With only 52% of the vote, David Moore (17) defeated a field of candidates including Glenda Franklin, the proxy of retiring Ald. Latasha Thomas and influential neighborhood activist, Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina Catholic Church. Franklin, who had also worked as a secretary at St. Sabina, had received Rev. Pfleger’s full-throated support and endorsement.

When Aldertrack asked Moore about his current relationship with Pfleger, he demurred, saying that they have a “great relationship” and that the pastor reached out to him less than a week after he won the election.

Moore was the only aldermanic candidate to win an open seat in the general election. In 2011, the former accountant forced Ald. Thomas into a runoff but ended up 321 votes short of victory.

Caucus Alignment: Shortly after winning the election, Moore announced that he would join the City Council’s Progressive Caucus. But that doesn’t mean the Caucus will have his unwavering support on every legislative item on their agenda, Moore explained.

“I’m independent. I don’t like to be pigeonholed and put in a box,” Moore said that the same goes for the Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s legislative priorities, too. When asked about what he thinks are the biggest obstacles he’ll likely face as an alderman, Moore said political retribution.

“I’ve been told that if I didn’t support the Mayor, I wouldn’t get the resources I need [for my residents,” Moore said that while it’s a piece of advice he’s heard from several people, he doesn’t believe it to be true.

“There’s no correlation to this, because the incumbent [Ald. Thomas] voted 100% with the mayor and it didn’t positively impact the area,” Moore said, restating his commitment to being an independent voice on the City Council.

Top Citywide Legislative Priorities: Moore says the importance of establishing an elected school board is especially “prevalent now” given the federal probe of the Chicago Public Schools. Moore says he also wants to address anomalies with the city’s red light and speed cameras. “There should be a countdown clock,” Moore said, highlighting his support for Ald. Anthony Beale’s (9) proposal to do just that. “[The cameras] should be unplugged until then.”

Local issues: The 17th Ward would benefit from more economic development, jobs, and an appropriate allocation of TIF funds, says Moore. He is not a fan of using TIF dollars for downtown projects and believes those resources would be better spent in neighborhoods, like the ones in his South Side ward, where growth has been stagnant. Public safety is also a top issue for Moore. He says he has been meeting with police commanders to discuss how to get more police officers on the street.

Ward Office/Logistics: Moore is still looking for a permanent space. He says redistricting, “really messed up the ward,” and made it difficult to find an ideal, central location.