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MARY MITCHELL: Sandi Jackson brags: I'm picking my own replacement for alderman

Sandi Jackson assured her faithful supporters that she was still large and in charge as she signed off as the 7th Ward alderman Tuesday night.  Media were barred from the gathering, but the alderman’s remarks were recorded by someone in the room with a cellphone who turned it over to the Chicago Sun-Times. (Click to hear the audio.)  Although Mayor Rahm Emanuel has promised that his first aldermanic appointment would be based on a transparent community process, Jackson all but declared her chief of staff, Keiana Barrett, as her successor.  One mayoral source laughed when I shared Jackson’s comments about selecting her successor.