In the 24th Ward, a recently appointed incumbent whose family name represents a ward dynasty appeared poised to hold off a challenger making his second attempt at the seat.
With 95% of precincts reporting, Ald. Monique Scott held a commanding lead with 67% of the vote to challenger Creative Scott’s 33%, according to unofficial results.
Monique Scott has been representing North Lawndale only since June, when Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed her to the City Council to replace her brother, Michael Scott Jr. He stepped down to work as director of industry and community relations for Cinespace Studios, which operates soundstages on the West Side. Their late father, Michael Scott Sr., was a close ally to Mayor Richard M. Daley and president of both the Chicago Board of Education and the Chicago Park District, where both of his children later worked.
Creative Scott shares the same last name but is not related to the incumbent. He owns a barber shop in the ward and is also a firearms instructor. Creative Scott received only about 15% of the vote to Monique Scott’s 45% in the February election, giving him an uphill climb to defeat her in a ward that had some of the lowest turnout in the city during the first round of voting.
Accusations that Monique Scott was appointed to the job because of her family ties dominated the race. She defended her qualifications and noted she helped close deals to build new business and housing developments in the ward. On top of it, she has raised more money than her opponent and won endorsements from major union organizations, including the Chicago Federation of Labor and AFSCME.
Creative Scott had not conceded as of late Tuesday night.
Former Ald. Michael Scott, Monique Scott’s campaign manager, told the Tribune that the voters “have validated the point that they want to continue the service that she’s been giving them for the last eight months.
“This is not about nepotism, this is about a qualified young lady who believes in her community and believes in the values and the strengths that exist in the 24th Ward,” he said. “She wants to amplify that and wants to bring the community back to where it was decades and decades ago.”
Both candidates promised to address safety and the ward’s cleanliness. Famously the home of the “Mount Henry” dumping ground, the winner will be responsible for helping manage construction of the $68 million industrial complex coming to the corner of Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue.