Jane Grover's blog

We endorse Jane Grover, former chairwoman of the Evanston Mental Health Board, for 7th Ward alderman.

Grover's experience with the board and other local groups gives her extensive institutional knowledge, which the city sorely needs in an election that will bring us a new mayor and at least four brand-new aldermen.  Her ideas to deal with Evanston's budget crisis are practical, as is her emphasis on changing the discourse between Evanston and Northwestern.

Dear Friends and Neighbors:
We're in the homestretch in the 7th Ward aldermanic election, a good time to remind you of the difference I'll make as your alderman.  I am pleased to be the only 7th Ward aldermanic candidate rated "Highly Recommended" by the Central Street Neighbors Association.   

Creating a separate taxing body, whether for the libraries or recreation (as in Wilmette), or a community mental health board, doesn’t necessarily lead to increased taxes. And while we have an excess of taxing bodies in Illinois, the separate existence of a taxing body increases the expectation of transparency and accountability for that entity’s levy and budget. 

Rather than shying away from the "third rail of the 7th Ward" – the North Branch library– we should be engaging in a full and open discussion of the whole Evanston library system and the consequences of our commitment to branch libraries for the city’s budget. 

I hope that economic realities and community planning lead us to the conclusion that the Civic Center should stay where it is, but we can't be afraid to ask the hard questions that get us there.  Short-sighted thinking dictates preservation of the Civic Center in the former Marywood Academy at all costs and without questioning the long-term repercussions for Evanston's finances and implications for this community's aspirations as a sustainable community.