Three Council seats are open in 2027. Who filed in the 13th, 19th and 22nd wards, and three more wards to watch

Quinn, O'Shea and Rodriguez are retiring. The Board's receipts show two candidates each in the 13th and 19th and one in the 22nd, and no filing yet from the sitting alderpersons in the 6th, 25th and 42nd.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Oct 27, 2026

Three Chicago alderpersons are leaving the City Council next spring: Marty Quinn (13th Ward), Matt O'Shea (19th) and Mike Rodriguez (22nd), WBBM reported in September. With candidate filing closed Monday and objections open through Nov. 2, here is who our records show running for those seats, and three other wards where the incumbent's name was not yet in the Board's receipts.

Why it matters: an open seat is the likeliest place for a new face on the Council. In each of these wards, the candidate list is short, so a single petition challenge could decide who appears on the Feb. 23 ballot.

A caution on all of it: our list comes from the Board of Election Commissioners' receipts for nominating papers, which so far cover filings through Oct. 23. The Board has not yet posted its full list of filings, including Monday's.

The three open seats

13th Ward (Clearing, Garfield Ridge, West Elsdon, West Lawn). Quinn has held the seat since 2011. Two candidates are on our list: Al Cacciottolo, with 3,415 filled signature lines by our count, and Skyler Cepek, with 614. Candidates need 473 valid signatures. Ward race page.

Quinn's last big Council fight was his ordinance requiring 30 votes to approve City borrowing. It passed 32 to 15 on Sept. 29. Mayor Johnson vetoed it, and the override fell one vote short on Oct. 14, as we reported.

How each ward voted

32 yea, 15 nay, 3 not voting · Sep 29, 2026 · Passed

Yea Nay Not voting

O2026-0026270: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

19th Ward (Beverly, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park). O'Shea, first elected in 2011, said 16 years was enough, according to WBBM. He has endorsed his chief of staff, Erin Ross, Fox 32 reported. Our list has Erin Healy Ross, with 3,569 lines, and Jillian Robinson, with 662. Ward race page.

O'Shea was the lead sponsor of the Council's alternative 2026 revenue ordinance, which passed 29 to 19 last December without the Mayor's head tax.

22nd Ward (Little Village, Garfield Ridge, North Lawndale). Rodriguez, in office since 2019, chairs the Committee on Workforce Development and has been a key Council ally of the Mayor, the Sun-Times reported. Our list has one candidate: Elianne "Ely" Bahena, with 2,283 lines. Unless someone else's filing shows up in the Board's final list, the 22nd could be uncontested. Ward race page.

Three wards to watch

In three more wards, the sitting alderperson had no filing in the receipts we have. Many candidates file late in the period, so this says nothing about anyone's plans; it's a list to check when the Board publishes its own.

6th Ward, Ald. William E. Hall. One candidate on our list: Allyson Renee Scrutchens, 1,386 lines.
25th Ward, Ald. Byron Sigcho-López. He announced a run for a third term in August after his congressional bid ended, according to his campaign site. Three challengers are on our list: Aida Flores, 2,515 lines; Leonardo "Leo" Quintero, 1,835; and Ian Watkins, 495.
42nd Ward, Ald. Brendan Reilly, downtown. No candidate of any kind is on our list. Reilly has a campaign committee registered with the state, and he questioned the administration at Monday's budget hearing.

What our records add

For each candidate, our count is the number of filled-in signature lines on the petition copy the Board provided, not the Board's count of valid signatures. The Board checks validity only if a voter objects. Each ward race page shows the outgoing or sitting alderperson's attendance, votes and legislation next to the candidates.

What's next

Objections are due Nov. 2 at the Board's office, 69 W. Washington St., Suite 800, the Board said. The Board certifies the ballot Dec. 17. We will update each ward page when the Board posts its list and list challenges on our objections page.

Sources: Chicago Politics: Who's running for alderman in 2027.