The South Loop has historically been a neighborhood without a political identity. In other parts of the city, neighborhoods are closely identified with their political geography. Rogers Park has long been part of the independent-minded 49th Ward on the far north side. On the far south side, Beverly is known as the heart of the 19th, the base of the South Side Irish. And Bridgeport, the home of mayors and the center of Chicago clout, is always, always, always in the 11th.
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The South Loop’s great wave of residential development didn’t start until the 1980s. At that time, it was part of the notorious mob-run First Ward, whose alderman, Fred Roti, eventually went to jail for taking bribes.
But every ten years the City Council redraws the city’s 50 wards, ostensibly to guarantee they each have roughly the same number of residents. Generally the mayoral operatives who oversee the redistricting allow aldermen a say in shaping their wards to help them keep their seats. In some cases, the mayor has maneuvered to keep developing areas in the hands of allies.
Over the next couple of years her popularity continued to evaporate. In 2006, attempting to nail down the west-side vote, she proposed installing an honorary street sign for Fred Hampton, the Black Panther leader who was killed in his sleep by Chicago police in 1969. But that move backfired and left her looking ineffectual when, at the urging of the police union, her white council colleagues voted against it.
Being one of Daley’s least favorite aldermen doesn’t seem to faze him—in fact, he seems to relish the tussles. Having solidified his power by winning election as ward committeeman last month, Fioretti doesn’t have any good reason to fear that Daley could successfully run someone against him.
