Brandon X. Ewing, former president of the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education and member of the Waukegan Planning & Zoning Board, was appointed to the Lake County Board seat of the late Mary Ross Cunningham on Tuesday morning.
Ewing will serve as the County Board member for District 9 until Dec. 7, at which point whoever wins the special election this November will be sworn in. Ewing has already been named as the Democratic candidate for the seat.
“I’m excited, ready to serve the constituents,” Ewing said. “For me, it’s about being able to build on the legacy, the foundation that (Cunningham) laid.”
During the County Board’s packed Tuesday meeting, Ewing’s family and supporters, along with various local and state officials, cheered during his swearing-in. At 34, he’s relatively young for the board, although the 30-year-old Esiah Campos is the youngest currently serving.
Those in attendance included state officials celebrating both Ewing and retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
The legacy of Cunningham, a political force in county politics for decades, was a point of reflection during many of the speeches that were made, as the board moved to fill the vacancies her death left on various committees.
Member Jennifer Clark was unanimously elected as the board’s vice chair, taking over the position held by Cunningham. Both Ewing and Clark talked about her legacy and the impact she left on the community during their comments.
It was big shoes to fill, they both agreed, although they both joked they couldn’t promise to match her fashion sense.
District 9, including Waukegan and North Chicago, is one of the most ethnically diverse in the county, and was led for decades by a woman who championed diversity and inclusion initiatives. Cunningham was the second Black woman to be elected to the board in county history, and the first to serve in board leadership.
With Cunningham’s June 23 death, the 2017 death of Audrey Nixon, and board member Angelo Kyle leaving at the end of his term, an older generation of Lake County Black officials is gone from the board.
State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, the first Black senator from Lake County, talked about the value of representation in government.
“It’s not so much saying that we represent only ‘our people.’ We represent everyone, and everyone needs to know that people who look like them can lead as well; that’s why it’s so important,” Johnson said.
Beyond racial representation, Ewing also talked about the need for a diversity of ages represented in government. District 9 is one of the youngest in the county, he said.
“As we look at the future of the County Board, we want to make sure that it is representative of all of Lake County and all the shapes, sizes, ages, all of those different diversity categories that we discuss,” Ewing said.
Tuesday was a whirlwind for the new board member — shaking hands, taking photos and getting building access set up, among other steps. The next few weeks and months will be similarly busy, Ewing said.
With a background in banking, he said he plans to do a “deep dive” into the county’s budget, describing it as “a moral document.”
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“You can tell me whatever you want to tell me, what you believe in, what you want to invest in, but where you actually put your dollars is what you really truly value,” Ewing said.
Political landscape
After Cunningham’s death, the County Board created a committee of board members and the Lake County Democratic Chair Daniel Didech to interview candidates, which ultimately recommended Ewing.
Ewing’s temporary tenure could prove to be a test run for a more permanent seat on the board if he wins in November. No Republican candidate has been named, although he or she will likely face a tough campaign in a district that Cunningham held for many years.
More broadly, the County Board is approaching a major shift come November. Five board members are stepping down: Linda Pedersen, Ann Maine, Jessica Vealitzek, Angelo Kyle and Michael Danforth. And if board Chair Sandy Hart wins her race for county treasurer, her seat will be filled by an appointee.
The board’s Democratic majority, currently 14 Democrats to five Republicans, could become even more pronounced come November. The outgoing Pedersen, Maine and Danforth are all Republicans, and every seat up for election has a Democratic candidate.