The solitary defeat of appointed Ald. Anabel Abarca (12th) marks the fewest defeated incumbents since Chicago instituted the 50-member City Council system in 1923. Seven sitting members were knocked out in each of the previous two election cycles.
Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Johnson’s transition team, refused to pinpoint specific changes amid reports that several committee chairs could lose those posts.
Brandon Johnson’s allies and transition advisers are working behind the scenes to put the mayor-elect’s stamp on the new City Council by tweaking the reorganization approved last month and installing more Johnson loyalists as key committee chairs.