Chicago City Council Remains Asianless

Yesterday, 50th Ward incumbent Bernie Stone defeated challenger Naisy Dolar in a runoff election, 52.9 percent to 47.1 percent.

On her website, Dolar thanked her volunteers and offered some reflection:

"Today, we, the residents, took back the 50th ward and have forced our alderman to pay attention to our voices. Tomorrow, we will continue to talk about our achievements because there wasn't a moment of regret in any of this."

Props to those who lent their time, money, and effort to this cause; despite the outcome, this campaign has galvanized Chicago's Asian American community, and primed it to take important steps in the future.

I'd hoped to post these campaign photos prior to the election, but now seems like an appropriate enough time to give the volunteers their due. Thanks to Stephanie Drenka of DePaul University's Asian Cultural Exchange for providing them.

Eric Salcedo and John Park

Volunteers get ready to hit the streets (Eric Byler at far left)