The Latest Breaking News from Jim Gardiner

The Chicago Board of Ethics fined Ald. Jim Gardiner $20,000 for retaliating against a frequent critic. The city Inspector General's office found Gardiner "directed city employees to issue unfounded citations for overgrown weeds and rodents to the home" of the critic.

As the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ-FM Radio reported, the Lightfoot reelection campaign sent more than 9,900 emails to CPS and City Colleges staff over a period of months.

Ald. James Gardiner received more than 55% of the votes in his race, leading attorney Megan Mathias to concede. In the 30th Ward, Ruth Cruz garnered over 51% of the vote against Jessica Gutiérrez, though mail-in ballots still need to be tallied.

After a frustratingly low voting numbers in February, there was hope that more people would cast a ballot this time around. But young voters ages 18-24 did improve their numbers slightly from the February election.

Ald. Jim Gardiner did not respond to the Sun-Times’ requests for an interview about his runoff campaign. Challenger Megan Mathias said many residents complained to her about Gardiner’s inaccessibility but hesitated to donate to her campaign because they “feared retaliation.”

Ald. Jim Gardiner faces five contenders in the Northwest Side ward — and a string of scandals. While the first term incumbent has name recognition, it’s not necessarily the kind of recognition a candidate wants among potential voters.

The stalled proposal would require a Chicago crane operators license for any equipment to lift over 1,000 pounds, half the current weight limit. It’s a good thing for Operating Engineers Local 150 that no final vote was taken. If there had been a roll call, the ordinance would surely have…

Today’s update is a 5-minute read that will brief you on the day’s biggest stories.

“My heart is still with the Chicago Fire Department. But my heart and my devotion lies with residents of the 45th Ward, a community that helped raise me,” Ald. Jim Gardiner said, though he objected to being forced to choose.