Third-party candidate Timothy C. Evans appeared with about 50 civic, political and religious leaders Wednesday in an effort to show that his campaign is coming together with less than two weeks left before the April 4 mayoral election.
”The coalition has to be broadened,” Evans said. ”Turnout will be the key. We have to energize the people.”
Evans, who was attacked for dividing the black community by Republican candidate Edward R. Vrdolyak in their televised debate Tuesday, was joined by Jesse Jackson and other former supporters of Mayor Eugene Sawyer, who crammed into the back of a narrow room in the Bismarck Hotel.
”The Harold Washington coalition is coming together again,” said Jackson, though many of those flanking him as Evans supporters had already long ago endorsed the candidate or had said their support for Sawyer in the Democratic primary would transfer to Evans in the general election.
Jackson, who continued his call for unity in the black community, said he had attended a fundraiser for Sawyer Tuesday night in part ”to convince his supporters to be in this tradition and support Tim Evans.”
Evans spokesmen predicted that Jackson would play a prominent role in the last leg of the campaign. They said he helped raise $125,000 at a fundraiser before Tuesday`s debate, where he challenged the two dozen black businessmen who gathered at the Regal Theater to match his $10,000 contribution. On Wednesday, Jackson stepped up his attacks on Democratic nominee, Cook County State`s Atty. Richard M. Daley, who declined to participate in the debate.
”Daley won`t debate-he has secret ideas,” Jackson said. ”He won`t open public records-he has secret employment practices. He won`t stand up for fairness in granting minority contracts-he has a secret economic development plan.”
Evans` candidacy was also touted at a news conference Wednesday held at the candidate`s Loop campaign headquarters by a dozen members of a newly formed ”Lakefront for Evans Committee.”
”We believe the lakefront will be a key battleground on April 4 and could provide the margin of victory for Tim Evans` candidacy,” Ald. David Orr (49th) said.
Orr attributed Daley`s defeat of Sawyer in the Feb. 28 Democratic primary in six key lakefront wards to low voter turnout, though Daley won those wards by a ratio of more than 2-1.
”They weren`t for Daley, and they weren`t for Sawyer, so they voted with their feet and stayed home,” Orr said.
Evans, who has not been able to afford to air new commercials, was counting on Tuesday`s televised debate to bring his issues to wider notice by the public.
The hourlong debate on WTTW-TV (Channel 11), sponsored by the League of Women Voters, was viewed by about 300,000 people, station officials said Wednesday. That was about half the number who watched a primary debate in February between Daley, Sawyer and Bloom.
