborhoods – 11 candidates are running to replace Roderick Sawyer, who is running for mayor:
- Sylvester Baker Jr., a former sheriff's deputy who ran for Cook County Sheriff in 2008.
- Richard Wooten, an Army veteran, former police officer, and pastor from Chatham, who also ran against Sawyer in the 2019 election.
- O. Patrick Brutus, an economic development coordinator with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development , who also ran for Congress against U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush in 2016, and also ran in the 2nd Congressional District special election in 2013 after Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned.
- Barbara Ann Bunville, a Chicago police officer and psychological counselor, who is making her first run for public office.
- Kirby Birgans, a science teacher from Greater Grand Crossing, who also ran for Congress in the 1st District in 2022, after Bobby Rush announced his retirement.
- Paul Bryson Sr., who has previously served as Sawyer's campaign manager in 2011, and as his ward superintendent and aldermanic assistant.
- William Hall, a pastor from Chatham, who is also the director of faith and community partnerships for the child welfare advocacy group at UCAN Chicago, and is making his first run for public office.
- Aja Kearney, from West Chesterfield, who has previously worked as district director for Illinois State Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., and was a field coordinator for Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias' campaign.
- Sharon Pincham, president of the West Chesterfield Community Association, and member of the Far South Community Action Council, who is making her first run for public office.
- Tavares Briggs, a school administrator from Chatham, who is making his first run for public office.
- Kimberly "Kim" Egonmwan, an attorney from Park Manor, who hosts a talk show on WVON Radio, and is making his first run for public office.
In the 10th Ward – which includes the Hegewisch, South Deering, and East Side neighborhoods – five candidates are running to replace incumbent Susan Sadlowski Garza, who is stepping down at the end of her term.
- Peter Chico, a Chicago police officer from Hegewisch, who also serves on the local school council at George Washington High School.
- Jessica Venegas, a Chicago police officer and family law attorney from East Side.
- Ana Guajardo, co-founder of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, an immigrant workers' rights advocacy group in East Side.
- Yessenia Carreon, who served in former Ald. John Pope's office for nearly a decade until Pope lost the 2015 election to Garza.
- Oscar Sanchez, a youth organizer and environmental activist from East Side, who took part in a hunger strike to demand the city deny a permit to metal scrapper General Iron to move its plant from Lincoln Park to the Far South Side.
In the 14th Ward – which includes parts of the Gage Park, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, and Chicago Lawn neighborhoods – two candidates are running to replace indicted Ald. Ed Burke (14th), who is stepping down after more than 50 years in office:
- Jeylu Gutierrez, district director for Cook County Commissioner Alma Anaya, who also has the backing of mayoral candidate and U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.
- Raul Reyes, a staff assistant at the Chicago City Clerk's office and longtime Burke precinct captain, who ran for alderman in the 15th Ward in 2015.
In the 21st Ward – which includes parts of the Chatham, Auburn Gresham, Longwood Manor, Washington Heights, and Brainerd neighborhoods – seven candidates are running to replace incumbent Howard Brookins, who is stepping down at the end of his term.
- Cornell Dantzler, a Navy veteran and retired Chicago firefighter from Morgan Park and West Pullman, who created the STEPS youth mentoring program.
- Preston Brown Jr., an attorney from Washington Heights, who has served as the 34th Ward Democratic committeeperson since 2020, and also ran for 34th Ward alderman in 2019, and ran for the 27th District seat in the Illinois House in 2012.
- Larry Lloyd, an attorney from Washington Heights, who is making his first run for public office.
- Ronnie Mosley, a consultant and founder of Homegrown Strategy Group, who is making his first run for public office.
- Daliah Goree, a Chicago police officer from Morgan Park, and founder of the nonprofit I Am Love who is making her first run for public office.
- Ayana Clark, a former aide to former U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, and a community activist who grew up in Englewood.
- Kweli Kwaza, founder of the Talented 10th College and Career Mentoring organization and founder of Club 21, a network of neighborhood block clubs.
In the 26th Ward – which includes parts of the Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Hermosa, West Humboldt Park, and West Town neighborhoods – three candidates are running to replace incumbent Ald. Roberto Maldonado, who dropped out of the race in January:
- Julian "Jumpin" Perez, a Chicago area DJ with stints on B96, 104.3 Jams, 103.5 KISS FM, WGCI 107.5, and WBMX 104.3, who also runs the non-profit Julian Jumpin Perez Foundation.
- Jessica "Jessie" Fuentes, co-chair of the non-profit Puerto Rican Agenda, and director of policy and youth advocacy for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Humboldt Park.
- Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez, a medical professional from Humboldt Park, who is the current 26th Ward Democratic committeeperson, and also ran against Maldonado in 2019.
In the 30th Ward – which includes parts of the Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, and Irving Park neighborhoods – four candidates are running to replace incumbent Ald. Ariel Reboyras, who is stepping down at the end of his term:
- Juanpablo Prieto, of Kilbourn Park, who works as director of diversity programs at the CTA, and is on the board of La Casa Norte, a non-profit serving the homeless.
- Ruth Cruz, an assistant admissions director at Roosevelt University, and local school council member at Foreman College and Career Academy
- Jessica Gutierrez, the daughter of former Rep. Luis Gutierrez, and a senior policy director with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, who also ran against Reboyras in 2019, forcing him into a runoff, which he won by a narrow margin.
- Warren Williams, a filmmaker from Avondale, who founded the independent political organization 30th United.
In the 34th Ward – which includes parts of downtown and the West Loop, after it was completely redrawn in 2022 – two candidates are running to replace indicted Ald. Carrie Austin, who is retiring on March 1 after decades representing the Far South Side:
- Bill Conway, a Navy veteran and former Cook County prosecutor who ran against State's Attorney Kim Foxx in 2020, who also runs a renewable energy company, and is a professor of finance at DePaul University.
- Jim Ascot, a real estate broker and president and CEO of Ascot Realty Group, who also ran for Congress in the 7th District against U.S. Rep. Danny Davis in 2010.
In the 46th Ward – which includes the Uptown neighborhood and part of Lakeview – six candidates are running to replace incumbent Ald. James Cappleman, who is stepping down at the end of his term:
- Angela Clay, an activist from Uptown, who is an organizer with Northside Action for Justice, a grassroots advocacy group, who also ran against Cappleman in 2019.
- Kim Walz, a Walgreens executive, and a former district director and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, who also served as Quigley's chief of staff on the Cook County Board.
- Patrick Nagle, chief administrative law judge for the Social Security Administration, who also has served as vice president of the East Lakeview Neighbors Association.
- Roushaunda Williams, a Palmer House bartender, who is also a union shop steward, and helped pass an ordinance requiring hotels to provide employees with panic buttons to protect them against sexual harassment or assault.
- Michael Cortez, a real estate agent from Uptown.
- Marianne Lalonde, a former legislative fellow covering energy and environment for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, and senior program manager at energy solutions consultancy Resource Innovations, who also ran against Cappleman in 2019, losing to him in the runoff by only 25 votes.
In the 48th Ward – which includes parts of the Edgewater, Andersonville, and Uptown neighborhoods – 10 candidates are running to replace incumbent Ald. Harry Osterman, who is stepping down at the end of his term.
- Larry Svabek, a teaching fellow at the University of Chicago, who also was a member of a coalition of grassroots groups that helped pass an ordinance creating a new civilian board to oversee CPD.
- Nick Ward, an artist and community organizer, who also serves on the local school council at Goudy Elementary.
- Joe Dunne, a real estate developer, former local school council member at Peirce Elementary School, and former Edgewater Community Council member.
- Andre Peloquin, a real estate broker, former substitute teacher, and member of the Edgewater Historical Society.
- Brian Haag, founder and CEO of Green Element Resale, and co-chair of the Edgewater Environmental Sustainability Project.
- Isaac Freilich Jones, an assistant Illinois attorney general from Edgewater, and board president of the Howard Area Community Center.
- Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, a photographer and small business owner, and board member of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce.
- Roxanne Volkmann, deputy director of the Chicago office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and board member at the Chinese Mutual Aid Association.
- Andy Peters, owner of TrueNorth Café, former coordinator of special projects in Mayor Richard M. Daley's office, and former government relations and events manager for the Illinois Restaurant Association.
- Nassir Faulkner, a digital communications manager who has worked for Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza's office and on U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley's campaign.
There is also an open City Council seat in the 44th Ward, where Ald. Tom Tunney is retiring, but the only candidate on the ballot is Tunney's chief of staff, Bennett Lawson.