SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES
Let’s listen and consult with small business owners before enacting measures that might undermine their success and even survival. As a city we need to get behind our small businesses and support them. Our small businesses represent the city’s identity and culture and bring people to our city, creating significant foot traffic for all businesses. Currently, the city cuts deals with large formula businesses, giving them breaks. While the city also does this for some new businesses, they're essentially ignored when it comes to money, and the city does not serve the needs of our existing small businesses. We need to survey our small businesses and find out what their needs are.
My Priorities:
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Address punitive parking policies. We want to encourage people to come to our community.
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Reign in escalating property taxes and fees that have an impact on our small businesses in renting or owning a property.
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Look to other cities that have designed programs that support their small business community, using empty storefronts for events, pop-ups, consider a tax/fine/fee ordinance for empty storefront spaces that have remained vacant over a set period of time from property owners.
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Create a more transparent and equitable process by which Economic Development distributes funds to Evanston businesses.
THE ISSUES
Setting the stage for our lives.
EQUITABLE HOUSING
The 2nd Ward has a rich history of affordability, but over the last two decades, homes for working-class and low-income families have significantly decreased. Subsequently, rents have surged, making it almost impossible for residents to become first-time home buyers. Real estate development and gentrification patterns threaten affordability, housing mobility, and racial justice.
We are in dire need of more mixed-income housing. The city of Evanston should not be courting more luxury development where it is least needed but should be prioritizing its lower and modest-income people whom the private market is leaving behind.
As elected alderwoman, I commit to:
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A comprehensive study of our housing needs and trends in Evanston, the findings of which will be acted upon by our Housing Commission
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An effective inclusionary housing ordinate that mandates that all new development serves people at all income levels
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An affordable housing ordinance that provides landlord subsidies for renting to low-income individuals and families
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Landlord education and enforcement of fair housing laws
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An equity audit using the equity scorecard created by the Equity and Empowerment Commission to analyze the city of Evanston's policies and prevent harm against legally protected classes and residents
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A robust rental inspection department that ensures no tenant is living in substandard housing
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The removal of barriers to help homeowners with need for home improvements
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A Community Land Trust into perpetuity to supply housing for low and moderate-income people throughout Evanston
We need a city council that enacts policy that serves the needs of our communities, not those of outsiders who only see us as a means to increase their bottom line. We have a socially and economically diverse community that needs to thrive.
Click to learn about housing priorities and supporting policies:
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Repurposing Vacant, Abandoned, or Substandard PropertyEvanston has a unique opportunity to innovatively think about affordable housing. Theoretically, repurposing vacant, abandoned, or substandard property would operate with respect to both the acquisition and the rehab aspects of the process. 1 Aquisition: properties that the local government (or state government) obtains through tax foreclosure or tax reversion, effectively with low or without cost to Evanston. 2. Rehab: In most cases, Evanston would not rehabilitate the houses themselves, but pass the property through to a nonprofit or other entity to rehabilitate the property under municipal supervision. Projects would then be allocated on a needs basis.
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Reinstating Evanston Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer ProgramFirst time homebuyers of single-family homes, townhouses, or condos, whose income is below average medium income, would receive loan offers below market interest rates.
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Establishing Long-Term Community Land TrustEvanston's first Community Land Trust (CLT) exists in the 2nd Ward at 2212 Washington St. CLTs are created to acquire and reserve land for community benefit under community control. Typically this is one way to ensure land stays affordable for generations. The ownership of the home is separate from the ownership of the land that it is built on, with the focus on providing an affordable single-family homeownership option for low and moderate income families.
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Lifting the Ban on Rent ControlWhile the ban on rent control is legislation at the state level, local level officials have the ability to inspire and organize residents to take action. Housing justice is racial justice, as systemic racism has exploited and prevented fair housing. Lifting the ban on rent control would help limit the displacement of Black people and other minority people across the state.
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COMMUNITY SAFETY AND CARE
The best way to prevent crime is by fostering a caring environment in which people look out for one another. This is one of the many ways we can build community among our neighbors and establish trust and respect.
We need to utilize community outreach workers like the care team to address community concerns. Nationally, political movements have exposed the systemic ways in which the lives of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are under constant threat.
Also, as we find ourselves in a post-COVID environment, I understand that the effects of this devastating period still linger, causing instability for people, and we need to address root causes through community empowerment.
This campaign is committed to understanding all the ways in which city policy, education, and community oversight can enhance the way we build solidarity and strong neighborhoods.
Community voices are important to me and I want to uplift them for positive change in our government. I want to prioritize what my residents tell me are their needs and concerns and not prioritize my own personal views. It's extremely important to me that residents feel safe. Simply telling them that they are safe is not good enough. We need to be working on preventative measures so that crimes don't occur.
Click to learn about creating safe communities:
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Repurposing Vacant, Abandoned, or Substandard PropertyEvanston has a unique opportunity to innovatively think about affordable housing. Theoretically, repurposing vacant, abandoned, or substandard property would operate with respect to both the acquisition and the rehab aspects of the process. 1 Aquisition: properties that the local government (or state government) obtains through tax foreclosure or tax reversion, effectively with low or without cost to Evanston. 2. Rehab: In most cases, Evanston would not rehabilitate the houses themselves, but pass the property through to a nonprofit or other entity to rehabilitate the property under municipal supervision. Projects would then be allocated on a needs basis.
-
Reinstating Evanston Housing Corporation First Time Homebuyer ProgramFirst time homebuyers of single-family homes, townhouses, or condos, whose income is below average medium income, would receive loan offers below market interest rates.
-
Establishing Long-Term Community Land TrustEvanston's first Community Land Trust (CLT) exists in the 2nd Ward at 2212 Washington St. CLTs are created to acquire and reserve land for community benefit under community control. Typically this is one way to ensure land stays affordable for generations. The ownership of the home is separate from the ownership of the land that it is built on, with the focus on providing an affordable single-family homeownership option for low and moderate income families.
-
Lifting the Ban on Rent ControlWhile the ban on rent control is legislation at the state level, local level officials have the ability to inspire and organize residents to take action. Housing justice is racial justice, as systemic racism has exploited and prevented fair housing. Lifting the ban on rent control would help limit the displacement of Black people and other minority people across the state.
CLIMATE JUSTICE AND SUSTAINABILITY
We have to fight climate change through scientific information, community support, corporate accountability, and prioritizing those systematically most impacted by our current climate crisis.
Climate change is not just an environmental issue; we must look at solutions through an equity lens.
Ways to help create a greener Evanston:
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Support Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP) which calls for zero carbon/zero waste by 2050
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Prioritize the expansion of green initiatives through corporate tax
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Create Alternate Retail Electric Supplier (ARES), a publicly owned energy utility
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Create high paying jobs that would result in a mass expansion of renewable energy (e.g., solar installation)
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Ensure all existing city buildings meet high-performance renewable standards
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Provide incentives for green community practices
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Prioritize residential weatherization grants and training for low-income and minority families
Fair Share Northwestern Partnership
Evanston and Northwestern University have a historical and symbolic relationship. Evanston is proud to have the prestige of Northwestern; it's one of the best private higher Ed. institutions in the country, it's also one of the richest. Northwestern has an 14.4 billion dollar endowment, along with an operating budget of over 138 million dollars.
Nationally, college towns are looking to universities to step into financial positions to become fair share partners. But what does fair share does this look like?
This idea will builds on the previous efforts to ensure NU a fair share partner, and expand the number of similar legislation that exist across the country.
Fair Share Quick Facts:
Northwestern Stance on Fair Share
In 2000, a referendum was passed that 83.5 percent of Evanston residents supported the City Council's advisory requesting Northwestern pay its "fair share of the cost of municipal services the city provides such as fire protection and response services."
Tax Exempt Universities and Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT)
Concern Over Envision 2045 and Its Impact on Evanston’s Future
I have deep concern regarding the direction of the Envision 2045 initiative. While it is marketed as a progressive plan to address housing needs, it is clear that the underlying agenda could fundamentally alter the character of Evanston. This plan, as it stands, will displace minorities and low-income families, forever changing the city’s demographics due to the lack of true affordability.
Affordable housing should serve as the foundation of any plan to build a stronger, more equitable Evanston. However, Envision 2045 fails to prioritize meaningful affordability. It lacks specific, enforceable mechanisms to preserve housing for low-income residents. A striking example of this failure is the neglect of the 24 low-income homes on Wesley Avenue, which have long been a crucial resource for residents of modest means. These properties were allowed to deteriorate despite clear guidelines in Evanston’s own Consolidated Plan, which mandates inspections of properties within CDBG-designated areas every three years. This neglect is a glaring failure of leadership.
It is disingenuous to claim that city officials did everything possible to save these homes. The city demonstrated its ability to act quickly when assisting businesses like Little Beans Café, yet failed to provide the same urgency for vulnerable residents. The negligence is even more glaring when considering that the Evanston Consolidated Plan explicitly states on page 73:
All multi-family rental dwelling units are inspected at least every five years. Buildings in the CDBG Target Area are inspected on a three-year schedule.”
So what happened? Why were the Wesley properties placed on a five-year schedule instead of the mandated three-year schedule? According to the city’s own “Wesley apologia” page, after a relatively clean inspection in 2015, “the next routine inspection would be in five years.” This deviation from policy suggests a failure to adhere to the very standards designed to protect residents in CDBG-designate areas.
The displacement of the Wesley units represents a betrayal of Evanston’s stated commitment to equity. Sixteen lives have been uprooted, leaving families traumatized and destabilized. Yet, with the exception of Council Member Clare Kelly, there was an appalling lack of advocacy from our elected officials, including those of color. These same officials rallied around Northwestern’s stadium project but failed to exhibit similar concern for the lives of these displaced residents. Their silence and inaction are unacceptable.
Restoring the Wesley Avenue homes and placing them in a land trust is a vital step to ensure these units remain affordable in perpetuity. This model offers a proven solution for preserving affordability, preventing displacement, and fostering community ownership. Without bold measures like this, we risk perpetuating a system that allows affordable units to disappear, driving out the very people who give Evanston its diverse character.
Evanston must not become a city that prioritizes corporate profits and unchecked development over the well-being of its residents. Envision 2045 must include clear, enforceable policies that protect affordability, address systemic inequities, and ensure accountability from developers. Otherwise, this initiative will reshape Evanston into a city that is unaffordable and inaccessible to most, permanently altering its demographic and cultural fabric.
I urge you to stand with the residents of Evanston and demand a plan that places people before profits. Contact the mayor and city council, the time to act is now. Together, we must ensure that Envision 2045 reflects the values of equity, affordability, and inclusion—not a future of displacement and inequity.
