Fifth Ward aldermanic candidate Charles Sheridan is used to repairing doors and windows. Now he wants to fix problems in Evanston.

Sheridan has no political experience, but it didn’t stop the self-employed carpenter from entering the April 5 election as a candidate for Fifth Ward Alderman.

The Fifth Ward is the most heavily contested ward, with five aldermanic candidates vying for a seat vacated by veteran Ald. Joseph Kent.

"It will be a challenge to win," he said. "I’ll learn as a I go."

Sheridan, wearing jeans splattered with bits of paint and a casual shirt, said he is not worried about running as a first-time candidate.

He said he wants voters to remember he is running for the people, not for a prestigious city position.

"I’m not a puffed-up kind of guy," Sheridan said.

Sheridan admits he doesn’t have a "long list of achievements" like his opponents.

"All those people are so dry," he said. "I like to poke a little fun of myself."

Sheridan has traveled and worked in Russia, Europe and Japan, but he calls Evanston home.

With his humor and passion for city issues, Sheridan said he can serve the Fifth Ward well.

Sheridan has two sons and also has had trouble finding employment in the city, so he said he can relate to challenges many local families face. For two years, he studied the city’s local hiring policies, especially for construction jobs for new developments such as the Sherman Plaza.

After being rejected from several construction jobs and hearing about his neighbors’ failure to find work in Evanston, Sheridan noticed several trends that he’d like to see reversed. He decided to make local hiring the main focus of his platform.

"There are a lot of minorities being denied hire," he said. "They’re being cheated out of employment."

He plans to hold the city more accountable to their promise to hire more local workers.

Some city contracts with developers require as much as 15 percent of jobs should be filled through local hiring, he said.

After experiencing difficulties finding affordable housing in the city, he was proud to find the "cheapest house in Evanston."

But the house was not as affordable compared to homes in other North Shore suburbs, he said. Sheridan said he wants a visible effort toward more affordable housing.

He suggests supporting new businesses into the Fifth Ward and more housing development projects.

"I want to help the people of the Fifth Ward get up on the economic ladder," he said.

Sheridan considers Fifth Ward activist and candidate Dolores Holmes to be his biggest opponent.

"She’s done a lot of good work in the Fifth Ward," he said. "She’ll be some stiff competition because the people know her."

Since Sheridan is the self-identified "newcomer" in the race, he will be spending the next few weeks talking to residents and building his reputation. He is planning to start door-to-door campaigning so residents can get to know him.

Evanston resident Donald Fowler, who worked as Sheridan’s circulator, said he has watched Sheridan help community members for more than two decades.

Fowler said Sheridan taught him and several other neighbors carpentry skills and has helped residents find local jobs. He said Sheridan’s actions — aimed at helping his community — speak louder than words.

"All the other candidates give you promises but don’t follow through," he said.

Fowler also said he believes Sheridan will win even as a white candidate in a primarily black ward.

"It doesn’t matter what color you are," Fowler said. "He’s a candidate with the platform that appeals to the people. It’s all about the people."

Reach Stephanie Chen at [email protected].