Two Evanston City Clerk Candidates To Appear On April 6 Ballot

EVANSTON, IL — Two candidates for city clerk will appear on the ballot in Evanston's April 6 election. Stephanie Mendoza, who won over 76 percent of the vote in the Feb. 23 primary election as the only candidate on the ballot, will appear alongside Cynthia Beebe, who collected nearly 11 percent of the vote as one of a half-dozen write-in candidates, according to unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk's Office.

Of the 2,322 write-in ballots cast: Beebe received 1,071 — about 150 more than the minimum needed to qualify to appear on the ballot and 400 more than her nearest rival.

Beebe is a retired agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the author of a book about her career.

"I’d like to thank all of my many supporters who took the time to write my name on the ballot, and I’d also like to thank the other three active write-in candidates as well," Beebe said in response to the release of the vote count.

The 37-year Evanston resident has pointed to her experience running large operations and working with local, state and federal government agencies.

"My goal as city clerk is to lead a professional, welcoming office that serves all of Evanston’s residents, officials, and staff," Beebe said. "I have a proven track record of success working in government, and I’ll bring a fresh, experienced perspective to the position. I’ll work hard for the people of Evanston."

Mendoza is the director of community outreach for the local nonprofit Evanston Latinos and recently served as a prevention specialist with Connections for the Homeless.

She was the only name on the ballot in last month's primary election after former Ald. Jane Grover withdrew her candidacy in response to a challenge to her nominating petitions. Grover decided against running as a write-in, but six other candidates did, triggering the primary.

Mendoza received the endorsement of the Democratic Party of Evanston with 224 votes to Beebe's 5, according to the party's website. Beebe was endorsed by former Mayor Liz Tisdahl, former 5th Ward Ald. Delores Holmes and former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board President Candace Chow, according to her website.

According to unofficial results from the Cook Count Clerk's Office as of Wednesday afternoon, two incumbent aldermen are due to miss out on the ballot in April.

Ald. Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, who was first elected in 1983, was 17 votes away from qualifying for the runoff. Ald. Don Wilson, who was first elected in 2009 before twice running unopposed, trailed both of his challengers by more than 50 votes.

Related: Daniel Biss Elected Evanston Mayor, Incumbent Aldermen At Risk

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Final results of last month's primary, including all late arriving mail-in ballots, are scheduled to be certified March 16. Mayor-elect Daniel Biss won more than 73 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff.

Unofficial write-in results showed Beebe earned more than a third of the write-in votes cast in the primary.

Her nearest rival was Eduardo Gomez, a deputy clerk in the city manager's office, who received 661 votes. Misty Witenberg, a journalist and online content developer, received 542 votes, and law student Jackson Paller received 43 votes. Adedapo Odusanya received four votes, and Darrell Patterson had one after both refrained from actively campaigning.

At a city clerk candidate forum ahead of the primary, Mendoza said she was the only candidate on the ballot because she knew very early on that she wanted to serve the community.

"I did everything in my power to get out into the community and collect signatures to be on the ballot, so you could see my name and learn more about me," Mendoza said at an Evanston Live TV forum.

"My name on the ballot is a symbol of my ability to reach out to the community, my commitment to the clerk's office, my commitment to reaching out to you, as a candidate, to making sure that you agree with me being on the ballot, and I don't take that lightly, I did it in the middle of a pandemic with three children and two jobs."