Steve Hagerty
Stephen H. Hagerty is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and politician. Born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, He was the 21st mayor of Evanston, Illinois from May 8, 2017, to May 10, 2021. A month after Hagerty retired from office, Evanston was recognized as an All-American City by the National Civic League due to its local reparations initiative and Evanston Cares Network, both of which occurred during his administration.
Early life and education
Hagerty grew up in Attleboro, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he worked on his family's farm, selling milk and garden produce to his neighbors, and served as a paper boy for his local newspaper, The Sun Chronicle. While attending Attleboro High School, Hagerty played as the only boy on the all-girls field hockey team his senior year before graduating in 1987. Hagerty attended Syracuse University, receiving a degree in consumer studies in 1991, and earned his Master of Public Administration from Syracuse's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 1993. He moved to Evanston with his wife, Lisa Altenbernd, in 2001.Career and community involvement
Hagerty worked in the Office of Government Services at Price Waterhouse and subsequently PricewaterhouseCoopers, consulting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, before founding his own emergency management firm, Hagerty Consulting, in 2001. After the September 11 attacks, Hagerty and his firm helped manage the federal government's $7.4 billion public assistance fund. Hagerty Consulting also assisted in the response and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Michael, Hurricane Maria, the California Wildfires, the 2021 Texas Winter Storm, and the COVID-19 pandemic.Hagerty's involvement in the Evanston community included seats on the Boards of Directors of Youth & Opportunity United, a youth development agency, and of local financial institution First Bank & Trust. He also served as president of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. In 2015, Hagerty chaired a city committee to explore options for the dilapidated Harley Clarke Mansion, a source of political controversy.
Mayor of Evanston, Illinois
2017 mayoral campaign
After Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl announced her decision not to run for a third term, Hagerty announced his candidacy for mayor on October 18, 2016, becoming the third candidate out of an eventual five. His status on the ballot was briefly threatened by an objection from a supporter of Mayoral candidate Brian Miller, who claimed Hagerty's petitions did not cite the correct date of the election. After the electoral board dismissed this objection, fellow candidate Jeff Smith contested Hagerty's petitions, citing a 1992 city referendum changing the ballot procedure when multiple candidates run for the same office. This complaint was also dismissed by the electoral board. Hagerty's campaign quickly emerged ahead in fundraising; by January 2017, it had raised over $100,000, about half of which came from Hagerty himself. By March, Hagerty's campaign had raised more than all four other candidates combined.Hagerty was endorsed by all living preceding mayors of Evanston: Tisdahl, Lorraine Morton, and Jay Lytle, as well as and Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin.
Hagerty was not endorsed by US Representative Jan Schakowsky, who endorsed his opponent, Alderman Mark Tendam.
Although it was a non-partisan election, the Democratic Party of Evanston held an endorsement session. No mayoral candidate secured 66% of the vote so no endorsement was given, but Hagerty received the most absolute votes.
In the Mayoral primary on February 28, 2017, Hagerty received 44.4% of the vote, advancing him to a runoff election facing sixth ward Alderman Mark Tendam, who won 20.5%. Despite Hagerty's lead in the primary, the runoff election on April 4, 2017, was surprisingly close, with less than a one percent margin separating Hagerty and Tendam. Tendam conceded the race six days later. The final election results showed Hagerty winning by just 115 votes, out of 17,899 votes.
Mayoral administration
Hagerty was sworn into office on May 8, 2017. Members of the 79th Evanston City Council's Rules Committee had raised concerns about a possible conflict of interest before Hagerty was sworn in, since First Bank and Trust, on whose Board of Directors Hagerty sat, was the city's financial institution, but Hagerty stepped down from the Board before taking office.Hagerty's agenda as mayor included economic development, affordable housing, city infrastructure, and youth development and public safety. His final 15 months was consumed with leading the city's COVID-19 response once he declared a local state of emergency on March 15, 2020, the first City in Illinois to do so.
Economic development
During Hagerty's term, and until the COVID-19 pandemic, the City recorded record low unemployment and vacancy rates, increasing property values, and steadily increasing tax revenue. This was due in part to Hagerty and the council's emphasis on transit-oriented design, adding 1,000 new housing units to Evanston and 3,624 new residents according to the 2020 census results, all in a state with a declining population. Major new commercial developments included Centrum Evanston, Noyes Loft, The Link, Albion, 601 Davis, 1727 Oak Ave, and 1815 Ridge. Additional community amenities included Out of Space Concert Series, Downtown Target, Evanston's first Pridefest, Theo Ubique Theater, and many new breweries and stores.Affordable housing
Hagerty signed a new Inclusionary Housing Policy to increase the number of affordable housing units in new developments and lifting the opt-out fee from $100,000 to $175,000. He also approved an ordinance allowing residents to have attached and unattached accessory dwelling units. Hagerty advocated for and supported the first Housing Authority of Cook County low income and missing middle apartment complex for seniors, paid for by market-rate apartments. During Hagerty's term, the Illinois Development Housing Agency reported that 17.5% of housing units in Evanston were affordable, relative to 15.4% in 2013.Infrastructure
Hagerty approved and the City constructed the award-winning $53M Robert Crown multi-use community center, which included a library, early childhood program, two ice rinks, a multi-sport gymnasium, and turf fields; the award-winning $6M modern redesign and renovation of Fountain Square; the award-winning redesign of Chicago Avenue and Sheridan Road adopting a complete street approach to more safely accommodate bikers, pedestrians, public transportation, and vehicles; and the interior renovation of the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, located in the heart of the Fifth Ward, Evanston's historically Black center, allocating funds from Northwestern's Good Neighbor Fund.Public safety and youth development
Hagerty established a Citizen Committee to review Evanston's police complaint process and recommend improvements. This led to the creation of an oversight body, the Citizen Police Review Commission, and the expansion of body cameras for all Evanston police officers. Hagerty established the Alternatives to Arrest Committee to reassign misdemeanor charges from the Criminal Courthouse to the local Administrative Adjudication process; automatically expunging juvenile municipal records; and connecting youth with Family advocates who help them and their family assess their needs, navigate public health benefits, and access restorative justice. Hagerty expanded the Youth & Young Adult Division to focus on workforce development opportunities through the creation of the Mayor's Employers Advisory Council partnership.During the social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, Hagerty had the City establish a Police Frequently Asked Questions page to provide greater transparency into current policing in Evanston. He committed to conduct a 90-day evaluation of the Evanston Police Use of Force policies as part of his pledge to the Obama Foundation's reimaging policing initiative. This evaluation was completed in partnership with Northwestern's Neighborhood Network Initiative. He also committed to have the police conduct an investigation, including review of all body worn police video, into a May 2020 use of force takedown. Lastly, he held a 9-part series live on Facebook and local television in July and August 2020 to increase the understanding of policing in Evanston and the experience of the young Black male in Evanston. Former President Obama praised Evanston for its collaborative efforts to develop recommendations to change the city's use of force policy and improve training and accountability standards.