A big field of candidates vying for the four open seats on the Evanston/Skokie District 65 school board in this spring’s election got a little smaller on Sunday.
One of those candidates, Christian Sorensen, said he intends to officially drop out of the race on Monday, bringing the crowded field down to 14 from the original 17. Ezra Shevick, a business owner and Washington Elementary School parent, had already decided to drop out after seeing the size of the field and quality of other candidates, while the Cook County Officers Electoral Board removed Anita Opdycke from the ballot for failing to file her statement of candidacy with her other paperwork.
“Some personal and some professional developments will prevent me from serving to the best of my ability, should I even win through this eminently qualified field of candidates,” Sorensen announced in a Sunday morning press release.
Sorensen, a Fourth Ward resident, was one of three candidates in line to submit their paperwork at 8 a.m. on the first day of the filing period. He was also one of the most politically experienced people in the race, working as a district office staffer for state Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl (D-57th) and serving on the Democratic Party of Evanston’s board.
“I have had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of District 65 parents and voters and the themes are clear: The next board has the steepest challenge in anyone’s memory, and the goal of providing an excellent education to every student hasn’t gotten easier to achieve!” Sorensen said. “I’ll hopefully still see you at many of the forums and look forward to doing what I can to be useful.”
Sorensen drops out of District 65 school board race is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.