Column: Mayor Sam Cunningham's second act begins in Waukegan

Chicago Tribune

12-05-2025

Back when golden oldies were new on your transistor radio, Mayor Robert Sabonjian ruled Waukegan. From 1957 to 1977, he oversaw the city, which grew in leaps and bounds under his tenure.
Waukegan's new mayor, Sam Cunningham, has a few similarities to Sabonjian's stint as the city's chief executive. Both grew up on the South Side, where Cunningham represented the City Council's 1st Ward for 18 years. Both were defeated for re-election and made political comebacks.
Long-time Waukeganites may recall that Sabonjian started his political career as a Democrat, but jumped to the Republican Party in the late 1960s. It was during his mayoralty that the city expanded some 20 miles to the west and northwest, annexing the property that became Lakehurst and is now the Fountain Square entertainment zone.
Seeking re-election in 1977, Sabonjian was defeated handily by then-Democrat state Sen. Bill Morris, who served until 1985. Morris was beaten that year by Sabonjian, who came out of retirement to run again.
Proving his point he could again manage a successful campaign, he served four years before retiring again. Another Armenian-American, Republican Haig Paravonian, was elected a one-term mayor through 1993. In 2009, Sabonjian's son, Robert, was elected to a term.
Since Robert Senior's first 20 years as city leader, Waukegan hasn't had such long-term continuity in the mayor's office. William Durkin served from 1993 to 2001, nowhere near Sabonjian's two decades at the helm, a city record.
After Durkin's time, city voters in recent elections have seemed to be searching for new leadership at every turn. They've tossed aside four incumbents in 20 years, like Democrat Cunningham in 2021.
Ann Taylor, who ran as an independent then and again last month, bested Cunningham. He reversed the outcome on April 1 after Taylor spent four years heading City Hall.
Similar to Sabonjian, Cunningham, Waukegan's first returning Black mayor, faces a crate-load of uncertainty as he returns to the office he initially won in 2017. He appears to realize that, along with plans to 'finish unfinished business' begun during his first term, according to Steve Sadin's front-page account of the mayor's inauguration last week.
Like his predecessors, Cunningham has his eye on developing the lakefront and redeveloping downtown. He has infrastructure issues, including lead-pipe replacement and a complete overhaul of Washington Street, from Sheridan Road west to Green Bay Road, also on his mind.
Sabonjian, too, wanted to spur Waukegan's lakefront, which most agree is a diamond in the rough. He's the mayor who termed an upgraded Lake Michigan shoreline for the city the, 'Riviera of the Midwest.'
Cunningham told Sadin the city will renew efforts to acquire the old EJ&E Railway tracks, which remain a barrier to lakeshore development, as does the Amstutz Expressway, which splits the lake from the core city. The right-of-way, originally serving the old ComEd coal-fired plant and the long-gone US Steel wire mill on the South Side, is rarely used, if at all, by the current owner Canadian National Railway.
The mayor also extended an olive branch to the City Council with which some had run-ins with Taylor during her administration. '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.
'I know we will have our differences, but let's commit to working together,' he added. One of the first City Council hurdles is picking a law firm to represent members who want their own legal team, separate from one representing the city as a whole.
He also addressed qualms over issues facing some city residents and actions of the administration of President Donald Trump: 'Whether you have been here for generations or are a newcomer, your voice matters.'
But Cunningham told Sadin, 'We can only control what we control.' That includes the Trump administration slashing federal funding for state and local government projects.
The administration of President Joe Biden last year set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans. Billions of dollars in federal grants and funding were available to help communities across the nation get the lead out of water, along with PFAS, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl.
Those clean drinking water endeavors may be impacted by the expected actions of the Trump administration. There have already been rollbacks of major clean air and water rules.
Previous city administrations have faced similar challenges, but Cunningham's previous stint steering the city puts him in good standing to continue policies and plan for new ones for Waukegan's future. Like the elder Sabonjian, his second act begins anew.