Biss and the new City Council will be sworn in tonight.
The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. and will stream live on You Tube and at cityofevanston.org/channel16.
In an emailed letter this afternoon, Biss said he's announcing the Reimagining Public Safety Committee tonight to "Ensure we get a quick start on what may be the most difficult project of all."
Biss will chair the committee, which, he said, will conduct a holistic, data-driven analysis "of everything we do to provide for public safety and make community-informed recommendations in time to be incorporated into the 2022 City budget."
Committee members are:
Sarah Bogan, Evanston Fight for Black Lives
Betty Bogg, Connections for the Homeless
Bobby Burns, 5th Ward Council Member
Marcus Campbell, Evanston Township High School (ETHS)
Betty Ester, The Citizens' Network of Protection
Cicely Fleming, 9th Ward Council Member
Alejandra L. Ibañez, Equity & Empowerment Commission Chair
Equity & Empowerment Commission Chair
Patrick Keenan-Devlin, James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy
Nathan Norman, Youth and Young Adult Division, City of Evanston Health & Human Services Department
Andrew Papachristos, Northwestern University
Sean Peck-Collier, Community Activist
Devon Reid, 8th Ward Council Member
Melissa Sacluti, Evanston Police Department
Evangeline Semark, Organizer Focused on Safety, Healing, and Agency for Survivors
Kymberly Walton, Equity & Empowerment Commission
Kristen White, YWCA Evanston/North Shore
"I'm grateful to the extraordinarily capable and diverse group of community leaders who have agreed to be a part of this effort," Biss wrote. "They bring a broad variety of perspectives and experiences, and while I have no illusions that it will be easy (or necessary!) to establish a consensus on all issues, I'm confident that we'll have significant and constructive discussions that will move our City forward."
Biss added that the committee will incorporate public input into its work and encouraged residents to reach out with questions, suggestions, and feedback.
Along with Biss, City Council members who will be sworn in tonight are: Clare Kelly, 1; Peter Braithwaite, 2; Melissa Wynne, 3; Jonathan Nieuwsma, 4; Bobby Burns, 5; Tom Suffredin, 6; Eleanor Revelle, 7; Devon Reid, 8; and Cicely Fleming, 9.
Stephanie Mendoza, Evanston's new City Clerk and first Latinx person to hold office in Evanston, will also be sworn in.
Residents will be able to provide public comment virtually at the meeting. Those wishing to make public comments at City Council meetings may submit written comments in advance or sign up to provide public comment by phone or video during the meeting by completing the City Clerk's Office's online form at or by calling/texting 847-448-4311.
The last meeting of the 80th City Council begins at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon.
Mayor Steve Hagerty send out a farewell letter and video this afternoon reviewing his and the City's past four years, which unquestionably included some of the most challenging times in recent memory.
You can watch the video here.
