Evanston residents expect their elected officials to lead with impartiality, integrity, and vision. Failing its people, the current City Council has instead deferred to monied interests, ignored residents of good will, made decisions behind closed doors and based on the status quo rather than publicly agreed upon criteria, and expressed an unwillingness to prioritize racial equity.
Community Alliance for Better Government coalesced in 2019 as a grassroots campaign for racial justice, transparency, and accountability in Evanston in the wake of the unfair firing of the successful and broadly popular leader of the Youth and Young Adult Division, Kevin Brown, a Black man. Evident to the scores of supporters representing every ward, race, age, and income level was that the Mayor and City Council members, with few exceptions, did not care. The City Manager search that followed did nothing to allay that anger, as favoritism for the incumbent made a sham of its own commissioned national search and resident input process.
Evanston requires leaders who are not only responsive, but actively solicit resident input; not only favor of an open door policy, but prize accountability to residents regardless of race, age, or connections; not only express support for racial equity, but take steps to promote restorative practices, and dismantle systemic racism embedded in the City budget, hiring practices, and community development decisions.
This is why Community Alliance for Better Government is endorsing Daniel Biss for Mayor, Diane Goldring for 4th Ward Alderman, and Devon Reid for 8th Ward Alderman in the February 23, 2021 primary elections.
Mr. Biss, Ms. Goldring, and Mr. Reid have endorsed, and expressed concrete ideas for furthering, CABG’s Platform for Government Transparency, developed by residents in an open process at CABG’s “Call to Conference” in January 2021. CABG believes each of them can set a powerful example of empathetic behavior and tone throughout Evanston that prioritizes diversity, inclusion, and consensus building. They recognize that a budget is an expression of moral values.
“We are making not only endorsements, we support the people in holding elected officials accountable.”
Bennett Johnson, chair of CABG
CABG will actively campaign for the candidates it endorses and urges all residents to vote on February 23rd.