Two public commenters criticize changes in Fifth Ward and mayor's vetting of commission nominee

Two public commenters at the April 21 Evanston City Council meeting urged officials to preserve neighborhood assets in the Fifth Ward and criticized the mayor's handling of a recent advisory-commission nomination.

Resident William Carter said he was “trying to understand why the city of Evanston is trying to slowly sell off the Fifth Ward,” and asked the council to “leave our park alone.” Carter said blocks of homes and tree canopy have been lost and opposed a proposal he described as taking over a park for urban farming. “Quit tearing Evanston's Fifth Ward apart,” he said.

Paul Breslin, First Ward, spoke next about the nomination and withdrawal of a candidate identified in the transcript as Kat (transcribed variably as “Kat Vilma” and “Kat Fielma”). Breslin said the mayor did not adequately vet the nominee and described the nominee's insulting social-media posts about residents as a disqualifying factor. “When you're seeking an appointment to an advisory commission that interacts with the public, trashing members of that public who don't agree with you is not a good idea,” Breslin said. He added that George Halleck, a former Land Use Commission member who was dismissed by the mayor to create the vacancy, had been “consistently someone who read everything carefully and asked tough skeptical questions.”

Breslin said reappointing George Halleck could restore trust after the nomination controversy. He also invoked local planning work, saying, “Envision Evanston 45 would have been stronger if he had been listened to rather than pushed out.” The speaker criticized the mayor's governing style: “He talks like Barack Obama, but he governs like Richard J. Daley.”

The chair closed public comment after the two speakers. No council response or formal action on the subjects raised was recorded in the public portion of the meeting.