by BRIAN NADIG

Three candidates for the 45th Ward aldermanic seat and two for the 41st Ward aldermanic seat were among those filing for the Feb. 26 municipal election.

Incumbent Alderman John Arena (45th) and challengers Jim Gardiner, a Chicago firefighter, and Marilyn Morales, a Chicago Park District regional manager, filed their nominating petitions at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19, making them eligible for a lottery to determine whose name will appear first on the ballot.

The filing deadline is Monday, Nov. 26, and the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners will be accepting challenges to nominating positions through Monday, Dec. 3.

Also expected to run in the 45th Ward race are former Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association president Robert Bank, real estate broker Tina Wallace and Chicago police officer Guy Dailey.

Arena is seeking his third term as alderman, as he won runoff elections in 2011 and 2015, each time defeating John Garrido, who has said he is not running in 2019.

In the 41st Ward, first-term incumbent Anthony Napolitano and challenger Tim Heneghan, the ward’s Democratic committeeman, filed at 9 a.m. Monday. No other candidates are expected to file for the race.









In 2015, Napolitano defeated then-incumbent Mary O’Connor in a runoff election.

In the 39th Ward, Democratic committeeman Robert Murphy, former Cook County Homeland Security chief of staff Samantha Nugent and Chicago police officer Jeff La Porte filed their nominating paperwork Monday morning.

Longtime Alderman Margaret Laurino has announced that she will not be seeking re-election in 2019. In 2015, Murphy came in second in the aldermanic race.

Albany Park Community Center director of fundraising and community engagement Casey Smagala and Chicago police officer Joe Duplechin also are expected to submit nominating petitions for the 39th Ward race.

In the 38th Ward, incumbent Alderman Nicholas Sposato was the only candidate to file nominating petitions Monday morning, but at least two other ward residents, including Ralph Pawlikowski, have been campaigning to become the ward’s alderman.

In those races in which no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff election in April.