William Hall, senior pastor at St. James Community Church, declared victory Tuesday night over Gathering Point Universal Ministries pastor Richard Wooten as the next alderman of the 6th Ward on the South Side.
Hall will replace Ald. Roderick Sawyer, who chose not to run for another term when he made an ultimately unsuccessful bid for mayor.
The two ministers competed in the race to represent the South Side Chatham neighborhood and environs.
With 93% of precincts reporting, Hall had 59% of the vote to 41% for Wooten, according to unofficial results from the Chicago Board of Elections.
“We are grateful for every voter, for every volunteer. It is time to build a better 6th Ward,” Hall said as he declared victory.
Hall is only the fourth alderman of the 6th Ward since 1989.
During the campaign, both ministers said they saw hope for a rebirth of their community through nearby large-scale projects and attractions such as the Obama Presidential Center, the Pullman historical district and a potential CTA Red Line expansion.
Hall pitched a “North Side strategy” in the ward — the sort he said he sees in use in other parts of the city. He described it as a combination of police walking beats, bicycle officers and patrols near expressway exits that allows officers to more quickly respond to crime and improve relations between officers and skeptical residents.
Chatham, Park Manor and West Chesterfield were among the first Black middle-class neighborhoods on the South Side, and the communities became a popular home for notable Black residents.
An Army veteran of Operation Desert Storm, Wooten is a native of Englewood and said as a teenager he longed to live in the more vibrant Chatham community. He moved there with his family more than two decades ago. This was his fourth run for alderman.