UPDATE (2:02 pm):  The committeemen have appointed Bridget Gainer the next Cook County commissioner representing the 10th District.

UPDATE: (2:11 pm): Here's how the weighted vote broke down:

Gainer: 36,308 votes (Sharpe, Ronen, Barnette, P. O'Connor, M. O'Connor, Silverstein) 

Walz: 25,389 votes (Tunney, Smith, Levar, Fagus)

John Fritchey -- who held 1,208 votes -- abstained.

Original post: 

Today’s the day that Rep. Mike Quigley’s replacement on the Cook County board will be chosen.  After hearing from eight individuals interested in the appointment in a public forum, the group of the Democratic committeemen (including several proxies) who will make the selection just slipped behind closed doors to deliberate.

It appears that the contest has narrowed to two candidates – Quigley’s former chief of staff Kim Walz and Aon lobbyist and former Daley administration aide Bridget Gainer.  An alderman close to the behind-the-scenes negotiations tells me that 46th Ward Committeeman Tom Sharpe -- who remains “coy”  and is keeping his preference “close to the vest” -- is the wildcard who will likely cast the deciding vote.

Meanwhile, the public interest in the process is intense.  A standing room crowd turned out today to watch each candidate field questions from the ward bosses.  The five people who appeared at last weekend's NDFA/IVI-IPO forum -- Walz, Gainer, Michele Smith (who is one of the committeemen making the ultimate decision), Jay Paul Deratany, and Michael Hickey.  There were also a handful of fresh faces that made their pitches today: specifically, Robert Block, James Madigan, and Sara Ellis.

If the contest were decided on lapel stickers and applause lines alone, Walz -- who won both the Tribune and Sun-Times endorsements earlier this week – would be the obvious successor.

Unlike last week’s candidate forum, there’s was far less piggybacking on Quigley’s reform legacy this morning. Not a single candidate struck a Quigley comparison, and Walz made a point of getting out from the congressman’s shadow. Each of the candidates affirmed that they’d refuse campaign contributions from county contractors and employees, attempt to repeal the sales tax increase, and reform themismanaged (and cash-strapped) court, prison and hospital systems should they win the appointment.

The nearly two-hour Q&A session ended around 1 p.m. and the committeemen have now moved behind closed doors, where the real drama will take place. “I anticipate it’s going to take some time for us to come to a consensus,” Ald. Tom Tunney (44th Ward) told the audience, predicting "it will still be light out when we come back."

We’ll post the final decision when it's announced.