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In the City Council races three incumbents lost outright: the 7th Ward’s Darcel Beavers, who’s only held the seat for a couple of months, after being appointed to replace her father; the 20th Ward’s Arenda Troutman, whose campaign imploded after she was charged with bribery last month; and the 42nd Ward’s Burton Natarus, who’s best known for his off-center speechmaking (on anything from comic books to wake in the Chicago River) and attempts to legislate cleanliness and social order.
It’s not at all clear what priorities their replacements will bring to the council—or, more to the point, how likely they will be to part ways with the mayor. Brendan Reilly, Natarus’s usurper, has vowed to work closely with Mayor Daley, and more importantly, the 42nd Ward produced more than 10,000 votes for the mayor, one of the highest totals in the city. That means Reilly will likely be under pressure to go along with the administration when contentious issues come up.
Add it all up and the list of potential independents looks something like this: incumbents Toni Preckwinkle (4th), Fredrenna Lyle (6th), Ricardo Munoz (22nd), who all won reelection outright; Foulkes (15th), Thompson (16th), and Moore (49th), should they win; and Brookins or Jones (21st). On certain issues the mayor’s declining support—or aggressive federal investigators—could embolden aldermen Manny Flores (1st), Billy Ocasio (26th), Ed Smith (28th), Tom Allen (38th), and Helen Shiller (46th), who’ve all shown flashes of independence. If they win runoffs, expect Pat Dowell (3rd), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Alderman Rey Colon (35th), and Naisy Dolar (50th) to join in the fun every so often.
