Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez declares victory over Aida Flores in 25th Ward
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) appears to have narrowly defeated challenger Aida Flores, a Chicago Public Schools educator, in Tuesday's election.
With 95% of the vote counted, Sigcho-Lopez was leading Flores by a 52% to 48% margin, a lead of more than 350 votes. Although there are still uncounted mail ballots still coming in, it appears unlikely Flores can make up the difference.
Flores has not conceded, and her campaign has said they are going to wait for every vote to be counted, which could take a couple weeks for all mail votes to come in.
The ward covers parts of the Pilsen, Greektown, Chinatown, Little Village, University Village, and Little Italy neighborhoods.
Sigcho-Lopez proclaimed victory over what he calls "the machine," after appearing to narrowly defeat his challenger, Aida Flores, who was endorsed by number of political action committees and corporations which the alderman said funneled big money into her campaign.
Even after all of that, he still came out on top.
Sigcho-Lopez campaigned heavy on a number of issues; including public safety and helping small businesses in the area fight back against developers and gentrification.
As he looks ahead to the next four years, there's a lot he says he wants to get done.
"We hope to continue with the vision that we have. We have an 18th and Peoria site where we're going to develop affordable housing. So it's exciting that we're going to continue that project. We have a Discount Mall site that had been at risk of displacement. Another developer that put a lot of money into this election. We're going to make sure that these jobs are protected," Sigcho-Lopez said.
The alderman was referring to the beloved Discount Mall in Little Village, which had been in danger of closing altogether, but instead will receive "long overdue" upgrades.
A first-term alderman, Sigcho-Lopez was forced into a runoff in 2019 when running for the open seat, following the resignation of his disgraced predecessor, Danny Solis, who opted not to run for re-election after it came to light that he'd worn a wire for the FBI while having conversations with Ald. Ed Burke (14th) who is now under federal indictment on racketeering and bribery charges. But Solis himself was also being watched by the feds, as it was revealed that contributors supplied him with money, Viagra and sex acts. Solis ultimately entered into a deal with federal prosecutors that will allow him to avoid a felony conviction in exchange for his cooperation against Burke and former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, who is facing his own racketeering indictment.
