When Ald. Dennis Drummer (2nd) took his seat on Evanston City Council, there were twice as many aldermen as there are now, and there were not so many lawyers.

But one thing has not changed in Drummer’s 17 years on the council: The relationship between Evanston and Northwestern “has been bad, bad, bad all along.”

In his cluttered office at Dennis Drummer Drapery Service, 1425 Lake St., the outgoing alderman recently looked back on his five terms as Second Ward alderman while preparing to leave office later this month.

“I’ve gotten a complete education over there at City Hall, to tell you the truth,” Drummer said. “It is one of those jobs where you can really help people, and I like that. I’ve had a wonderful ride.”

Drummer explained that he decided to retire because he has been on the council long enough to accomplish most of his goals.

But his 17 years passed not without regret. One goal that has eluded Drummer is a resolution of the tension between the city and NU. He remarked that he tried to help the “two stubborn entities” to make amends, but to no avail.

“There have been some good moments, where we thought we would see some light,” Drummer said. “But it seems there’s always something that drags it down.”

Drummer suggested one possible solution: NU should offer to loan money to the city at a low interest rate to help pay for problems the university helps cause. “I hope that someone will come to the table and get it started again,” he said.

But it will be a table that Drummer won’t sit at next term. He feels he has served long enough, and it is time for a fresh voice in his ward.

“After 17 years, no one should try to stay along too long,” he said. “Sometimes, you know it is time to move on.”

During his tenure, Drummer has seen drastic changes in the fabric of the council.

When he began, there existed 18 aldermen positions – two per ward – but in the early 1990s a grassroots referendum cut the number in half. Now, he said, it is more difficult for the council to function because fewer alderman belong to each committee, where the ground-work on proposals is worked out.

And the aldermen themselves have changed over the years. During the 1980s, more women and “civic-minded people” sat on the council, Drummer noted. Now, all but three aldermen are lawyers and only two are women.

“I have nothing against lawyers, but most lawyers think everything’s an issue of the law when it’s not,” Drummer said. “It’s an issue of common sense and logic.”

No matter who wins today’s election to replace Drummer – Betty Sue Ester and Lionel Jean-Baptiste are competing to succeed him – many of his colleagues agree that the council will not be the same without him.

Mayor Lorraine Morton, who sat on the council when Drummer was appointed to fill a vacancy in 1984, said Drummer “came in running” when he first took office and never stopped.

“Dennis just works,” Morton said. “He never says anything bad about anybody. He never complains. He is the epitome of professionalism.”

Drummer has also earned the respect of his newest colleagues, among them Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th), who is finishing his first term on the council.

“I’ve depended on him, on his low-key style, on his knowledge of government,” Bernstein said. “He really is a special person. His impact is going to be felt.”

Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd), also completing her first term, identifies Drummer as the “linchpin” of the council.

“He gives the council some continuity,” she said. “He is the council parliamentarian. He has encyclopedic knowledge of procedure.”

Whenever a question of protocol arises, the aldermen look to Drummer for guidance, Wynne said, adding that the depth of his memory constantly surprises the council.

“He is the institutional memory on the council,” Wynne said.

When Drummer took office nearly two decades ago, he said, he did not intend to stay so long. Before becoming an alderman, he had worked as the president of the Council of Elders, which attempted to combat youth crime in the Second Ward.

While Drummer served on the city’s Gang Crime Task Force, then-Mayor Jay Lytle appointed him to fill a vacancy mid-term.

“My work with youth at that time was important,” Drummer said. “There were gang problems. I was going to the council to address that issue.”

Throughout his first and second terms, Drummer expanded his agenda to include other neighborhood issues, such as traffic calming. He also worked with a dozen neighborhood organizations to improve the quality of life in his ward.

“I found I didn’t have enough time to get what I wanted done,” Drummer said. “In four years, you just don’t have enough time. So I had to come back in and do it again for four more years.”

Drummer also has spearheaded minority involvement in Evanston businesses, founding a city-wide minority business program. During the 1990s, he also served as chairman of the Community Development Block Grant Committee.

More recently, Drummer has brought his business acumen to the council during annual budget sessions, which he said he enjoys because they allow the aldermen to work together in a less charged environment.

Wynne, who sits next to Drummer in the council chambers, said other aldermen will miss Drummer in this role.

“He has an excellent work relationship with everyone on the council,” she said.

Looking ahead, Drummer said he is concerned about the growing political atmosphere on the council.

“I worry that some of the things that happen these days are close to being personal,” Drummer said. “That’s a problem.”

But getting along with his colleagues seems to be something that Drummer himself has had few problems doing. Bernstein said his presence on the council will be greatly missed.

“Dennis Drummer is going to be an unbelievable loss to the city of Evanston,” Bernstein said. “He is my hero.”