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Dear Friends and Neighbors:
We're in the homestretch in the 7th Ward aldermanic election, a good time to remind you of the difference I'll make as your alderman.  I am pleased to be the only 7th Ward aldermanic candidate rated "Highly Recommended" by the Central Street Neighbors Association.   

Reprinted below is a letter I received this week from Gene Frett and Virginia Mann. Both Gene and Virginia have been deeply involved in our community and take great care in making decisions about supporting elected officials. I hope you will take the opportunity to send along their note to those who may still be undecided about their choice for our next 6th Ward Alderman.

Lost in the conversation about support for the branch libraries was the premise of my answer to the CSNA forum question and also at the LWVE forum. I said the appeal of the branch libraries needs to be broadened beyond families with small children or people within walking distance so that the branches have more support among all the people of Evanston. With more general support, they would become less of a budgetary football.

At this late stage in the campaign for 7th ward alderman, several issues have arisen that truly allow the voters to draw distinctions between the candidates. However, on the issue of a separate taxing district for the library system, I'm not quite sure what my opponent, Jane Grover, thinks.

Creating a separate taxing body, whether for the libraries or recreation (as in Wilmette), or a community mental health board, doesn’t necessarily lead to increased taxes. And while we have an excess of taxing bodies in Illinois, the separate existence of a taxing body increases the expectation of transparency and accountability for that entity’s levy and budget. 

While Jane Grover is rightly basking in her "highly recommended" evaluation ( not endorsement), let's take a look at her campaign site response to the CSNA evaluation.
Ms. Grover claims she will "be a disciplined and responsible steward of taxpayer dollars", she is for an "accountable & transparent City government" and she "will change the tone of discourse in Evanston". Jane also claims, she will be an "independent voice".

Rather than shying away from the "third rail of the 7th Ward" – the North Branch library– we should be engaging in a full and open discussion of the whole Evanston library system and the consequences of our commitment to branch libraries for the city’s budget.