archive2007

50th Ward Special Correspondents Report at 10:18pm

In a few minutes, challenger Naisy Dolar will tell her supporters that they won't know who has won tonight. Technical problems at the Chicago Board of Elections have left 15 of the 45 precincts in the 50th Ward unreported.

Dolar said that less than a 100 votes will determine whether there is a runoff.

"Every person counts at this point," Dolar said. "This is democracy at work."

Of the precincts that have reported, Stone leads with a majority, but Dolar insists that the precincts that remain have her strongest constituency.

Over 100 people have gathered at the Holiday Inn in Skokie to hear from Dolar. Dolar will invite them to a breakfast at 11 Wednesday morning, when she hopes that they will know the results.

In the case of a runoff, the top three candidates, which are Stone, Dolar and Greg Brewer, will run in a second election in April.

"I will be calling my volunteers again," Dolar said, saying that her fight is not over yet.

Sandi Jackson Interview on CLTV at 10:30pm

Reporter: I'm right here with the woman who has claimed victory herself, Sandi Jackson, you know I have to ask the question: your kids are in school in Washington, Mom, are you moving to Chicago?

Ms. Jackson: Absolutely. I've said it throughout the entire campaign and I've said it without hesitation. As soon as we get the opportunity to make the transition, we'll be making the transition.

Reporter: OK. Your husband put in a heck of a lot of money into this campaign, more than half of your funds. Could you have done it without him?

Ms. Jackson: You know, I think we could have done it because the desire for change in this ward was so great, people came out in droves not because of the amount of money that was spent, but because of the message of change. These...for the lack of a better way of saying it, our community really, really wants a new direction.

Reporter: Something noticeably absent from your campaign was the presence of your father-in-law. Is there a changing of the guard in Jackson family power going on here?

Ms. Jackson: You know, I wouldn't say that. I would simply say that this is something I chose to do as an individual. I chose to do it out of my desire to give back and to serve in the community. I think when people had a chance to hear from me, as a member of their community, the message resonated with them, and they made a strong decision.

Reporter: What is your first priority when you get to the city council? Will you join that independent reform block of people like Alderman Joe Moore who occasionally vote agains the mayor?

Ms. Jackson: You know, when I get there my first focus is looking at ways to serve the residents of the 7th Ward. I'm going to be keenly focused on that like a laser. And what ever ordinance comes up, I'll have to look at how it impacts my community. That will determine how I'll vote.

Reporter: You've been working hard for a long time. What do you do tomorrow?

Ms. Jackson: We sleep. I sleep, kiss my babies, and sleep some more. And then we get up and get ourselves ready for the hard work ahead.

Reporter: Enjoy your one day off. Thank you Sandi Jackson for joining me.

Ms. Jackson: Thank you. Thank you.

Brendan Reilly Speaks to the Press

CLTV excerpt from Brendan Reilly at 10:10pm:

"The last 18 months has been a remarkable journey. We've talked to thousands of voters and I've been energized by the support of friends new and old. I've been amazed by the number of people who care so deeply about the future of this ward."

19th Ward Special Correspondent Reports

Alderman Rugai just spoke in front of 1,000 supports at 115 Bourbon Street. She credited her family and more than 350 volunteers for showing their community support.

"This is a victory for our community. This is about the working men and women of labor. I've never seen this much hard work in 16 years"

50th Ward Update

Medill School of Journalism Graduate Student and AlderTrack's 50th Ward Special Correspondent Ambreen Ali reports at 9:51pm:

Over 100 supporters for Naisy Dolar gathered to hear results from the 50th Ward elections at the Holiday Inn in Skokie Tuesday. Dolar is in second place after incumbent Berny Stone, but Stone has more than a majority of the votes already counted.

"You've heard that Stone is up by a few percentage points," Marissa Graciosa, a Dolar staff member, said. "Let's just wait for those few percentage points."

The crowd cheered in response.

Across town, challengers Brewer and Aftab held smaller gatherings. Brewer, whose staff is at Candelite Chicago, said he was waiting for results to come in before making an announcement, but some of his supporters said they expected Stone to win.

Aftab and his supporters gathered at Khan BBQ Restaurant on Devon and Western to await results. He could not be reached for comment.

Graciosa said that 15 precincts remain unreported in the ward, and that many of those have some of Dolar's strongest supporters. A live cast of election results kept attendees updated as Dolar waited eagerly in a small hotel room for news from her lawyer downtown.

"I'm really excited," Dolar said. "I was ready to win but prepared for a runoff. It's going to come down to a very small number of votes."

Sandy Jackson Celebration Underway at South Shore Cultral Center

Howard Brookins, Jr. Trying to Avoid a Runoff

21st Ward - Election Day Results

Alderman Natarus Press Conference at 9:40pm

Alderman Burton Natarus:

"I want to thank al of the 42nd Ward residents that over the years have supported me. I want to thank all of the people who voted on my behalf, and those who did not vote for me I can understand their feeling. I've been the alderman for a long, long time and, you know, there are some people who feel there ought to be a change, and I can understand that. I just hope that the change is for better."

Not conceeding

Joe Moore Trying to Avoid Runoff

49th Ward - Election Day Results

Report from the 50th Ward

Medill School of Journalism Graduate Student and AlderTrack 50th Ward Special Correspondent Ambreen Ali reports at 9:18pm:

Greg Brewer's campaigners were shocked more than dismayed as they awaited news of election results at Candelite Chicago in the 50th Ward Tuesday. Stone was in the lead, as expected, but in second place was Naisy Dolar.

"Naisy's in second place. That is the real surprise," one staff member said as he announced that Stone had a majority of the votes in five of the precincts.

Though results are still coming in, Brewer is expecting that Stone will win and said, "The results are not looking good," according to Steve Knoebber, a campaign volunteer.

"We thought we could get a runoff, and we expected Greg to be in second place," said John, a staff member who had joined Brewer's campaign because he said he was frustrated with Stone's inaction in addressing the ward's problems. "I had no idea that Naisy would be a contender."

"We ran a really good campaign, we worked really hard, and we're just going to wait a little longer to see what happens," Brewer said.