Unlike some earlier City Council debates, the marquee segment of Sunday’s Evanston candidate forum began with Mayor Daniel Biss and his challenger, Jeff Boarini, sharing pleasantries.
Yet a palpable acrimony hung in the air of Evanston’s former Second Church of Christ. Then it struck with a vengeance.
While discussing Evanston’s “weak mayor” governing structure, Boarini lampooned Biss’ leadership. “It’s a rather inverted process here, of being a strong mayor and having a very weak city manager as well,” Boarini said.
The mayor soon chastised his challenger for launching a “snide attack.” Biss then began an impassioned defense — and blasted Boarini for taking a “strong mayor” stance by proposing to take over the city’s 311 services.
Still, the broadsides between the two men vying for Evanston’s top office on April 1 seemed insignificant compared to multiple ward races where even a pretence of pleasantry never appeared. And beneath the deeply personal attacks lay a foundational rift between two competing visions for the city.
The battle for the 7th Ward — the site of Ryan Field, ground zero for residents’ frustrations with development — launched the hourslong forum with a bang.
“How often do you adopt others’ opinions instead of forming your own?” Parielle Davis asked her opponent, Kerry Mundy, over his apparent support for Northwestern’s bid to commercialize a rebuilt Ryan Field.
“I make my own decisions, and I have my own will,” Mundy responded.
Davis, who has pledged to boost transparency and resident input, seized on the Ryan Field uproar when she launched the “Better than Biss” committee in 2023 seeking to topple the mayor over his support for NU’s plans. She now supports Boarini.
Vying for the open 7th Ward seat, Davis faces Mundy, who painted a brighter picture of current-day Evanston. Things are “not all bad” here, he said at the forum. Mundy has garnered financial support from former mayor Steve Hagerty.
Following Ald. Devon Reid’s (8th) solo showing, Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) took the stage.
Soon after introducing himself, Suffredin launched a defensive salvo against his challenger, Candance Chow, who had accused him Thursday of being a “walking conflict of interest.” Suffredin, who also works as a lobbyist, maintained that he has never received an ethics complaint.
“There you are, Candance,” Suffredin said, spotting her in the audience and challenging her to file a complaint. “If you have evidence of any sort of conflict of interest, go right ahead.”
After a scheduling snafu, the candidates had different slots at the forum. Chow looked on as Suffredin then accused her of unethical behavior.
He questioned her ties to Tracy Quattrocki, the publisher and executive editor of the Evanston RoundTable. Quattrocki co-founded the recruiting firm NextGroup with Chow and others.
“In 2020, I stepped back from my management role at NextGroup to assist with the RoundTable’s transition to a nonprofit, and in 2021, I fully resigned, though I have retained a small ownership stake in the company,” Quattrocki wrote in a statement to The Daily.
As of Feb. 11, NextGroup’s website still lists Quattrocki as a co-founder and adviser.
The RoundTable has also covered the 6th Ward race. Its Feb. 6 story on Chow’s conflict of interest accusations did not mention the ties between the two.
“We have published one story up to this date about the 6th Ward race, and we stand by it from a standpoint of fairness toward both candidates and balance,” Quattrocki also said in her statement. “However, to ensure journalistic integrity, I have proactively recused myself from editing any coverage related to the 6th Ward council race.”
Future coverage will include a note explaining this decision, she added.
Suffredin has staked an independent streak on City Council. He strongly opposed NU’s Ryan Field plans. Along with Ald. Clare Kelly (1st), a prominent Biss critic, Suffredin ranks among only two councilmembers who haven’t endorsed the mayor.
“I’m not a person who’s going to just go along to get along,” he said. “When I think something’s wrong, I’m going to say it.”
Meanwhile, Chow has the financial backing of Hagerty and has pledged to “bring solutions, not just criticism” to City Council. During her slot at the end of the forum co-hosted by Where The People Meet TV and The Daily, she responded to Suffredin’s accusations. Quattrocki has no day-to-day role at NextGroup, she added.
Occasional digs showed up in the other ward debates. When Biss and Boarini walked up to the stage, however, they smiled.
Each man represents opposing visions for Evanston’s future.
Biss rode a landslide 2021 victory to push various reforms, including the contentious Envision Evanston 2045 overhaul of city policy. The longtime left-wing organizer has sought to burnish his political credentials as well as his six-figure war chest.
After Biss’ four-year reign, Boarini has pledged to usher in a new era of transparency from city leaders. He has frequently excoriated Biss for his Envision Evanston plans.
The mayor offered a more conciliatory tone on Envision Evanston, looking back to when he once called it “immoral” not to move quickly. He called it a “really stupid thing that I said” and added that the city erred in its choice of consultant for the sweeping project.
Boarini, too, faced some criticism. A young audience member asked him to justify his jabs at Biss during the forum.
“I don’t believe I was being disrespectful to the mayor,” Boarini said. “I believe I was using his words and his actions.”
The question of civility percolated in Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma’s (4th) mind as the forum wrapped. In remarks to The Daily, he blamed the bitter tone of national politics and urged Evanston to “engage in a civil dialogue.”
The broadsides did not fully dominate the forum.
When Biss and Boarini wrapped their discussion, they shook hands, grinning.
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