Quote:
Originally Posted by Barrelfish
Ald. Solis is expected to resign, according to the Sun-Times. He has been a secret informant as part of the federal investigation into Ald. Burke.
Most of the story here is juicy but not relevant to this forum, so let's leave that aside. What is relevant here is that Solis is the chair of the zoning committee, and his ward includes the West Loop and all the development happening there. He was already not planning to run for re-election, but this accelerates the timing. Any view on who could replace him and what their attitude toward development is?
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This is the politics thread. It's all relevant. I do wonder what the Feds got on Danny boy to flip him. Surely it wasn't anything having to do with Pilsen real estate, because the neighborhood's seen virtually nothing in terms of zoning changes. If some developer gave him a bribe for a Pilsen project, it clearly didn't help lol. But the 25th Ward does contain big chunks of the fast-developing West and South Loop where the unofficial Pilsen affordable-housing quotas don't apply, so it could be something real estate-related after all.
LVDW is right, Rahm will appoint a temporary successor to Solis should he resign. Rahm is chafing at the bit to get Lincoln Yards and The 78 approved before his term ends, so I'm sure he will appoint somebody pliant to lead the 25th Ward, and hand the Zoning Committee chairmanship to a more experienced (but still loyal) alderman. Cappleman is currently the vice chair, maybe it will go to him. Or Moreno.
As far as the candidates for the actual election in the 25th Ward, virtually all of them are Latin socialists. Aida Flores is probably the best of the bunch, but Byron Sigcho has the most name recognition so he is likely to win. I don't think Rahm's hypothetical appointee would be able to jump into the election and run for the seat like Solis did back in the 90s, since we are so close to the election.
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