Evanston council lowers threshold for choosing an acting mayor after heated debate

The Evanston City Council voted June 8 to amend its rules for selecting an acting mayor, replacing a proposed two-thirds threshold with a simple-majority requirement for electing an acting mayor from among council members.

The change, adopted through resolution 105-R26 and an amended city-code ordinance (45-26), followed an extended debate about how to minimize the length of time the city might be governed by an unelected acting mayor. Council Member Nusma moved the language change; after multiple rounds of debate and a close roll-call series, the council approved the amended resolution and ordinance by 5–4 votes on the dispositive roll calls.

Supporters argued a simple-majority rule aligns council practice with Illinois statutory guidance and prevents lengthy council deadlocks that postpone leadership decisions. Council Member Nusma said replacing "2/3" with "simple majority" would restore consistency with state law and municipal practice.

Opponents said the higher threshold encouraged broader consensus among council members for an acting mayor who would wield mayoral powers until a successor qualified. Council Member Rogers framed the dispute as a test of whether the council could reach consensus in closely divided votes, saying, "Six is a consensus. Five is not a consensus. Five is a majority." Rogers also urged measures to allow voters to select the next mayor as soon as legally possible.

Mayor Daniel Bis, who was asked repeatedly whether he would resign in time to trigger an earlier municipal election, declined to commit to a timetable. "My decision will not be guided by my own election calendar," he said, adding that he would make a choice based on information he has yet to receive and on minimizing the time the city would have an unelected mayor.

The council adopted housekeeping amendments to clarify the code language about the acting mayor's duties and the point at which a successor is qualified. The changes take effect for the next council meeting, per the mayor's stated plan to sign the ordinance and resolution.

The rules debate produced several narrow roll-call outcomes that reflect the council's current divisions; the council indicated it will apply the new rules at upcoming meetings.