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Evanston incumbents step forward to file
Filing for office
What seats are up? The mayor, all nine aldermanic positions, city clerk, Township Supervisor and Township assessor in the city election. Four seats in both District 65, the elementary district, and four on the District 202, Evanston Township School Boards. To pick up candidate packets, for the city, visit Cookcountyclerk.com. For the School Board, contact the district offices.
Filing deadline: 5 p.m. Dec. 26.
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Updated: January 21, 2013 3:26PM
EVANSTON — If you like the current City Council, there’s a good chance you’ll like the next one too.
With few outsiders stepping up so far, the first day and a half was heavy with incumbents filing petitions for next April’s municipal election.
Incumbents Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, City Clerk Rodney Greene, and Aldermen Judy Fiske, 1st; Peter Braithwaite, Don Wilson, 4th, Delores Holmes, 5th, Mark Tendam, 6th, Jane Grover, 7th, Ann Rainey, 8th, and Coleen Burrus, 9th, filed petitions with signatures Monday, signifying their intention to run for another four-year term.
If incumbent Aldermen Melissa A. Wynne, 3d, files as expected, that would mean the entire council would have re-upped. The filing period ends Dec. 26 at 5 p.m.
Mark Sloane, in the northwest 6th Ward, and Thomas Just, in the south 8th, Ward, were the only non-council members to file the first day to run for alderman.
Sloane, CEO of a business and a former member of the city’s Recreation Board, ran close in a three-way race won by Tendam four years ago.
Two newcomers, Gary Gaspard, an Eighth Ward resident, and Keith Banks, in the Second Ward, are candidates in the race to replace Township Assessor Pat Vance, who is retiring.
Incumbent council members cited the current council’s chemistry and chance to build on accomplishments as motivation for seeking another four-year term.
“It’s a good council,’’ said Tisdahl, standing outside the clerk’s office after filing Monday. “I think everyone works well together. We don’t all agree on everything, but we shouldn’t because we couldn’t possibly represent Evanston if we agreed on everything. But we’re very cohesive in the big things.
“When I worked on affordable housing, everyone was supportive. When I worked on the health center (the first federally funded community health center in the area), everyone supported it. Nobody said, ‘It has to be in my ward.’ I think this council looks at the big issues as well as ward issues.”
Rainey, senior alderman on the council, whose tenure goes back to 1983 (she took a hiatus to run for mayor), also spoke of group’s unity.
“The support I’ve gotten from the council is unheard of all my years on the council.” She said support from the city manager and staff, along with council members has allowed her to move forward on projects, “and I feel very committed to help them move forward on projects in their wards,” she said.
Holmes said the support was a factor in her changing her mind and seeking another term of office.
“We really work hard together, and for the first time in my memory of being involved people on the West Side know that things are starting to happen,” she said. “We have businesses springing up, we have housing. I’m just really excited about that.”
At one time, District 202 had to recruit candidates to fill positions on that school board.
That’s not the case this year.
Incumbent board members Gretchen Livingston and Deborah Graham were joined by six newcomers filing to run for the seven-member board for four open seats in the April 9 election.
Along with the incumbents, the other candidates filing the first day are Bill Geiger, 316 Ashland; Doug Holt, 2447 Lincolnwood Drive; Patricia Savage-Williams, 9007 Samoset Trail in Skokie; Andrew Bezatis, 1208 Judson; Elena Garcia-Ansani, 9540 Drake in Evanston-Skokie; and Casey Miller, 2429 Lincoln.
In District 65, the elementary district, four candidates have filed thus far to run for four open seats.
Incumbent Tracy Quattrocki, 1220 Hinman, was joined by Candice Chow. 2614 Thayer; Claudia Garrison, 1430 Crain; and Peter Kaplan, of 2200 Bennett, filed the first day.
