Laura Olson and Matt Presser

Being a freshman on the Evanston City Council is a lot like entering your first year of college. Both involve planning a budget, setting goals for the next four years and building relationships with new people. But when the newest aldermen joined their “fraternity,” the hazing was limited to late-night meetings.

Alds. Delores Holmes (5th) and Anjana Hansen (9th) are the freshmen council members, learning the ropes during the past year while getting started on their campaign promises. They and newly elected Ald. Cheryl Wollin (1st) replaced longtime male representatives. While Wollin had been an alderman before, neither Holmes nor Hansen had any political experience.

Holmes said the biggest surprise after joining the council was how much time it takes to keep up-to-date on the issues.

“It’s part-time, so you wouldn’t think it would consume a lot of time, but I spend 20 to 30 hours every week in terms of answering your mail, going to meetings, trying to keep abreast of all the transcripts and minutes,” Holmes said.

Both Holmes and Hansen said they’ve relied on the returning council members for background on unfamiliar issues and answers to procedural questions.

“There’s always a learning curve and I have to say I’ve learned quite a bit in the last year,” Hansen said. “Nothing’s been too complicated that I couldn’t overcome and many of the other aldermen have been really helpful.”

Holmes and Hansen bring different experiences to the job. Holmes is a retired social services worker whose kids are already out of the house, while Hansen, a 33-year-old criminal prosecutor and the youngest alderman, has two young children.

Balancing her day job, family life and government position can be difficult, Hansen said, but she does her best to separate her different lives.

“I try to give 100 percent to my constituents and to the city when it’s time to sit down and be an alderman,” she said. “And when it’s time to give 100 percent to my family, I try to make sure my aldermanic work doesn’t come into my family life.”

Both Holmes, who observed the council for 20 years, and Hansen, who moved to the Ninth Ward nine years ago, said their new positions changed their views on how decisions are made.

“I think you do get a very different view from the other side,” Holmes said. “I now understand how the committees are approached by every possible constituent on issues and understand where the pressure comes from.”

Hansen said what has surprised her most are the personalities of her fellow aldermen.

“Before I was elected, I had my idea of what each person on the council was like,” she said. “It’s kind of one of those things where you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

Both aldermen mentioned how there is less friction on this council than previous ones. Holmes said the new personalities have blended well with those of the returning council members.

“I think it’s very obvious to everyone that this group has been very civil,” Holmes said. “I feel very, very good about the working relationship. There are some really dedicated, committed people who are willing to put in the time.”

The aldermen said they are still working on many of their campaign promises, such as increasing the number of youth jobs and decreasing crime.

Holmes made one campaign issue, Evanston’s affordable housing, a priority. She said the debates over the Darrow Corners project, a proposal to build a 27-unit affordable housing building at Church Street and Darrow Avenue, became “ridiculous.” Both Holmes and Hansen are serving on a special committee addressing the Darrow Corners project, which will meet for the first time tonight.

“It turned out to be a real challenge,” Holmes said. “Some feel we have not made our message clear, but we have also had some support. I hope people understand the significant vision behind the project.”

Hansen said her biggest goal was to be present for her constituents. Her predecessor, former Ald. Gene Feldman, did not host ward meetings, while Hansen has already hosted two town hall meetings and a neighborhood meeting.

“I think a lot of people, while I was running, felt that they weren’t really in tune with what was going on at the city government level,” she said.

“My priority, when I ran, was the Ninth Ward.”

Reach Laura Olson at [email protected] and Matt Presser at [email protected].