Evanston elects educator - Evanston, Illinois, Mayor Lorraine H. Morton

Ebony, July, 1993 by Lisa C. Jones

Open-arm politics wins big in affluent Chicago suburb

WHEN the residents of the upscale Chicago suburb of Evanston elected former Alderman Lorraine H. Morton as mayor, they also voted into office a feisty open-arms style of government.

"Once you're able to buy into a pleasant system where everybody's happy, you can get a lot of work done," says the 74-year-old Morton. "I've never had to be anything other than myself to get things done."

In the end, being her warm, gutsy, grandmotherly self paid off. The underdog during the five-person primary race, Morton rose to victory in the runoff election against a White City Council-woman, grabbing 52 percent of the total vote in the affluent suburb, where the median income is $40,000 and Blacks make up 23 percent of the 73,233 population.

Morton made history with her astounding win, becoming the first African-American and first Democrat to clinch the top seat in the 130-year history of the city, which is known nationally as the home of Northwestern University and the national headquarters for the Women's Christian Temperance Union.

Republicans, Democrats, Whites and Blacks alike supported the efforts of this former grade school principal. Two of Morton's four primary contenders sided with her before it was all over, and the outgoing mayor, Joan Barr, jumped on her support bandwagon, too.

Yet Morton says she doesn't revel in the victory. "My mind shifts to what I have to do," she says. Her top priority is to respond to the everyday needs of the people, something she feels has gone lacking in the past. "If the streets have potholes or if the alleys need paving--these are the types of issues citizens are interested in," she emphasizes. "And these are the things that we'll address." As for critics who say she evades hard issues, such as the high taxes and the growing problem of gangs, drugs and other crimes within the area, she says: "Let the criticism come. If I think I'm doing something right, I'm not going to back down."

She'll have some help in setting the agenda, too, since the day-to-day governmental operations will fall under the auspices of the city manager, who is the city's chief executive officer.

Morton, who has lived in the city for 40 years and who served on the City Council for nine years, knows firsthand some of the complaints of the Evanston electorate. The youngest of nine children growing up in the countryside of North Carolina, she received her bachelor's degree in education from what is now Winston-Salem state University. When she came to Evanston in 1953 to complete her master's degree in education at Northwestern University, she met her husband, James T. Morton, who died in 1974 of a heart attack. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Morton Brown.

A respected educator, Morton began her teaching career in 1953 at the now defunct Foster School. She later taught at several middle schools. In 1977, she moved on to Haven Middle School, where she was principal for 12 years.

Morton stepped into politics by accident. Asked by Mayor James Lytle in 1982 to complete the term of a departing 5th Ward alderman, she agreed and was reelected until she decided to retire in 1991. Last fall, it was the gentle prodding of one of her former students, Marvin Walker, that convinced Morton to run for mayor. He later became her campaign manager.

Lively off and on the political trail, Morton enjoys spending time each day with her two granddaughters, Constance, 8, and Elizabeth, 11. "I love young people; I understand them," says Morton.

When she's not playing with her grandchildren, Morton enjoys the company of her longtime friend, businessman Wellington C. Howard, whom she warmly refers to as her "main squeeze."

Along with her other sundry accomplishments, Morton is a deacon at the Second Baptist Church in Evanston. She ultimately attributes her mayoral victory to divine providence. "My winning is the greatest thing that could have ever happened to depict what this community is really all about," says Morton. "The people of Evanston have spoken and we're ready to move ahead. It's going to be a new day with a new spirit."