Evanston Could Elect First Male Mayor in Decades

EVANSTON, IL - The entire field of candidates to succeed Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl could be far from complete, but early indications show there is a possibility the city could elect its first male mayor in more than 30 years.

That’s right, the city’s first male mayor in a generation.

Evanston, known for several reasons as being one of the most progressive cities in the country and a leader when it comes to several proactive measures in the Midwest, has elected a woman to the position for seven consecutive election cycles.

Current Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl announced in the summer her plans not to run for a third term in 2017.

Having served since 2007, Tisdahl is the third woman in a row to hold the highest political office in Evanston.

Her predecessor was Lorraine H. Morton, whom the Civic Center is named for. Before Morton, Evanston’s mayor was Joan Barr Smith.

The city did not elect a single female mayor until Smith was elected in 1985. The last man to win a Mayoral election in the city was Jay Lytle, who was elected in 1977 and reelected in 1981. The city’s Council Chambers are named for him.

With Tisdahl’s decision to retire, the 2017 race has the potential to open up to several candidates, and three have already indicated their plans to seek the office.

9th Ward Ald. Brian Miller has already announced his plans to run for Mayor. 6th Ward Ald. Mark Tendam has indicated that he will “likely run” for the spot as well, according to an Evanston Now report. As has Steve Hagerty, a local entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Evanston-based Hagerty Consulting, the Daily Northwestern reported.

If one of these three are elected, it will be the first time the city has chosen a man to serve as Mayor in 36 years.

4th Ward Ald. Don Wilson could also be included in the Mayoral mix. He told Patch last week that he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running for Mayor, but if he decides against it he will “definitely” run to keep his 4th Ward seat on the Council.

“I intend to talk to the other people who have said they are running for Mayor, find out where they stand and will then make a decision,” said Wilson, whose main concern is to ensure “someone really dedicated” is in place to continue to move the city forward.

At least four of the female members of the City Council have confirmed they are not running for Mayor.

5th Ward Ald. Delores Holmes has previously stated she will not run for reelection in her ward.

8th Ward Ald. Ann Rainey, the senior member of the City Council, will try and keep her seniority. She isn’t running for Mayor, but confirmed with Patch that she will seek to continue to represent her ward on the City Council.

“I’m absolutely positive that I’m going to run, but first we need to elect our president,” said Rainey, who said she won’t focus on her own campaign until she does her part to ensure Hillary Clinton is elected President of the United States.

“I’m a loyal Democrat, and I’ve always found Democratic candidates to truly represent the ideals and characteristics that are in line with my beliefs,” she said. “And I want to be able to tell my granddaughter that I voted for the first female president in America.”

Rainey says her strong points are as an alderperson, and that her work is not done in the 8th Ward.

“That’s why I’m running again,” she said.

7th Ward Ald. Eleanor Revelle is another seeking re-election for her ward post and not running for mayor.

“I’m definitely planning on running for reelection in the 7th Ward, and certainly not for mayor,” said Revelle, who was appointed by Tisdahl to the post last year after the resignation of longtime 7th Ward Ald. Jane Grover.

“I’ve found it really interesting to dig into all the issues the City Council has to address and found it rewarding to help the residents of the 7th Ward with the problems that arise in their neighborhood and to make sure they know they are being listened to,” Revelle said.

3rd Ward Ald. Melissa Wynne confirmed a similar plan.

“I am definitely running for re-election as alderman in 2017,” Wynne wrote in an email to Patch.

1st Ward Ald. Judy Fiske and 2nd Ward Ald. Peter Braithwaite did not return requests for comment.