CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she’ll soon outline how she will fill convicted Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson’s seat.
Now that Thompson has been convicted of a felony, state law said he immediately relinquishes his seat on the Chicago City Council and Lightfoot has 60 days to name a replacement. The council then has a month to act on her pick.
The mayor has issued a statement saying her office will outline “an open and transparent process to fill the vacancy with a qualified public servant that represents the values of the residents of the 11th Ward and the city of Chicago.”
Just about all the aldermen from the 11th Ward in recent decades have had ties to the Daley Family. Thompson is the grandson of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley and the nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley. But during the redistricting underway, other aldermen have been redrawing the ward to encompass more of Chinatown, paving the way an Asian alderman.
In fact, the head of the Council’s Latino Caucus has already called on the mayor to name an Asian American to replace Thompson, so the pressure’s already on.
On another note, Thompson’s conviction seems to have saddened some of his colleagues.
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He has been generally well-liked on the City Council, described as good-natured, and an attentive participant in committee and full council meetings.
Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza of the 10th Ward told the Chicago Sun-Times she loves his sense of humor and he’s known for following through on anything he says, adding his word is his bond.
Ald. Ray Lopez of the 15th Ward described Thompson as “100% South Side through and through” and dedicated to his Bridgeport neighborhood. Ald. George Cardenas of the 12th Ward told the Chicago Tribune Thompson was “always there doing the work, always engaged.”
More than one of Thompson’s colleagues suggested he was targeted because he’s a member of the Daley family. He is the first politician in that family to be convicted on federal charges.
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When Lightfoot selects a new 11th Ward alderperson, it will be her first appointment but may not be her last.
Thompson was one of three sitting City Council members under federal indictment. Alderman Edward Burke and Ald. Carrie Austin — the council’s two longest serving members — have yet to have their cases adjudicated.
Some others are trying for higher office.
South Side Ald. Pat Dowell and Northwest Side Ald. Gilbert Villegas are both running for Congress. And Alderman George Cardenas — from the Southwest Side — is running for the Cook County Board of Review. There are reportedly two other aldermen on the ballot for judgeships.
Whatever process the mayor announces this week for filling vacancies will become a precedent.
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