With only a month before the April 1 municipal elections, City Council hopefuls have hit the final stretch of their campaigns as tensions — and fundraising — reach new heights.
February brought a series of face-to-face debates between candidates, a slew of news releases and a total increase in campaign funding of over $75,000. Fundraising is likely well above this level as only donations $1,000 and over are required to be reported outside of quarterly reports. Smaller donations are not reflected in current reporting.
Forums, fundraising and feuds
Mayoral and 3rd Ward candidates met for a Sunday forum at Evanston SPACE. Across both segments, affordable housing and development took center stage.
Mayor Daniel Biss and challenger Jeff Boarini discussed Envision Evanston 2045, the city’s comprehensive and rezoning plan that has sparked intense debate over affordable housing and zoning requirements. Both candidates seemed supportive of the plan, although they have differed on their timelines for implementation.
“The best thing about Envision Evanston and the comprehensive plan is its intention — the desire to protect the best of Evanston and (think about) what that’s like 20 years from now,” Boarini said.
Discussions of housing and zoning have pervaded recent campaign discourse, such as at a 2nd Ward forum on Feb. 6, where candidates Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd), Darlene Cannon and Jacqueline Mendoza tackled development in the downtown area and plans to avoid gentrification. The issue also surfaced at a Feb. 9 candidate forum hosted by Where The People Meet TV and The Daily.
At the same forum, the top-of-ticket candidates also clashed over the scope of the mayoral role, especially when Boarini suggested the mayor’s office absorb the city’s 311 service.
“I doubt it’s legal. I would expect that it would probably require a referendum,” Biss later told The Daily, adding that he respects the city’s form of government.
In February, Biss reported receiving $24,800 in donations, while Boarini reported $9,500.
Last month, the 3rd Ward race reported the largest total donations of all aldermanic contests, with the three candidates — John Kennedy, Shawn Iles and Gennifer Geer — boasting a combined $13,000. Geer led the pack with $7,000 reported in February.
During Sunday’s forum, the candidates also touched on Envision Evanston’s zoning implications, with all three expressing commitments to limiting building height. But when the topic shifted to the future of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center and a permanent home for city operations, their opinions diverged.
Iles advocated for a permanent move to downtown, while Geer said the city had not collected sufficient information to make a decision about the building’s future. Kennedy pushed for more information about the cost of a partial rehabilitation of the Civic Center.
Kennedy’s stance echoed his remarks at a Friday press conference calling for the city to issue a request for proposals. Candidates from otherwise quiet races also participated in the press conference, including 5th Ward candidate Carlis Sutton, 8th Ward candidate Matt Rodgers and 4th Ward write-in candidate Margaret “Meg” Welch.
Sutton and Welch also both attended the Feb. 9 candidate forum, where transparency and housing affordability dominated conversation across each segment.
Rodgers, Iles and 1st Ward candidate Stephen Hackney were not in attendance at the forum, leaving only Ald. Devon Reid from the 8th Ward, Geer and Kennedy from the 3rd Ward and Ald. Clare Kelly from the first.
Iles and Hackney took to the floor at the Feb. 24 City Council meeting during public comment, joined by Sutton and Welch. Welch and Sutton both commented on the motion to authorize the lease of the Harley Clarke Mansion, Hackney spoke in favor of the Healthy Buildings Ordinance, and Iles reemphasized his support for a permanent move downtown.
Candidates from the 6th and 7th wards further discussed a future home for city operations, as well as maintaining character on Central Street, at a panel hosted by the Central Street Neighbors Association Thursday. The policy-focused discourse came in the wake of personal accusations from candidates in both races.
In the 7th Ward race, Parielle Davis began her remarks at the Feb. 9 forum by implying her opponent Kerry Mundy did not form his own opinion when he signed the petition in favor of the commercialization of Ryan Field.
Mundy is endorsed by Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th), who is not seeking reelection, and Davis is endorsed by Mary Rosinski, who originally intended to run for the 7th Ward seat, but left the race in October.
Sixth Ward challenger Candance Chow accused incumbent Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) of being a “walking conflict of interest,” citing his work as a state government lobbyist. Suffredin, in turn, has criticized Chow’s history on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education.
“(Chow’s record) consists of overspending, telling voters to raise their taxes to cover the overspending, hiring (former District 65 Superintendent) Devon Horton to run the district and then quitting,” Suffredin previously told The Daily in a statement.
Out of all the aldermanic races with only two contenders, the 6th Ward race reported the most total donations in February, with Chow and Suffredin reporting $4,000 and $7,000 respectively.
Marisa Guerra Echeverria, Shun Graves and Isaiah Steinberg contributed reporting.
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Related Stories:
— Ethics duels punctuate 6th Ward race between Suffredin, Chow
— 3rd Ward candidates, mayoral hopefuls discuss plans for city’s future at forum
— City Council candidates push for Civic Center partial rehab estimates
