Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th) will win reelection in the 7th Ward aldermanic race, according to unofficial election results from the Cook County Clerk’s Office.

With all precincts reporting, Revelle has received 1,007 votes, pulling ahead of challenger Mary Rosinski with 651. Residents who voted by mail and postmarked their ballots by April 6 will also be counted in the final tally. As a result, complete results will not be available immediately.

Revelle, an incumbent, was first appointed to the seat in 2016 by former mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, and ran unopposed in 2017. Rosinski, her opponent, is a realtor and longtime Evanston political activist.

Throughout her campaign, Revelle vowed to continue the work she’s done on affordable housing, climate action and public safety throughout her tenure as alderman. She emphasized finding alternatives to 9-1-1 and implementing the Climate Action and Resilience Plan. 

Rosinki focused her campaign on resolving the city’s budget crisis and negotiating payments more aggressively with Northwestern. She also pushed for greater transparency in the city government’s decision-making process, having herself filed a lawsuit against the city for withholding documents related to the funding of the Robert Crown Community Center.

The 7th Ward aldermanic race was one of several targeted by Evanston Together LLC, a recently formed political organization that endorsed four incumbent candidates, including Revelle, and one challenger. The group has caused citywide controversy after sending out mailers alleging challenger candidates would promote “radical change” to the city’s government if elected. 

Revelle disavowed the group in a statement released March 30.

In a statement to the Daily, Rosinski said she is conceding the race to Revelle.

“I was disappointed to lose, but I’ll be giving (Revelle) a call to congratulate her,” Rosinski said. “We’ll pick up from here, and keep fighting to change things for the better.”

Revelle told the Daily she looks forward to facing the challenges Evanston currently has with fresh voices on the council.

“I’m very pleased with the results thus far, and really looking forward to putting the campaign behind me and getting back to work for the good of the city on the City Council,” Revelle said. “I have several new colleagues to get to know and find out what their top priorities are, and work together for the better of the community.”

Final results will be certified by the Cook County Clerk’s Office in the coming weeks.

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @alexhairysun

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