archive2007

Es El Final de Morfin, Medrano

WGN's Micha Materre reports during WGN's News at 1pm:

One of the biggest races still undecided is Alderman Danny Solis' 25th Ward on the near Southwest Side. Solis thought he won last night and was happy he survived a union onslaught against him. But despite these numbers he's stil a fraction short of victory. Chicago Elections Board spokesman Tom Leach telling WGN the race is still too close to call and it may not be decided today. Alderman Solis is also President Pro Tem of the city council.

UPDATE: Sometime between Wednesday evening and 6am Thursday morning, the Board of Election counted and posted the remaining precincts. These numbers indicate Alderman Solis has won the 25th Ward outright.

I think this bit of commentary (below) sums up the 25th Ward scene adequately. It is from "Pilsener Urquell", a reader who responded to columnist Kevin Robinson's Chicagoist "Moving Chicago Forward" piece yesterday.

"Morfin barely got 20% of the vote. Pilsen has spoken, and surprise: gentrification is not the burning issue that some people would like it to be. In fact, it seems to be a bigger issue with people who don't even live in Pilsen.

Did you really think that a candidate (Morfin) who promised to downzone vast areas of the ward would prevail? If you did, I'll let you in on a secret: it is well-known that property owners would get screwed by downzoning. People don't take kindly to the prospect of having their homes devalued. In a place like Pilsen, every house or two flat represents somebody's life savings. If Morfin ever wants to run again, he'd be well-advised to stay as far away from the Trendies, the Greens, the Pilsen Alliance, and the Casa-Astla-nazis as he can. Pilsen is, at its core (at least the voting core), a fairly conservative place.

As for Danny Solis: His celebration party was located at Lalos on Maxwell Street, and I don't believe it was just coincidence. When a reporter asked him the obvious question about the symbolism of staging his celebration on Maxwell Street after championing the end of the old neighborhood, he looked her straight in the eye and told her "I don't regret a thing. What is here now is better than was here before. Far better. For MY community." He went on about it created a connection from Pilsen to UIC, making UIC a resource for Pilsen, enabling the neighborhood kids to use the soccer fields, gyms, pools, etc., and how the focus of HIS leadership was on affordable housing and quality of life issues.

I thought to myself:....kids playing on soccer fields....quality of life issues.....Did Danny just get elected alderman or village president of Downer's Grove? Funny how the buzzwords are identical.

The bottom line is that the quality-of-lifers beat the tar out of the anti-gentrificationers in Pilsen lst night. The blow may not be lethal, but lefties are reeling. Their next (and probably final) serious comeback attempt will be in four years, which might be doable if Solis moves on to the U.S. Congress. However, if the ward map stays the same, the demographics will be far less favorable than they are today, so I wouldn't bet on it."

Runoff: Tillman vs. The Union

WGN reporter Muriel Clair catches up with Alderman Dorothy Tillman earlier this morning at her Bronzeville office:

Muriel Clair: Disappointed? Yes. Giving up? No. Some of the ten aldermen facing runoff's say they are just gearing up for a second trial. One in that number is Dorothy Tillman, longtime alderman of the 3rd Ward. We caught up with her at her Bronzeville office this morning. She admits to being just a little uncomfortable.

Ald. Tillman: Well, this is not a position I would like to be in. I didn't think we would, but given the fact that we weren't fighting Pat Dowell, really we were working and fighting the union. And when we saw the onslaught of all the stuff they put in, lie after lie. I mean, ungodly total lies, and we really...we didn't have a chance to answer all those lies. This time we will be able to.

Muriel Clair: Tillman says the fight was between her and union challenger Pat Dowell, but it was about jobs in her community.

Ald. Tillman: Here you have labor, who have...they're talking about I'm not doing development, which I am, but they have billions of dollars and they don't even invest in the Black community, and they are our dollars. And it's part of the land grab. It's part of a strategy that's much bigger than what you would ever imagine. Like I said it's...Pat is just incidental. It's really labor and it's other people that we're fighting.

Muriel Clair: While Tillman admits to some discomfort, if she's worried, she's doing a good job of keeping it hidden.

 

Morfin: "Todavia No Es Lo Ultimo!"

Medill School of Journalism Graduate Student and AlderTrack's 25th Ward Special Correspondent Jim Foley filed this report earlier this morning:

Election day in the 25^th Ward.  Outside the Rudy Lozano Branch Library on 1805 S. Loomis, volunteers bundled in coats and hats patrolled the plaza and handed sample ballots to voters as they walked toward the doors.  The number of volunteers was divided equally between Alderman Daniel Solis and challenger Cuahutemoc Morfin, who was helped by volunteers for former candidate, Ambrosio Medrano.  Medrano was removed from the race by a State Supreme Court decision last Friday, which ruled that as a convicted felon, he may not run for city office. 

Sample ballots imprinted with Check Daley or Punch 52 for Morfin, littered the slushy sidewalks around the plaza and entrance to the library.  Even after Alderman Solis declared a victory last night, the votes are still being counted.

Cuahutemoc Morfin is not giving up.  As of 10:55 p.m., Solis declared himself a winner with 52 percent of the votes compared to Morfin with 20 percent.  Telemundo (channel 44) flashed to Solis’s party at Lalo’s on Maxwell Street.  Solis said in Spanish that he ran a campaign that expressed his vision for the community, but it was immediately followed by Morfin’s statement- a refusal to concede via phone from Cananas Restaurant, on 2310 S. Blue Island, where Morfin’s supporters gathered.

“Of course I’m not conceding,” Morfin said in Spanish, “we’re going to the second round.  There hasn’t been a victory.  The community is going to win.  There will be a run-off.”

As of this morning, 50 percent of votes in the 25^th have gone to Solis, and 23 percent to Morfin, with 97 percent of precincts in the ward already having reported, according to NBC news Web site. 

If Solis falls under 50 of the votes when all the votes are tallied, a run-off could be declared.  Morfin’s followers have already vowed to legally contest any Solis victory when the election board makes the official announcement.

They will challenge based on two factors: voting irregularities in 29th and 31^st precincts, and the element of Ambrosio Medrano- whose name was still on the ballot yesterday, and who was also counted in early voting. 

“His votes have to count, just as a write-in votes candidate counts.  If we put that all together, Danny Solis doesn’t get 50 percent,” said a Morfin volunteer, Jorge Murjica.

In other words, Morfin’s people believe there are grounds to challenge the election claiming there should be a re-count or re-vote on votes that went for Medrano since votes for Medrano didn’t count after Medrano was removed from the race.

“The machine is still the machine.  It’s not possible to defeat Danny in one election,” Murjica added, “that’s why the run-off is necessary.”

Expect Cuahutemoc Morfin and lawyers to challenge Solis’s victory.  April 17^th is the date for the city’s run-off elections.

 

Fall of the 7th Ward

Fall of the 7th Ward shocks political dynasty's boss 'hog' (02-28-07)

Veteran Natarus Swept Out

Downtown alderman refuses to concede - 12:33am, Wednesday, 02-28-07

Natarus: 'I Hope The Public Doesn't Miss Me' - 12:09am, Wednesday, 02-28-07

Labor-backed upstart topples Natarus - 5:07am, Wednesday, 02-28-07

Decision 2007: Aldermanic Race Results [WGN video] (02-28-07) **New**

 

Upset Troutman Claims Conspiracy

Alderman Facing Upset: 'Power To The People!' - updated 11:56pm, Tuesday, 02-27-07

Embattled Troutman ousted (02-28-07)

Decision 2007: Aldermanic Race Results [WGN video] (02-28-07) **New**

 

23 Happy Aldermen

With 100% of the precincts counted in the fifteen wards below, these fifteen incumbent aldermen have won their races outright:

04th Ward Alderman Toni Preckwinkle
09th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale
10th Ward Alderman John Pope
11th Ward Alderman Jim Balcer
12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas
14th Ward Alderman Edward Burke
19th Ward Alderman Virginia Rugai
22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Munoz
26th Ward Alderman Billy Ocasio
31st Ward Alderman Ray Suarez
36th Ward Alderman William Banks
37th Ward Alderman Emma Mitts
39th Ward Alderman Margaret Laurino
45th Ward Alderman Patrick Levar
47th Ward Alderman Eugene Schulter

100% of the precincts for the ward races below are not yet in (as of 12:45am). Nevertheless, these eight aldermen will safely win their races outright:

05th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston
08th Ward Alderman Michelle Harris
17th Ward Alderman Latasha Thomas
23rd Ward Alderman Michael Zalewski
28th Ward Alderman Ed Smith
30th Ward Alderman Ariel Reboyras
34th Ward Alderman Carrie Austin
46th Ward Alderman Hellen Shiller

50th Ward Update

Medill School of Journalism Graduate Student and Overworked, Unpaid AlderTrack 50th Ward Special Correspondent Ambreen Ali filed this report at 12:12am:

The Chicago Board of Elections has announced a runoff in the 50th Ward. No candidate received a majority of the vote, which means incumbent Bernard Stone and challenger Naisy Dolar will have a second election in April to determine the winner.

Earlier tonight, Stone was in the lead, prompting supporters of Greg Brewer and Salman Aftab to say that he was likely to remain alderman. Dolar told supporters to wait for the final results, and said she is prepared to campaign strong for the second round of elections.

"Today, for the first time, every vote counted," Dolar said. She announced at a campaign party at the Holiday Inn at Skokie that everyone can expect a call to continue fighting for her candidacy. "It's not over."

Stone received 48 percent of the votes; Dolar received 28, and Brewer received 18 percent of the votes. Challenger Salman Aftab received 5 percent of the votes cast and will not be part of runoff elections.

Stone has been 50th Ward alderman for 34 years, and is the second-longest standing alderman in the City Council. He won 76 percent of the votes in the 2003 election and ran unopposed in 1999.

12 Runoffs (more or less)

02nd Ward - Bob Fioretti vs. Alderman Madeline Haithcock
03rd Ward - Alderman Dorothy Tillman vs. Pat Dowell
15th Ward - Toni Foulkes vs. Felicia Simmons-Stovall
16th Ward - Joann Thompson vs. Alderman Shirley Coleman
18th Ward - Alderman Lona Lane vs. Paul Stewart
21st Ward - Alderman Howard Brookins, Jr. vs. Leroy Jones
24th Ward - Alderman Michael Chandler vs. Sharon Dixon
32nd Ward - Alderman Ted Matlak vs. Scott Waguespack
35th Ward - Alderman Rey Colon vs. Vilma Colom
43rd Ward - Alderman Vi Daley vs. Michele Clark
49th Ward - Alderman Joe Moore vs. Don Gordon
50th Ward - Alderman Berny Stone vs. Naisy Dolar

CLTV Checks in with Alderman Darcel Beavers at 11:10pm

Reporter: Darcel Beavers was optimistic for most of the election night and she remains optimistic and she's not ready to give up just yet. She's taking the wait-and-see approach. She says she knows this community, this community is part of her, and that is why Mayor Daley appointed her to fill her father's seat. Now here is what she said when we asked her if she thought people would be happy in this ward with what has happened in the election.

Ms. Beavers: If a person doesn't know where the streets are, and the directions that the streets go, we'll find out what kind of new day we have.

Reporter: Do you think the people in the 7th Ward are going to be happy?

Ms. Beavers: We'll see. We'll wait and see.

Reporter: What [or when] can we expect to hear from you tomorrow?

Ms. Beavers: Tomorrow, after I lay down and get some sleep, [smiling] get my hair done, my nails done, my toes done, then I'll give you a statement.

Reporter: After the statement what's next on the agenda for you?

Ms. Beavers: I'm still the alderman until someone gets sworn in. So I still have work to do.