Jeff Boarini

At a glance

Background

Before McDonald’s, Boarini worked for the Bell System and ran his own video production company for a decade. He has served as a board member and co-chair of the Center for Independent Futures and as board president of Arts of Life (2018–2021), and tutored reading in District 65 until the pandemic. [1]

Stated priorities

From the campaign’s website or announcement release. Listed, not evaluated.

• “Services that work” [1]
• “Budgets that add up,” including “a plain-language budget before votes” [1]
• “Schools at the table” — the campaign says the mayor “doesn’t run District 65 and shouldn’t pretend to” [1]

Record

Facts from public records, campaign filings and published news reports, each checked against its primary source. Same categories and the same review for every candidate. Listed, not evaluated. Last reviewed Tue Oct 6, 2026.

Campaign finance

• 1998–2026Federal Election Commission records list 63 contributions from Boarini between February 1998 and April 2026 totaling $7,054, counting each contribution routed through ActBlue once and excluding tips to ActBlue; they include 36 contributions totaling $1,554 to the Green Party of the United States from October 2003 to December 2009 and $2,500 in 2025–2026 to Laura Fine ($1,000), Bushra Amiwala ($750), Jeff Cohen ($500) and Phil Andrew ($250), candidates in the 2026 race for Illinois' 9th Congressional District.[8]
• 2024–2026Illinois State Board of Elections records list 12 itemized contributions from Boarini to nine other Illinois political committees between March 2024 and April 2026, totaling $6,060.50: Hanley for Illinois ($2,000), Darlene Cannon For 2nd Ward ($960.50), Clare for First ($600), Cam Davis 4 Us ($500), Friends of Byron Sigcho Lopez ($500), Friends of Gail Schechter ($500), Friends of Nathan Norman ($500), Friends of Robyn Gabel ($300) and Friends for Clayton Harris III ($200).[9]
• 2024–2026Of $80,051.99 in itemized individual contributions that Jeff B for Mayor reported from October 2024 through Oct. 6, 2026, excluding Boarini's own, $55,299.99 (69.1%) came from Evanston ZIP codes and $2,800 (3.5%) from out-of-state addresses; $1,000 was reported without an address.[10][11][12][13]
• 2024–2026From October 2024 through June 2026 the committee reported $99,514.49 in receipts and $103,421.28 in expenditures, including $48,711.61 spent in April–June 2025, and reported $893.21 on hand and no debts on June 30, 2026; it has since reported a $1,000 contribution received Sept. 14, 2026 on a large-contribution (A-1) report.[12][14][15][13]
• Oct 2024On Oct. 2, 2024, Boarini formed the candidate committee Jeff B for Mayor (ISBE ID 40103), with himself as chair and another individual as treasurer; the committee remains active.[15][16]
• 2025–2026Boarini contributed $3,500 to Jeff B for Mayor on April 9, 2025 and lent it $10,000 on Oct. 2, 2026, a loan reported on an A-1 filed Oct. 6, 2026.[17][18]
• Jan 2025On Jan. 7, 2025, the committee filed a large-contribution (A-1) report for a $1,552 contribution received Nov. 3, 2024, 56 calendar days after the statutory due date; as of Oct. 6, 2026 the committee does not appear on the State Board of Elections' list of unpaid fines.[19][20][21]
• Mar 2025On March 28, 2025, the committee filed one A-1 report for six contributions totaling $11,500 received March 14–19, 2025, 7 to 10 calendar days after the two-business-day deadline that applies in the 30 days before an election; as of Oct. 6, 2026 the committee does not appear on the State Board of Elections' list of unpaid fines.[22][20][21]

Public office

• Apr 2025In the April 1, 2025 mayoral election, his first race for public office, Boarini finished second of two candidates, losing to Mayor Daniel Biss.[23][24]

Property and taxes

• 1999–2022Boarini bought the house at 1126 South Blvd. with a second owner in 1999 and, through a trust, sold it for $752,000 in August 2022.[25][26]
• 2013–2021Boarini and a second owner bought condominium unit 1640 Maple Ave. #201 for $240,000 by a warranty deed dated July 16, 2013 and recorded Aug. 9, 2013, and a deed recorded Dec. 22, 2021 conveyed it to a trust in his name.[27][28]
• Apr 2022Boarini bought condominium unit 1800 Ridge Ave. #104 for $465,000 by a deed executed April 2, 2022 and later conveyed it to a trust in his name.[29][30]

Legal and regulatory

Nothing found in the records reviewed.

Statements and conduct

• 2024–2026Boarini discussed his romantic relationship with Ald. Clare Kelly (1st Ward) in a November 2024 Daily Northwestern interview, and on March 29–30, 2025 published a campaign-website page about it pledging to recuse himself if a measure she sponsored or co-sponsored came before him as a tied vote. The Chicago Tribune described the relationship as ongoing in June 2026.[31][32][33][34]
• Mar 2024City Council minutes for March 11, 2024 list Boarini as a public commenter in favor ("pro-PILOT") of Ordinance 28-O-24, an item brought by Ald. Clare Kelly to create a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Committee, which failed 0–7 that night.[35]
• Dec 2024In December 2024 his campaign website displayed a Most Livable City Association endorsement logo; the RoundTable reported that it had been removed by mid-February 2025, and Boarini told the RoundTable his campaign had "removed endorsements from our website in favor of individual supporters."[36][37]
• Feb 2025In a Feb. 19, 2025 RoundTable questionnaire, Boarini wrote: "The truth is that the city does not have a clear picture of its financial standing. I am not yet convinced there is a structural deficit. Understandably, our city has underestimated revenues while overestimating expenses, but to an extreme degree."[38]
• Mar 2025A March 29, 2025 version of his campaign website stated: "More disturbing is the endorsement letter from Personal Pac that his campaign has sent twice noting my 'silence' on abortion rights. As some have noted, the mayor of Evanston has little to do with this topic. But both of us filled out questionnaires and in mine, I affirmed my support for and intention to protect a woman's right to choose. I have long supported other groups fighting to protect these rights." The passage was removed by March 31, 2025, and he told the RoundTable he is "absolutely a committed, pro-choice advocate."[39][40][41]
• Mar 2025On March 30–31, 2025, Boarini removed from his campaign website claims that Mayor Daniel Biss had promised not to endorse council candidates and that Biss's earlier endorsements were an "unprecedented step," writing, "It's clear I was misinformed. The website has been corrected and I regret the error." He also removed an account of a phone call with Personal PAC's chief executive, writing that they "have different recollections of our call."[41][33]
• Mar 2026Boarini told the RoundTable on March 26, 2026, "if there is a special election, I plan on running."[42]
• May 2026Through the city's "Putting Assets to Work" process, Boarini proposed a 100-unit mixed-income housing development, potentially at the Police/Fire Headquarters site; he told The Daily Northwestern he had not "thought about it enough" yet regarding financing.[43]
• Mar 2025At a March 4, 2025 forum hosted by the Central Street Neighbors Association, Boarini told Mayor Daniel Biss, "I believe that you certainly missed an opportunity with Ryan Field on being transparent with the Evanston public," The Daily Northwestern reported.[44]