After narrowly winning her election by 26 votes in 2021, Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) is up for reelection for her second term. Her challenger, Stephen Hackney, is a newcomer to politics.

Kelly grew up in the 1st Ward, which covers most of downtown Evanston, and used to teach at Evanston Township High School. As a vocal critic of Mayor Daniel Biss, she lambasted how he handled the Ryan Field rezoning process, decrying the city’s dealmaking and calling for more transparency. She has also made boosting small businesses a priority.

“I am sensitive to the needs and concerns of the Evanston community, and I’m very goal-oriented,” Kelly said. “A real skill I have is being able to set my eyes on a goal and achieve it, and really work towards that in an effective manner.”

In 2010, Hackney moved to Evanston, where he now lives with his wife and three daughters. Prior to running, he worked as a trial lawyer for 25 years, with 22 of them at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago often on bankruptcy cases, making him a strategic thinker and knowledgeable about municipal government and finances, he said.

Hackney retired from his law practice in early 2023 to spend more time with his family and on community service. Currently, he is on the board of Connections for the Homeless and LINK Unlimited Scholars, a Chicago nonprofit that links Black students with educational resources and support.

During the pandemic, Connections used the Margarita Inn, a former hotel, as a temporary homeless shelter with single rooms for individuals and families. In May 2023, City Council approved, while Kelly voted against, Connections’ request for a special use permit that allowed for the Margarita Inn, which is located in the 4th Ward, to be turned into a permanent homeless shelter. Hackney stated that was the reason he decided to run. 

“There was no reason to oppose this policy,” Hackney said. “It was just a great idea, and I argued for it twice at two different City Council meetings, and to the City Council’s credit, seven members of the City Council voted in favor of it, and it was passed. (Kelly) voted against it, and I could not fathom why she was opposed to it.”

Kelly said some of her main priorities of her reelection campaign include economic revitalization for Evanston’s downtown area by focusing on making Evanston an “attractive” place for businesses, supporting local businesses and retaining a qualified workforce. It is also important to invest in sustainable practices, she said. 

However, it is necessary to make an affordable and equitable Evanston, Kelly said, by supporting long-term residents’ ability to remain in their homes and to continue to scrutinize and challenge large expenditures.

“I’m also very concerned and interested in protecting and enhancing the access to our lakefront, as well as the lakefront itself,” Kelly said. “I’ll continue to work to improve the economic, environmental and cultural benefits of the lakefront for all of its residents and increase its access.”

Similarly, if elected, Hackney said his top priorities are to revitalize the city’s economy by bringing businesses into downtown Evanston. He also wants to create the sense of a “third place” in downtown Evanston and promote capital improvements by renewing and maintaining roads, bridges and other parts of Evanston’s infrastructure. 

Along with his goals of economic revitalization, Hackney said the lack of affordable housing is a big concern in Evanston. He also said the city needs to continue to work on the problem of homelessness by creating affordable housing. Fifty-six percent of Evanston residents are paying more than 30% of their income on rent, more than is recommended, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

“It’s great to have affordable housing ordinances —, and we do in Evanston — and that’s a good thing, but we also just need to add housing to the market,” Hackney said. “Supply and demand will reduce the cost of housing as you increase the supply, and that’s going to help with affordability.”

Both candidates agreed that Evanston must maintain a cooperative, constructive relationship with Northwestern, but Kelly stated the city needed to be “assertive” with the University, while Hackney argued that fighting with NU would not be in the city’s best interest because it is not efficient nor constructive.

While Kelly has been a vocal critic of Biss, Hackney said he supports the Mayor’s reelection campaign and praised Biss’ leadership.

Evanston’s 2025 Consolidated Election will be held on April 1.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the ward the Margarita Inn is located in. The Daily regrets the error.

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