Devon Reid beats out long-time city clerk Rodney Greene for position

Devon+Reid+won+the+race+for+city+clerk+on+Tuesday.+He+ran+on+a+platform+to+increase+government+transparency+and+enhance+voter+participation.

Daily file photo by Jeffrey Wang

Devon Reid won the race for city clerk on Tuesday. He ran on a platform to increase government transparency and enhance voter participation.

David Fishman, City Editor

Second time’s the charm for Devon Reid, a 24-year-old Evanston native who will replace Rodney Greene as the city clerk.

Reid — who in 2011 made an unsuccessful bid for alderman of Chicago’s 26th Ward — won about 66 percent of the vote Tuesday, trailed by Greene who earned roughly 34 percent. Reid ran with support from the Democratic Party of Evanston, which gave him about 75 percent of its votes at a nominating meeting in February.

“I’m honored that the folks of Evanston are giving me a chance to serve,” Reid said. “I’m going to keep all the promises I have made and work and fight for open and transparent government; I’m going to work to increase participation in our democracy.”

The clerk is primarily responsible for filing FOIA requests and organizing elections, but Reid wants to transform the position into the “face of government,” a mouthpiece for groups whose lack of representation have turned them away from the “system.”

Reid had three major goals during his campaign: combat homelessness through affordable housing, increase government transparency to build trust and enhance voter participation through a “get out the vote” program.

“I worked really hard; I talked to a lot of voters,” he said. “One-on-one contact with folks is the key to effectively spreading your message.”

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Twitter: @davidpkfishman