Latest news with #EnvisionEvanston
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Voters reelect numerous suburban mayors, despite a few upsets of incumbents
Despite voters dumping a few high-profile suburban mayors, most incumbents claimed victory Tuesday in a flurry of races that were hotly contested but generally saw low voter turnout. While mayors in Aurora, Orland Park and Waukegan lost in unofficial vote counts, incumbents in Evanston, Elmhurst, Oak Park, Park Ridge, North Chicago and Tinley Park appeared to have held onto their seats. Just 17% of registered voters went to the polls in Cook County, a slight uptick from local elections in recent years, but well below the participation rate for presidential and statewide elections. In Arlington Heights, where Mayor Tom Hayes is stepping down, Trustee Jim Tinaglia won a three-way race with Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler and Trustee Thomas Schwingbeck Jr. Hayes had endorsed Tinaglia, who vowed to keep up the momentum to persuade the Chicago Bears to build their stadium in Arlington Heights and has even floated the idea of getting the Chicago White Sox to relocate there as well. There was also turnover in Dolton, where Mayor Tiffany Henyard was defeated in the Democratic primary in February by Trustee Jason House. House was on the way to a lopsided victory in Tuesday's consolidated election over Casundra Hopson-Jordan. For those mayors who were victorious, several plan to continue work on significant projects in their municipalities, from new police stations to village halls and a casino. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss thanked his opponent Jeff Boarini for raising issues in the campaign, but declared victory with 60% of the vote. Boarini had championed greater transparency and affordability. Biss, a former state representative and senator, faced opposition over his support of a new football stadium for Northwestern University. His reelection means he will continue his work on providing reparations for Black residents and the Envision Evanston plan for long-term planning and rezoning of single-family homes, which has gotten pushback from some residents. Biss promised change, saying, 'The question before us should not be, 'Is it OK to just stick with what we've always had and not move forward at all?' The question before us needs to be, 'How do we move forward?'' In Elmhurst, Mayor Scott Levin won 71% of the vote in early returns, leading challenger Mark Mulliner, who was the city's longest-serving alderman before leaving the City Council two years ago. 'I've proven through my track record that I'm the right person to be mayor,' Levin said. 'I also think it was a bit disingenuous (for Mulliner) to campaign saying you're going to lower the water rates and reduce taxes. We've been very good stewards of tax dollars and we've only raised taxes infrequently when necessary.' Levin, who spent more than a decade as an alderman, said he will pursue building a new police station. Following a contentious race in Oak Park, preliminary results showed Village President Vicki Scaman beating challenger Ravi Parakkat. Parakkat had opposed a proposal for a new village hall, a new leaf bagging ordinance and a pay raise for the village president. Scaman, who was endorsed by state Senate President Don Harmon, of Oak Park, presented herself as a collaborator who would listen to all sides and unite residents on issues such as a new police station. 'I am committed to listening to all and bringing our community together,' she said. In Waukegan, former Mayor Sam Cunningham was ready to return to office after declaring victory over incumbent Mary Ann Taylor, who ousted Cunningham four years ago. Taylor was the city's first woman chief executive, while Cunningham was its first Black leader. A former resident of public housing, Cunningham pledged to build new housing downtown, to proceed with plans for a permanent casino, and to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities. 'I'm ready to work alongside the City Council and other local leaders, but more importantly Waukeganites, to rebuild a stronger, more united community,' he said. Cunningham's victory continues a streak of Waukegan voters choosing a new mayor every election for the past 28 years. In neighboring North Chicago, Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. claimed an unprecedented sixth term to add to his 20-year tenure and continue his agenda. Rockingham said he wants to make North Chicago safer, improve its infrastructure and increase economic development. Park Ridge Mayor Martin 'Marty' Maloney also claimed reelection over a challenge from city Clerk Sal Raspanti. 'I am so thrilled to continue as mayor of Park Ridge. I am excited that this opportunity has been afforded to me and the community has faith in my experience and vision of the future of the next four years,' Maloney told the Pioneer Press. Maloney was on the City Council before being appointed mayor in 2015 following the sudden death of then-Mayor David Schmidt. He was then elected to the post in 2017 and reelected in 2021. And in Tinley Park, voters rewarded Mayor Michael Glotz with a second term, with 60% of the vote over Michael Maloney, a former union executive. Glotz's One Tinley Park slate also appeared victorious in races for village clerk and trustees. Glotz, first elected in 2021, is a member of Operating Engineers Local 150. Unions contributed to both candidates, and state Sen. Michael Hastings and state Rep. Bob Rita supported Maloney. When casting their vote for mayor, Tinley Park voters told the Daily Southtown that their most important issues were property taxes, a police contract and improving relations with the suburb's park district. The incumbent victories reversed trends in other suburbs such as Aurora, where incumbent Richard Irvin lost to Ald. John Laesch, and Orland Park, where former Trustee Jim Dodge declared victory over two-term Mayor Keith Pekau.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Voters reelect numerous suburban mayors, despite a few upsets of incumbents
Despite voters dumping a few high-profile suburban mayors, most incumbents claimed victory Tuesday in a flurry of races that were hotly contested but generally saw low voter turnout. While mayors in Aurora, Orland Park and Waukegan lost in unofficial vote counts, incumbents in Evanston, Elmhurst, Oak Park, Park Ridge, North Chicago and Tinley Park appeared to have held onto their seats. Just 17% of registered voters went to the polls in Cook County, a slight uptick from local elections in recent years, but well below the participation rate for presidential and statewide elections. In Arlington Heights, where Mayor Tom Hayes is stepping down, Trustee Jim Tinaglia won a three-way race with Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler and Trustee Thomas Schwingbeck Jr. Hayes had endorsed Tinaglia, who vowed to keep up the momentum to persuade the Chicago Bears to build their stadium in Arlington Heights and has even floated the idea of getting the Chicago White Sox to relocate there as well. There was also turnover in Dolton, where Mayor Tiffany Henyard was defeated in the Democratic primary in February by Trustee Jason House. House was on the way to a lopsided victory in Tuesday's consolidated election over Casundra Hopson-Jordan. For those mayors who were victorious, several plan to continue work on significant projects in their municipalities, from new police stations to village halls and a casino. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss thanked his opponent Jeff Boarini for raising issues in the campaign, but declared victory with 60% of the vote. Boarini had championed greater transparency and affordability. Biss, a former state representative and senator, faced opposition over his support of a new football stadium for Northwestern University. His reelection means he will continue his work on providing reparations for Black residents and the Envision Evanston plan for long-term planning and rezoning of single-family homes, which has gotten pushback from some residents. Biss promised change, saying, 'The question before us should not be, 'Is it OK to just stick with what we've always had and not move forward at all?' The question before us needs to be, 'How do we move forward?'' In Elmhurst, Mayor Scott Levin won 71% of the vote in early returns, leading challenger Mark Mulliner, who was the city's longest-serving alderman before leaving the City Council two years ago. 'I've proven through my track record that I'm the right person to be mayor,' Levin said. 'I also think it was a bit disingenuous (for Mulliner) to campaign saying you're going to lower the water rates and reduce taxes. We've been very good stewards of tax dollars and we've only raised taxes infrequently when necessary.' Levin, who spent more than a decade as an alderman, said he will pursue building a new police station. Following a contentious race in Oak Park, preliminary results showed Village President Vicki Scaman beating challenger Ravi Parakkat. Parakkat had opposed a proposal for a new village hall, a new leaf bagging ordinance and a pay raise for the village president. Scaman, who was endorsed by state Senate President Don Harmon, of Oak Park, presented herself as a collaborator who would listen to all sides and unite residents on issues such as a new police station. 'I am committed to listening to all and bringing our community together,' she said. In Waukegan, former Mayor Sam Cunningham was ready to return to office after declaring victory over incumbent Mary Ann Taylor, who ousted Cunningham four years ago. Taylor was the city's first woman chief executive, while Cunningham was its first Black leader. A former resident of public housing, Cunningham pledged to build new housing downtown, to proceed with plans for a permanent casino, and to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities. 'I'm ready to work alongside the City Council and other local leaders, but more importantly Waukeganites, to rebuild a stronger, more united community,' he said. Cunningham's victory continues a streak of Waukegan voters choosing a new mayor every election for the past 28 years. In neighboring North Chicago, Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. claimed an unprecedented sixth term to add to his 20-year tenure and continue his agenda. Rockingham said he wants to make North Chicago safer, improve its infrastructure and increase economic development. Park Ridge Mayor Martin 'Marty' Maloney also claimed reelection over a challenge from city Clerk Sal Raspanti. 'I am so thrilled to continue as mayor of Park Ridge. I am excited that this opportunity has been afforded to me and the community has faith in my experience and vision of the future of the next four years,' Maloney told the Pioneer Press. Maloney was on the City Council before being appointed mayor in 2015 following the sudden death of then-Mayor David Schmidt. He was then elected to the post in 2017 and reelected in 2021. And in Tinley Park, voters rewarded Mayor Michael Glotz with a second term, with 60% of the vote over Michael Maloney, a former union executive. Glotz's One Tinley Park slate also appeared victorious in races for village clerk and trustees. Glotz, first elected in 2021, is a member of Operating Engineers Local 150. Unions contributed to both candidates, and state Sen. Michael Hastings and state Rep. Bob Rita supported Maloney. When casting their vote for mayor, Tinley Park voters told the Daily Southtown that their most important issues were property taxes, a police contract and improving relations with the suburb's park district. The incumbent victories reversed trends in other suburbs such as Aurora, where incumbent Richard Irvin lost to Ald. John Laesch, and Orland Park, where former Trustee Jim Dodge declared victory over two-term Mayor Keith Pekau.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Evanston voters re-elect Daniel Biss as mayor, per unofficial results
Evanston voters appear to want to keep the momentum going on a number of issues in the city, including Ryan Field, reparations, Envision Evanston and others, by retaining the incumbent mayor, unofficial Cook County Clerk's office election results show. Mayor Daniel Biss declared victory over challenger Jeff Boarini after unofficial results showed he had captured about 60% of the vote to about 40% for Boarini. 'I want to thank Jeff for running, for giving the community a choice, for making points and bringing forward issues that I think we'll all be better off for having discussed together,' Biss said to his supporters at an election-night campaign gathering. With 100% of Evanston's precincts tabulated in the April 1 election, unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk's office show incumbent Evanston Council Members Clare Kelly, Krissie Harris, Bobby Burns, Jonathan Nieuwsma and Juan Geracaris leading in their races. City Councilmember Devon Reid (8th) was the only incumbent to be losing Tuesday night, unofficial results show, to former Evanston Land Use Commission Chair Matt Rodgers. City Councilmember Tom Suffredin was showing about a 9% lead over his challenger Candance Chow for the hotly contested 6th ward race, unofficial results showed. Newcomers Shawn Iles and Parielle Davis were also in the lead for open seats in the 3rd and 7th wards, respectively. In his next term, Biss will face big issues in Evanston, including charting the future of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, continuing to oversee Ryan Field and dealing with a K-8 school district, Evanston-Skokie District 65, in dire financial straits. The next City Council's first big items will include the consideration of Envision Evanston, the city's comprehensive 20-year plan and an updated zoning code, which received heavy pushback from Evanston residents in the months leading into the election. Previously, Biss campaigned hard for the Envision Evanston plan, but the city had to dramatically slow the pace of the project due to dissenting voices. 'Envision Evanston 2045 was a tough issue in this campaign,' Biss said. 'To those who are concerned about some of the changes we've been discussing, I hear you. I respect you. I appreciate that your voice is just as critical as every other voice, and that's why we slowed this down. That's why we created opportunities for more discussion and more engagement.' 'I need to say that every voice counts equally and so to those of you, or those maybe not in this room, who would say, 'Hey, nobody is asking for this,' I say simply, 'you are wrong.'' 'You don't know my friend, Katie, who, when you ask her how she feels about Evanston, she says, 'The thing I love best is the new bagel shop in my neighborhood, and I just want more people so there can be more customers for more small businesses like that,'' Biss said. 'And you don't know the couple whose door I knocked on a couple months ago in the Fourth Ward who are way too busy with their multiple jobs and their small child to even really be paying attention to municipal politics at all. 'But when I ask them what's on their mind, they said, you know, we live in this two-unit building, and it was so hard for us to find something like this in this town… Could you do something so we could have more of those in this town?' Biss, a former state representative and state senator, has maintained that he will not seek higher office during his next term as Evanston mayor.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston voters re-elect Daniel Biss as mayor, per unofficial results
Evanston voters appear to want to keep the momentum going on a number of issues in the city, including Ryan Field, reparations, Envision Evanston and others, by retaining the incumbent mayor, unofficial Cook County Clerk's office election results show. Mayor Daniel Biss declared victory over challenger Jeff Boarini after unofficial results showed he had captured about 60% of the vote to about 40% for Boarini. 'I want to thank Jeff for running, for giving the community a choice, for making points and bringing forward issues that I think we'll all be better off for having discussed together,' Biss said to his supporters at an election-night campaign gathering. With 100% of Evanston's precincts tabulated in the April 1 election, unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk's office show incumbent Evanston Council Members Clare Kelly, Krissie Harris, Bobby Burns, Jonathan Nieuwsma and Juan Geracaris leading in their races. City Councilmember Devon Reid (8th) was the only incumbent to be losing Tuesday night, unofficial results show, to former Evanston Land Use Commission Chair Matt Rodgers. City Councilmember Tom Suffredin was showing about a 9% lead over his challenger Candance Chow for the hotly contested 6th ward race, unofficial results showed. Newcomers Shawn Iles and Parielle Davis were also in the lead for open seats in the 3rd and 7th wards, respectively. In his next term, Biss will face big issues in Evanston, including charting the future of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center, continuing to oversee Ryan Field and dealing with a K-8 school district, Evanston-Skokie District 65, in dire financial straits. The next City Council's first big items will include the consideration of Envision Evanston, the city's comprehensive 20-year plan and an updated zoning code, which received heavy pushback from Evanston residents in the months leading into the election. Previously, Biss campaigned hard for the Envision Evanston plan, but the city had to dramatically slow the pace of the project due to dissenting voices. 'Envision Evanston 2045 was a tough issue in this campaign,' Biss said. 'To those who are concerned about some of the changes we've been discussing, I hear you. I respect you. I appreciate that your voice is just as critical as every other voice, and that's why we slowed this down. That's why we created opportunities for more discussion and more engagement.' 'I need to say that every voice counts equally and so to those of you, or those maybe not in this room, who would say, 'Hey, nobody is asking for this,' I say simply, 'you are wrong.'' 'You don't know my friend, Katie, who, when you ask her how she feels about Evanston, she says, 'The thing I love best is the new bagel shop in my neighborhood, and I just want more people so there can be more customers for more small businesses like that,'' Biss said. 'And you don't know the couple whose door I knocked on a couple months ago in the Fourth Ward who are way too busy with their multiple jobs and their small child to even really be paying attention to municipal politics at all. 'But when I ask them what's on their mind, they said, you know, we live in this two-unit building, and it was so hard for us to find something like this in this town… Could you do something so we could have more of those in this town?' Biss, a former state representative and state senator, has maintained that he will not seek higher office during his next term as Evanston mayor.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Evanston candidates push back against proposal for increased density, Envision Evanston
Candidates for Evanston mayor and City Council debated what the next four years, and the next 20 years, should look like in the city at a forum hosted at the former site of Second Church of Christ on Feb. 9. The city's proposal for a new zoning ordinance, called Envision Evanston, quickly emerged as a lightning-rod topic for the candidates. The zoning proposal would permit increased density in the city, even outside the downtown, according to previous reporting. At the forum, most candidates balked at a proposal to allow four-unit buildings to be built on lots currently designated for single-family homes. That provision is outlined in Envision Evanston 2045, for which the timeline for implementation has recently been dramatically extended. In the April 1 election, all but one of the seats on the City Council is being contested, and challenger Jeff Boarini is taking on incumbent Mayor Daniel Biss for the mayoral seat. The Envision Evanston proposal has turned into a political talking point for many of the candidates vying for a seat on the City Council, as some residents have protested its proposals to increase housing density. At the forum, 8th Ward City Councilmember Devon Reid was the sole candidate to publicly advocate for more housing to be built in that ward. During the portion of the forum dedicated to mayoral candidates, Boarini threw political punches at Biss's record in his opening remarks. 'I'm running because Evanston deserves a mayor who focuses solely on Evanston and is not focused on his next political job,' Boarini said, perhaps poking at Biss's previous roles as a state senator and representative, as well his bid for governor in 2018. Boarini also referenced the emergency evacuation of elderly Black residents from an apartment complex that left 24 without a permanent home after the city's inspectors deemed the property unsafe to live in. 'How do you justify your silence on that, and what can Black residents and other residents believe in your leadership to protect them from displacement?' Boarini asked. Biss said, 'Those buildings were not unsafe because of anything the city did, but they were, unfortunately, so unsafe the city had to take action to keep the residents safe.' 'This is an unimaginable situation that the residents are being put through, and so we have a responsibility to do what we can to help them,' Biss added. 'We've provided a lot of support, rental assistance for two years for most residents, moving costs, storage costs, working with Connections for the Homeless and other entities across the community to help the residents being displaced find other housing, most of them in Evanston. And so this situation was created by a third party that's not part of the city.' For his question, Biss took a lighter note. 'What's your favorite thing to do in Evanston on a Sunday afternoon?' Biss asked Boarini. 'It would be take a nap,' Boarini said, adding in other leisurely activities. In regards to Envision Evanston, Boarini said the city should have taken more time than the year-long campaign for Envision Evanston so far. He also took a jab at Biss for his comments to another Evanston news publication, when he told it in December that it was 'immoral' to extend Envision Evanston's timeline. 'You have to get all the right people into the room at the beginning of any project, and that's how you achieve success, particularly the people who might object to what you're doing,' Boarini said when asked how he would implement Envision Evanston. 'Everyone who is a stakeholder must be involved, and so that's where I would have begun the process.' Biss said his comments to the other publication were 'stupid' and they 'generated a headline that left an impression that I really regret.' Biss fleshed out his comments at the forum: 'It's a mistake to go too fast because we need to get it right, because it's complicated, because there's a lot of different neighborhoods in Northwestern (sic), I mean Evanston, including some near Northwestern, where there's certain considerations, and others where there aren't. And each of those neighborhoods needs to have a different set of eyes on this,' Biss said. 'At the same time, it's a mistake to go too slow… what we're trying to achieve here is important,' Biss continued. 'I want an Evanston where District 65 teachers can afford to live, where our police officers, our civil servants, our nurses who work in the hospital, can afford to live. And that requires dealing with our affordability crisis across all income levels, and it requires a diversity of types of housing stock.' The comprehensive plan also has language in it to help the city achieve its climate goals, revitalize downtown and to freeze or lower property taxes, Biss said. City Council seats Candidates for City Council seats, with the exception of 9th Ward City Councilmember Juan Geracaris, who is in the only uncontested race, also took questions on Envision Evanston. In the 1st Ward, City Councilmember Clare Kelly is running for re-election against Stephen Hackney. Kelly has previously spoken against Envision Evanston's process as being 'rushed and reckless.' In the 2nd Ward, incumbent City Councilmember Krissie Harris is facing off against Jacqueline Mendoza and Darlene Cannon. In the 3rd Ward, current City Councilmember Melissa Wynne is not running for re-election. Three candidates, Gennifer Geer, John Kennedy and Shawn Iles are competing for that seat. Iles did not attend the forum. In the 4th ward, incumbent City Councilmember Jonathan Nieuwsma is running unopposed on the ballot, but resident Margaret Welch is running a write-in campaign. 'We need to try something different downtown,' Welch said of booming developments which could greatly increase density to Evanston. 'I moved to Evanston because I wanted to live in a suburb.' 'It's not a dog whistle to say you want to live in a suburb,' Welch continued. 'I happen to know a Black woman who told me once that (they) grew up here and said, 'We don't go south (of) Howard (Street).' It's a little less dense, it's a little less noisy, it's a little more safe.' Nieuwsma said downtown Evanston is heading in the right direction, and cited vacancy numbers from before and after the pandemic. 'I think encouraging residential development downtown is one very important thing we can do to bring back some vitality to our downtown,' he said. In the 5th ward, candidates Carlis Sutton and incumbent Bobby Burns spoke about the incoming Foster School, affordable housing, and the emergency removal of residents from an apartment complex at 2018 Wesley Avenue. In the 6th Ward, candidate Candance Chow is challenging incumbent City Councilmember Tom Suffredin. The two did not speak to each other in a single session as the other candidates had, however, because of scheduling conflicts. Unlike much of Evanston, the sixth ward does not have a Metra or CTA Purple Line 'L' train station stop. Suffredin said that should be taken into consideration when the city considers developments involving parking lots, as much of the ward's residents drive. 'It's critical that the needs of areas of Evanston like Northwest Evanston are considered because it's unrealistic for people up here to be dependent on transit and be able to do all the things that people do in their cars,' Suffredin said. In the 7th Ward, City Councilmember Eleanor Revelle is not seeking re-election. Parielle Davis and Kerry Alexander Mundy Williams are running against each other for the seat. Mundy Williams said single-family homeowners felt blindsided by Envision Evanston and its zoning proposal. 'I think there are places where we can add density, but they need to be looked at very seriously. And I think that the single family homeowners who chose that lifestyle and pay property taxes and worked hard to buy their homes deserve to be heard when they say that they don't want something else happening in their neighborhood,' Mundy Williams said. For a potential removal of single family zoning, Davis said the city should adopt that policy with the particular needs that Evanston has. '(Zoning) decisions impact what we have the property taxes to do with regards to affordable housing, but also what we can do with regards to transportation and making public transit more accessible,' Davis said. In the 8th Ward, City Councilmember Devon Reid is running against the former chair of the city's Land Use Commission, Matt Rodgers. Rodgers did not attend the forum. 'Unlike my colleagues on the north end of town, they (business owners) are actually calling for more density,' Reid said. 'They want to see more housing units along Howard Street, because they know that the more people that live on Howard Street, and the more that we can diversify the income demographics of our area, the more that their businesses will be supported, the better that Howard Street will be, the safer Howard Street will be.' Still, Reid was skeptical as to whether an overhaul of the entire city's zoning code would be the 'panacea and the cure for all our affordable housing issues.'
