- Richard A. Chapman / Sun-Times
- Challenger Tim Meegan (left) says 33rd Ward alderman Deb Mell (far right) used dirty tricks to come out ahead on Election Day.
The Logan Square restaurant Ceviche may not look like a hub of political controversy, but that’s just what it was on election day, according to 33rd Ward aldermanic candidate Tim Meegan, who currently stands just 13 votes away from a runoff in the ward.
By the end of election day, Mell—whose father, Dick Mell, served as 33rd Ward alderman for more than 38 years—looked like she was headed for a runoff. Instead, after absentee ballots began rolling in, her lead grew. Meegan, a Chicago Teachers Union delegate who received about $30,000 in backing from the union, received 34 percent of the vote, with nonprofit consultant Annisa Wanat getting 15 percent.
So far the ward’s absentee ballots have swung in Mell’s direction. As of Tuesday she had 4,092 votes, 13 over the number needed to avoid a runoff, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. All absentee votes must be postmarked prior to election day in order to be counted, with March 10 as the cutoff this year. If Mell still has a lead after all those ballots are counted, Meegan’s campaign will have to wait for the recount and a final ruling on the suit.
“All we want is to make sure all the votes are counted and we have a clean election,” Meegan said. “And we feel that had the election been a clean one, we would not be in the position we’re in right now.”
