Election 2021: Races For Evanston City Council, Clerk, D-65 Board

EVANSTON, IL — Voters will elect at least three new aldermen to the Evanston City Council, a new city clerk and four members of the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Tuesday on the last day of voting in the April 6 municipal elections.

Although Mayor-Elect Daniel Biss' name appears on the ballot, his victory in February's primary by more than 51 percent of the vote means he will be sworn in next month regardless of how many votes he receives.

In the other citywide race, Stephanie Mendoza won an even larger proportion of the vote than Biss. As the lone candidate who filed valid nominating petitions to appear on the ballot, she won more than three out of four votes cast and has earned the endorsement of the incoming mayor.

Mendoza is being challenged on the ballot by Cynthia Beebe, a former federal law enforcement agent who was the highest vote-getter among write-in candidates in the primary.

Mendoza, Biss and 1st Ward challenger Clare Kelly were the lone municipal candidates to receive the endorsement of the Democratic Party of Evanston after securing more than two-thirds of votes cast in a endorsement session ahead of the primary. Incumbent District 65 school board members Soo La Kim and Biz Lindsay-Ryan also received at least two-thirds of votes cast.

After two senior aldermen came in third in the primary election — Ann Rainey in the 8th Ward and Don Wilson in the 4th Ward — a group of wealthy and influential Evanstonians, including outgoing Mayor Steve Hagerty, formed a new political action committee and spent at least $13,000 on an advertising campaign alleging that a group of candidates were seeking to abolish Evanston's form of government had not "been forthright about their plans."

The recently formed political committee, Evanston Together LLC, submitted its quarterly financial report on the first day of the filing period Thursday. Election attorneys say the document indicates that the committee violated state campaign finance law by not disclosing its spending and donations greater than $1,000 from Hagerty, a Wilmette real estate investor and another of their fellow lakefront homeowners.

The group — which has drawn criticism from the incoming mayor just as it has received funding from the outgoing one — supported every incumbent on the ballot except for 6th Ward Ald. Tom Suffredin and did not take positions in the 5th Ward or the 8th Ward. Suffredin was the lone incumbent to receive more votes than their challenger in the Evanston Democratic Party's Jan. 23 endorsement session.

Aldermanic Races

Since 9th Ward Ald. Cicely Fleming is running unopposed for a second term on the City Council, these are the eight competitive ward-level races for alderman:

• 1st Ward: Ald. Judy Fiske vs. Clare Kelly (Video forum)
• 2nd Ward: Ald. Peter Braithwaite vs. Darlene Cannon (Video forum)
• 3rd Ward: Ald. Melissa Wynne vs. Nicholas Korzeniowski (Video forum)
• 4th Ward: Jonathan Nieuwsma vs. Diane Goldring (Video forum)
• 5th Ward: Bobby Burns vs. Carolyn Murray (Tina Foster is also on the ballot but has suspended her campaign and endorsed Murray) (Video forum)
• 6th Ward: Ald. Tom Suffredin vs. Katie Trippi (Video forum)
• 7th Ward: Ald. Eleanor Revelle vs. Mary Rosinski (Video forum)
• 8th Ward: Devon Reid vs. Matt Mitchell (Video forum)

A final candidates forum — hosted by Evanston Live TV in partnership with reporters from Evanston RoundTable, the Daily Northwestern and Evanston Patch — was held Monday evening.

Related:
Evanston Together LLC Violated Campaign Finance Laws, Filing Says
Evanston ‘Dark Money PAC’ Launches Attack Ads In Aldermanic Races
Racist Zoom-Bomber Threatens Candidate For Evanston City Council
Two Evanston City Clerk Candidates To Appear On April 6 Ballot
Evanston Primary Election: Biss Elected Mayor, Incumbents Ousted

Evanston/Skokie School District 65

In Evanston/Skokie School District 65 eight candidates, including three incumbents, are seeking four open positions on the school board.

The debate over the pace and policies of reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an unusually heated school board race.

The three incumbents and Donna Wang Su were recommended by the five local teachers unions. Board Vice President Biz Lindsay-Ryan was the lone candidate to respond to a Patch questionnaire.

Links to their candidate websites are below, in alphabetical order:

• Angela Blaising
• Joey Hailpern (incumbent)
• Soo La Kim (incumbent)
• Elisabeth “Biz” Lindsay-Ryan (incumbent)
• Ndona Muboyayi
• Katie Voorhees
• Donna Wang Su
• Marquise Weatherspoon

Watch: April 5 candidate forum

Watch: Candidates recorded interviews with the Democratic Party of Evanston »

Watch: District 65 Candidates Took Part In A March 17 forum hosted by the Central Street Neighbors Association »

Watch: Candidates for District 65 board and city clerk took part in a Jan. 28 forum hosted by the Organization for Positive Action and Leadership »

Evanston Township High School District 202

There are fewer candidates than open positions on the Evanston Township High School District 2020 board, so the three incumbents seeking an additional term will return.

Along with the rest of the board, they will be responsible for appointing another member to fill the remaining vacancy, since no one filed paperwork to run as a write-in candidate.