Tunney Wins 44th Ward Aldermanic Election

CHICAGO — Two candidates, Austin Baidas and Elizabeth Shydlowski, tried to unseat 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney in the Feb. 26 election; however he came out on top. Tunney has been the alderman for 16 years in his ward, which includes East Lakeview, Boystown and Wrigleyville.

For years, Tunney has faced many challenges with the ward's most influential family, the Ricketts, and the alderman said it's no secret that the Cubs' owners are trying to push him out of office.

Tunney says he's a Cubs fan, but puts the neighborhood first, and he hasn't hesitated to put on hold developments that the Ricketts family is trying to push forward.

44th Ward Aldermanic Election Results:

*97.6% of precincts reporting

Despite Tunney's ongoing conflict with the Ricketts family, both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune's editorial boards endorsed Tunney.

"Constant give-and-take between the owner of an aggressively expanding business and the local alderman isn't a bad thing," the Tribune's board said. "Tunney gets that the Cubs want to maximize their investment by making Wrigleyville a year-round destination. But the alderman must balance business interests against livability issues for ward residents."

Tunney has been a 44th Ward resident for 40 years and owns two Ann Sather's restaurants in the ward. He's been the ward's alderman for 16 years.

In a 44th Ward Aldermanic Forum Dec. 18, Tunney said his primary concerns over the past decade have been economic development, affordability, public safety and public education.

"Our elementary schools are among the top in the city and I have successfully secured over $60 million dollars to strengthen our neighborhood schools," Tunney said.

"In the next four years as your alderman, I want to continue improving our schools, strengthening public safety, and ensuring our streets, sidewalks, and other infrastructure needs are met. The community expects me to deliver, and I am proud of my track record."

Tunney said his current top priorities are education and public safety.
The Ricketts didn’t formally endorse either of the candidates who were trying to unseat Tunney; however, Shydlowski said the family contributed $10,000 to help her launch her campaign.

Baidas said he's been friends with Laura Ricketts for a decade, but has not accepted any campaign money from the family.

Shydlowski is a non-profit consultant who has spent more than two decades working for both Democrats and Republicans at the municipal, state and federal levels. She has worked for government agencies, developed policy and worked for non-profit organizations.

Baidas has been a 44th Ward resident since 2002. He has worked for former Governor Pat Quinn and former President Barack Obama. He volunteers on several non-profit boards focused on education, healthcare and LGBTQ rights.

Baidas said he knocked on more than 2,000 doors in the 44th Ward to find out the issues that matter the most to residents.

"What I hear from people is public safety, taxes, education and vacant store fronts," he said.

Baidas said his priority, however, is fighting corruption.

"We're paying a lot of money in taxes, it's just not going where people want it to go — it's going to corruption and political insiders, and not to education and public safety," he said.

Many North Side residents have also expressed concern over tax-increment financing districts, particularly in light of the proposed Lincoln Yards development. Baidas said he hopes TIFs will be minimized and eliminated where possible.

"TIFs started as a good economic development idea for disadvantaged areas," he said. "But like most things in Chicago, the politicians got a hold of them and it's widely been abused."

Another big issue facing Chicagoans is the city's massive pension funding gap, which has risen to more than $40 billion. The Illinois Constitution forbids the reduction in pension benefits to curb the liabilities. Baidas said he believes the city must fully fund its current and former employees' pension benefits.

Baidas said he believes that TIF reform could help with the funding gap in the short term; however, fighting corruption in the city will be the best long-term solution.

Shydlowski, who has lived in Chicago for more than two decades, said her top priorities are strengthening schools, ensuring neighborhood safety and stopping corruption in city hall.

"I decided to run because in the four years that we've lived here in Lake View, our property taxes have nearly tripled, and we have three children, and we're just finding it harder and harder to afford to live in Lake View and Chicago," she said.

Shydlowski said she's talked with many families who have expressed concern that a "parents' perspective" is needed in city hall.

"There is not a great understanding of what it takes to raise a family in the 44th Ward or in Chicago," she said. "If these families leave, the schools will fail, and you need strong schools for a solid neighborhood."

Shydlowski said her goal of lowering crime rates in her neighborhood also inspired her to run for alderman, as she felt residents' voices "weren't being heard."

Shydlowski also said she proposes a moratorium on tax increment financing so that a full audit can be done "to find out who was benefiting from them, where the money actually goes and why certain projects are selected over others."

She also supports a constitutional amendment to allow for pension reform in Chicago to tackle the city's unfunded pension liabilities.

Aldermen each serve four-year terms in Chicago. They oversee many issues in their wards, including zoning, business licenses, code changes and city jobs.

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