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Big Changes Coming For City Council

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Some significant changes are in store for the Chicago City Council after Tuesday's election.

As CBS 2's Jim Williams reports, five new aldermen already have been elected to the council.

Meantime, four other wards where the alderman is leaving office are still up for grabs in runoff elections in April and, in ten other wards where aldermen are seeking another term, the incumbent didn't get the required 50 percent-plus one vote on Tuesday to avoid a one-on-one runoff.

On Wednesday, State Rep. Will Burns was cleaning up his campaign office after winning election as alderman of the 4th Ward, where former Ald. Toni Preckwinkle left to become Cook County Board President last December.

Asked why he wanted to move from the state legislature to the City Council, Burns said, "If you really want to change how your community functions and how it works, you do that from the Chicago City Council."

Like Burns, state Rep. Harry Osterman is also leaving the Illinois House to take a job on the front lines of American politics. He'll represent the 48th Ward on the North Side, where current Ald. Mary Ann Smith is retiring.

Osterman said he wasn't worried about the complaints he'll end up getting as alderman, since Chicago voters typically turn to their aldermen first for any sort of problem they think government needs to fix.

"That's true but that's a responsibility I'm willing to accept and I want that," Osterman said.

Burns and Osterman are among five new aldermen who already have won seats on the City Council.

There could be more new faces in the City Council, depending on what happens in 14 runoff elections in April

Burns and Osterman said they're up to working with Rahm Emanuel, who won the race for mayor on Tuesday and has a reputation for a tough leadership style.

Burns said he wasn't worried about Emanuel's famous penchant for profanity or his infamous temper.

"Well, you know, there are lot of people who use some bad language down in Springfield, too. So, it's not something I'm unfamiliar with," Burns said. "Politics ain't beanbag."

Burns and Osterman come from different places. Burns grew up in Cleveland, while Osterman is a native Chicagoan.

Burns joked that he "sought asylum (from Cleveland) at the age of 18. I went to University of Chicago undergrad."

Osterman grew up in the 48th Ward, where his late mother Kathy Osterman was the alderman more than 20 years ago.

"It's a very special moment for me and my family. My mother taught me a lot around our dining room table about bringing people together to solve problems," Osterman said.

Now, Osterman and Will Burns will have to solve a lot of problems, trying to determine what to cut in a budget hundreds of millions of dollars in the red while making sure potholes are filled and cops are in the right places.

New aldermen also will be taking seats in three other wards.

In the 19th Ward, Democratic Committeeman Matt O'Shea won the race to replace retiring Ald. Ginger Rugai. In the 47th Ward, Northwestern University emergency management staffer Ameya Pawar defeated the handpicked candidate to replace retiring Ald. Eugene Schulter.

In the 13th Ward, Ald. Frank Olivo pulled out of the race after the filing deadline, leaving political ally Marty Quinn the only other candidate. Quinn will take over Olivo's seat in May.

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