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Welcome to The Deep Dish—Ballotpedia’s in-depth look at Chicago’s 2019 city elections.
This week, we're serving up an analysis of recent mayoral polls as well as the scoop on early voting, which was disrupted by the polar vortex (we hope you've managed to stay warm). Also in this issue: helpful resources to get your bearings in the 14-candidate mayoral race, an update on the 13th Ward Krupa-Quinn conflict, and a deep dive into the debate around affordable housing requirements for developers.
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Voters head to the polls Feb. 26, where they will select a new mayor and decide all 50 city council seats as well as choosing a treasurer and city clerk. For all offices on the ballot, runoff elections will be held April 2 for races in which no candidates receives more than 50 percent of the vote. All offices are nonpartisan and come with four-year terms.
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Click here for more information on how to register
This week's news
Mayoral polls: One month out, the undecideds have it
Two recent polls show "undecided" is leading the mayoral race.
INCS Action, a group that supports charter schools (and has not endorsed in the mayoral race), commissioned a poll asking respondents who they'd vote for among nine candidates. Thirty-four percent said they were undecided or would abstain. Among the candidates, Toni Preckwinkle had 15 percent, followed by Bill Daley and Susana Mendoza at 9 percent each.
In a Dec. 12 INCS Action poll, Preckwinkle had 24 percent. "Undecided/abstain" was second with 19 percent. Mendoza had 11 percent, and Daley received 10 percent.
A Chicago Sun-Times poll featuring all 14 candidates plus Dorothy Brown, who was subsequently removed from the ballot, showed Preckwinkle at 13 percent and Daley at 12 percent. Twenty-six percent were undecided.
The Sun-Times poll also tested hypothetical runoff matchups: Preckwinkle versus Mendoza, Preckwinkle versus Daley, and Mendoza versus Garry McCarthy. In each matchup, between 21 percent and 22 percent of respondents were undecided.
The hypothetical matchups showed Mendoza ahead of Preckwinkle 44 percent to 35 percent, Preckwinkle (40 percent) and Daley (38 percent) tied within the margin or error, and Mendoza ahead of McCarthy 54 percent to 24 percent.
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Early voting gets chilly reception (and slight interruption)
Due to extreme cold, the Loop Super Site at 175 W. Washington St. was closed Wednesday and will also be closed Thursday.
Early voting was scheduled to begin Jan. 17, but was delayed due to outstanding petition challenges. The Loop Super Site opened Tuesday for eight hours of early voting before the polar vortex swept in.
Representatives at the board told Ballotpedia voters could cast their ballots between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday at 69 W. Washington St. on the 6th floor Wednesday and Thursday.
Once the Loop Super Site reopens, it's scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays through Feb. 25, with extended hours the week before the election. Early voting locations open in all wards Feb. 11. Click here for more details.
Voters can also choose to vote by mail. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is Feb. 21. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Feb. 26.
Not registered to vote yet? No problem. You can register online by Feb. 10 as long as you have a state ID. You can also register at any early voting location through Feb. 25 or at your polling place on Election Day. The elections board says to bring two forms of ID if you're registering for the first time or changing your address or name on your registration. Click here for more info on what you'll need.
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Three more mayoral candidates go on air
Jerry Joyce, Amara Enyia, and Bob Fioretti have joined the on-air pack of mayoral candidates with their first TV ads.
Joyce's ad aired Jan. 24. It provides the campaign's answer to the question, "Who is Jerry Joyce?" and invites viewers to read his plans for the city on his campaign website.
Enyia's ad, which aired Tuesday, describes her as the candidate who is not "part of the corruption and system that got us here in the first place."
Fioretti's ad, released Wednesday, says he's the only candidate with a plan to address the city's pension problem without raising taxes. It also says he'll bring police and the community together.
Each of the three candidates recently received contributions that more than doubled their fundraising totals.
Joyce received $548,000 in loans as of Jan. 28 from his wife, Jannine, and is currently reporting $900,067 total raised. Enyia received a $400,000 contribution from Chance the Rapper on Jan. 15, bringing her fundraising total to $632,000 at that time. Fioretti's account jumped to $683,000 after a $500,000 donation from blues guitarist Buddy Guy on Jan. 19.
Bill Daley, Gery Chico, Garry McCarthy, Susana Mendoza, and Toni Preckwinkle have also released TV ads since December. They're the top five fundraisers as well. Joyce is 9th among 14 candidates in funds raised, Fioretti 10th, and Enyia, 11th.
We gave a breakdown of the policy issues discussed in the first batch of TV ads in a recent edition of The Deep Dish; check that out here.
Willie Wilson made small TV ad buys that aired in the fall.
To see all digital and TV ads we've found, click here.
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The week's forums
Six mayoral candidates discussed a broad range of topics, including city council reforms, a proposed Lincoln Yards development project, and campaign finance reform, at a Jan. 25 Union League Club forum. Click the image below to be taken to a video of the event.
On Sunday, six candidates discussed policy regarding autonomous vehicles and ridesharing services at a National Association of Letter Carriers Union Hall forum. And Monday, nine candidates attended a Chicago Association of Realtors forum. Topics included rent control, affordable housing, and Chicago's building code.
We've compiled a list of mayoral forums held so far along with links to additional coverage—check it out here.
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Feeling issue-disoriented? We can help.
With a 14-candidate mayoral field and no shortage of critical issues facing Chicago, it can be hard to keep track of where the candidates stand on a variety of important issues.
To help you make sense of what’s happening, we’ve scoured campaign websites and candidate questionnaires to create a Major issues in Chicago's 2019 mayoral election page.
On this page, you’ll find:
*In-depth overviews of seven major issues in the race (pensions, school closing policy, school board selection method, crime, police issues, tax increment financing, and affordable housing requirements)
*Candidate positions grouped by issue, so you can easily compare different candidates' positions on each issue
*Positions grouped by candidate, so you can get a fuller grasp of each candidate by seeing his or her positions on major issues in one place
Also check out WBEZ's new interactive page for another resource with consolidated candidate positions. WBEZ asked candidates 20 questions and presented their responses in an easily-navigable way.
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Quick Bites
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Average voter turnout in city elections per ward between 2003 and 2015 was 33.0 percent. Just looking at 2011 and 2015, average ward turnout was 36.4 percent. This includes both general and runoff elections.
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The four wards with the lowest average turnout, both for the 2003-2015 period and for 2011-2015: the 15th, 16th, 24th, and 28th wards.
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Average turnout in each of those wards was between 23.3 percent and 26.2 percent for city elections from 2003 to 2015.
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In city elections in 2011 and 2015, average turnout was between 24.9 percent and 27.5 percent.
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We'll be taking a closer look at the 2019 races in these wards over the next several weeks. Stay tuned!
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13th Ward update: Krupa files lawsuit against Quinn, Madigan
13th Ward candidate David Krupa filed a federal lawsuit against incumbent Ald. Marty Quinn and Illinois House of Representatives Speaker Michael Madigan (D)—13th Ward Democratic committeeman since 1969—alleging their effort to knock Krupa off the ballot violated his civil rights.
A refresher: Quinn's election attorney filed affidavits from residents revoking their signatures on Krupa's petitions. The number of revocation affidavits Quinn's campaign filed exceeded the number of signatures Krupa turned in by 1,093. The Quinn campaign withdrew its challenge of Krupa's candidacy on Dec. 15.
Monday, Krupa filed a lawsuit claiming he was harassed and threatened while collecting signatures. Krupa also alleges Madigan, Quinn, and their precinct workers harassed and deceived voters while collecting signature revocation affidavits.
Madigan said, "Distracting voters with ludicrous claims is pulled directly from the ultra-right wing playbook. The residents of the 13th Ward deserve better."
"This lawsuit is just an effort to distract voters from my opponent’s extreme right wing agenda," Quinn stated.
Quinn has represented the 13th Ward since 2011. Krupa is a student at DePaul University.
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Ballotpedia Insights is our Q&A series with political and legal scholars, researchers, reporters, and subject matter experts. Join us February 13 for our next event with Edgar Bachrach and Austin Berg to learn more about their process, research, and the writing of The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities.
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Candidate survey reply of the week
Ballotpedia's Chicago candidate survey was created through our partnership with the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Interactivity Foundation, and City Bureau, as well as insights from more than one hundred diverse citizens living throughout Chicago’s wards.
What would be your first steps for improving the transit system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and safety?
"It is time to look at alternative options for the transit system. I would look at a shuttle service customers can sign up for. Something similar to an UBER experience but you would have to meet the shuttle at a central location. I would price that service based on customers' age."
— Deondre Rutues, candidate for Chicago City Council, 37th Ward
Read all of Rutues' responses →
Chicago candidate? Fill out the survey and you may be featured here.
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This week's deep dive
Affordable housing requirements for developers
The debate:
Proponents of increasing affordable housing requirements for developers with projects in the city have argued such requirements are necessary to meet affordable housing needs. They also argue increased requirements are needed for affordable units to be located in neighborhoods that are economically thriving, rather than concentrated in poorer neighborhoods.
The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago has argued that increasing affordable housing requirements, such as certain fees or requirements to build affordable units at the same location as a primary project, would result in less affordable housing in the city. They said increased requirements would inhibit investors from financing projects and cause developers to choose other cities.
Some background:
According to the 2003 Affordable Requirements Ordinance and subsequent amendments to it, residential developers meeting certain criteria (like those receiving public funding) must:
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Include a specified percentage of their units as affordable housing units (meaning they are deemed affordable to low- and middle-income families based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculations);
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build the required units offsite;
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pay an in-lieu fee to the city's Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund instead of building the units; or
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do some combination of these options.
The required percentage of units (at least 10 percent), regulations around off-site construction, and amount of in-lieu fees vary by area.
Recent moves:
In 2017, the city council approved pilot programs in the Milwaukee Corridor and Near North/Near West neighborhoods that increased the required percentage of affordable housing units and removed the in-lieu fee option for residential projects.
In December 2018, the city council approved another pilot program increasing in-lieu fees and the percentage of required affordable units in Pilsen and Little Village. The mayor and aldermen cited gentrification in these areas as reasons for the increased requirements.
WBEZ asked mayoral candidates: "Will you force developers of new projects to build affordable housing units in gentrifying communities where long-time residents are being displaced?"
Of 13 candidates who responded, nine said yes, two said no, and two didn't answer yes or no. Most candidates provided extended explanations. To see how each candidate answered, click here. |
We asked Chicago-area staffer Lauren Dixon, associate director of human resources at Ballotpedia, a few questions about her Chicago experience.
We interviewed our other Chicago-area staffer, Matt Latourelle, last week—check that out here.
Where do you live?
I live in Oak Park, IL, which is a suburb that directly neighbors Chicago to the west. Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and it being Ernest Hemingway's birthplace are a couple of notable things about it.
Did you grow up near Chicago? If not, why did you decide to move there? If so, why did you decide to stay?
I did! I grew up in Elk Grove Village, which is a northwest suburb—about 30-60 minutes from Chicago (depending on traffic, of course!). My husband and I moved closer to the city because you just can't beat the variety and culture. Pretty much anything you'd want to see or learn is here!
What's your favorite place to eat in Chicago?
The Chicago Diner or Sultan's Market—great vegan/vegetarian fare.
Favorite meal in the city?
Deep dish pizza at either Lou Malnati's or Pizzeria Due. That might seem like a stock answer given the title of this newsletter, but it really is the best!
What issues do you hear friends/family in and around the city discussing most?
Definitely violence and distribution of resources.
Chicago is often called a "city of neighborhoods." Do you have a favorite neighborhood, and if so, why?
Even though Oak Park isn't technically a ward of Chicago, in some ways, it's not any different than a lot of other Chi neighborhoods. It's highly accessible to the city proper and bustling, but it's also got a quaint sort of suburban feel. I also really enjoy Logan Square and Wicker Park for their many awesome restaurants and shops.
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