- Credibility:
BACK OF THE YARDS — Ald. Ray Lopez has won a third term as 15th Ward alderman Tuesday night.
With all 20 precincts reporting Tuesday night, the incumbent held about 64 percent of the vote to challengers Vicko Alvarez and Gloria Williams, who had 24 and 12 percent of the vote, respectively.
The 15th Ward covers parts of Back of the Yards, Brighton Park, Gage Park, Canaryville and West Englewood.
Until late last year, 15th Ward residents assumed they would get a new alderperson after Lopez announced a campaign for mayor in April. However, in November, he dropped out of the race and recommitted to running for reelection.
After his win Tuesday night, Lopez said he was “ecstatic, elated and overjoyed” to win a third term.
“Overwhelmingly, the choice was clear,” he said.
Lopez said he’s won the trust of his constituents, whose votes Tuesday night were a “thank you” for addressing their biggest concerns, like public safety and infrastructure.
“We are a diverse community … and I will be an alderman for everyone,” he said.
Lopez said he owes his win to knocking on thousands of doors and making a successful shift from running for mayor back to alderman. He said seeing Mayor Lori Lightfoot lose the mayoral race proved it was the right decision to drop out.
Alvarez, a community organizer and former North Side ward staffer, said she conceded to Lopez. The challenger said she was surprised to not have made it to a run-off with Lopez, given that she’s been campaigning since July and had internal polls that looked promising.
Despite not getting the results she expected, Alvarez said she stands by the work she’s done in recent months.
“I know I was a very uncompromising candidate,” she said, adding that she was adamant in her vision for progressive policies in the Southwest Side ward.
Alvarez said she’s open to the possibility of running again in the future.
“This doesn’t end today,” she said.
Public safety and constituent services have been the main tenants of Lopez’s terms as alderman, and he said Tuesday he plans to continue delivering for residents.
The alderman has been one of Lightfoot’s strongest critics and has a reputation on City Council for being one of the most conservative members, particularly on crime.
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