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Chicago Tribune
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Mayor Sam Cunningham's second act begins in Waukegan
Back when golden oldies were new on your transistor radio, Mayor Robert Sabonjian ruled Waukegan. From 1957 to 1977, he oversaw the city, which grew in leaps and bounds under his tenure. Waukegan's new mayor, Sam Cunningham, has a few similarities to Sabonjian's stint as the city's chief executive. Both grew up on the South Side, where Cunningham represented the City Council's 1st Ward for 18 years. Both were defeated for re-election and made political comebacks. Long-time Waukeganites may recall that Sabonjian started his political career as a Democrat, but jumped to the Republican Party in the late 1960s. It was during his mayoralty that the city expanded some 20 miles to the west and northwest, annexing the property that became Lakehurst and is now the Fountain Square entertainment zone. Seeking re-election in 1977, Sabonjian was defeated handily by then-Democrat state Sen. Bill Morris, who served until 1985. Morris was beaten that year by Sabonjian, who came out of retirement to run again. Proving his point he could again manage a successful campaign, he served four years before retiring again. Another Armenian-American, Republican Haig Paravonian, was elected a one-term mayor through 1993. In 2009, Sabonjian's son, Robert, was elected to a term. Since Robert Senior's first 20 years as city leader, Waukegan hasn't had such long-term continuity in the mayor's office. William Durkin served from 1993 to 2001, nowhere near Sabonjian's two decades at the helm, a city record. After Durkin's time, city voters in recent elections have seemed to be searching for new leadership at every turn. They've tossed aside four incumbents in 20 years, like Democrat Cunningham in 2021. Ann Taylor, who ran as an independent then and again last month, bested Cunningham. He reversed the outcome on April 1 after Taylor spent four years heading City Hall. Similar to Sabonjian, Cunningham, Waukegan's first returning Black mayor, faces a crate-load of uncertainty as he returns to the office he initially won in 2017. He appears to realize that, along with plans to 'finish unfinished business' begun during his first term, according to Steve Sadin's front-page account of the mayor's inauguration last week. Like his predecessors, Cunningham has his eye on developing the lakefront and redeveloping downtown. He has infrastructure issues, including lead-pipe replacement and a complete overhaul of Washington Street, from Sheridan Road west to Green Bay Road, also on his mind. Sabonjian, too, wanted to spur Waukegan's lakefront, which most agree is a diamond in the rough. He's the mayor who termed an upgraded Lake Michigan shoreline for the city the, 'Riviera of the Midwest.' Cunningham told Sadin the city will renew efforts to acquire the old EJ&E Railway tracks, which remain a barrier to lakeshore development, as does the Amstutz Expressway, which splits the lake from the core city. The right-of-way, originally serving the old ComEd coal-fired plant and the long-gone US Steel wire mill on the South Side, is rarely used, if at all, by the current owner Canadian National Railway. The mayor also extended an olive branch to the City Council with which some had run-ins with Taylor during her administration. 'This is a team effort,' he said. 'It will take all of us working together, side by side, to make Waukegan the city we all know it can be. 'I know we will have our differences, but let's commit to working together,' he added. One of the first City Council hurdles is picking a law firm to represent members who want their own legal team, separate from one representing the city as a whole. He also addressed qualms over issues facing some city residents and actions of the administration of President Donald Trump: 'Whether you have been here for generations or are a newcomer, your voice matters.' But Cunningham told Sadin, 'We can only control what we control.' That includes the Trump administration slashing federal funding for state and local government projects. The administration of President Joe Biden last year set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans. Billions of dollars in federal grants and funding were available to help communities across the nation get the lead out of water, along with PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl. Those clean drinking water endeavors may be impacted by the expected actions of the Trump administration. There have already been rollbacks of major clean air and water rules. Previous city administrations have faced similar challenges, but Cunningham's previous stint steering the city puts him in good standing to continue policies and plan for new ones for Waukegan's future. Like the elder Sabonjian, his second act begins anew.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Cunningham declares victory in campaign to return as Waukegan mayor; ‘I want to continue with the plans we started'
Former Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham, the city's first Black chief executive, declared victory Tuesday night in his bid to regain the office he lost four years ago, thus extending the city's 28-year string of one-term mayors. Leading in a four-candidate race, Cunningham was ahead of incumbent Mayor Ann Taylor, who defeated him four years ago to become the city's first woman chief executive, according to unofficial results. 'I'm honored and certainly grateful to the voters to allow me another opportunity to serve as their mayor,' Cunningham said. 'This election was more about the future of the city, and I believe the voters have made it very clear they trust me to lead Waukegan forward.' Expressing gratitude to his three opponents for their service to Waukegan, Cunningham said he is ready to get to work after he is inaugurated on May 5. '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 collected 47.04% of 6,020 votes counted as of late Tuesday night. Taylor had 33.94%, Ald. Keith Turner, 6th Ward, had 13.17%, and former Ald. Harold Beadling, 4th Ward, had 5.85%, according to unofficial election results from the Lake County Clerk's Office. Taylor conceded shortly after 9 p.m. She congratulated Cunningham and expressed gratitude to the people of Waukegan for their support over the past four years. 'I congratulate former Mayor Sam Cunningham on his election victory this evening, and wish him success as he leads Waukegan forward,' Taylor said. 'Serving as mayor these past four years has been an incredible honor, and I am proud of the progress we've made together as a community.' Since former Mayor Bill Durkin was reelected to a second term in 1997, Waukegan voters have chosen a different chief executive every four years since. Cunningham said numerous times during his campaign that he had unfinished business. Now, he has a chance to address that. Starting his first term with bold plans, Cunningham updated the city's master plan after nearly 40 years, crafted a capital improvement plan and shepherded three applications for an 'entertainment center called a casino' through the City Council to the Illinois Gaming Board. 'I want to continue with the plans we started,' he said in February. 'We had to put some of them on hold with COVID. I want to rebuild Waukegan. We (started) to rebuild affordable housing, particularly in the public sector. It's important to me because I lived in public housing.' Starting to rebuild the city's water plant during his tenure, Cunningham said he still sees it as a way to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities as a revenue source. It will help keep taxes down, he said. Collaborating with other governmental entities to benefit the community, Cunningham said he plans to work with the Waukegan Park District and the Lake County Forest Preserves District to create a mobility trail partially along the lakefront, from the south side of Waukegan to the Lyons Forest Preserve near Highway 41 and Route 173 in Zion. A piece of the trail puzzle is acquiring the land owned by the Canadian National Railway once used to haul coal to the now-decommissioned NRG electric generating plant. There were negotiations and an agreement during his tenure, but it did not materialize. Removal of the railroad tracks will also enable another project Cunningham said he intends to pursue — Navy Pier North — by creating an entertainment district at the beach. The area's success is also dependent on adding 700 to 1,000 residential units in the downtown area, he said. 'Downtown redevelopment ties in to the entertainment center at the beach,' Cunningham said. 'They go hand in hand. We also need a new police station, and a realignment of our current fire stations. It's all essential to the rebuilding of Waukegan.'
Chicago Tribune
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Statewide Democrats, Realtors enter Warren, Gurnee races
While Waukeganites are in the midst of a crusty mayoral election featuring four candidates, their neighbors to the west in Gurnee also find themselves with ballot choices. There are spirited elections in the village and in Warren Township. With those elections comes two statewide groups — the Illinois Democratic Party and Realtors — who have injected themselves into what usually have been nonpartisan, micro-local contests. Of course, political parties and lobbying groups can support or endorse any candidates they care about and want to see elected. In Warren Township, appointed incumbent Supervisor Elmer Fallos is being challenged by Carissa Casbon, currently a Lake County Board member and a former Millburn Grade School District 24 board president. Fallos leads the nonpartisan Warren United complete slate of incumbent township officials. Casbon is listed as an independent on the April 1 ballot, although she was elected a County Board member in 2020 as a Democrat representing District 7, which includes much of Gurnee, portions of Waukegan, Gages Lake, Wildwood and Grandwood Park. She was re-elected a Democrat in the 2022 election; the seat is up in 2026. She has been endorsed by a number of Democratic groups and party officeholders for the supervisor post. Casbon's endorsements include backing by the Illinois Democratic Party. It is the statewide machine's second foray into municipal and township endorsements under the umbrella of the party's 'Vote Local Illinois' endeavor. Township elections are ostensibly nonpartisan races, but state Democrats apparently seek to expand their already large footprint by joining in the usually lower-turnout municipal elections for local offices. Democrats hold all statewide offices, a super-majority in the legislature, all countywide offices and the majority on the Lake County Board. Illinois Democrats are supporting some 270 candidates for a variety of local offices in all areas of the state, including the College of Lake County, in the April 1 election. Candidates also will be beneficiaries of a six-figure advertising campaign, including online postings, prior to local voting. Fallos, who served as a township trustee, was appointed supervisor in 2023 by the Town Board after former Supervisor Sue Simpson quietly retired. He says he is the truly independent candidate, 'that has not been beholden to Democrats or Republicans.' Casbon failed to respond to e-mail questions about whether she would give up her County Board seat if elected supervisor. Holding two offices is considered by most folks 'double dipping': Getting salaries from two different governmental bodies. Also being a forest preserves commissioner with per diem pay, she would be 'triple dipping.' Such is not without precedent. The late Robert W. Depke, whose name adorns the sprawling Warren Township Center complex at Washington Street and Almond Road, was twice Lake County Board chairman while serving as township supervisor. Prior to the adoption of the 1970 Illinois Constitution, when county boards became elected units of government, township supervisors comprised members of county boards. The reasoning behind the constitutional change was to get away from consolidating too much power in the hands of fewer elected officials. That hasn't always happened, and officials have to decide which constituency they represent when they confront specific issues when they 'double dip.' In Gurnee, Mayor Thomas Hood is seeking a second four-year term and is being challenged by Trustee Quin O'Brien, who has been on the Village Board for six years. Both are running as independents. In Gurnee, the Illinois REALTORS Fund has thrown itself into the mayoral fray, sending out glossy oversized mailers supporting O'Brien, a semi-retired Realtor and founder of an online real estate company. The Gurnee contest is one of a number across the state — from Evanston, to Bloomington, to Grayslake — where, like the Democrat Party, the real estate political action committee is backing candidates. One of the fliers mailed to Gurnee residents and paid for by the Springfield-based group, caused O'Brien to issue an apology to Hood the other day. It tried to point out police department staffing levels are below those before the COVID-19 outbreak, which is untrue. O'Brien said he did not authorize the mailed piece, which in fact has this caveat: 'This communication is not authorized by the candidate and the candidate is not responsible for the activities of the Illinois REALTORS Fund.' Yet, the group sent a follow-up political piece on O'Brien's behalf saying he would fight against any establishment of a village property tax. However, that doesn't seem to be a campaign issue in Gurnee, which hasn't had a village property tax in decades. Like Vernon Hills, Gurnee chiefly relies on sales tax revenue to support its extensive municipal services. Hood has steadfastly pledged there is no property tax in the village's future, so it's uncertain where the political arm of the Realtor organization got that real estate tax idea or the police staffing level claim. Realtors have since sent out a third direct mailer backing O'Brien's candidacy. Election Day is April 1, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting is ongoing daily through March 29 for the village and township elections from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gurnee Village Hall, 325 O'Plaine Road, and at various countywide locations, including the Lake County Building in downtown Waukegan.
