Blogs

At the Planning and Development Committee meeting February 9, a zoning change for 912-946 Pitner was introduced. The proposed change was from Industrial to Mixed Use, thus allowing someone to live in the area. Two protagonists appeared- someone who wished to develop a commercial condo in which someone could live in a loft-type residence and a very long-time business owner who was concerned about disruption to this industrial area.

Time has come to change the way we manage our City.

In this time of economic crisis, Evanston and the 6th Ward need strategic leadership. We need a City Council that thinks creatively, works collaboratively and focuses all of its energies on keeping our City safe, secure and vibrant. We must reject the notion that we can limp from budget to budget, line item to line item and elect a Council that is capable of managing the present in a way that ensures our future. We must also plan for the day when the economic crisis allows us to return to a more normal way of life in this city.

As a long-time advocate for open and transparent government, working both from within and outside government, I understand our elected officials' duty to satisfy the public's right to information and accountability.  The business of the public must be conducted in full view of the public (Open Meetings Act) and citizens must have access to all public records (Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)). 
 

In my blogs and speeches so far as candidate for alderman, I have emphasized my knowledge and experience, listing intellectual credentials and professional accomplishments. But I realize that a successful alderman must have a heart as well as mind (and both need to be connected to ears.) As I prepare myself to become a successful alderman, I realize I need people skills- navigating a spreadsheet is not enough.

Madam Mayor and Members of the Council
 
Thank you…for the many long hours you’ve spent, along with the city staff, working on budget development and the current budget proposal. As citizens, we can only try to understand what it means to take on these responsibilities in a time of incredibly hard choices. But what we can imagine are the difficulties of facing an unhealthy budget situation on the one hand … and on the other hand, asking a financially injured community to take on additional burdens.     
 

Last night (2/3/09), the City Council spent at least a half hour discussing the budget for training for city employees. The HR person described how the training budget was cut in half from over $100K to about $60K (keeping 10 different programs at about $6K each.) Earlier in January, the Council spent time discussing a $7,000 expenditure on office furniture.

• Thursday, February 17, 7 to 9 pm
     Coffee hosted by Joan Slavin and Chuck Marcotte, 2021 Colfax

• Saturday, February 21, 11:30 am to 3 pm
     Kids Campaign Kickoff!
      Join Jane and her family for door-to-door 
      campaigning in the 7th Ward, beginning at 2703 
      Prairie, followed by gym activity and pizza at
      Chandler-Newberger. 

• Sunday, March 1, 2 to 4 pm

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Evanston is at a critical juncture, one that presents enormous challenges, but also opportunities. The City faces another year of tight budgets, unprecedented liability to its police and fire pension funds, and overdue investment in infrastructure. While I have a realistic perspective on the City's dire budget landscape, we must also look to new opportunities and resources outside the silo of government to identify solutions to Evanston's challenges.

I had the opportunity to attend this past weekend’s 2009-2010 budget workshop conducted by City staff for both the City Council and interested citizens. The work and effort put forth by the staff along with their involvement and willingness to address all comments and questions should certainly be commended.

The “workshop” did not lack data, information and knowledgeable staff. What it did lack was a central question.

Here are a few highlights:

Three years ago, I asked Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin for ideas on how I might contribute to public service. He suggested a trusteeship on the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District (NSMAD) board. “Mosquitoes?”, I replied, “What do I know about mosquitoes?” Experience as an entomologist was not required. Instead, I was asked to serve because of my financial background and my recent experience as President of the Democratic Party of Evanston.