CHICAGO — Seven candidates are vying to represent the city’s 11th Ward on the South Side — one of the most ethnically diverse of the city’s 50 wards that, for decades, has been the Daley family’s seat of power.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed incumbent Ald. Nicole Lee to the post in March 2022 after the previous alderman — Patrick Daley Thompson, the nephew and grandson and two of the city’s former mayors — was convicted on federal tax charges.
Earlier this month, former Mayor Richard M. Daley and his brother, Cook County Commissioner John Daley, endorsed Lee in her bid to continue leading the ward.
The ward’s boundaries were redrawn last year to include the city’s Chinatown neighborhood, one of the fastest-growing parts of the city. As a result, the southern half of the Canaryville neighborhood was removed from the 11th Ward and moved to the 15th Ward. The 11th Ward also covers Bridgeport, Armour Square and a small slice of McKinley Park.
Among Lee’s challengers is Anthony Ciaravino, a Chicago police officer from Canaryville, endorsed by the FOP, who has garnered substantial support among voters on the southern half of the ward.