Long-Vacant Positions Filled As City Manager Appoints Two New Deputies

EVANSTON, IL — A pair of top staff positions in Evanston city government have been filled on a permanent basis for the first time in two and a half years.

City Manager Luke Stowe announced Tuesday that he has picked two new deputy city managers to work for him — Carina Sanchez and Stephen Ruger.

“I am confident that Mrs. Sanchez and Mr. Ruger are exceptionally qualified to excel in their roles due to their extensive experience and expertise in [c]ity [g]overnment," Stowe said in a statement.

Sanchez has held a series of positions in local government, including working in the offices of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, former Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

For more than five years, Sanchez worked for then-Chicago City Clerk Susan Mendoza, overseeing a $10 million budget, more than 100 employees and the office's transition from seasonal to year-round sales of vehicle stickers.

A city spokesperson noted that Sanchez was the first Latina to serve as deputy clerk in Chicago, as the executive director of the city's Public Building Commission and as a permanent deputy city manager in Evanston

Ruger is currently the city manager for Trinidad, Colorado, a town of about 8,300 people halfway between Denver and Albequerque, where he manages more than 160 employees.

According to city staff, Ruger has also served as a diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, consultant for the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and led the first DEI initiative in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

Ruger also worked as city clerk in Rio Rancho, New Mexico and Aurora, Colorado, and is certified by the International City/County Management Associationn and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.

"Their combined skill sets and knowledge will be instrumental in our ongoing commitment to serving the Evanston community with transparency, fairness, and dedication to meeting the needs of all community members,” Stowe said.

The two jobs were advertised with starting salaries of around $225,000, with one handling public works, transportation and economic development and the other responsible for parks, health, equity and administrative services.

One of the positions has been filled since Kimberly Richardson departed the job to become Peoria's assistant city manager in January 2022.

The other has been vacant since Dave Stoneback retired in December 2023 after nearly four decades working for the city.

Earlier: 'Non-Sexy Work': Dave Stoneback Retires From Evanston After 39 Years