CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Former House Speaker Michael Madigan oversaw the voting by Democratic Party leaders to pick his replacement as state representative for Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Illinois Democratic Party Attorney Michael Kasper announced Edward Guerra Kodatt the winner.
"The majority of the committee's total weighted vote is necessary to fill the vacancy in office. That number having been reached, Mr. Kodatt is hereby appointed," Kasper said.
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Kodatt, 26, is the son of two Chicago police officers. He has been working for Madigan and 13th Ward Alderman Marty Quinn for the last four years; most recently as a bilingual liaison and budget planner.
He did not offer many specifics to Democratic committee members, like Alderman Silvana Tabares' question about what House committee he'd like to serve on.
"To be honest with you, at this moment my number one priority, if selected, would be to continue providing excellent service to residents of the 22nd District," Kodatt said.
Kodatt won because of Michael Madigan's weighted vote, which counted for 56 percent of the total.
Madigan thanked the 10 candidates, many of whom like Kodatt are Latino in a heavily Latino district.
"I am very pleased at the background of those that offered themselves," Madigan said.
Not everyone was pleased, though. One of the groups that pushed for the meeting to be livestream, the Coalition for Change Illinois 3, called Kodatt blissfully unqualified for the House seat.
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