Evanston City Manager Adds Second Deputy, Appoints Senior Staff

EVANSTON, IL — City Manager Erika Storlie announced the promotion of three senior staffers to leadership positions in Evanston.

Effective Monday, the appointments will see the city's top lawyer move to Storlie's office to be replaced by her top deputy at the Evanston Law Department and a 24-year veteran of the Evanston Fire Department become its permanent chief.

City Attorney Kelley Gandurski will move from the Evanston Law Department to Storlie's office, where she will share responsibilities with current Deputy City Manager Kimberly Richardson, city staff said in a statement.

The second deputy city manager is expected to "focus on the day-to-day management of City operations while supporting the city manager on long-term projects, programs and community partnerships," it said.

Gandurski joined the law department in March 2020 after two years a city attorney for Chicago followed by two years as executive director of its Department of Animal Care and Control. She succeeded Michelle Masoncup, now general counsel for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Deputy City Attorney Nick Cummings, who joined the law department in January 2020, was appointed as the city's new head legal counsel. He previously worked for the Chicago Transit Authority and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Cummings has led the law department's efforts to lay out a legal justification for the housing grant program approved as the first project of the city's local reparations program for Black residents.

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Any information about how the reshuffle in the city manager's office will affect the city's budget will be added here if received.

In the fire department, Interim Chief Paul Polep will take over on a permanent basis next week. Polep has more than three decades of firefighting experience, starting with the McHenry Township Fire Protection District before joining the Evanston Fire Department in 1996.

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Polep, an Evanston resident, has served as captain, division chief of emergency medical services, deputy chief of operations and as interim chief since January.

“Kelley, Nick and Chief Polep are experienced, proven leaders who share a steadfast commitment to public service,” Storlie said in the statement.

“Their leadership and expertise have been invaluable to our City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be just as critical as we begin to shift focus to our community’s recovery," she added. "I look forward to working with each of them in their new roles.”