Software engineer and attorney Parielle Davis leads former naval officer Kerry Mundy in the election for Evanston’s 7th Ward council seat by about 350 votes, according to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk’s office. With all five precincts reporting, Davis has 1,276 votes to Mundy’s 924 as of 10:30 p.m.
Official complete results are not immediately available for the race as mail-in ballots postmarked before April 1 still need to be counted. Currently, turnout in the ward is almost 40%.
Davis, who’s led community advocacy groups like the Most Livable City Association and Black Residents of Evanston, has stressed transparency in City decisionmaking, according to her campaign website. She was endorsed by community advocate Mary Rosinski, who launched a campaign for the 7th Ward seat but dropped out early in the race.
“I’m humbled,” Davis said. “Really excited, very excited to get to work. I’m glad that the residents of the 7th Ward … believed in me and my ability to serve in a public capacity.”
She has also served on Evanston’s Equity and Empowerment Commission, and she chaired the Better than Biss committee, which opposed current Mayor Daniel Biss because of his tie-breaking vote to allow public-facing concerts at Northwestern’s Ryan Field.
Davis said she’s “resident-focused” when it comes to the city’s relationship with NU and plans to hold listening sessions with 7th Ward residents to determine future needs in relation to the University as one of her first moves. She said she also plans to schedule a meeting with University President Michael Schill in the coming weeks.
“We want to make sure we’re ready,” she said of Ryan Field reopening in a few months.
Additionally, Davis said she wants to increase collaboration with local school boards.
Mundy, a 50-year-old retail equities trader, received endorsements from former Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, former Ald. Jane Grover (7th) and current Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th). Revelle announced she wouldn’t run again in fall 2024, after nearly a decade on City Council. Mundy also served on Evanston’s Public Safety Civil Service Commission.
Both candidates have staked similar positions on proposals to rezone residential districts to allow denser housing units from current Mayor Daniel Biss’ Envision Evanston 2045 initiative. And, they’re both wary of increasing property tax rates in the city to cover rising budget expenses, according to the Evanston Roundtable.
“I was more focused on the intent of the purpose of getting rid of zoning, which was to make housing more affordable,” Davis said. “One of the things we should do is complete our strategic housing plan, which was supposed to be done before the comprehensive plan, before Envision Evanston.”
Mundy did not immediately respond to a call from The Daily.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
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