No Second-Term Steve: Hagerty Says He Will Not Seek Re-Election

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty will not seek re-election to a second term in office, he announced Wednesday, making him the city's first one-term mayor since World War II.

Hagerty did not provide a reason for his decision to step down after the end of his term in May, saying only that it was a difficult decision and "time to take a break and allow for another to take the role," according to his newsletter.

The incumbent mayor would have been due to face a challenge from Daniel Biss, a former state senator and runner-up for the Democratic Party's nomination for governor, Purdue University undergraduate Sebastian Nalls and, potentially, other candidates. Candidates can submit signatures between Nov. 16 and Nov. 23 to appear on the ballot in next year's Feb. 23 primary and April 6 municipal elections.

"If we have learned anything from 2020, it’s that leadership and character matter. We are blessed in Evanston to have many gifted leaders who want to make a difference," Hagerty said.

"While holding elected office is always demanding, and even exasperating at times, the opportunity to serve others is deeply rewarding," he added. "I have been honored to serve as your Mayor and look forward to doing everything I can to see us through the pandemic and support the efforts of our new Mayor and Council starting in May 2021. Until then, I will continue to do my best to lead us with grace, courage, and integrity through these uncertain times."

Four years ago, Hagerty, a Massachusetts native and consultant who started an emergency management business in the wake of 9/11, heavily outspent his opponents in his first foray into elected office before eking out a victory by just 115 votes in a runoff election.

"I love what we have accomplished together over the last four years, in spite of a current global pandemic, economic downturn, contentious differences, and the rising public distrust that exists for our elected leaders and government institutions," Hagerty said in his announcement that he would not be running again.

Within a couple months of taking office, Hagerty violated the Illinois Open Meetings Act by improperly calling an emergency meeting to reconsider raising the minimum wage. And within six months of Hagerty taking office, the city raised property taxes by 3 percent, introduced a series of new fees to cover a $6 million deficient and approved a $500,000 settlement to resolve a racial discrimination lawsuit against its former city manager.

The following year, the city pursued an idea that Hagerty had floated prior to his election: the privately-financed demolition of the Harley Clarke mansion and coach house, a local historical landmark located in the vicinity of the mayor's lakeside mansion. After Evanston voters approved a non-binding referendum to preserve the mansion by a 4-1 margin in November 2018, Hagerty and the City Council reversed course. Later that year, the City Council approved a 2019 budget that included a 2 percent property tax increase and hiked parking and other fees.

In 2019, Hagerty asked the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to investigate the City Council, city staff and outside attorneys after materials from a closed-door meeting were leaked. Records obtained by Patch show prosecutors conducted an investigation and notified city officials in December 2019 that no charges would be filed, and ever since, Hagerty has not publicly mentioned the abortive "official misconduct" investigation that he requested.

Hagerty's term has coincided with the construction of the Robert Crown Community Center and Library. The project was initially approved in 2016 — before he was elected — with a projected $30 million price tag. The cost grew to more than $53 million, with a nonprofit foundation pledging to cover $15 million of the goal. A ribbon-cutting was held this month to formally mark the completion of the facility.

The mayor recently presided over the swearing in of the city's first new city manager in more than a decade, as Erika Storlie, a longtime deputy of former City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz and Hagerty's top pick for the job, was hired permanently to the job she had held for over a year on an interim basis.

Earlier this year, Hagerty sought to bypass the executive search process and hire Storlie directly, citing the coronavirus. Aldermen, and Storlie herself, rebuffed his efforts. Three finalists were eventually named, and, in closed-door deliberations about 48 hours after the candidates were introduced to the public, the mayor and a majority of aldermen decided to hire Storlie as the city's ninth city manager.

According to city records and archival obituaries, Henry Penfield, who served from 1937 until his defeat in 1941, was the last of the 20 Evanston mayors that preceded Hagerty to have been elected to just a single term.

Hagerty said Storlie's promotion marked an appropriate time for him to announce he will not seek re-election.

"The challenges that lie ahead for Evanston are significant," Hagerty said in his Oct. 28 newsletter, "providing essential services with less, rebuilding our local economy, wisely balancing our budget and reallocating our assets, preparing all our young adults for productive and successful careers, honoring the diversity of our community, and addressing growing socioeconomic and racial disparities."