Message From Mayor-Elect Daniel Biss: Swearing-In and First Act as Mayor

Thanks to your help, tonight I’ll be sworn in as mayor of Evanston. Because of the pandemic, the in-person ceremony won’t be open to the public, but you can watch it, starting at 7:30pm on the City’s YouTube channel.

I’m excited to work with the City Council, staff, and our whole community to implement the bold, progressive agenda we promised during the course of the campaign. From ensuring a vibrant, equitable recovery from the pandemic, to progress on affordable housing, to dramatic climate action, to reimagining public safety, we have a tremendous amount to do – replete with challenge and opportunity.

To ensure that we get a quick start on what may be the most difficult project of all, I will be announcing the creation of a Reimagining Public Safety Committee this evening. The committee, which I will chair, will conduct a holistic, data-driven analysis of everything we do to provide for public safety and make community-informed recommendations in time to be incorporated into the 2022 City budget.

I’m grateful to the extraordinarily capable and diverse group of community leaders who have agreed to be a part of this effort. I’ve included a list of their names at the end of this email, together with institutional affiliations included for purposes of identification. They bring a broad variety of perspectives and experiences, and while I have no illusions that it will be easy (or necessary!) to establish a consensus on all issues, I’m confident that we’ll have significant and constructive discussions that will move our City forward.

I also have no illusions that even a group like this can fully represent all the views and knowledge in our community. We’ll be working hard to incorporate public input into our work, and I hope you’ll reach out at any time with suggestions, questions, feedback and ideas.

As we embark on this new journey, I’m hopeful for what’s possible in our City and certain that your commitment, engagement, and passion are the key to our shared success. Thank you for all that you do to build a better world.

Onward,

Daniel

Reimagining Public Safety Committee

Daniel Biss (Chair), Mayor

Sarah Bogan, Evanston Fight for Black Lives

Betty Bogg, Connections for the Homeless

Bobby Burns, 5th Ward Council Member

Marcus Campbell, Evanston Township High School

Betty Ester, Citizens’ Network of Protection

Cicely Fleming, 9th Ward Council Member

Alejandra L. Ibañez, Equity & Empowerment Commission Chair

Patrick Keenan-Devlin, Moran Center for Youth Advocacy

Nathan Norman, Youth and Young Adult Division, City of Evanston Health & Human Services Department

Andrew Papachristos, Northwestern University

Sean Peck-Collier, Community Activist

Devon Reid, 8th Ward Council Member

Melissa Sacluti, Evanston Police Department

Evangeline Semark, Organizer Focused on Safety, Healing, and Agency for Survivors

Kymberly Walton, Equity & Empowerment Commission

Kristen White, YWCA Evanston/North Shore