Latest news with #DanielBiss
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Evanston mayor breaks tie to OK appointee to Land Use Commission
New City Council members made it close, but not impossible, for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss to cast a tie-breaking vote to approve his appointee to the city's Land Use Commission. The commission is currently charged with giving final approval for Envision Evanston 2045, an initiative that would increase density that Biss has strongly supported. Councilmembers Tom Suffredin (6th), Clare Kelly (1st), Parielle Davis (7th) and Matt Rodgers (8th) voted 'no' to Lutheran Grace Church Lead Pastor Luke Harris joining the Land Use Commission. Councilmembers Shawn Iles (3rd), Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th), Bobby Burns (5th) and Juan Geracaris (9th) voted to approve the mayor's pick. In Evanston, the mayor is responsible for appointing members to the city's Boards, Commissions and Committees. Those appointees are then voted on by the City Council, and need a simple majority of votes to join a board. Before casting their votes, city councilmembers gave their opinion on their vote. 'I have never had the privilege of being able to be underqualified for a position. I've never gotten a position over someone else who had higher credentials, and so I'll say that this is a soft spot for me,' Davis said. 'Quite frankly, I find this appointment to some degree insulting,' she said, because of Harris' lack of experience compared to other applicants to the commission. Previously, Biss allowed former Commissioner George Halik's term to expire in order to create a vacancy on the Land Use Commission. Biss also attempted to appoint to the commission an affordable housing expert who specializes in low income housing tax credits, but the appointee was met with significant pushback following the discovery of her social media posts that critics said were ageist and biased in favor of making Evanston more dense. Iles, the Overnight Shelter Director for Interfaith Action of Evanston, was under fire by some public commenters and Kelly who speculated that because of his employment and Lutheran Grace Church's ties to Interfaith Action, he could not cast an impartial vote to approve Harris to the Land Use Commission. Iles checked with Corporation Counsel Alexandra Ruggie to ask whether his vote would meet the city's standard of a conflict of interest. Ruggie said Iles' vote would not be considered a conflict of interest under the city's ethics code. 'It's just not there,' Ruggie said. 'It's just too far removed.' Lutheran Grace Church is one of 40 churches that provide funding to Interfaith Action, but a large portion of funding comes from individual donors, Iles said. Iles commented, 'He (Harris) has direct experience with affordable housing. I find him to be a passionate, informed, thoughtful member of our community. I think he can serve us well both as a younger person and as a renter,' he said. Rodgers said prior to the meeting, he met with Harris over coffee to discuss his interest in being on the commission. 'I was impressed with his commitment to affordable housing in Evanston, and making sure it's some place that people can move to and live.' 'However, I do have a number of reservations about his overall qualifications for this position,' he continued. 'Outside of recommending for the comprehensive general plan and the zoning ordinance, affordable housing is a very small part of what Land Use does.' 'I mentioned to the mayor in my letter to him that if Mr. Harris was nominated to (the) Housing and Community Development (Committee), I would be 100% supportive of that. I think that's a great place for them to do the work they are interested in doing and accomplishing great things for Evanston,' Rodgers said. Burns commented on the city's form of council-manager government, which some on the council have described as a 'weak mayor' government because the mayor does not vote or make motions, and does not typically give their opinion on agenda items during a council meeting. 'The one area where the mayor does have some influence, and obviously what you're seeing here today still needs to be confirmed by this council, is appoint people to BCC's (Boards, Commissions and Committees),' Burns said. 'In my opinion, that is the way a mayor with a limited influence in this form of government can try to think about how to compose a BCC in a way that helps to deliver on the things that he told his constituents in the community were important to him, important to them, etc.,' he said. 'I don't think there's anything improper with that. That's just to me the way that it works when you have that ability as a mayor,' Burns said. 'As council, up here, we have to use our own lens whether or not we feel we agree with that composition.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Paul Lisnek on Mayor Biss' congressional bid, Qatar's gift to Trump and more
CHICAGO — WGN Political Analyst Paul Lisnek joined WGN Evening News to discuss several stories from the week. This week's topics include Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss' congressional bid, Qatar's gift to President Trump and more. Tune in on Sundays for WGN-TV Political Report with Paul Lisnek. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Evanston mayor announces run for Schakowsky's seat
Daniel Biss (D), the mayor of Evanston, Ill., launched a campaign Thursday to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.), adding another candidate to the race to succeed the longtime incumbent. Biss, who has served as mayor of the Chicago suburb since 2021, said in a video he decided to run because the country needs Democrats who 'won't flinch, won't fold, won't forget what we're fighting for.' He added that people gave up on government because they saw politicians from both parties 'give up on them,' allowing President Trump to win. 'The only way out of today's crisis is to reverse the behavior that got us here in the first place,' the mayor continued. 'Instead of resigning ourselves to the idea that nothing can really change, that this whole situation is inevitable, we need to fight for real solutions to our toughest problems.' Biss is the latest candidate to throw their hat in the ring to represent Illinois's 9th Congressional District. Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh launched a bid for the seat in March, before Schakowsky announced her retirement earlier this month. One other prominent candidate is state Sen. Laura Fine (D), who joined the race this month and has notched a few endorsements from fellow state legislators. Environmental health and safety professional Justin Ford is also in the fold. Biss touted his record as mayor in a release, noting his action to enact campaign finance reform and a 'Healthy Buildings Ordinance' to cut carbon emissions. While serving in the state House and state Senate, he said he's worked to protect abortion access, create protections for LGBTQ rights and add technology privacy requirements. He previously ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018, losing to sitting Gov. JB Pritzker (D). 'I am running for Congress to stand up to Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies. I've never backed down from a fight, and I've won some big ones—on LGBTQ+ rights, campaign finance reform, protecting abortion access, defending the environment, and more,' Biss said in his announcement. 'In Congress, I'll take on billionaires and corporate power, lower costs for working families, and fight tooth and nail to protect our civil rights,' he added. Whoever wins the Democratic primary should be the clear favorite to win the seat in the solidly Democratic-leaning district. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss announces run for Congress
The Brief Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss has announced his candidacy for Illinois' 9th Congressional District, seeking to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. Biss, a former state legislator, says he's running to fight rising costs, protect civil rights, and stand up to Donald Trump and MAGA-aligned politicians. He highlights a record of progressive achievements on abortion access, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental reform. EVANSTON, Ill. - Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss on Thursday announced his candidacy for Illinois' 9th Congressional District, entering the race to replace longtime Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who is not seeking reelection. The backstory Biss, a former state legislator and mathematics professor, said he is running to fight for progressive values, cut costs for working families, and stand up to what he described as threats from former President Donald Trump and his allies. "I've never backed down from a fight, and I've won some big ones—on LGBTQ+ rights, campaign finance reform, protecting abortion access, defending the environment, and more," Biss said in a campaign announcement. Biss touted his record as mayor, saying he championed climate and campaign finance reforms and has been outspoken on reproductive rights and immigration issues. He previously served in both the Illinois House and Senate, where he passed legislation expanding access to abortion, protecting LGBTQ+ youth, and strengthening consumer data privacy laws. Biss lives in Evanston with his wife, Karin, a professor and former Peace Corps volunteer, and their two children. The Source The information in this report came from a statement from Daniel Biss.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Evanston mayor announces run for Schakowsky's seat
Daniel Biss (D), the mayor of Evanston, Ill., launched a campaign Thursday to succeed retiring Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky, adding another candidate to the race to succeed the longtime incumbent. Biss, who has served as mayor of the Chicago suburb since 2021, said in a video that he decided to run because the country needs Democrats who 'won't flinch, won't fold, won't forget what we're fighting for.' He added that people gave up on government because they saw politicians from both parties 'give up on them,' allowing President Trump to win. 'The only way out of today's crisis is to reverse the behavior that got us here in the first place,' the mayor continued. 'Instead of resigning ourselves to the idea that nothing can really change, that this whole situation is inevitable, we need to fight for real solutions to our toughest problems.' Biss is the latest candidate to throw their hat in the ring to represent Illinois's 9th Congressional District. Progressive influencer Kat Abughazaleh launched a bid for the seat in March, before Schakowsky announced her retirement earlier this month. One other prominent candidate is state Sen. Laura Fine (D), who joined the race this month and has notched a few endorsements from fellow state legislators. Environmental health and safety professional Justin Ford is also in the fold. Biss touted his record as mayor in a release, noting his action to enact campaign finance reform and a 'Healthy Buildings Ordinance' to cut carbon emissions. While serving in the state House and state Senate, he said he's worked to protect abortion access, create protections for LGBTQ rights and add technology privacy requirements. He previously ran for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2018, losing to sitting Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D). 'I am running for Congress to stand up to Donald Trump and his MAGA cronies. I've never backed down from a fight, and I've won some big ones—on LGBTQ+ rights, campaign finance reform, protecting abortion access, defending the environment, and more,' Biss said in his announcement. 'In Congress, I'll take on billionaires and corporate power, lower costs for working families, and fight tooth and nail to protect our civil rights,' he added. Whoever wins the Democratic primary should be the clear favorite to win the seat in the solidly Democratic-leaning district.
