ALBANY PARK — Dick Mell technically hasn't conceded the 33rd Ward committeeman race, but with opponent Aaron Goldstein declaring victory, the long-time ward boss is signaling his acceptance that defeat appears inevitable.
"I'm just happy to be out of it," Mell told the Sun-Times Tuesday in the wake of Goldstein's declaration.
"The ward has changed. Yuppies. Hipsters," Mell said in a previous interview with columnist Michael Sneed.
"I know I'm a dinosaur. I don't tweet, or do Facebook, or do Instagram," added the retired alderman, who's been committeeman since 1976.
Goldstein, a former defense attorney for now-imprisoned Gov. Rod Blagojevich, holds a 62-vote lead over Mell — 5,422 to 5,360 — with all precincts counted in the 33rd Ward.
By law, mail-in ballots can be counted up to two weeks after Election Day — which would be March 29 — provided they're postmarked by Election Day.
The Board of Election Commissioners doesn't expect to make final proclamations until on or about March 31, according to Jim Allen, a spokesman for the board.
Goldstein already is moving forward with a reform agenda, pledging, for starters, to "overhaul the process" of selecting judicial candidates.
"It is time for a new Democratic Party, a party that has bold ideas and a commitment to positive reform, not the broken and corrupt status quo," Goldstein said in a statement declaring his victory.
Goldstein ran for committeeman on a platform of transparency and accountability, vowing to end the "political dynasty" that had ruled the ward for decades. He was endorsed by Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) and Northside Democracy for America.
Though representing a "vote for change," Goldstein has an unusual tie to the "political dynasty" he appears to have deposed: He was a member of the defense team representing Rod Blagojevich, Mell's son-in-law, in the former governor's federal corruption trial.
Goldstein previously ran for state representative in the 40th District. He was bested in that race by Jaime Andrade, a Mell staffer who had been appointed to serve out the 40th representative term vacated by Deb Mell when she traded the statehouse for City Hall.
Deb Mell, who was elected 33rd Ward alderman outright in 2015, congratulated Goldstein via social media.
I want to officially congratulate our new dem committeeman @ChangeInThe33rd I know Aaron to be good man who cares about our community 1/2
— Deb Mell (@debmell) March 23, 2016
I genuinely look forward to working together on building strong neighborhoods and advancing our shared democratic values. 2/2
— Deb Mell (@debmell) March 23, 2016
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
