Running for her fourth term in the 2021 municipal elections, Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) said she prioritizes rebuilding Evanston’s economy.

“We need to fill our storefronts, (and) we need to support our small businesses,” Fiske said, adding that the City has lost immense tax revenue amid the pandemic and needs more federal funding to continue to support local entrepreneurs.

Fiske said the city cannot rebuild the economy without first distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. Though she acknowledged that some may be hesitant about the vaccine, she said it is important to spread the message that getting inoculated serves the community.

Additionally, Fiske wants to continue to protect Evanston lands if reelected. She said the lakefront remains threatened by erosion, and City Council must invest in its preservation.

This emphasis on combating climate change is not new for Fiske. As City Council made plans in the early 2010s to create the now-completed bike lanes on Chicago Avenue and Sherman Road, Fiske said she was an advocate for connecting them to the Northwestern campus.

“The focus was not only creating a safe way to get to campus, but also encouraging bike riding,” she said. “That’s something that aligns with our climate action plan.”

Because the 1st Ward — which includes parts of downtown and residential neighborhoods just east of Northwestern’s campus — contains many historic buildings, Fiske said she also wants to preserve the area’s character.

“What I tell developers is that we need high quality developments that are sensitive to the history and architectural quality of the downtown,” she said.

Recently, aldermen introduced an ordinance that would increase the Demolition Tax in the City Code, funneling more funds toward affordable housing. Additionally, Fiske noted City Council increased the number of affordable units required in each development.

Still, Fiske said she sees a problem in these current efforts. With the majority of new developments being downtown high-rises, she said she worries the units do not properly accommodate families with kids.

“I’d like to give people a better choice of the kind of building they’d like to live in,” she said. “If I were a kid, I’d rather live in a neighborhood with sidewalks and trees that’s near a school.”

1st Ward resident David Reynolds said he admires Fiske’s approach to new Evanston developments.

“She feels that we need development because we need revenue, but that development should be balanced and that it should fit in with the neighborhood,” Reynolds said.

Amid ongoing debates about reforming or abolishing the Evanston Police Department, Fiske said there is strong support for the police department in her ward.

Referencing the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets program originating in Eugene, Ore., Fiske said she is in full support of recruiting trained professionals such as mental health experts to respond to certain 911 calls that do not necessarily require an armed police officer.

Many police calls can be handled by non-police units according to 1st Ward resident and documentary filmmaker Bob Hercules, who hopes to see police reform in Evanston and across the country.

“The city supports everyone’s right to be heard and to protest, as shown in how the city and Evanston Fight for Black Lives worked together to raise awareness and promote dialogue around the critically important issues of race and policing,” Fiske said.

Fiske also referenced NU Community Not Cops protests last fall. NUCNC student protesters were met by officers from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System on Oct. 31 as they marched through parts of Downtown Evanston.

“Like many others, I was shocked to see NIPAS officers downtown during the anti-NUPD protest,” she said. “I believe that if there had been better communication for that, there’d have been no need to call those officers in.”

Weinberg sophomore and 1st Ward resident Erin McCotter said she has not seen this sentiment reflected in Fiske’s actions.

Through an Evanston Fight for Black Lives’ Instagram post in November, McCotter learned that Fiske did not vote against the proposed 2021 budget, which, at the time, maintained the funds allocated to the Evanston Police Department and, according to EFBL, did not sufficiently fund the city’s alternative emergency response system.

McCotter said she is in full support of NU Community Not Cops’ work of abolishing both the University and Evanston police and investing in community support.

According to McCotter, tension does exist between students and residents. This is reflected in Fiske’s proposed ban on public drinking games — brought up at a Human Services Committee meeting last November— after constituents raised concerns about students who live off-campus creating neighborhood disturbances.

“It may not be the perfect remedy, but it’s an attempt to keep the noise level down,” Hercules said. “Some of the people on our street have kids.”

Currently working to implement a community space following quarterly Northwestern University-City Committee meetings, Fiske said she “really likes Northwestern students” and hopes students, citizens, and aldermen can discuss community issues such as policing and student-resident relationships.

If elected, Fiske said she hopes to continue to prioritize collaboration with other aldermen.

“The wards are very different, and each of us has priorities,” she said. “It’s important that we are able as a Council to talk to one another.”

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Twitter: @JorjaSiemons