CHICAGO — After a six-week runoff campaign with several debates and forums, voters on Tuesday went to the polls to choose the leader of the city's most gerrymandered ward: Alyx Pattison or Brian Hopkins.
With 54 percent of the vote reported Hopkins had 56 percent to Pattison's 44 percent.
At Wicker Park's 8th precinct, there were 187 voters who cast their ballot by 5:35 p.m. In the Feb. 24th election, 175 had voted, a worker said. With 730 registered voters in the precinct, the turnout was pacing at 25 percent.
Hopkins, a former chief of staff to Cook County Commissioner John Daley and a Streeterville resident, and Pattison, a lawyer and Ukrainian Village resident, beat four other contenders in February's election.
Both candidates fell well short of the required 50 percent plus one vote required to avoid a runoff in February.
Hopkins won 29 percent of the vote with 2,850 votes, while Pattison trailed him at 24 percent with 2,373 votes.
A recent poll of 318 voters shows Hopkins with a lead over Pattison.
In Wicker Park's 2nd Ward Precinct No. 25, inside the park field house at 1425 N. Damen Ave., only 79 of 745 — just 10 percent of the precinct's registered voters — had turned out by 4:15 p.m., said election judge Devalius McDonald.
"We're hoping for that mad dash before the end of the day," McDonald said.
Hector Rodriguez, a Wicker Park resident, was on his way to the field house to cast his vote around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Rodriguez said he was planning to vote for Jesus "Chuy" Garcia for mayor and Hopkins for 2nd Ward alderman.
"Alyx Pattison doesn't live in the 2nd Ward. If you are going to run for office you've got to live in the ward," Rodriguez said.
Pattison currently lives in the 1st Ward, and, when pressed by Hopkins at a debate in March, said she'd voted for Ald. Joe Moreno (1st). Once elected, new aldermen are required to relocate to the ward in which they will represent.
As for Garcia, Rodriguez said, "I'm voting more against Rahm than I am for Chuy. I'm against Rahm's school policy."
Alisa Hauser breaks down the race:
Hopkins is endorsed by several of his former 2nd Ward challengers, U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd Ward), whose ward borders portions of the 2nd Ward, among others (see all endorsements).
Pattison is endorsed by the Sun-Times, Tribune, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Ald. Joe Moreno (1st), whose ward borders portions of the 2nd Ward, among others (see all endorsements).
At a debate in March, Hopkins said he voted for incumbent Rahm Emanuel for mayor in the Feb. 24 election and plans to do so again.
Pattison too, said she'd voted for Emanuel the first time but was undecided at the final debate. On Saturday, she tweeted, "Voted for @RahmEmanuel 2/24. Gave Chuy a chance to make case. But voted early 4 Rahm again. Look forward to working with him for the #new2!"
Hopkins' campaign fund had $76,894.28 at the close of the third quarter on Dec. 31. Between then and Tuesday, he raised an additional $257,445.67 from more than 80 individual contributions, records show.
Some of Hopkins' largest supporters are Citizens for Reilly, which contributed $37,281.14 for two mailings; the Chicago Association of Realtors, which contributed $5,000 and the Ritz Carlton Hotel, which kicked in $10,000.
Pattison had $134,921.08 in her campaign coffers at the close of the third quarter on Dec. 31. Between then and Tuesday she raised an additional $191,435.22 from 75 individual contributions.
Some of Pattison's biggest backers are SEIU Illinois Council PAC Fund, a workers union that supplied her largest contribution of $52,600; AFSCME No. 31, another union that contributed $12,500; and Classic Tickets Inc., which gave $10,000, records show.
The boundaries of the 2nd Ward make their way west from the lakefront through at least seven neighborhoods, weaving and snaking through, at times, single blocks of Streeterville, the Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park and Bucktown.
The redevelopment of the A. Finkl & Sons Co. steel plant site, roughly 28 acres of prime real estate along the river bordering the western edge of Lincoln Park, is the largest project in the "New 2" as some folks have been calling the ward.
View Pattinson's website here.
Watch a March 25, 2015 debate between Pattison and Hopkins on CAN-TV:
Polls are open until 7 p.m.
Problems with voting can be reported to the Chicago Board of Elections online at chicagoelections.com or by calling 312-269-7870.
For more election coverage, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
