

Library board hires consultant to study financial future
Meristem Advisors, the chosen consultant, will review the value of services that EPL receives from the city By Bob Seidenberg Facing significant renovation costs on a building it doesn’t own, the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees is reaching out to a consultant to look at the library’s financial future and recommend options, including…

Honorary street sign for former Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl moves to council
Eight years out of office, Elizabeth Tisdahl, the only one of the city’s mayors to also have school board service on her record, is on track to have a street named in her honor. Members of the city’s Human Services Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend designating a portion of Martha Lane at Simpson Street…

City budget manager: Federal funding threats ‘a grave concern’
By Bob Seidenberg Evanston has not experienced the same shock of an impending loss of federal funds as Northwestern University, but city officials are keeping a watchful eye on their own situation as the next budget season grows closer. At the April 8 Finance and Budget Committee meeting, as members talked about new tools to tame a longstanding…

Evanston nonprofit connects people with autism to jobs
But the program is running short on participating employers and hoping Evanston businesses will step up By Bob Seidenberg Henry Testard has been on the job roughly a half hour at the Thermal Laminating Corporation at 2220 Greenwood Ave., carefully lining up cardboard pieces on a wood frame to make into the boxes used to stabilize…

Committee wants guidelines in place before ruling on homeowner’s request to remove leaning elm
‘I feel like I’ve done my part in planting other trees, and this is one I’m not comfortable where it is,’ Kristina Pierce tells city committee By Bob Seidenberg/rseiden914@gmail.com A northwest Evanston homeowner will have to wait a little longer for a decision from the city on whether she can remove an elm tree from…

A big assist from the ward’s ‘soccer moms’ might have placed Shawn Iles over the top in a tight 3d ward race
By Bob Seidenberg Shawn Iles brought experience from a number of past roles to his campaign to succeed Melissa Wynne as the alderperson for the city’s Third Ward. Overnight Shelter Director for Interfaith Action of Evanston, former president of the Evanston Public Library Board, former president of the Evanston Rotary Club, coach in the AYSO…

Two ways to view Mayor Daniel Biss’s victory margin
By Bob Seidenberg Considering the late start mayoral challenger Jeff Boarini got and his lack of name recognition at the start, how should Mayor Daniel Biss’s 62.4% to 37.59% percent victory over the challenger be viewed? Jeff Smith, a longtime observer of Evanston’s political scene, took a crack at that question in a podcast interview…

‘Old-fashioned politicking’ proves formula of success for Matt Rodgers in 8th ward victory over incumbent
By Bob Seidenberg/rseiden914@gmail.com “A lot of good old-fashioned politicking,” proved the key for Matt Rodgers, the one candidate in Evanston’s municipal election field Tuesday to defeat an incumbent for a seat on the city council. Rodgers, the former chair of the city’s Land Use Commission, took home 810 votes or 64.18% of the vote compared…

Mayor Daniel Biss, City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza, and five incumbents register strong wins for council seats
They’ll be joined by three newcomers, including Parielle Davis, one of the leaders of the fight against Northwestern’s bid to stage large-scale commercial events By Bob Seidenberg Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss appears headed to another four-year term of office, registering 62% of the vote with 44 of the city’s 45 precincts reported, unofficial totals show….

Is it time to consider staggered elections?
By Bob Seidenberg Could the Civic Center be put back in play as the city’s permanent home as a result of today’s election? It’s a long shot but not inconceivable based on the views of some of the candidates running in today’s election. In the First Ward, council member Clare Kelly has been in the…