Del Valle's Got a Way With Voters

Miguel del Valle lunched Tuesday where many big-name Democrats have cleaned their plates before, at Mellow Yellow in Hyde Park.

After shaking hands with patrons and sitting down at a table with his top staff, Del Valle noticed how just six feet in front of him were pictures of Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Richard Daley.

"I anticipate at some point my picture will be on that wall. I was here a few weeks ago, and the staff took pictures with me," Del Valle laughed.

Sitting behind him, voter Tina Brown was eating lunch by coincidence and left afterward to vote for Del Valle. 

"I go with what I feel about a person's personality and character," Brown said. "I just happened to be having lunch today, and him walking in just confirmed what I felt."

Still, Del Valle said he thinks Chicago needs a runoff to give the city more time for an informed decision. In the wake of the November election, February blizzard and months-long residency debate, he said, voters only had a few weeks to make a solid decision.

"It will afford voters one additional month, more than a month, to really look at two candidates and feel that they can really cast an informed vote," Del Valle said.

"I really anticipate having a runoff, and I expect to be one of those candidates in the runoff."

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