Jeanne’s Work Program as Mayor

Develop a Community Action Agenda – We need to work together as a community to develop a community vision and action agenda that we can implement to make Evanston the community that we want it to be. I will work with all segments of the community so that everyone’s voice is heard. Our vision for the future must be inclusive and it must lead to real projects and programs. We need to develop a comprehensive set of community action projects that address the major issues impacting our quality of life. Some services like police and fire protection, public works, library services and recreation programming are core services that are the responsibility of the City of Evanston. The two school districts are responsible for educating our children. However, there are many amenities and services that, as Evanstonians, we have come to expect. We need to work together to figure out how to continue to meet the needs of all of our neighbors in these challenging economic times.

My focus over the last several years has been on Evanston land use and budget issues. There are others in Evanston who are experts in helping at-risk teens, working with youth to find that first job and mentoring them to develop the skills that they will need to ensure long-term economic success, addressing the challenges of homelessness, helping homeowners purchase their first home or avoid foreclosure, bringing arts programming to Evanston, protecting our environment, promoting access to locally grown produce, and working to make our neighborhoods safer. Evanston’s Mayor can and should have a strong guiding hand in building community consensus and crafting sensible community solutions. We can learn from each other and together we can make Evanston work for the good of us all.

Promote investment in Evanston – I will encourage Evanston stakeholders to continue to invest in Evanston and work to attract new investment to our community. As a community, we need to continue to make the financial investments needed to protect the tax base, attract new residents and employers, and sustain our quality of life. We must make smart decisions in identifying which types of private investment to target. A better understanding of the service impacts of various types of development is critical. We need to understand the market and our market strengths including unique local businesses, historic neighborhoods, NU, Lake Michigan and the quality of Evanston’s built environment. We also must think creatively about capitalizing on specialty niches such as the arts industry, the medical providers associated with our two hospitals, and all types of small businesses and entrepreneurs who choose to call Evanston home. We need to ensure that we have an adequate supply of office space for small businesses and places where these home-grown enterprises can expand in Evanston. We should focus on creating jobs in Evanston, for Evanstonians, so that our carbon footprints can be minimized by reducing travel times and costs and so that current residents can afford to live in Evanston and provide their families with the economic stability and support that they need. According to Evmark, there are more than 10,000 office workers that bring an important customer base for the 85 restaurants and many retail businesses. We need to figure out how to attract even more offices to the downtown so that it can continue to thrive.

Support sustainability – As Mayor, I will work to ensure that all aspects of sustainability – from green development to economic stability – are included in the discussion as we build Evanston’s community action agenda. Sustainability involves more than making sure that new buildings are as “green” as they can be. Most of the buildings now in Evanston will still be here 20, 30 or even 40 years from now. I believe that we need to place as much emphasis on improving the energy efficiency of our existing buildings, especially our housing stock and public buildings as we have on developing mandates for LEED certification for new development and implementing recommendations included in Evanston’s adopted climate action plan. Many residents struggle to afford Evanston; reducing the percent of their income that must go to pay for utility bills can help them continue to call Evanston home.

There are opportunities for partnerships and collaborations well beyond those established during the development of Evanston’s climate action plan. Preservationists like to say that the greenest building is an existing building and there is no reason that preservationists and conservationists shouldn’t be working together to promote sustainable development. We need to focus on green technologies and products to ensure that our buildings are healthy as well as energy efficient. This involves making sure that buildings are free of lead paint and other materials that trigger health issues. Improving access to locally grown food and the efforts to bring the talking farm to life are all examples of Evanston at its best. There are many such initiatives in Evanston – they need to be made known to a wider audience so that new collaborations and synergies can evolve. 

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is developing the Chicago regions first comprehensive land use and transportation plan. Sustainability is a central theme of that planning effort, based on four key principles: 1) protect the environment and improve natural resources for future generations, 2) improve economic performance and quality of life for individuals, 3) preserve the value of human and man-made capital for future generations, and 4) ensure a fair distribution of life-quality. I support this comprehensive view of sustainability and by extension sustainable development and believe that Evanston should have a prominent place in this regional discussion.

As Mayor, I will work to ensure that all aspects of sustainability – from green development to financial literacy – are included in the discussion as we build Evanston’s community action plan. I will work to make Evanston a model of success.

Advocate for balanced development –The Plan Commission and new City Council have an important and necessary role in making sure that Evanston’s development regulations encourage new buildings and land uses that are consistent with neighborhood scale and context, and do not overwhelm our infrastructure or adversely impact our quality of life. As Mayor, I will make sure that the voices of residents are heard as we move forward as a community.

There are opportunities for economic growth and development throughout Evanston – not just in and around the downtown. But we need to be sensitive to the impacts, both positive and negative, that such development can have.

As the City embarks on a comprehensive rewrite of our zoning regulations, we need to ensure that the basic building heights, uses and densities are consistent with our collective vision for Evanston – making development surprises such as proposals for 40+ story condo towers few and far between.

New development is an important way to grow Evanston’s tax base. However, we need to be thoughtful about how that development fits into Evanston. Over the last 20 years, Evanston has been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. We were willing to embrace redevelopment and we have benefited not only from the movie theaters and the new condominiums in the downtown, but also from the construction of new big box and retail centers with Target, Sam’s Club and Home Depot on former industrial sites.

Unfortunately, all too often in recent years, neighborhood residents have had to band together to fight one out-of-scale development after another. This is a clear indication that our development approval process is not working as it should.

As an urban planner, I understand the shortcomings of Evanston zoning ordinance and am committed to listening to the views of property owners, local businesses and residents. I pledge to make sure that all perspectives are represented as the Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, City staff and ultimately the City Council craft development regulations and design guidelines that work for Evanston, not just the developer who wants to build and then leave our community.

Restore accountability – I will work to bring order to the local decision-making process. Over the last decade many residents have lost faith in the ability of our elected officials to make prudent budget decisions. There has been a significant change in City staff as a result of the early retirement program, and there will be at least four new aldermen after the April municipal election. I will use my professional skills to work with the City Council and staff to ensure that we are all responsive to Evanston residents and taxpayers, and fiscally responsible in the way that financial decisions are made. One important task is to work to restore Evanston’s Aaa bond rating. We must also fully meet our police & fire pension fund liabilities, because it is the right thing to do. To accomplish these goals we are going to need to have a frank community discussion as to our budget priorities. Perhaps even more importantly, we need to fully understand the service impacts on the various types of development that we are trying to attract or that are planning to expand in Evanston. We must make visible progress in addressing the budget, police and fire pensions, capital improvements and a range of development issues. As Mayor, I can help to facilitate this discussion so that it is positive and productive.

Rebuild citizen trust in local government – I pledge to work to make sure that appointments to our local boards and commissions are based on qualifications and that these groups can serve as effective advisors to the City Council. I will work to ensure that resident voices are heard.

Evanston is blessed with an enormous amount of talent and organizational capacity in our neighborhood associations, non-profit service organizations appointed boards and commissions and many community volunteers. Evanston residents have always been Evanston’s strength; we need to find ways to get everyone involved and working toward a common future. We need to focus on using the talents of residents, not consultants in crafting the policies and solutions that work best for us. The recent efforts of the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on the Pension Funds is an excellent example of this type of effort. I pledge to work to make sure that appointments to our local boards and commissions are based on qualifications and that these groups are given the support and training that they need to be effective representatives. And, I will not hesitate to create special committees as needed to tackle new community challenges as they emerge.

Ensure good government – I believe in open and honest government and fair elections. One of my first actions as Mayor will be to arrange to bring one of the free training sessions presented by the Illinois Attorney General’s Office on the Open Meeting Act, Ethics, and Freedom of Information Act requirements to Evanston. The City Council, staff and members of our boards and commissions would all benefit from this training as I have. There are also many inexpensive or free training opportunities available to ensure that the volunteers who serve on Evanston’s boards and commissions can work effectively. This will help make these groups more relevant and put them in a better position to advise the City Council on a variety of issues.

Fair elections are also a priority. In the last municipal election, I supported the 1st Ward election contest because I had first hand knowledge that serious irregularities had occurred. I am a Northwestern University graduate, and as an alum have access to the alumni directory, which at the time included current contact information for students as well as alumni. My research found that dozens of students who voted in the 1st Ward aldermanic race no longer lived in the 1st Ward. Some lived in the 7th Ward at the north end of the campus. Some students were living off-campus in other parts of Evanston. Some had graduated and had moved out of Evanston, and out of Illinois. We will never know why the individuals involved chose to vote when they were so clearly ineligible to do so. I felt ethically bound and morally obligated to speak out against such obvious vote fraud. As Mayor, I will continue to speak out against these kinds of ethical breaches and work to ensure that Evanston’s municipal government is fair, honest and open.

Rebuild public facilities and infrastructure – I will advocate for Evanston’s fair share of capital improvement funding and support ongoing investment in Evanston’s public infrastructure.

Evanston needs to continue to invest in our public facilities and infrastructure for two reasons. First, the condition of our streets, parkways, buildings and parks sets the context that defines the character and image of Evanston. Making sure that potholes are filled and parkway trees are trimmed, says that Evanston is a community that is well maintained. An equally important reason for capital investment is to make sure that our infrastructure is capable of accommodating new development. We need to aggressively seek state and federal funding and private donations for priority projects. We also need to support the efforts of the CTA to secure the funds needed to replace deteriorated viaducts at Dempster Street and elsewhere along the Purple Line and development of an Evanston CTA station on the Skokie Swift (Yellow Line). Evanston needs to have projects that have strong community support and solid plans in order to be competitive in today’s economic climate. I will work with City staff, the City Council and residents to ensure that projects move from good ideas to real improvements.

Renovate the CivicCenter – The time has come to fix the Civic Center and move on to the other challenges that face us. In April 2007, Evanston voters approved a referendum by a substantial margin that calls for keeping Evanston’s City government housed in the Civic Center. The City Council has been searching for several years for a site for a new Civic Center, but has yet to develop a specific proposal or way to pay for a new building. While the Civic Center needs a new roof, heating system and other repairs, these costs are significantly less than a new building. Given the current budget challenges, it would be irresponsible to attempt to build a new building. Indeed, renovation of the Civic Center should be high on the list of Evanston’s requests for new infrastructure funding that is being considered by Congress. I believe that the time has come to fix the Civic Center and move on to the other challenges that face us.

Retain Library services – I support retention of Evanston’s  two branch libraries. During the 1970s and well into the 1980s, the Library Board and the City Council debated whether to try to expand or replace the main library facility in the Downtown. I served as staff to the Mayor’s Special Library Committee as the City began the arduous process of identifying a site, building program, funding source and architect to replace a facility that couldn’t be efficiently expanded due to poor initial design quality. I am proud of my contributions to this effort. However, as fine as the main library is, Evanston is also fortunate to have two branch libraries that serve as important neighborhood institutions and community anchors. I support retention of our branch libraries and the investments that need to be made to insure that they are functional and accessible.

Engage NU in a constructive dialogue – As Mayor, I will work with the NU administration, incoming president, students and faculty to explore ways that we can work to build bridges between the City and its residents and NU.

With the change in the Northwestern University president and a new City Council, we have an opportunity to engage in a new, and hopefully more fruitful, dialogue with Northwestern University administrators to find common ground. There is much to discuss. The University is in the process of developing a campus master plan to guide development over the next 40 to 50 years. The draft master plan is a positive step, and notable for its respect for Evanston’s zoning regulations and historic districts. However, the expansion of the campus is likely to have significant service cost impacts for Evanston in the coming decades. We need to explore ways that these impacts can be mitigated.

As Mayor, I will work with everyone at Northwestern University, from top administrators to faculty and students, to explore ways that we can work to build bridges between the City and its residents and NU. I am particularly interested in working with student volunteers and groups to help address a variety of community service needs. NU students have and I hope will continue to be an important part of the Evanston community.

Provide vision and leadership for the City Council, staff and the entire Evanston community – Evanston’s Mayor must be able to engage the community in the development of a consensus vision for the next decade and work with local leadership to market Evanston and secure the funding needed to implement priority community projects and initiatives.

One of the key roles that the Mayor can play is providing guidance and direction as the community works toward the range of community issues that will continue to confront us in the coming years. We must develop a consensus vision for the next decade so that we can all be on the same page and moving forward, rather than divided and adrift as we are today.  I will work with local leadership to market Evanston and secure the funding needed to implement priority community projects and initiatives.

The Mayor is in a unique position to bring representatives from the two school districts, non-profit organizations, seniors, parents, and all kinds of neighborhood and community groups together to identify and tackle the issues facing us – both financial and social. Evanston has come together as a community many times before and we can do it again. Together, we can make Evanston work for all of us!