Whether at city council meetings or squaring off during debates, Seventh Ward aldermanic candidate Junad Rizki always has a friend by his side.

It’s pink, soft and a little dirty.

Rizki’s constant companion at city events is a stuffed pig he calls the "Evanston tax hog." It belonged to one of his daughters until he began taking it to council meetings a few years ago.

"Of course there’s humor in it, but it’s really not that humorous," Rizki said. "He’s a symbol of the waste of the city."

Rizki attends nearly every council meeting and never misses the series of 9 a.m. budget hearings the city holds at the beginning of each year. Talking about the city’s budget and challenging elected officials is what he has done for the past 20 years, first as an Evanston School Board activist and now in his second bid for alderman.

Rizki has never won an election. He ran twice for school board when his daughters attended elementary school in Evanston. Four years ago, he garnered just 63 votes, or 4.5 percent of the total, when he ran for Seventh Ward alderman. His opponent in this year’s election, Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl (7th), was appointed to her position by Evanston’s mayor after the elected alderman retired.

Rizki attended the University of Michigan, where he received master’s degrees in architecture and engineering. He now works as a facilities engineer at a pharmaceutical firm in Abbott Park, Ill. He moved to Evanston’s Seventh Ward — an affluent area that includes the majority of Northwestern’s on-campus housing — in 1984.

The outbreak of Dutch elm disease in Evanston was the deciding factor behind his candidacy, Rizki said.

"I felt the tree issue is of great concern," he said. "I wanted to make sure it got to the public."

Rizki has a large elm in his front yard and another planted on the side of his house. He argued with a city forester years ago because he wanted to plant a new species of elm and the city thought it would die. The tree has grown big and healthy.

Evanston City Council’s annual budget now includes a plan to inoculate all of the city’s public elm trees against the disease.

"I had some other people say, ‘Why is he running?’" Rizki said. "I just see things that people do that are not the public’s interest. I think a large number of people don’t really know what’s going on with the budget or anything."

Rizki also wants to be available to the students who live in his ward. During his campaign, he invited small groups of students to his house to talk about safety concerns.

"If students feel there is an issue, they should have access to aldermen," he said. "They need aldermen to respond to them."

Although Rizki called his opponent a "real nice lady," he said she represents the status quo.

Tisdahl pointed to her time on the school board, where she integrated Evanston Township High School’s honors and Advanced Placement classes.

"I’ve done a great deal to effect change in this community," she said. "Just because I am polite, doesn’t mean I’m not effective. I may be a grandma, but I’m a radical grandma."

Karl Gromelski ran against Rizki for Seventh Ward alderman four years ago and the two became friends during the campaign. They ride the same train to work every morning, and Rizki often keeps Gromelski updated on council meetings. Gromelski said though the council has able people that "put out fires," Rizki takes a longer-term view when it comes to city planning.

"We need people with vision to see beyond today’s problems," Gromelski said. "Junad is one of those people by trade."

Rizki already has "big plans" after the election, such as publishing an online newspaper. Win or lose, Rizki will still be at every council meeting — asking questions, scrutinizing data and trying to hold people accountable.

"I’m always challenging things," he said. "Whether I win the election or not, I’m still going to challenge things. They know I’m not going away."

Reach Maridel Reyes at [email protected].