Rue Simmons announces she will not seek a second term

Daily file photo by Colin Boyle

Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th). Simmons participated in a conversation surrounding racial healing and reparations on Tuesday.

Jacob Fulton, City Editor
November 1, 2020

As her first term comes to a close, Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) announced Friday that she will not seek re-election in Evanston’s 2021 election.

In her tenure, Rue Simmons has most notably led the push for the city’s reparations fund, which was established in November 2019. The city has committed to put $10 million into the fund, which will be directed toward initiatives including housing, business and education improvements, and is collected through a 3 percent tax on recreational cannabis and from private donations.

Rue Simmons’ announcement came after Mayor Steve Hagerty announced Wednesday that he would not run for re-election.

In a news release, Rue Simmons wrote that she is proud of the changes the city has made since she was elected, including a variety of equity-focused initiatives that bring Evanston “more in line” with its residents’ values. She said she looks forward to the next steps the city will take as residents continue to push for progress.

“Together, we have made extraordinary commitments to racial equity and sustainability, including passing the nation’s first funded local reparation policy for Black residents and the passing of our Environmental Justice Resolution,” Rue Simmons wrote. “I would not want to be in this time in history in any other American city but Evanston, Illinois.”

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