Byron Sigcho-Lopez Wins The 25th Ward Seat Once Held By Ald. Solis
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In the race to replace embattled Ald. Daniel Solis, Byron Sigcho-Lopez overtook Alex Acevedo to be the next alderman for Chicago's 25th ward.
Sigcho-Lopez, currently on a leave of absence from the Pilsen Alliance, bills himself as a educator and public policy research at UIC. He had been endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times. Acevedo, a nurse and son of ex-Illinois State Representative Eddie Acevedo, was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune.
In February, allegations of vote buying from the Sigcho-Lopez camp surfaced during the February election, but his representatives denied it.
Sigcho-Lopez received a little more than 29 percent of the vote and Acevedo a little more than 22 percent of the vote in the February election.
The ward includes sections of Chinatown, Little Italy and Pilsen.
Five candidates announced their run for the 25th ward after Solis announced his retirement from Chicago City Council last November when he said he wanted to enter a new chapter in his life and pass the baton of service to another representative. He had been an alderman for more than 20 years.
But bombshell revelations about the alderman came to light months later, as it was reported that Solis was under the eye of the federal government.
He has not been charged with any wrongdoing but his actions surprised colleagues and constituents alike.
Solis has been rarely been seen since it was revealed that he wore a wire for conversations with fellow embattled Ald. Ed Burke, who is being investigated by federal authorities for alleged extortion. In January, Solis resigned from his post as chair of the city's Zoning Committee.
