Some West Side wards up for grabs

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On the West Side, the next alderman of the 24th Ward might be a former NBA player.

Or it could be a man who was once Barack Obama’s “body man.”

There’s also a chance it could be the namesake son of a late, prominent City Hall insider and former Chicago Board of Education president.

It’s an open seat, and there’s a crowd of 10 vying for the post that represents Lawndale, Douglas Park and Homan Square.

“It’s about changing the scope of my community and really making sure the community gets new ideas and has a fresh face and some new blood,” said LaDarius Curtis, who worked for Obama when he was a U.S. senator.

David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, held a fundraiser for Curtis, who went on to be a presidential appointee in the U.S. General Services Administration.

In the 29th Ward, a crowd of new residents who moved into the ward because of the remap are taking on incumbent Ald. Deborah Graham.

And in the 22nd Ward, incumbent Ald. Ricardo Munoz is facing some familiar challengers.

But in the 24th, current Ald. Michael Chandler is not running for re-election.

He’s endorsed Michael Scott Jr., the son of Michael Scott, the powerbroker and Board of Education president who authorities said committed suicide in 2009.

The younger Scott said his father’s life of public service has inspired him to run for office.

“My father always told me, ‘You don’t run because you want to. You run because you’re needed there,’ ’’ he said.

Crime and the city services offered in the neighborhood are among the issues candidates said they would address if elected.

“It’s too much of a difference between my neighborhood and all the neighboring neighborhoods,” said Sherita Ann Harris, a postal worker who is also seeking the seat.

The other big issue is economic development.

“I’m tired of going to Oak Park if I want to take my wife out to eat,” said Frank Bass, who is endorsed by some labor unions, including the Chicago Teachers Union. Bass worked for both John and Todd Stroger, former Cook County Board presidents.

Vetress Boyce, a businesswoman who worked her way up from receptionist to vice president at a tool distributor, said her corporate experience will help the ward.

“Coming from a [corporate] job . . . you really know how to manage people, money, manpower,” she said.

Also vying for the spot is Wallace E. “Mickey” Johnson, who played for the Bulls in the 1970s; Regina D. Lewis, a businesswoman; Roger L. Washington, a Chicago police officer; Darren Tillis, an insurance agent and Larry G. Nelson, the ward’s Republican committeeman.

In the 29th Ward, which traditionally represented the Austin neighborhood, a redrawn map means it also now includes Galewood and parts of Montclare, Belmont Heights and West Garfield Park.

A handful of candidates who live in those areas, which used to be in the 36th Ward, are taking on Graham. They claim the incumbent has been an unsatisfactory leader. For instance, some have questioned why she allowed an establishment to open and sell liquor in an area that didn’t allow that.

“We need to have confidence in our leaders. We need to have leaders that are honest,” said candidate Bob Galhotra, a Cook County public defender. “We need to have better government, and the way we do that is by electing leaders that don’t have these kinds of strings attached to them.”

29th Ward aldermanic candidates (from left) are Larry Andolino, Bob Galhotra and incumbent Deborah Graham at the Sun-Times. | Michael Schmidt/Sun-Times

29th Ward aldermanic candidates (from left) are Larry Andolino, Bob Galhotra and incumbent Deborah Graham at the Sun-Times. | Michael Schmidt/Sun-Times

Graham said she used aldermanic discretion to remove the liquor moratorium because residents wanted the African-American-owned shop to open.

“It’s a convenience store, much like a 7-Eleven,” the alderman said. “But because folks want to make things seem more murky, . . . they’ve called it, or labeled it, a liquor store.”

The alderman pointed to some successful projects, including a Mariano’s that’s planned for Harlem and North.

“I’d like to finish what I started in the 29th Ward,” Graham said.

Also in the running is Lawrence Andolino, an attorney who has been active in the community; Zerlina Smith, a CTU-endorsed parent who has worked with grass-roots group Action Now. Chris Taliaferro, a lawyer and a Chicago police sergeant; LaCoulton Walls; Oddis “O.J” Johnson and Stephen Robinson.

And in the 22nd Ward, which covers much of Little Village, incumbent Munoz is taking on some familiar opponents.

Small-business owner and former Chicago Police officer Neftalie Gonzalez hopes to unseat Munoz. He’s tried before, but was unsuccessful.

Gonzalez was fired by the police department in 2008 after he was arrested for allegedly selling pirated CDs. Gonzalez, who said he was not convicted, said he was unfairly accused and that he was a “victim of a corrupt system.”

Munoz, a member of the City Council’s progressive caucus, said he’s done good things for the ward since becoming alderman in 1993.

He points to five new elementary schools, a new high school, new libraries, a new police station and the current development of a hospital.

Also vying for the aldermanic seat is community activist Raul Montes Jr., who said, “I’m the one who has been making noise — raising the issues.”

Republican committeeman Robert Martinez is also on the ballot.

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