Ex-Evanston Mayoral Candidate Seeks Appointment To 9th Ward Seat

EVANSTON, IL — A candidate in last year's mayoral primary election, Sebastian Nalls, declared his interest in the seat on the Evanston City Council that 9th Ward Ald. Cicely Fleming said she plans to vacate at the end of the month.

Nalls, a Purdue University senior majoring in accounting and political science, was the first candidate to enter the race for Evanston mayor. He earned 9 percent of the vote to finish third out of three candidates in the February 2021 primary election.

"Though I was unsuccessful, the opportunity allowed me to connect with thousands of Evanston residents and enabled meaningful solutions to critical problems in our community," Nalls said in statement seeking to be considered for appointment to the City Council, which was accompanied by 150 signatures from Evanston voters.

"Since then, I have worked relentlessly as a community collaborator and organizer, advocating for 9th Ward residents and greater Evanston; working relentlessly to convene Evanstonians on critical issues of public safety to government transparency," he added. "Directly after my mayoral run, I was asked to join Governor JB Pritzker’s inaugural Office of Equity. This role has given me the opportunity to make vital contributions to the State’s strategic diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility plan; ensuring equity is at the core of our agencies, services, systems and protocols."

Fleming announced plans to resign at the Dec. 20 City Council meeting, explaining that the position had become harmful to her health. The fourth-generation Evanstonian was elected to a second four-year term in April 2021 without opposition.

Related: 'I Don't Love My Role,' Ald. Cicely Fleming To Step Down From City Council

Mayor Daniel Biss is set to make an interim appointment to pick her immediate replacement. But because there are more than 28 months remaining in Fleming's unexpired term, state law calls for the voters choose a representative at the next consolidated municipal elections.

In Cook County, the next consolidated primary election is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2023, ahead of an April 4, 2023, general election.

Should the sitting 9th Ward councilmember resign as planned on Jan. 31, Biss has until April 1 to nominate a replacement, who must then be confirmed by alderpeople. If the council does not ratify the mayor's appointment within 30 days, the mayor may nominate a second person, and if councilmembers fail to approve the second pick, he may temporarily appoint either one.

"The person receiving the temporary appointment shall serve until an appointment has received the advice and consent and the appointee has qualified or until a person has been elected and has qualified, whichever first occurs," according to the relevant state law.

If picked as the next 9th Ward alderperson, Nalls said he hoped to take part in and expand Fleming's work on the City Council to use financial donations from Northwestern University to arrange direct monthly payments to low-income residents.

The former mayor candidate also pledged to continue Fleming's work to establish means of alternative emergency responses. Nalls also said he would continue pushing for planks from his campaign platform, including increased affordable early child care and transitional programs for youth and young adults.

Fleming was the lone City Council member to vote against allocating $400,000 from the city's cannabis tax-funded municipal reparations fund for Black resident to home ownership and repair subsidies distributed through banks and reimbursements. Nalls, one of the founders of a group called "Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations" has also been a vocal critic of the implementation of the "Restorative Housing Program," the first initiative of the city's groundbreaking reparations fund.

Related: Sebastian Nalls 2021 Evanston Mayor Candidate Profile

"Currently, my time in the Governor’s Office of Equity, has made it clear that community systemic and sustained change is not easy, nor is it accomplished through the efforts of one person. The 9th Ward needs a new representative that is committed to working effectively and collaboratively with other city officials and aside community members," Nalls said.

"I will remain critical of City Council’s decisions, and we will not always agree; however, we all understand that the work we do is for the betterment of all Evanstonians. I pledge to create a sustainable Evanston, work with every councilmember and city staff person to solve Evanston’s greatest challenges, and serve the 9th Ward with compassion and integrity," he said.

"Regardless of my age," Nalls continued, "I ask that you reflect on my relevant skills I have acquired and the relationships I have cultivated over the years, as my offerings to the 9th Ward and the entirety of Evanston because these are the true representation of my capabilities and priorities."