In his last week in office, outgoing Mayor Steve Hagerty awarded five Keys to the City, which he announced at the final convening of the 80th Evanston City Council meeting Monday.

The Key to the City, which is issued every four years, is the highest honor the mayor can bestow on an Evanston resident or organization, Hagerty said.

While the event normally takes place in Council chambers with the family and friends of the award recipients, this year, as part of his final week as mayor, Hagerty held small gatherings in the chambers with the organizations and individuals to present the keys.

Hagerty honored Evanston Own It — a faith-based group of Evanston churches providing resources for the local community — for its commitment to young people in Evanston as well as Friends of the Robert Crown Center, for the group’s help in building a nationally-recognized community center.

The outgoing mayor awarded a key to the city’s Health and Human Services department and its director Ike Ogbo for their efforts in responding to the pandemic, from regulating positive cases to assisting with vaccination efforts.

Hagerty also presented the Key to the City to two individuals, former Ald. Jane Grover (7th) and former Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd), in honor of their commitment to good government in Evanston.

“I just want everybody on the Council to know how touched all three of the organizations and the two individuals that we awarded Keys to the City were,” Hagerty said. “I’m really glad that we were able to do that and that people took the time to see that.”

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