Well into a congenial discussion at Saturday’s candidate forum, Mayor Daniel Biss and challenger Jeff Boarini confronted a question about their approach to balancing relationships with individual councilmembers. Boarini gave a blanket response about the importance of teambuilding — to Biss’ dismay.
“You left out one part, which is that you’re in a romantic relationship with a member of City Council who’s currently running for reelection,” Biss said. “Which is, in my opinion, an obvious conflict of interest, one that — it’s interesting for a candidate who talks primarily about transparency to not mention in a 90-second answer.”
The comment referenced Boarini’s relationship with Ald. Clare Kelly (1st). Biss’ jab stood out during the relatively civil forum, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Evanston, in which candidates for mayor, city clerk and each respective ward responded to a range of issues plaguing the city ahead of the April 1 municipal elections.
The only other heated comment came from the already acrimonious 6th Ward race between Ald. Tom Suffredin and challenger Candance Chow. Chow has previously expressed concerns about Suffredin’s career as a lobbyist in the state, and even described him as a “walking conflict of interest.”
“I’ve been endorsed by various local Evanston leaders, not Chicago or Springfield,” Chow said, referring to the capital city where Suffredin primarily lobbies.
Throughout the day, numerous candidates referred to the Trump administration’s threat to federal funding for cities that defy its agenda, particularly relating to climate, equity and immigration goals.
Many candidates tied this threat to Evanston’s own budgetary concerns, including the city’s current structural deficit.
“The top challenge for the city is going to be fiscal responsibility in the face of a federal administration that doesn’t want us to reach our goals,” said 3rd Ward candidate Gennifer Geer.
Candidates also linked budget concerns to the city’s failure to maintain city-owned buildings, including the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. The discussion arises in the face of the city’s impending move to 909 Davis St., and the council’s Monday vote on the future of the current Civic Center.
Kelly and her opponent Stephen Hackney highlighted the need for long-term asset planning and future budgeting projections.
Yet other candidates stressed that the city must be cognizant of overspending in support of its progressive aims.
“We have to insert a good deal of realism in some of our expectations, but still remain the loving, wonderful Evanston that we always want to be,” said 7th Ward candidate Kerry Mundy.
The financial focus led into multifaceted discussions surrounding affordable housing, which is a major component of Envision Evanston 2045, the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning overhaul. Many candidates cited housing affordability as their priority in the coming term.
Biss is a proponent of increased housing density, which would require upzoning in some areas. Proponents of this measure say that upzoning would increase the diversity of housing stock and the general housing supply to drive down market prices and expand Evanston’s tax base.
Multiple candidates, including Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) and his write-in opponent Margaret “Meg” Welch, rejected the concept of blanket upzoning and advocated for a block-by-block approach.
“This is not a one-size-fits-all,” Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd) said. “It is not a standard that each ward would be able to meet equally.”
In this housing debate, candidates were divided over the recently updated Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, which increased the minimum requirement of affordable units from 10% to 15% for privately funded buildings and eliminated on-site requirements.
Both Boarini and Kelly called for a further alteration to the ordinance that would reinstate on-site requirements, as they said the ordinance was not strong enough in its current form. Kelly called the updated ordinance a “shame and embarrassment,” while Welch referred to it as “inadequate.”
Biss, on the other hand, doubled down in support of the ordinance, telling his challenger that he got it “exactly backwards.” Biss reiterated that the ordinance charges developers a high fee for noncompliance that is then allocated toward Evanston’s affordable housing fund.
Other candidates advocated for more direct city involvement in creating affordable housing by repurposing vacant city buildings.
Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) said the private market is not set up to create affordable housing as it directly incentivizes profit.
“The best way to create more affordability in this town is for the city to get involved in acquiring as much property as we can,” Burns said. “We have to remove the profit.”
Yet others said the city must protect its naturally occurring affordable housing, adding to the array of solutions presented.
Numerous candidates labeled the upcoming election as an inflection point and pivotal moment that would dictate the future financial wellbeing of the city.
“We need to do the things right now that set up the chance for my daughters to one day come back and live in Evanston — just as they’ve grown up here — with their own families,” Hackney said.
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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