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* Wow…

Late-arriving absentee ballots have moved Northwest Side Ald. Deb Mell above the benchmark she needs to avoid a runoff — at least for the moment, according to city election officials.

When polls closed Tuesday, Mell sat just below the 50 percent-plus-one vote number required to win outright the Northwest Side 33rd Ward City Council seat her family has controlled since 1975. But Mell has received the vast majority of the votes on absentee ballots that arrived at the Chicago Board of Elections since Election Day, pushing her above the threshold, according to James Allen, spokesman for the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.

Unofficial results on Friday put Mell at 4,037 votes — or 50.03 percent of the 8,069 ballots cast in the three-way 33rd Ward race. That’s two votes more than the 4,035 needed to avoid the runoff election April 7 against Tim Meegan, a high school teacher backed by the Chicago Teachers Union.

That Tribune story was published late Friday afternoon. About an hour earlier, this e-mail was sent by the city’s election board…

We received more than 1,200 ballots in the mail today from across the city.

That amount, plus the possibility of more ballots arriving Saturday and Monday, will mean that we will be processing absentee ballots again on Tues., March 3, in addition to Tues., March 10.

* DNA Info…

“I’m a little disappointed,” Meegan said of the latest turn of events.

His campaign would be filing for a recount, which is allowable up to five days after an election.

The deadline for contesting results falls on Sunday, and on Monday the Board of Elections is closed for Pulaski Day, so candidates have until Tuesday to request a recount, Allen said.

“This is all new territory,” said Meegan, who remains committed to his campaign.

“If we’re in the run-off, we can win it,” he said.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 9:32 am

Comments

50% +1, seems more real here.

Comment by A guy Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 9:55 am
I haveta think Mell is going to be “ok”, and a runoff with Mell, given how this is ending, isn’t going to be easy. This will motivate Mell’s Crew to finish the job, not scramble in hopes the eek it out.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 9:58 am
Evey vote counts.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:07 am
“Late-arriving ballots”

This is shaping up to be the most Chicago Chicago election in quite some time, e.g. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/01/wilson-ill-vote-for-garcia-but-may-endorse-emanuel/

– MrJM

Comment by MrJM Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:11 am
Meegan’s loss, assuming Mell’s lead holds and she stays above 50%, can be chalked up to Meegan being a single issue candidate. He’s a high school teacher and union delegate in a ward with a lot of CTU members and friends. Annisa Wanat earned both newspaper endorsements because she was a better candidate. I think a fair chunck of Wanat’s 15% will go to Mell if this does go to a run-off.

Again, CTU and its allies had a good day on Tuesday, but they also found their electoral ceiling.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:26 am
OW,

I don’t know man. IF this actually goes to a runoff who’d be more motivated? You’ve got a motivated CTU crew with one of their own members running and a chance to knock off Rahm vs. some old dudes worried being asked to be loyal to someone who can’t really do much for them anymore.

It’ll be interesting either way.

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:30 am
*worried about their pensions

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:30 am
- LizPhairTax -,

It will be interesting, that is for sure, but Mell isn’t sitting at 45%, chasing boat loads of votes.

Being so close is an advantage for Mell, and motivation too for that Crew, as much as the candidate in the runoff thinks he’s got Mell on the ropes.

It will be won on turnout, and with Rahm v. Chuy, I don’t know in a one on one race in that Ward if that’s enough to put Mell in trouble.

It will be an interesting watch.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 10:58 am
A quick pep talk from Dick “El Mell” Mell gets this thing done if it goes to a runoff.

47th hit it right. The CTU found the ceiling. They’re formidable everywhere, they’re not a majority anywhere.

Comment by A guy Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 11:11 am
It isn’t uncommon for an incumbent to win this way.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 11:18 am
It’ll be like firing up the ‘74 GTO you’ve had in storage.

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 11:25 am
People make a mistake, when they think of CTU as a leader driven monolith. Remember, they went through their PAC committee and then through their executive board endorsing Patrick Daley Thompson before the rank and file not only didn’t support him, but endorsed his opponent.

Karen Lewis put out a call for teachers to run last Spring and about a half dozen did. There was no real strategy to this. They certainly wouldn’t have run a teacher in the 25th with ally Byron Sigcho already running there. They are an irregular force in election politics and that actually makes them dangerous as Christian Mitchell found out.

Comment by Carhartt Representative Monday, Mar 2, 15 @ 11:27 am
Interesting points about the power of the Mell machine. I’ve lived in the ward for 2 decades and haven’t seen a precinct worker or known of a precinct captain for the last 6-8 years. This time around, the only person who rang our doorbell for Deb was Deb herself. She seems to be a really nice lady but couldn’t really answer questions about being independent of Rahm.

If this election goes to a runnoff then the Mayoral will drive up votes and I think it is Deb who will have a hard time adding to her totals.

Comment by jimbo2 Tuesday, Mar 3, 15 @ 9:21 am