ROSELAND — Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) filed paperwork Monday with the Illinois State Board of Elections to compete in a special election to replace former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.
Beale, who chairs the City Council's Transportation Committee and has served on the Council for 14 years, became the first alderman to get in the race.
"We need representation in Congress immediately," Beale said. "That is why I decided to run."
Jackson resigned on Nov. 21 after serving the 2nd Congressional District for 17 years. He easily won re-election earlier this month despite not campaigning while he continued to get treatment at the Mayo Clinic for bipolar disorder, which Jackson said ultimately led to his resignation.
Jackson is also reportedly under federal investigation for allegedly misusing campaign funds.
Beale declined comment when asked about Jackson and former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who also declared her candidacy to replace Jackson this week.
"I am not interested in talking about other candidates at this point," Beale said. "All I want to do is reach out to the constituents of the 2nd Congressional District and let them know I would like the opportunity to serve them."
Gov. Pat Quinn has set a Feb. 26, 2013, primary date for the March 19, 2013, special election to replace Jackson. And due to state law, a special general election must be held within 115 days after a congressional vacancy occurs.
According to census data, 50 percent of residents living in the 2nd District, which stretches from the Jackson Park neighborhood on the South Side to Kankakee, are black.
But Beale said he does not want to be seen as a candidate only for blacks.
"I will not concentrate my efforts solely on helping black communities because I must be a congressman for everyone and that is what I plan to be," Beale said. "I realize there are some communities more in need of services than others and those communities would become a priority, but every community in the 2nd District can expect me to service their needs to the fullest."
When Beale, a former computer technician for Allstate Insurance, is not at City Hall or meeting with constituents, he volunteers as a baseball coach for Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep High School located in his South Side ward and for the Roseland Little League.
