A decade after his first bid, Jeff Smith enters mayor’s race in final minutes of filing

Jeff Smith speaks during public comment at a City Council meeting in January 2025. Credit: Richard Cahan Attorney and frequent city critic Jeff Smith filed to run for mayor in the final minutes of the filing period Monday afternoon, becoming the sixth and final candidate on the Feb. 23 primary ballot. He had not previously announced a campaign. Smith is the president of the Central Street Neighbors Association in north Evanston and a longtime public commenter and advocate on the city’s development politics. In recent years he’s been especially active around Envision Evanston 2045, arguing against eliminating single-family-only zoning. He also opposed the rebuild and rezoning of Northwestern University’s Ryan Field and is representing the Most Livable City Association in the Illinois Appellate Court in its ongoing lawsuit against the city and Northwestern seeking to overturn the vote allowing concerts at the new stadium. He told reporters while filing Monday afternoon that he b