William Tong/The Daily Northwestern
From left to right: Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd) and contenders for the 2nd Ward Councilor seat, Patricia Gregory and Darlene Cannon. The three spoke on Saturday about priorities for the city and the borough.
Candidates for the 2nd Ward councilor seat discussed public safety, economic development and more during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Evanston on Saturday.
Evanston/Skokie School District 65 teacher Patricia Gregory and Equity and Empowerment Commissioner Darlene Cannon challenge incumbent Krissie Harris. Mayor Daniel Biss appointed Harris to the city council in September after former Ald. Peter Braithwaite (2nd) resigned in July.
All three candidates said that targeting companies leaving Division 2 is a top priority. They also agreed that the city could do more to support local businesses.
“The funding (of businesses) is really good, and all the resources the city has to help those businesses,” Gregory said. “The city can help … some of these small businesses are finding credit.”
Harris and Cannon also supported the city helping businesses find and apply for grants. Cannon mentioned the city’s announcement Legacy Business Program specifically, a form of financial aid that would provide grants to companies that had historically operated in the city.
Gregory and Cannon identified parking issues in the 2nd Precinct, such as vehicles left on the street for months, as another priority for the city.
However, Harris said the station’s biggest concern is security.
“We have an element that has come into our community that is not welcome,” Harris said. “I meet with the chief of police, we have two community officers … we phone or email every two weeks. It is a community effort in which we all take responsibility.”
Later in the forum, Cannon said she also wanted to focus on public safety recent shootings in the 2nd Precinct. She suggested the city work on youth ministry to prevent violence in the community.
In addition, the candidates proposed different approaches to managing finances. Harris and Gregory said because the spending process is complicated, community members should not be too quick to judge who is responsible for fiscally irresponsible projects.
Cannon said the city can cut spending in areas like consultants and uncompleted projects.
“What can we do to limit that?” cannon said. “We need to revise the budget to ensure we are spending city funds for the benefit of everyone in this community.”
A question submitted by the audience focused on how the City Council can enact initiatives more efficiently.
Gregory said she needed to know more about the city council process in order to suggest changes to improve it. Meanwhile, Cannon suggested cutting back on Council meeting agendas. However, Harris said the current procedures are working, although they “could be improved”.
About 30 community members attended the event, including ARF volunteers, residents, local officials and community organizers.
Jevoid Simmons, who has lived in the 2nd Precinct for 40 years, said he went to the forum without favoring a candidate.
“I want to know their priorities when it comes to this position, why they want this position,” he said.
Early voting in this year’s consolidated election begins March 20. Election day is April 4th.
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