Chicago’s 11th Ward — home to five mayors, the Daley family and a one-time notoriously powerful Democratic political army — seems set to begin a new chapter in city history as a center for Asian American political might.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot a year ago appointed Ald. Nicole Lee, a Chinese American with deep roots in the Asian community, to replace Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson after he was convicted on federal tax-related charges. The political shift was reaffirmed when the council OK’d new ward maps that brought both Chinatown and Bridgeport fully into the 11th to make it the first ward in city history with a majority Asian population.
[ Mayor Lightfoot’s pick for new alderman has deep roots in Chinatown, would be 1st Asian American woman on City Council: ‘The 11th Ward is Chicago’ ]
But as Lee runs for her first full term and faces a challenge from Chicago police Officer Anthony “Tony” Ciaravino, the 11th Ward’s complex history remains clearly at play. Lee is being backed by unions and several members of the Daley clan, including the former mayor himself. Ciaravino, who is Italian American and has never run for public office before, says he’s got more grassroots neighborhood support, stresses his law enforcement background and says his family has lived in the neighborhood for over a century.
Lee received the most votes in the Feb. 28 aldermanic election but only about 200 more than Ciaravino. Because neither secured more than 50% of the vote, they are up against each other in the April 4 runoff and the campaign has been filled with personal attacks and racial politics as well as the evolving state of political power in the ward.
Despite their differences, the candidates agree on what voters care about the most: crime and safety.
“Safety is the…
Read the full article here