In March, Chicago voters will cast their ballots for Democratic Party ward committeemen, a/k/a “ward bosses.”

The rise of political outsiders in Chicago's city council, like Nick Sposato (36th) and Amaya Pawar (47th), have disrupted the normally symbiotic relationship between ward committeeman and ward alderman. The result could be fiercely competitive committeeman races that actually disrupt long-ensconced political power. 

Ward committeemen in Chicago may be best known for doling out city jobs to those who get out the vote for their candidates of choice. But anti-corruption reforms have at least diminished this system of patronage. 

Still, a committeeman shapes political power because of their endorsement of a slate of candidates – from alderman to water reclamation commissioner. The job is unpaid, but 32 of the 50 ward committeemen double as aldermen. 

Most of the 18 other committeemen are in even more powerful, elected positions. Jesse White, for instance, is the Illinois Secretary of State and has guided the political career of Walter Burnett, alderman of the 27th Ward for which White is committeeman.

A growing number of committeemen, though, are at odds with their ward’s alderman. This is the case in the 36th Ward (located on the far northwest side), where Sposato, a former Chicago fireman, upset committeeman William Bank’s candidate of choice, incumbent John Rice.

Banks was alderman himself for 26 years before retiring in 2009. He controlled 36th Ward politics during that time. As alderman, he chaired the city’s zoning committee – even as his nephew was the busiest zoning lawyer in Chicago.

Banks retires next year as committeeman and has endorsed attorney Larry Andolino to take his place. Sposato, though, is also running for committeeman. 

Andolino made the uncharacteristic pledge of vowing not to run for alderman if elected committeeman.

“If you are a committeeman and you have another elected office, it’s human nature that you will skew things,” Andolino says. “I want to support an alderman that is good for the community, not for my self-interest.”

The pledge doubles as a rebuke to Sposato, who sees the alderman doubling as committeeman as a given.  “That’s pretty much the history of the job,” Sposato says. “If I were to lose the election, then it’s clear that people don’t like what I’m doing so far as alderman.”

Andolino emphasizes that he is not simply the candidate of Banks.

“I don’t how the politics worked before,” he said. "I’m not the old guard. I’m 42 years-old and I’m the executive director of a community organization [the Galewood-Montclare Community Organization].” 

Even more ensconced than Banks in the 36th has been Eugene Schulter in the 47th Ward. Schulter was alderman from 1975 until he retired last year and endorsed longtime ward ally Tom O’Donnell. But Pawar schocked O'Donnell, and the entire “fighting 47th” political machine that backed Schulter’s chosen successor when he won the seat. 

Schulter remains committeeman – and has $187,299 of campaign cash on hand. But it is not known if he will seek re-election, or, perhaps, handpick a successor. Calls to his committeeman office were not returned.

Pawar, meanwhile, vowed in his aldermanic candidacy that he would not seek the position of committeeman. But his position might change, as he finds himself at odds with Schulter. 

Much to the chagrin of Pawar, Schulter emailed 47th Ward constituents on September 10 stating that he would, “remain equally committed to helping you maintain access to local city, county, and state services … just as when I served as your Alderman.”

One candidate who has emerged in the 47th is Paul Rosenfield. Rosenfield, a lobbyist for the Government Navigation Group, was endorsed by Cook County Board President – and 4th Ward Committeeman – Toni Preckwinkle. 

Like Preckwinkle, Rosenfield, comes from Hyde Park. Rosenfield predicted that Pawar would support his committeeman bid. “I think he’s got issues with the current committeeman,” Rosenfield said. 

Besides the 36th and 47th, another race to watch is the 6th where ward committeewoman Freddrenna Lyle lost her aldermanic seat to Roderick Sawyer this past spring – and Sawyer now plans to run as committeeman. 

Lyle has not yet indicated if she will try to retain her position at the top of the 6th Ward. 

Candidates have until the end of November to gather the signatures necessary to get on the ballot.  A wrinkle to these races is that the City Council is supposed to remap the city’s 50 wards by the first week of December, which could substantially change some of the neighborhood’s the committeemen represent.