Decisions for newly inaugurated Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham will be based on the city code, laws and ordinances, but as he steps into the job for the second time — he was elected in 2017, lost in 2021 and regained the position in the April 1 election — there is another consideration.
“There is a human side of the job that I will apply to every given situation,” Cunningham said Tuesday on his first full day on the job.
Seeking the office for the first time, Cunningham said he ran as a politician. He represented the 1st Ward on the City Council for 18 years before being elected mayor. He said he learned things then, and even more as he campaigned this time around.
Cunningham said he was touched by the human side of the people he met.
“There are certain decisions we make based on laws and ordinances,” he said. “There are times you have to step back and make a human decision. That is the biggest part of the learning curve.”
Cunningham took his oath of office Monday at City Hall in Waukegan, officially replacing former Mayor Ann Taylor to embark on plans to “finish unfinished business” from his first term, including infrastructure issues, lead pipe replacement, developing the lakefront and downtown, and more.
City Clerk Janet Kilkelly took her oath of office for her second term, while City Treasurer John Schwab started his fifth four-year term in office.
More than 300 people gathered to watch the events, including a standing-room-only crowd in the City Council Chambers and an overflow of people in the lobby. More watched a television screen on the first floor.
Giving his inauguration speech, Cunningham received continual rounds of applause and several standing ovations. He stressed collaboration and compromise, recognizing that everyone will not agree on every policy idea.
“Let me be clear, there is no us versus them,” he said. “That needs repeating. There is no us versus them. We are all Waukegan. Whether you have been here for generations or are a newcomer, your voice matters.”
After four new members of the City Council took office in 2023, the freshmen tried to assert themselves, pushing agenda ideas of their own. Twice, Taylor used a veto to prevent legislation. Once it worked, and the other time the council overrode it. Cunningham said he will seek a different path.
“This is a team effort,” he said. “It will take all of us working together, side by side, to make Waukegan the city we all know it can be,” he said. “We have to listen to each other, support each other and collaborate in every way possible. I know we will have our differences, but let’s commit to working together.”
During an interview a few days before he took office, Cunningham said infrastructure is a high priority and he put an emphasis on Washington Street as part of a bigger corridor plan extending from Sheridan Road on the east to Green Bay Road on the west.
“We’ve been talking about it for a long time, and it’s time to get it done,” he said. “We will do curbs, gutters and sidewalks. We will repave the surface.”
Lead pipe replacement, accelerated in 2022, will continue, Cunninham said.
Development of the lakefront and downtown remains a high priority, he said. Cunningham said there will be a renewed effort by the city to acquire the right-of-way to the abandoned Canadian National Railway tracks near Market Street. They are a barrier to development there, he said.
“It is central to rebuilding Waukegan,” Cunningham said.
With a water plant capable of producing more water than city residents need or use, Cunningham said he wants to put the facility in a position to enable the city to sell Lake Michigan water to other communities. Beach Park and Park City buy it now.
Currently able to pump 11 million gallons of water a day, Cunningham said between seven million and eight million gallons are produced daily for city residents and the other customers. There is room for more.
“It’s an opportunity to generate revenue,” he said. “We sell it at a better price than JAWA,” he added, referring to the Central Lake County Joint Water Agency.
Recognizing the uncertainties created by actions of the federal government since Jan. 20, when an effort to cut costs — in some cases to money going to state and local governments — began, Cunningham said the city will do everything it can.
“We can only control what we control,” Cunningham said.
