The 2022 Axios Chicago awards

Quietest Quit: Ald. Ed Burke's silent exit from the City Council.

• We've heard of this phenomenon in offices worldwide but didn't expect it in local politics. The city's longest-serving alderperson departed not with a press conference or even a release; he just didn't file signatures for re-election.
• The quietest end to a Chicago era ever.

Best flip-flop: Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi.

• If Kaegi were a gymnast, he'd get close to perfect scores for his twists and turns over this year's property taxes.
• After long delays and promises to lower residents' taxes, he faced politics and internal squabbles that actually left residents on the hook for more of the burden than commercial landlords.

Best new Chicago nickname: Hellhole.

• Gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey used the phrase frequently to describe the biggest voting bloc in the state that he wanted to govern.

Best new neighborhood name: Edgefield Park.

• Bailey made up this Chicago neighborhood when attacking Governor Pritzker over crime.

Most notorious doughnut run: Mayor Lori Lightfoot really needed some Roeser's (don't we all), but it became front-page news after her security detail double-parked in a bike lane outside the bakery.

• That might be forgivable most years, but not when fines for the practice just got boosted to $250 to improve public safety.
• We hope the glaze was worth it!

Weirdest foods: Monica went to Springfield to finally try the famous cheese and French fry-covered open-face sandwich, but ended up with a deep-fried horseshoe at the State Fair.

• And she learned you can eat green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dessert.

Best sports story: It was not a great year for local sports. If you're a fan of schadenfreude, the only highlight may have been the dazzling displays of managerial head scratchers during the White Sox stinker of a season.

• And, of course, Tony La Russa falling asleep in the dugout.

Most-read stories: Two of our top stories this year featured a hot dog CEO throwing shade on our city and a dapper mail carrier spreading stylish sunshine through Albany Park.

Weirdest statue: It wasn't built in 2022, but the Harry Caray statue at Waveland and Sheffield still reigns supreme as the creepiest memorial in town.

• Are the little Harrys trying to eat the bigger Harry? We may never know.