Sawyer vows to make his case to voters after being forced into runoff by challenger

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Deborah Foster-Bonner, left, and Roderick Sawyer. [Submitted photos]

Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6) — facing an unexpected runoff against accountant Deborah Foster-Bonner on April 2 — has his fingers crossed that history won’t repeat itself.

Eight years ago, 6th Ward Ald. Freddrenna Lyle, who was first appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1998, won 44.5 percent of the vote in the first round of voting.

In his first race for office, Sawyer, the son of a former mayor taking on the establishment’s preferred candidate, finished with 25 percent.

Despite Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s support, union and business backing, Lyle lost to Sawyer by 104 votes in the runoff.

After all of the votes cast Feb. 26 were counted, Sawyer ended up three votes shy of the 50-percent-plus-one threshold to win re-election. Foster-Bonner won 31 percent of the vote.

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