Anjana Hansen has been prosecuting criminals in Illinois for eight years. Now she wants to take her skills from the courtroom to Evanston City Council chambers by running for Ninth Ward alderman.
With three aldermen retiring, including Ald. Gene Feldman (9th), and most of the incumbents facing challengers, Hansen — a 32-year-old assistant Cook County state’s attorney — said she is hoping the April elections will bring a fresh start for City Council.
"It’s an opportunity for a huge change, and to do some things differently," she said.
And Hansen said she is the person to take advantage of that opportunity.
"I saw it as a natural progression," she said. "I saw it as an opportunity to serve my community on a more local level, in terms of my neighbors."
Hansen grew up in Rogers Park and has lived in the Ninth Ward for the last seven years. Although she is new to politics, she has served as a block captain for her neighborhood watch group and worked with the Evanston Police Department’s Problem Solving Team.
Hansen is running against Mimi Peterson, who has advocated for a public vaccination program for elm trees against Dutch elm disease and monetary contributions from Northwestern. But Ninth Ward resident Pat Navin said Hansen’s legal experience makes her the stronger candidate.
"As a prosecutor she needs to do a lot of negotiation between her office and defendants’ offices," Navin said. "She understands all sorts of social problems."
Located in south Evanston, the Ninth Ward is far from NU, but Hansen has given much thought to city-university relations. The current council has an "adversarial" relationship with NU, one that she hopes to reform, Hansen said.
Her plan is to establish a more constructive dialogue between the two parties — one that will lead to permanent change.
Affordable housing is another priority for Hansen. She is concerned that developers are converting apartments to costly condominiums or building new ones without regard to the housing needs of the existing community.
"Who are the people that can afford these units?" Hansen asked. "It’s not the people who will lose the apartments."
Hansen said she will support an inclusionary zoning ordinance, that would set aside a certain proportion of new units for affordable housing.
Hansen disagrees with Peterson on Dutch elm disease. Adding expenses when operating under a budget deficit would be unwise, especially because the vaccinations would have to occur every three years, she said.
"What if we don’t have the money in year three?" Hansen asked. "Then all the money we spent will go to waste."
Hansen also wants to maintain Chicago Transit Authority services in the face of budget cuts, something the council has not addressed in the past.
Some people have asked Hansen if she will have enough time to be an alderman and a parent, she said. With her husband Hans, a food distribution sales manager, she has a 2-year-old and a 4-month-old baby.
"My first answer is I would not have decided to run if I didn’t have the time to do this," Hansen said. "If I’m going to be elected, I’m going to make the time to be there."
If elected, Hansen will be one of the youngest council members.
She already has started thinking of ways she would reach out to her constituents. Instead of holding one yearly ward meeting, she wishes to hold seven, one in each of the ward’s precincts.
"The woman, with two young kids, has so much drive," said Mary Hart, Hansen’s neighbor. "I really respect her."
Greg Hafkin can be reached at [email protected].
