Chicago’s 11th Ward — home to five mayors, the Daley family and a one-time notoriously powerful Democratic political army — seems set to begin a new chapter in city history as a center for Asian American political might.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot a year ago appointed Ald. Nicole Lee, a Chinese American with deep roots in the Asian community, to replace Ald. Patrick Daley Thompson after he was convicted on federal tax-related charges. The political shift was reaffirmed when the council OK’d new ward maps that brought both Chinatown and Bridgeport fully into the 11th to make it the first ward in city history with a majority Asian population.
But as Lee runs for her first full term and faces a challenge from Chicago police Officer Anthony “Tony” Ciaravino, the 11th Ward’s complex history remains clearly at play. Lee is being backed by unions and several members of the Daley clan, including the former mayor himself. Ciaravino, who is Italian American and has never run for public office before, says he’s got more grassroots neighborhood support, stresses his law enforcement background and says his family has lived in the neighborhood for over a century.
Lee received the most votes in the Feb. 28 aldermanic election but only about 200 more than Ciaravino. Because neither secured more than 50% of the vote, they are up against each other in the April 4 runoff and the campaign has been filled with personal attacks and racial politics as well as the evolving state of political power in the ward.
Despite their differences, the candidates agree on what voters care about the most: crime and safety.
“Safety is the top concern of everybody in this community and every last candidate,” said Lee, who when she was appointed by Lightfoot last year became the city’s first Asian American alderwoman on the City Council. “That’s how we connect.”
Ciaravino — who says he’s taking vacation days and unused time off to run for alderman — said he is in this race because he feels Lee has failed to keep the ward safe.
“That’s just recent, the last three weeks that she jumped on the crime, public safety platform,” Ciaravino said. “She’s been known to talk about some different views about defunding police, and rerouting, diverting money different ways.”
Ciaravino referenced Lee’s support for the Red Line expansion, which will use some tax-increment financing district funds from the 11th Ward to expand the Red Line at the city’s southernmost edges and miles away from the 11th. Lee has acknowledged her support for the expansion might be “not the most politically expedient thing (to) do” but also rebuffed assertions her vote meant she’s not attentive to crime in the ward.
“It’s simply not true,” Lee said. “My opponent is being willfully dishonest to try to deceive residents of the 11th Ward. Since taking office I have only taken actions to ensure that police have the resources that they need. So, not defunding.”
Lee cited her recent votes in support of the city budget, which increased police funding, and that she has attended “multiple” police beat meetings, adding “I have never seen (Ciaravino) at one.”
Ciaravino and Lee both say that to better address crime in the ward they will push for community-based beat policing. But Ciaravino said his connections and experience as a police officer prepares him to better accomplish the goal.
“I’ve been doing it for three decades,” said Ciaravino, 52. “I consider myself a subject matter expert. You got a question about crime and public safety? I’m the guy you want to talk to.”
While some of Lee’s most prominent backers come from the political power structure that has been running the ward for years, other Lee supporters acknowledge the 11th Ward has seen better days. Still, they say they think Lee has made some improvements in her short time in office, though many of their examples are anecdotal.
“For the last four years we have been experiencing a lot of difficulties,” said Jimmy Lee, who is not related to Nicole Lee. “Right now, I’ve seen there has been change. … Our businesses keeps going up, right now it is pretty good (for) business.”
Nicole Lee, 48, also thinks her focus on developing the proposed Near South High School will resonate with voters.
“I am still 100% committed to us getting a neighborhood high school to serve our community,” she said. “I look forward to having a discussion with whoever is in office about making sure the needs of our community are met.”
Lee has outraised Ciaravino by more than a 2-to-1 margin, with Lee receiving large contributions from unions, including $45,000 from the Service Employees International Union and $15,000 from Laborers’ International Union of North America’s Chicago council. Ciaravino has been supported mostly through in-kind donations from the Fraternal Order of Police’s Chicago chapter as well as by several individual donors.
Ciaravino also, has been campaigning aggressively.
On a recent Tuesday morning when it was bitter cold, he greeted commuters at the Halsted Orange Line stop, handing out coffee and flyers written in Chinese with a photo of his arm around mayoral candidate Paul Vallas — who he said he endorses over Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson.
However, his support for Vallas is unrequited. Vallas is backing Lee.
“I want to announce and reinforce my strong support for Nicole Lee, my alderwoman,” said Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO who is renting an apartment in Bridgeport. “And I look forward to working with her as I have worked with her family over the years.”
A Vallas campaign spokesperson would not say if the campaign will ask Ciaravino to stop distributing his flyers with Vallas’ picture on them.
While Ciaravino promotes his police experience, records show he was suspended for 11 days for “Operations/Personnel Violations.” In an interview with the Tribune, Ciaravino said that in 2017, his secondary firearm was stolen from his car when he failed to properly secure it. He said that was the “first time” he ever made that mistake.
Ciaravino also has taken shots at Lee’s family’s history. In 2014, Lee’s father was convicted of financial crimes while deputy chief of staff for former Mayor Richard M. Daley, which she has addressed by saying her father owned his mistakes.
“The Lee name is synonymous with corruption,” Ciaravino said. “Her father is a convicted felon.”
“I’m very proud of my name, I’m very proud of my father,” Lee responded. “First and foremost he took responsibility for what he did and then he did everything according to the law to ameliorate.”
Inside Phoenix Restaurant in Chinatown, Lee told supporters munching on dim sum that a vote for her is a vote for representing their community’s voice.
“It’s really our time to solidify our community’s place in the city of Chicago on the City Council,” Lee said. “I think it is really important for the first Asian majority ward to be represented by someone from the Asian American community.”
For Lee, Vallas’ backing was important, as support for the mayoral candidate is seen on signs all over Chinatown. But neither Lee nor Ciaravino is getting the backing of the other aldermanic candidate who came in third place in February — Chicago firefighter Don Don.
The only other Asian American candidate in the 11th Ward race, Don got about 20% of the vote. Don told the Tribune he intends on “staying neutral” in the runoff.
And while Lee’s promise of racial solidarity is a common political line, Ciaravino’s message is equally classic in Chicago politics.
“She’s part of the machine, I’m not,” Ciaravino said, noting all those backing Lee. “Everything I’m doing is all by myself. Isn’t that a bigger story?”