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Late filings set races in Evanston
Evanston City Clerk Hon. Rodney Greene (left) assists Township Supervisor candidate Gary Gaspard (right) with filing for the upcoming city elections in the city clerk's office at the Evanston Civic Center. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
Updated: February 4, 2013 6:15AM
EVANSTON — Incumbent aldermen in four of the city’s nine wards will face challenges, and there also will be also be a contested race for the township supervisor position.
The city race is looking like a quiet one compared to four years ago, with five incumbent aldermen not facing challenges, and the mayor and city clerk also going without an opponent.
Two candidates stepped forward on the final day of filing Wednesday, submitting petitions to run in the first and second wards.
Edward Tivador, 807 Davis St., will vie against incumbent Judy Fiske for the seat in the downtown First Ward seat.
James C. Dyer, of 1620 Pitner Ave., a longtime resident who owns a painting company, will face off in the Second Ward against Peter Braithwaite, who was appointed to his seat to fill a vacancy.
Filing earlier, Mark Sloane is going up against incumbent Alderman Mark Tendam in the northwest Sixth Ward. Thomas Just, a real estate broker and appraiser, has cued up to take on council veteran Ann Rainey in the southwest Eighth Ward.
Sloane has by far the most visibility of the challengers, having run and lost to Tendam by roughly 100 votes in a three-way race four years ago. The CEO and chief financial officer of his advertising business, Sloane plans to play up his financial expertise as a need on the council, which has come under criticism for its assistance to private businesses and embracing of TIF districts.
Tivador could not be reached Wednesday. Dyer and Just indicated they are preparing their platforms.
Just, a resident of the Eighth Ward for four years, said he would raise issues related to the real estate industry and local economy.
He faces a formidable challenge in Rainey, the senior member of the council and a force in reshaping the ward.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came in the sole filing for the township assessor office.
Sharon Eckersall, who was at the center of controversy when she held the office during three terms, from 1999 to 2009, filed to run, after garnering nearly 700 signatures.
Eckersall drew attention in the firing of three deputy assistants, prompting lawsuits filed against the city. She prevailed in two, though one resulted in a settlement. She maintained the lawsuits were politically motivated because of her standing as a Republican in a Democratic city. She was defeated handily four years ago in a run by Bonnie Wilson, who didn’t file this time.
Eckersall said she is the only one of a few within the city who has gone through the rigorous classroom sessions and exams to hold a Certified Illinois Assessing Office certification, necessary to run for the office.
If elected, she said she would focus some of her efforts on helping residents in the city’s predominately African-American Fifth Ward, where foreclosure rates have skyrocketed.
“All I know is I’ve got all this class work in and I hate to see it go to waste,’’ she said.
Meanwhile, five candidates have filed to run for four open seats in District 65, the elementary district.
Sunith Kartha, of 1319 Leonard Place is the latest filer. She joined Candance Chow, 2614 Thayer St.; Claudia Garrison, 1430 Crain St., Peter Kaplan, of 2200 Bennett Ave., and incumbent Tracy Quattrocki as those who previously filed.
In the race for District 202 Evanston Township High School Board, there is near logjam compared to the city and elementary district, with eight people vying to fill the four open seats on the seven- member board.
Six newcomers joined incumbent School Board members Gretchen Livingston and Deborah Graham.
Making a run are Bill Geiger, 316 Ashland Ave.; Doug Holt, 2447 Lincolnwood Drive; Patricia Savage-Williams, 9007 Samoset Trail in Skokie; Andrew Bezatis, 1208 Judson Ave.; Elena Garcia-Ansani, 9540 Drake Ave. in Evanston; and Casey Miller, 2429 Lincoln Ave.
