by BRIAN NADIG

In the 45th Ward aldermanic race, former Portage Park Neighborhood Association vice president John Arena won a narrow victory over Chicago police lieutenant John Garrido, who decided not to seek a recount despite losing by only 28 votes.

With all of the 53 precincts in the ward reporting, Arena had 6,080 votes compared to 6,052 for Garrido, according to unofficial figures from the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Garrido and Arena beat out five other candidates in February in order to meet in the April 5 runoff.

Those vote totals do not include 21 unreturned absentee ballots, which the elections board must receive by April 19 in order to be counted, according to board spokesman Jim Allen. Of 16 provisional ballots, seven eventually were counted, while nine others were rejected because the voter was not registered or registered in the wrong precinct, Allen said.

Last week Garrido said that he planned to file for a recount, but he changed his mind early this week. Allen said that the elections board traditionally does not charge candidates for the cost of a recount but that those seeking a recount can occur other expenses, including attorney fees.

“Although we definitely have enough evidence to initiate the process of a costly recount, we must move on and do what is best for the 45th Ward and the City of Chicago. So in the best interests of the 45th Ward, I will not seek a recount,” Garrido said in a written statement. Garrido wished Arena “the best of luck” in the statement, but added, “Who knows, maybe even a rematch in 4 years.”

According to some election experts, the accuracy of initial vote counts of has increased significantly in recent years due to technological improvements, and it would be surprising if a recount were to change the outcome of the race. In last year’s Republication primary for Illinois governor, state Senator Kirk Dillard chose not to seek a recount despite losing to state Senator Bill Brady by about 200 votes in a statewide race.

On election night Arena spokesman Joshua Kilroy said that Arena’s lead was large enough to withstand a recount or the tabulation of outstanding absentee ballots later in the week. “John (Arena) is the alderman elect of the 45th Ward,” Kilroy said.

Going into the runoff, Garrido appeared to have the larger base of support, as he received 5,142 votes compared to 3,598 votes for Arena in the Feb. 22 election. However, fueled by strong financial backing from the Service Employees International Union, supporters for Arena, a Democrat, inundated the ward with mailers attacking Garrido as an anti-union Republican.

A Democrat versus Republican tone continued throughout the race despite the nonpartisan nature of aldermanic elections, as a party affiliation for the candidates is not listed on the ballot. Some of the Arena mailers compared Garrido’s ideology to that of former President George W. Bush.

“In spite of all the lies and misrepresentations disseminated by my opponent, we maintained our honesty and integrity and ran a solid campaign,” Garrido said on his campaign’s Web site.

Garrido, who in 2010 ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Cook County Board president, described himself during his aldermanic campaign as an independent who has voted in both Republican and Democratic primaries and said that, unlike Arena, he belongs to a union as a police officer. In response to Arena’s attacks, Garrido said that he opposes the privatization of city services and is a strong advocate of collective bargaining rights.

One of the key issues of the race was the deteriorating condition of several of the ward’s business districts. While Arena pointed to his experience in helping to maintain a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere in the Six Corners shopping district, Garrido claimed that Arena in his leadership role with the neighborhood association often blocked new development. One of the first issues which the next alderman will face will be whether to support a proposed 6 ½-story parking structure for the Jefferson Park business district.

The winner of the race will replace Alderman Patrick Levar, who is retiring after serving six terms. Levar, who also is the ward’s Democratic committeeman, did not endorse either candidate in the runoff. Over the years Levar and Arena have had a stormy relationship, as Arena wrote a column in the neighborhood association’s newsletter which often criticized Levar.

Arena has said that he wants his aldermanic office in the heart of the Jefferson Park business district in an effort to help with the area’s redevelopment and to demonstrate his overall commitment to revitalizing all of the commercial areas of the ward.