Joan Barr

“She is as astute a mayor as anyone Evanston has had.”

“She's definitely good for business.”

“She is a very political creature.”

“I think everyone had enormous respect for Joan. I was so sorry to hear about her death. I think she will be remembered very fondly by Evanstonians for her many contributions to the city. She was a woman who stood up to take a leadership role at that time. I think it was actually pretty courageous to run. I think she inspired other women to run for office.”

“She just thought she had a better chance of getting things done by trying to engage people rather than getting in their face about it. She kept trying to find ways [different sides] could agree on things.”

“Her style of government was non-confrontational.”

“Almost to the end, she maintained a keen interest in people, forging connections.”

“She saw her role as a moderator, bringing about consensus.”

“We shouldn’t be taxing a person for getting an education. Education is something society should encourage.”

“I believe that backfired and helped me immensely, that and the fact that I worked harder, rang more doorbells and visited more homes in the ward.”

“I really believe in that.”