Roseland Heights Community Association

While two candidates remain, six make their presence known in 6th Ward runoff
There may not be room for all six candidates on the ballot in the 6th Ward’s aldermanic runoff, but apparently the defeated are not going quietly.
According to remaining candidate Roderick T. Sawyer's campaign, all four candidates who didn’t make the final cut in the South Side ward’s Feb. 22 municipal race have thrown their support behind him. He will take on longtime incumbent Freddrenna Lyle on April 5.
However, Richard A. Wooten said Tuesday that he has not publicly endorsed anyone.
The alleged endorsements surfaced in a press release from Sawyer’s campaign office Monday announcing the support of former candidates Brian E. Sleet, Cassandra Goodrum-Burton, Sekum Walker and Wooten. Sawyer, who received almost 25 percent of the vote in the first-round municipal, is the son of the late Chicago mayor and 6th Ward Ald. Eugene Sawyer.
While the four former candidates collectively earned more than 30 percent of the vote, it is unclear how those votes will distribute themselves in the upcoming runoff. Sawyer said that although the endorsement is a tremendous boost for his campaign and he hopes it brings him over the top to beat Lyle — who earned 44.5 percent of the vote in the primary — it does not guarantee a victory for his camp.
“It’s a positive sign, but it’s not the end-all be-all,” Sawyer said.