Evanston’s corporation counsel, Nicholas Cummings, is leaving the city to become general counsel to the Chicago Park District.
Cummings announced the move at Monday night’s City Council meeting.
He was named deputy city attorney in Evanston in January 2020 and became corporation counsel in April 2021. He previously had worked as chief attorney for tort litigation at the Chicago Transit Authority.
Cummings helped research and craft the city’s reparations program, was involved in implementing recommendations of the lakefront lifeguard investigation and helped manage collective bargaining negotiations with the city’s four employee unions.
City Manager Luke Stowe praised Cummings for “his outstanding work” on reparations and his key role “in helping the city navigate the COVID pandemic and changes in leadership.”
Deputy City Attorney Alex Ruggie will become interim corporation counsel upon Cummings’ departure Aug. 11. Stowe says the Corporation Counsel position will be externally posted in late August.
Best wishes, Nick Cummings. The new job sounds like a great opportunity. You will be missed. I appreciated your level-headed objective commentary at City Council meetings.
No reason to be a skeptic. Coming to Evanston from Chicago is not a step up. Getting experience and returning back to a big market you came from is more from the playbook than surprising.