Posted by Hal Dardick at 1:56 p.m.
The Chicago City Council has two new aldermen — a former state legislator from the West Side and a North Side businessman — after aldermen today approved the most recent appointments by Mayor Richard Daley.
In the 29th Ward, where former Ald. Isaac Carothers resigned his post after pleading guilty in federal court to accepting a bribe, Deborah Graham is the new alderman. Until her appointment, she was a state representative for the Austin neighborhood and Oak Park.
Graham, 43, was a Carothers protege. She said she also will give up her job as a special projects coordinator for the city planning and development department.
After her appointment, she agreed to make a $5,000 payment to the city because she failed to live up to the terms of a city program that allowed her to buy an affordable home in Austin. She agreed to the payment after the Tribune asked her about the transaction.
In the 1st Ward, where former Manny Flores resigned to become the Illinois Commerce Commission chairman, the new alderman is Joe Moreno, the vice president of a graphic arts and printing company. Moreno, 37, is a member of the Jose Diego Academy local school council and the Humboldt Park Social Services Board.
He also is involved in the United Neighborhood Organization, a Latino group that has allied itself with Daley and become a political force in the city.