As Mayor Lorraine H. Morton searches for a replacement for Ald. Stephen Engelman (7th), it is unlikely she will find someone with such original hair.
In the last year-and-a-half, it seems he hasn’t trimmed his ever-lengthening white mane once — and now he has a look reminiscent of a 17th-century Frenchman. But with Engelman’s resignation, which takes effect Saturday, the city will be losing more than just a friendly public servant who almost always has a smile.
If any other alderman were leaving, he or she would deserve praise, too. Evanston is a complex city, and the aldermen face difficult jobs. They frequently get bad raps.
Engleman, however, was special. He possessed a unique perspective and great leadership skills — qualities that will be missed.
Although his politics were not always popular, he held to them. He brought a different viewpoint to debates and frequently strayed from the council majority. In fact, he and Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) could be consistently relied upon to provide dissenting opinions. Politics aside, sticking to one’s ideals — especially when they are in the minority — takes a lot of integrity.
Most significantly, Engelman strayed from the pack in his views on town-gown relations. He closely considered the university’s perspective on issues such as the head tax and even the Northeast Evanston Historic District. Engelman’s understanding of the conflict’s complexity and ability to see both sides are rare traits that leaders from both sides of Sheridan Road could use more of.
One area in which the council did agree with Engelman was his opposition to doubling rooming house fees. Engelman brought the council back to reality on the subject, which would have directly affected the pocketbooks of NU students. The 2003-04 budget passed Monday without the fee increase.
Engelman also brought a sense of leadership to the council, especially in his role as chairman of the Budget Committee. To increase residents’ input in the budget process, Engelman created focus groups in the committee last year to discuss what programs residents valued most. Although it may not have changed the course of the budget process, the focus groups got people involved and helped the council recognize people’s priorities. At these meetings, people were discussing what they really thought was important to their city and what they wanted their government to do — which should happen more in every community.
This year the process got even better as the committee went on the road, educating more people around the city about the council’s problems. All of the aldermen who participated should be applauded for taking such an initiative, but it should be recognized that Engelman really made it all happen.
In announcing his departure, Engelman said it was time for “new leadership” in the city. I hope the mayor takes this into account when searching for his replacement, because Engelman was right: The entire city, not just the Seventh Ward, needs strong leadership.
I can’t fault Engelman for retiring. He has done a lot for the city, and he deserves to have more time with his family. I just hope that his replacement can bring as much to the table as Engelman does — and that his perspective is not forgotten.
Medill junior Matt Lopas is a former city editor. He can be reached [email protected].
