Editorial: Our choices for City Council: Robinson, Hone, Hall, Chico, Lee, Mosley, M. Scott

Chicagoans clearly wanted a change in leadership, choosing on Feb. 28 to make Lori Lightfoot a one-term mayor. When it came to the City Council, however, that desire for change among voters was not nearly as strong. The final official vote count had 31 incumbent aldermen winning their seats in contested and uncontested first-round voting.

Now, 14 aldermanic seats are at play in the April 4 runoff, with incumbents looking to defend their seats in six of those races. Will the embrace of the status quo on the council continue, or will voters opt for more fresh faces?

Here are our endorsements for aldermanic races in the upcoming runoff, which applies to wards in which no candidate received more than half of the vote in the Feb. 28 election. We begin with the 4th Ward along the lakefront, which encompasses parts of the South Loop, Kenwood and Bronzeville neighborhoods.

4th Ward

State Rep. Lamont Robinson has consistently impressed us with his track record in Springfield and his responsible take on property taxes, which includes giving Chicagoans some measure of relief while committing to paring down city debt. He was the top vote-getter Feb. 28 with 46% of the vote. He says making the city’s drinking water safer by ramping up replacement of lead pipes should be a major priority. We agree. His opponent, Prentice Butler, is chief of staff for the ward’s outgoing alderman, Sophia King, who waged an unsuccessful bid for mayor. Robinson is endorsed.

5th Ward

The winner of this runoff replaces Leslie Hairston, who is retiring after 24 years representing this ward, which includes parts of the Hyde Park, South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing communities.

Desmon Yancy is a labor and community organizer who received the largest share of votes on Feb. 28, with nearly 26%. We don’t agree with his push for a head tax on companies with more than 100 workers, but we like his emphasis on police reform.

His opponent, Martina “Tina” Hone, wields an impressive resume. She was Mayor Lightfoot’s former chief engagement officer, a former associate undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and a onetime member of the Fairfax County, Virginia, school board. Hone says neighborhoods in South Shore and Greater Grand Crossing struggle with double-digit unemployment. Joblessness leads to poverty, and “poverty leads to higher crime rates,” Hone told us. Her solution is to put unemployed and underemployed residents of her ward on a path toward city jobs.

Hone also wants the city to tackle the lack of access to capital that keeps South Side small businesses from thriving. Hone is smart, seasoned and full of energy. She is endorsed.

6th Ward

The runoff for this South Side ward, which includes parts of Chatham and Englewood, pits security firm CEO and former police Officer Richard Wooten against William Hall, a community organizer and senior pastor at St. James Community Church. The seat became open after incumbent Roderick Sawyer opted to run for mayor. Hall stresses a ramp-up of mental health resources in the ward as an important component in the fight against violent crime. He’s also right when he says tax increment financing districts can be useful redevelopment tools, but only if they’re directed at neighborhoods that need them. “Not for downtown development,” he says. Hall gets our endorsement.

10th Ward

This Southeast Side ward seat became open with incumbent Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza’s decision to not seek reelection. Peter Chico is a Chicago police officer with a strong understanding of what’s needed to combat violent crime in this ward, which includes the East Side, Hegewisch and South Deering neighborhoods. “We need more police on the street now,” he told us. “We have to evaluate all administrative positions or desk jobs to see what officers we can place back on the street.”

Chico also wants to get rid of the red tape that keeps small businesses in the ward from thriving. His opponent, Ana Guajardo, is a labor organizer and co-founder of a workers rights center who has garnered strong support from a bevy of unions. Chico is endorsed.

11th Ward

Incumbent Ald. Nicole Lee wasn’t able to avoid a runoff, and now faces Chicago police instructor Anthony Ciaravino in this ward, which includes Bridgeport, Chinatown and Canaryville. Lightfoot appointed Lee to replace Patrick Daley Thompson, who was convicted last year of tax evasion and lying to federal bank regulators and is a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley. Lee, who is the City Council’s first female Asian American alderman, is the best choice. We like her balanced approach to crime that includes taking on gangs while also stoking job growth and economic opportunity in neighborhoods with long histories of disinvestment. Our endorsement goes to Lee.

21st Ward

This ward includes parts of Auburn Gresham, Washington Heights, Morgan Park, Roseland and West Pullman. With Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. opting to not seek reelection, Ronnie Mosley and Cornell Dantzler won enough votes on Feb. 28 to vie in the runoff.

Dantzler is a retired firefighter who believes a strong mentoring program within the city’s park and school system could help keep youths out of gangs. We like that kind of thinking, but Mosley is the better choice. He has an extensive background in community outreach and wants to enlist churches in the ward to serve as venues for violence prevention and workforce development efforts. Our endorsement goes to Mosley.

24th Ward

Incumbent Ald. Monique Scott deserves another term. She outpaced seven other candidates in the Feb. 28 election, but her 45% of the vote wasn’t enough to avoid a runoff with second place finisher Creative Scott, a firearms instructor who is no relation to the alderman. Lightfoot appointed Monique Scott to the job after Scott’s brother, Michael Scott Jr., left the City Council to work at Cinespace Studios, home to television shows such as “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Fire.”

Like us, Monique Scott is a strong advocate of violence prevention and street outreach programs as a key component to the city’s strategy for battling violent crime. She also wants to turn her attention to the growing number of vacant lots in the ward, which she says now number at least 3,000 in the North Lawndale neighborhood. We endorsed Ald. Scott in the Feb. 28 election, and we endorse her again.

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