Twelve Evanston residents officially entered the election for alderman Tuesday, Evanston City Clerk Mary Morris said.
At least one candidate for every aldermanic race, except for in the Second Ward, filed for a petition on the first day of the eight-day filing period.
Both First Ward candidates — Cheryl Wollin and community activist Judy Fiske — were among about 10 people waiting in line to be some of the first people to file their petitions when the City Clerk’s Office opened at 8:30 a.m.
Wollin, a former Seventh Ward alderman, said she will officially kick off her campaign at 4 p.m. on Jan. 30 at 1314 Forest Ave.
Fiske said she will hold a campaign kickoff at 5 p.m. on Jan. 30 at 216 Lake St.
The First Ward includes much of the downtown area and the part of the Evanston Campus west of Sheridan Road, except for Jones Residential College and 1835 Hinman.
Both Fiske and Wollin have said they want students to be included in their races.
Fiske said she wants students to help in her campaign and has already e-mailed Associated Student Government President Jane Lee.
“It’s really important for students to get involved,” Fiske said. “We’re all in this together.”
As a professor at Oakton Community College, Wollin said she would love to have students work with her.
“I’m a college teacher, so I think there is a lot to be learned at the local level,” she said.
Like the race in the First Ward, most of attention is focused on candidates in wards where the incumbent is not likely to run.
About 40 people have picked up election packets for different city races since the packets became available Oct. 27 of last year, Morris said. The number of people picking up packets this year is higher than it has been in previous elections because several incumbents have announced decisions not to run, she said.
“When people decide not to run, it brings forth people who think they want to do it and people who are casual,” Morris said.
Mimi Peterson and Anjana Hansen filed Tuesday to run for Ninth Ward alderman. The current alderman, Gene Feldman, announced in May that he will retire at the end of his term.
The fact that many other residents also have shown interest in running in the Fifth Ward doesn’t worry community activist Dolores Holmes. She said it simply shows that people are concerned about the neighborhood.
The other Fifth Ward candidate who filed Tuesday, Furman Sizemore, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. It is unclear if current Fifth Ward alderman Joseph Kent will run for re-election.
People interested in running for alderman, city clerk, township supervisor and township assessor can still pick up election packets, but they must collect all of the necessary signatures and then file them with the city clerk’s office by Jan. 25.
Reach Breanne Gilpatrick at [email protected].
The DAILY’s Paul Thissen contributed to this report.
