Aldermen, labor unions and business groups tussled for approximately three hours Thursday afternoon over  fate and fine points of the Fair Work Week ordinance, which has been debated behind closed doors for years.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot named the leadership of her transition team, while, a bill designed to give assessors more information about the value of commercial properties championed by Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi cleared the Illinois Senate Thursday — one day after drawing opposition from the Civic Federation.

Three tight races for the City Council in the 5th, 33rd and 46th wards will likely not be decided until next week — after officials count thousands of mail, provisional and jail detainee ballots.

The election will be certified April 16.

Chicago Board of Election Commissioners spokesperson Jim Allen told reporters that Tuesday’s turnout — just about 31 percent at the end of the night — was typical for a landslide election. Approximately 495,000 Chicagoans voted in Tuesday’s runoff election.

“Hopefully this won’t be the record low turnout for Chicago municipal elections, but it’s already not only in the same neighborhood but the same cul-de-sac,” Allen said.  

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot won approximately 74 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

The turnout in Tuesday’s election mirrored results in 2007, when former Mayor Richard M. Daley won 78.5 percent of the 456,000 ballots cast, Allen said.

“I think because of the polls in advance of Election Day, there was this presumption that the election was pretty much already decided,” Allen said. “Voters are smart, they hear and read about polls, you typically draw primarily the voters who are going to go turn out for every election no matter what, I think that’s what we had yesterday... This was a landslide.”

Approximately 3,000 fewer voters in each age group voted on Tuesday than they did on Feb. 26, Allen said.

In the 5th Ward, Ald. Leslie Hairston leads Will Calloway by 152 votes; in the 33rd Ward, Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez leads Ald. Deb Mell by 64 votes; in the  46th Ward, Ald. James Cappleman is 23 votes ahead of Marianne Lalonde.

The board will also examine 10 precincts where there were discrepancies discovered between the number of ballots cast and the number of voters recorded in poll books. In addition, ballots cast at 38 nursing homes on voted Monday have not yet been counted, officials said.

Fewer than 500 pretrial detainee ballots need to be counted, as well as 200 mail ballots that arrived Monday, 3,700 that arrived Tuesday, and approximately 1,700 provisional ballots. More mail ballots are expected to arrive in the coming days, and will be counted Friday and Saturday, officials said.

“Whether it’s a landslide or whether it’s a razor-thin margin, we’re going to continue to count every ballot as is required by law all the way through the 16th of April,” Allen said.

Cappleman was confident on Wednesday.

“It feels pretty good, so we’ll see,” Cappleman told reporters at City Hall Wednesday. “I think what we’re seeing is a lot of people are very desperate for change in the city of Chicago with overwhelming support that Mayor-elect Lightfoot had. I think that’s healthy and I welcome that, and I think we’re making history right now and we should all be proud of that.”

Cappleman is one of few current committee chairs left standing after Tuesday.

Housing Chairman Ald. Joe Moore (49) lost in February, as did Economic Development Chairman Ald. Joe Moreno (1).  Workforce and Finance Chairman Ald. Pat O’Connor (40) lost his re-election bid on Tuesday.

Cappleman, who replaced disgraced and retiring Ald. Danny Solis (25) as chairman of the Zoning Committee, said he would be happy to lead the powerful body “as long as there’s some radical reform.”

The city’s affordable housing rules need to change, Cappleman said.

“I told Mayor-elect Lightfoot about a month ago that I believe the city of Chicago needs to focus on affordable housing for those individuals who earn less than 30 percent of the area median income… it’s hard to make that case when I have other colleagues who are refusing to provide housing to that group of people who are most in need,” Cappleman said.

A nearly 2-year-old effort designed to give shift workers more control over their schedules will finally get a hearing Thursday — but it is unclear whether supporters will be able to push the measure through during April’s lame-duck City Council meeting.

Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot traveled all over the city on Wednesday, starting the 47-day sprint to Inauguration Day — May 20. In 2011, when Mayor Rahm Emanuel took over from former Mayor Richard M. Daley, Emanuel had 83 days to prepare to take over the fifth floor of City Hall, since he defeated five candidates without a runoff.

A measure designed to keep liquor from being sold within 100 feet of places of worship, schools and hospitals as well as homes for the aged, indigent and veterans is up for a vote at the meeting of the Committee on License and Consumer Protections set for 11 a.m. Thursday.

As Mayor Rahm Emanuel prepares to leave office, he will ask aldermen to burnish his environmental legacy by promising to transition the city to clean, renewable energy.

Chicago voters overwhelmingly elected Lori Lightfoot mayor Tuesday after a roller coaster campaign in which the former attorney and federal prosecutor vowed to dismantle the Chicago Machine and “reinvent” the city.

With Lightfoot’s victory, Chicago became the biggest U.S. city to elect a black woman to the top job. Lightfoot will also become Chicago’s first gay mayor, and Chicago will become the largest American city with a LGBTQ+ mayor.

Lightfoot won approximately 74 percent of the vote — and all 50 wards — against Toni Preckwinkle, according to early returns Tuesday night.

Precinct level results, via the Chicago Board of Elections
Board of Elections results
Chi.Vote results

Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22) spent close to $37,000 from the political action committee fund of City Council’s Progressive Reform Caucus on “questionable” expenditures, according to filings with the state board and caucus Chairman Ald. Scott Waguespack (32).

That included $13,160 he took from the committee’s fund for himself.

Muñoz, who was dropped from the caucus in January after being charged with misdemeanor domestic battery, has repaid $24,900, Waguespack said in a statement, and is expected to reimburse the committee in full.

Members of the caucus discovered the discrepancy in January and notified the state board of elections on Monday. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was also altered by aldermen “of this inappropriate use of our funds.”

"It was all a misunderstanding," Muñoz told The Daily Line, adding that he had apologized. Aside from a brief visit to City Hall to testify in favor a tax break for Hilco Development, Muñoz has been largely absent while undergoing rehabilitation.

"I will be paying it back,” he said before hanging up.

Ed Mullen, the Progressive Caucus’ PAC’s attorney, said Muñoz was the only person with access to the account, according to a letter to state officials.

After Muñoz was voted out of the caucus in January after his wife told police he struck her while intoxicated, no one else could access the committee’s bank accounts, and after “repeatedly” contacting Muñoz, they received access on March 19, 2018.

After a review, “it became apparent that unauthorized expenditures were made,” Mullen wrote. The committee has amended its reports to state officials and is “sending a letter to Alderman Muñoz demanding full reimbursement to CPRC PAC for personal expenditures.”

“He has been removed as an officer of the Progressive Caucus PAC, and we are working with our bank to remove him from having access to our account,” Waguespack said. “Ald. Leslie Hairston (5) is now treasurer of our political action committee. In the new term beginning in May 2019, Caucus members will elect new officers, in compliance with our bylaws. We will also work together as a group to implement stronger new financial controls to ensure full compliance and transparency for all funds related to the Progressive Caucus.”

Besides the $13,160 he paid himself, and $2,800 he improperly transferred to his “Citizens for Muñoz” committee, amended state reports indicate the following “unauthorized expenditures” made by Muñoz:

• $14,800 for Alta Vista Graphics in May 2018


• Roughly $1,800 at Nuevo Leon Restaurant in June 2018


• $1,070 to Cesar Campa in October 2018


• Close to $550 to Southwest Airlines in November 2018


• Approximately $400 at La Scarola Restaurant in September 2017


• Approximately $290 at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Airport in November 2018


• More than $250 at Eddie V's, a seafood and jazz restaurant in Pittsburgh, and close to $150 at Saputo’s in Springfield

CFO Compliance, the Rhode Island-based firm that was supposed to audit the committee’s accounts, has also been fired, Waguespack said, “as it remains unclear why they did not notice or proactively alert us to this problem.”

Waguespack, whose name has been floated as a potential chairman of the Finance Committee should Lori Lightfoot win on Tuesday, said he “should have monitored this situation more vigorously, and I regret having placed too much trust in my longtime colleague Ald. Muñoz and CFO Compliance to handle these matters.”

“I have always prided myself on a high level of integrity, diligence and attention to detail when it comes to our City finances, and I take responsibility for not having applied the same level of meticulousness with the Progressive Caucus PAC,” Waguespack said.

Municipal election turnout through Monday. [Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners]

Go vote, Chicago. The weather is still going to be on the chilly side for April, with a high of 54 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain, according to the forecast, so grab a jacket and an umbrella as you head out to your polling place. Not sure where to vote, or for whom? Check chi.vote, which has you covered.

• Early vote still trailing — Chicago Board of Election Commissioners Chairwoman Marisel Hernandez said officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the early vote rates meet or exceed February and April 2015 levels, even though they have so far fallen short. Those who plan to vote by mail should ensure their ballots are returned and postmarked by April 2, or turn it into election judges at their polling place, Hernandez said. In the first round of voting, 2,060 ballots were rejected, most often for being postmarked too late. Nearly 60,000 voters applied to vote by mail in 2019, compared to 42,000 voters in 2015, according to election data. Chicago has 1.59 million registered voters, 10.47 percent more than in April 2015 runoff. Although voters age 25 to 34 make up the biggest chunk of voters, they have the second lowest turnout in early voting in the city. Voters age 55 to 74 lead in early voting and voting by mail, officials said. A total of roughly 564,600 Chicagoans would have to vote to exceed February’s turnout, Hernandez said.


• What’s next for Vallas — Former Mayoral candidate and former CPS CEO Paul Vallas has been elected to the board of the Museum of Broadcast Communications, which is rolling out a new program for students on news analysis and literacy in 2020. Board Chairman Larry Wert, Tribune Co.’s president,  said Vallas “will lend his expertise and resources to further our goals of reaching students and teaching them the intricacies of the media and news,” according to a statement. “It is a privilege and a pleasure to be joining the board of such a revered enterprise,” Vallas said. “I look forward to helping advance the Museum’s mission and contribute to its growth.”

Concerned that next year’s Census will miss Chicago’s hard-to-count populations, including African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, immigrants and non-native English speakers, homeless individuals, children younger than 5 and the elderly, Mayor Rahm Emanuel formed a new committee to keep tabs on the effort. Meanwhile, alderman OK’d two 11th Ward tax breaks.

Chicago will make history Tuesday, as voters choose between Toni Preckwinkle or Lori Lightfoot, the last two candidates standing after the free-for-all touched off by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s announcement he would not run for a third term.

With an African American woman certain to win only the fourth open-seat contest for mayor in the last century, Chicago is entering a new epoch — one full of challenges that promises to put an end to business as usual at City Hall.

Here’s what the The Daily Line team will be watching as results roll in after the polls close at 7 p.m.

Were the polls in the mayoral race accurate?

Since the first round of voting, public polls have told a consistent story: Lightfoot is set to cruise to a convincing victory over Preckwinkle and become Chicago’s first gay mayor.

That prompted the Tribune’s editorial page to encourage voters to turn out for Lightfoot by a convincing margin to give Lightfoot a mandate to make good on her promises to fumigate City Hall, even as a federal corruption investigation continues behind the scenes.

Related: Dump aldermanic prerogative, clerk, treasurer, infrastructure trust: Lightfoot

If Preckwinkle does lose on Tuesday, she won’t be out of a job. Instead, she’ll keep her  position as Cook County Board president and the chair of the Cook County Democratc Party — potentially forcing the two former rivals to work together for much of the next four years.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson may have had that outcome in mind when he pressed the two to agree to a post-election unity event — which will no doubt be tense after the deeply negative and bruising runoff campaign in which Preckwinkle cast Lightfoot as a wealthy corporate lawyer and Lightfoot painted her rival as a compromised product of the Chicago political machine.

Whomever wins will face a city budget swimming in red ink — thanks to the city’s massive pension debt — and new contracts to negotiate with teachers, police officers and firefighters.

What will the mayor’s relationship look like with the new City Council?

Although Chicago’s City Council was designed to wield the lion’s share of power at City Hall, it has served as a rubber stamp for decades — first under former Mayors Richard J. Daley and Richard M. Daley and then under Emanuel, who has given his aldermanic allies several hundred thousand dollars in an attempt to shape the city’s political future after his departure.

Related: Aldermanic alliances mapped

Regardless of whether Preckwinkle or Lightfoot emerges victorious Tuesday night, the new mayor will have to quickly figure out the new political landscape at City Hall — and prepare to figure out how to push her agenda through.

Both Lightfoot and Preckwinkle have said they will not pick committee chairmen but will work with the council to suss out new leadership. The two part on other ethics reforms — Lightfoot has said she will work to end aldermanic prerogative, which she blames for fostering the culture of corruption that has convicted 30 aldermen of corruption since 1973, ban aldermen from holding outside employment, and enforce term limits.

Preckwinkle, a former alderman, has leaned toward keeping the system much the same.

The next mayor will also have to cope with a police department under a consent decree to reform, as well as an activist community — nearly all of whom who endorsed Preckwinkle over Lightfoot, the former head of the Chicago Police Board — demanding rapid change.

Treasurer’s race: Conyears-Ervin v. Pawar

In the runoff for treasurer, Ameya Pawar, who served two terms as 47th Ward alderman, faces state Rep. Melissa Conyears-Ervin.

Pawar’s proposal to create a public bank has dominated much of the conversation around the race. Under his proposal, the bank would be limited to “refinancing student loans, funding affordable housing and banking cannabis.”

By contrast, Conyears-Ervin’s campaign has focused on a message of “accountability, transparency and efficiency” while highlighting the support of the Chicago Teachers Union, the Chicago Federation of Labor as well as Secretary of State Jesse White, U.S. Rep. Danny Davis and more than two dozen aldermen.

Conyears-Ervin is married to 28th Ward Ald. Jason Ervin, who won re-election in April. He is the vice chairman of City Council’s Budget and Government Operations committee.

If Pawar wins, he would be the first Asian American elected to citywide office — and the first non-African American since 1999, when former Treasurer Miriam Santos resigned in disgrace as part of a corruption scandal. If Conyears-Ervin wins, Chicago will have three women of color serving in citywide office. Clerk Anna Valencia's bid for a full term was uncontested in February.

Pawar’s decision to leave the City Council after two terms set the stage for a runoff between Michael Negron, who has the support of his former bosses Emanuel and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who tweeted her support Monday, and Matt Martin, an attorney in the Illinois Attorney General’s office who has the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union.

Political dynasties in flux

As the Laurino era ends jn the 39th Ward — where Ald. Margaret Laurino (39) will retire and be replaced by Samantha Nugent or Robert Murphy — a new dynasty may take root in the 30th Ward.

Jessica Washington Gutiérrez is challenging Ald. Ariel Reboyras, a close ally of Emanuel.

Gutiérrez, the daughter of former U.S. Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, has promised to be a more progressive alderman would be one of a number of millenials that could be elected to the City Council on Tuesday.

In the 33rd Ward, Ald. Deb Mell — who replaced her father, former Ald. Dick Mell — is facing Rossanna Rodríguez-Sánchez, who could be one of five members of the Chicago chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America to join Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35) on the City Council.

Veteran aldermen, Emanuel allies at risk

In addition to Reboyras, who as chairman of the Public Safety Committee helped shepherd the mayor’s police reforms through the City Council after the dashcam video of Laquan McDonald’s murder roiled the city, several of Emanuel’s other allies faced tough run offs.

In the 40th Ward, Ald. Pat O’Connor faces a runoff against DSA-endorsed Andre Vasquez — the first since he was elected to the City Council in 1983. O’Connor has benefitted from more than $225,000 in spending by Super PACs aligned with Emanuel, charter school backers and Realtors.

Super PACs formed by charter school backers, Realtors, Rahm’s allies spending big bucks in last days of campaign

Other Emanuel allies at risk are:

 

• 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston, who faces activist Will Calloway


• 6th Ward Ald. Roderick Sawyer, who faces accountant Deborah Foster Bonner


• 15th Ward Ald. Raymond Lopez, who faces Chicago Police Officer Rafael Yañez


• 21st Ward Ald. Howard Brookins, who faces retired city inspector Marvin McNeil


• 43rd Ward Ald. Michele Smith, who faces former Emanuel aide Derek Lindblom


• 46th Ward Ald. James Cappleman, who faces scientist Marianne Lalonde

 

20th, 25th Wards set for new aldermen after corruption allegations

Two wards at the center of corruption allegations will get new aldermen.

In the 20th Ward, DSA-endorsed Jeanette Taylor faces Nicole Johnson to take the seat left vacant in March when former Ald. Willie Cochran pled guilty to wire fraud after he was indicted for extortion and bribery.

In the 25th Ward, DSA-endorsed Byron Sigcho-Lopez faces nurse Alex Acevedo, whose father is former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo.

Progressive aldermen in 16th, 31st Wards face challenges

In the 16th Ward, Ald. Toni Foulkes faces Democratic Committeeperson Stephanie Coleman, the daughter of former Ald. Shirley Coleman.

In the 31st Ward, Ald. Milly Santiago faces Felix Cardona, a former aide to former Assessor Joe Berrios. In 2015, Santiago defeated longtime Berros’ ally Ald. Ray Suarez by 79 votes.

Veterans exit

Chicago City Council lost 132 years of combined experience in retirements and defeats in the first round — 155 years if you count 23rd Ward Ald. Mike Zalewski's early exit and replacement by Ald. Silvana Tabares.

Aside from younger members like Ald. John Arena (45), Ald. Proco Joe Moreno (1), Ald. Ameya Pawar (47) and Ald. Willie Cochran (20), more senior members like Ald. Margaret Laurino (39), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Joe Moore (49), and Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22) are also exiting.

City Council has several senior members still standing. Aside from a weakened Ald. Ed Burke (14), first elected in 1969, Black Caucus members Ald. Carrie Austin (34), first elected in 1994, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27), first elected in 1995, Ald. Anthony Beale (9), first elected in 1999, and Ald. Emma Mitts (37), first elected in 2000, have the most seniority. Other senior members Ald. Pat O’Connor (40), first elected in 1983, and Ald, Leslie Hairston (5), first elected in 1999, are facing stiff challenges.

Essential reads as Chicago votes

Issues facing the next administration:

• Is Chicago’s legacy of segregation causing a reverse Great Migration? [Reader]


• Why Chicago Police Reform Could Hinge On This Expired Contract [WBEZ]


• Emanuel Soft on Chicago Polluters Despite Tough Talk [BGA]


• Diagnosing Chicago’s affordable housing shortage [The Daily Line]


• Chicago police solve one in every 20 shootings. Here are some reasons why that’s so low. [Tribune]


• My house is worth how much? Fixes to tax assessments bring dramatic changes for Chicago homeowners [Tribune]


• Chicago spent more than $113 million on police misconduct lawsuits in 2018 [Reporter]


• With CPS poised to release 2018-19 enrollment data, ‘astronomical’ decline expected to continue [The Daily Line]

Where Lightfoot and Preckwinkle differ:

• Lori Lightfoot And Toni Preckwinkle Want An Elected School Board — But The Similarities End There [WBEZ]


• The Candidates Agree on Most Issues. Rent Control Isn't One of Them [Chicago Mag]


• Side-by-side: Lori Lightfoot’s and Toni Preckwinkle’s plans for Chicago [Sun-Times]


• How mayoral candidates Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle have ducked details on Chicago's financial woes [Tribune]


• Preckwinkle, Lightfoot Talk Consent Decree, Policing Reform at Campus Forum [Maroon]


• Where do Lori and Toni part ways on transportation issues? [Reader]


• In Tribune meeting, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle clash over power of aldermen, City Hall corruption [Tribune]

City Council:

• Veterans day or heavyweight prize fight? Longevity vs. change in ward races [Sun-Times]


• Runoff to the Finish [South Side Weekly]


• Super PACs formed by charter school backers, Realtors, Rahm’s allies spending big bucks in last days of campaign [The Daily Line]


• Unions contributed more than $9.7M to candidates since August: records [The Daily Line]


• Sawyer vows to make his case to voters after being forced into runoff by challenger [The Daily Line]


• As Laurino era ends, Murphy, Nugent vie for 39th Ward seat on the City Council [The Daily Line]


• Jeanette Taylor, Nicole Johnson Set To Advance To April 2 Runoff In 20th Ward Race To Replace Cochran [Block Club Chicago]


• 25th Ward Candidates Trade Jabs On Campaign Donations, Voter Fraud Investigation At Heated Pilsen Debate [Block Club Chicago]


• More money no problems [Reader]


• In Fight For 40th Ward Seat, Ald. Pat O’Connor And Andre Vasquez Trade Barbs Over Each Other’s Past [Block Club Chicago]


• In Lakeview, Cappleman And Lalonde Make Their Case To Condo Dwellers, Showing Divide In Policy — And The 46th Ward [Block Club Chicago]


• Hundreds Flock To Davis Theater To Hear 47th Ward Candidates Debate Affordable Housing, Taxes [Block Club Chicago]

Aldermen will consider endorsing two property tax breaks in Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson’s 11th Ward on Monday.

Chicago’s biggest and most politically active labor organizations spent approximately $9.7 million to sway voters, with various SEIU locals and associated political action committees accounting for close to half that amount in the past eight months, according to records filed with state officials.

Despite high hopes fueled by the election of a supportive governor and Democratic supermajorities in the Illinois House and Senate, supporters of the push to lift the ban on rent control in Illinois are regrouping after a significant setback.