Two North Shore communities grappling with taxes, development and downtown revitalization could serve up some lively municipal elections on April 3.
In Evanston, 19 candidates are competing for six of the nine aldermanic seats, with Mayor Lorraine Morton running unopposed.
Officials are struggling to pay for tens of millions of dollars in street, alley and other repairs in the face of a declining revenue base. Some of the more contentious debate centers on the city’s ongoing tussle with tax-exempt Northwestern University, criticized for not paying enough for public services.
“The completion of downtown and expanding the tax base is very important to this city,” said Ald. Arthur Newman (1st), who is opposed by Allan Drebin, a Northwestern accounting professor. “I’d say economic growth in the city is one of the most important issues.”
Newman recently said he has a legal opinion that Drebin would be violating Evanston’s ethics code if he failed to abstain from council votes on any issues involving the university.
“It doesn’t make sense for the 1st Ward to have an alderman who can’t participate in some of the most important issues in the ward,” Newman said.
Drebin called Newman’s legal opinion little more than a memo.
“He doesn’t want to talk about the real issues, the financial situation in this city and the budget,” said Drebin who is supported by the mayor. “If I’m elected and the ethics board or corporation council says I can’t vote on certain things, I’ll follow the rules.”
Ald. Steve Bernstein (4th) is being challenged by Mimi Peterson and Margaret Tarr.
Ald. Dennis Drummer (2nd), who has served on the council for 17 years, is the only incumbent not seeking another term.
In Glenview, a turbulent campaign is expected as officials continue to clash over development of The Glen, the site of the former Glenview Naval Air Station. Critics complain that officials have given The Glen excessive attention at the expense of downtown.
With Village President Nancy Firfer declining to run for a third term and three trustee positions opening up, all held by Firfer allies, the board could change significantly.
The candidates for village president agree they would like to revitalize downtown, but each has a different view of how to do it.
Trustee Donna Pappo, an open-space advocate running on the Good Glenview Government ticket, wants to review downtown zoning because she believes it allows dense residential growth that is exacerbating traffic problems.
She suggested an immediate review during a recent Village Board meeting but was outvoted.Her opponent, Trustee Larry Carlson, who owns a Glenview heating and air conditioning business, argues that downtown has a different problem: empty storefronts. He heads the Comprehensive Plan Commission, which will spend the next 18 months studying downtown and the village.
Carlson, appointed trustee by Firfer last year, describes himself as an independent. But opponents criticize his Unite Glenview group as part of an old guard that supported Glen redevelopment through a controversial tax increment financing plan.
Also running on the Unite Glenview ticket are trustee candidates Mike Guinane, Jeffrey Lerner and Mary E. Denefe.
Pappo’s party, which won three trustee seats in 1999, successfully pushed to increase the builders impact fee but failed in its bid to apply the higher fees to construction at The Glen. Pappo’s Good Glenview Government ticket, also called G3, includes candidates Gail Anderson, Grant Ireland and Tom Cernek.
