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 as “Elizabeth Tisdahl Way,” in recognition of the former mayor, who served from 2009 to 2017.
The proposal, sponsored by Seventh Ward Councilmember Eleanor Revelle, will next go to the full City Council, perhaps as early as Monday, April 14, for consideration.
“It’s a little surprising that we haven’t done this already,” Revelle said during the committee’s brief discussion. “She’s been such a major leader for our community, done so many wonderful things with the community in many different roles — city, school board and then as mayor.”
Council and committee member Krissie Harris (2nd Ward) noted that she went to school with Tisdahl’s daughter and has known the family for a long time.
“She’s been an awesome asset to the community — how she thinks, how she moves, how she connects,” Harris said. “I never would have imagined we wouldn’t have had a street in her name before now, so I’m highly in favor.”
Speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting, Kevin Brown, the city’s former Community Services Division manager who worked closely with the mayor on job programs and outreach to combat street violence, told committee members that, under Tisdahl’s leadership, “the city’s youth engagement came alive.”
“She expanded the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program to unprecedented levels, earning national recognition and providing pathways to job skills and dignity for our young residents,” he said. “Mayor Tisdahl didn’t just believe; she invested in youth. She built lasting partnerships with schools, nonprofits and employers, and laid the foundation for the Youth and Young Adult program that continues to serve as a lifeline for at-risk youth.”
He said her vision also “made Evanston more just, more compassionate and more prepared for the future, and naming the street in her honor affirms that legacy for generations to come.”
Longtime community member Nicki Pearson and Mary Gavin, a Seventh Ward resident and co-founder of the RoundTable, also spoke in support of the street naming, listing some of Tisdahl’s accomplishments.
When Tisdahl was first elected mayor in 2009, “she continued the tradition of strong female mayors,” said Pearson.
Joan Barr-Smith served as the city’s first woman mayor from 1985 to 1993, and was followed by Lorraine H. Morton, who held the seat from 1993 to 2009.
In addition, Tisdahl is the only mayor who had previously been elected to serve on both a school board (District 202) and the City Council, Pearson noted.
“While she raised her family here, she served as co-president of the King Lab PTA, she coached third and fourth grade co-ed softball teams for 12 years, she volunteered with ESCA [Evanston School Children’s Clothing Association] for 13 years and she was a member of Mothers Against Gangs,” said Pearson, listing other accomplishments.
As mayor, Gavin noted, Tisdahl:
- Strengthened the relationship between the community and Northwestern University (famously bringing Morton Schapiro a platter of chocolate chip cookies after he was named school president). Northwestern later donated a fire truck to the city.
- Worked with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky to procure funding to bring a branch of the Erie Health Center to Evanston.
- Expanded the sale of water to five communities, resulting in additional revenue for the community.
Honorary street names were introduced in 1996 as a way for the city to celebrate people who have made major contributions to the Evanston community. Under the ordinance, each sign remains in place for 10 years.
