Filing Deadline Extended To Replace Sandi Jackson As Alderman [UPDATED]
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 28, 2013 2:40PM
Ald. Sandi Jackson (7th). (Image via NBC Chicago screen grab.)
If you think you have what it takes to replace Sandi Jackson as 7th Ward Alderman, you have until 5 p.m. to file for her old job. The Emanuel administration announced Friday they were extending the deadline because of technical difficulties on their website.
Not that there hasn't been interest in the vacancy: 42 people have applied to replace Jackson, who resigned from her seat Jan. 15, citing the health of her husband, former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
Before you apply, please be aware that living in the 7th Ward is a requirement for employment, which right now disqualifies Jackson's former chief of staff Keiana Barrett. Jackson all but guaranteed supporters in a farewell address that Barrett would replace her, prompting Mayor Rahm Emanuel to say that any qualified candidates Jackson had should be submitted via the official hiring process.
Emanuel will organize a panel of community leaders once the application process has closed to whittle down the list of candidates and hopes to name a replacement for Jackson by mid-February.
Update 9:45 a.m.: The Emanuel administration announced the committee tasked with narrowing down the field of prospects for Jackson's seat to the most qualified. That committee is:
- Susan Motley, Community Activist
- Rev. Marrion Johnson, Sr., Founding Pastor, Come Alive Ministry of Faith
- Echelle M. Mohn, Founder of EMUJ Network, Longtime 7th Ward Resident
- Michelle Harris, City Council President Pro Tempore
- Felicia Davis, Executive Director, Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement
This committee is expected to cull the list of recommendations to three or four candidates, who will then be interviewed by Emanuel.