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Jacksonville Alderwoman Eren White-Williams speaks with Gov. JB Pritzker during his visit to the city. White-Williams resigned from her position April 7.<\/p>\n
Ben Singson\/Journal-Courier<\/p>\n
Alderwoman Eren White-Williams has resigned from Jacksonville City Council, saying she wants to focus on her health and the health of her family.<\/p>\n
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She said she might be interested in running again at a later date.<\/p>\n
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“My husband’s not in the best of health, my father’s not in the best of health,” White-Williams said. “I have two special needs children, so everything’s on my mind, and I just want to focus on family and myself, as well.”<\/p>\n
White-Williams represented Ward 1, which encompasses downtown and the area surrounding it. It also covers most of the northeast portion of Jacksonville to Diamond Street.<\/p>\n
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A map shows Jacksonville City Council’s wards.<\/p>\n
City of Jacksonville<\/p>\n
“I’m not stepping totally away from the city,” she said Monday. “I’m still going to be an active voice in this town and this ward, so I’ll still be around.”<\/p>\n
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In a resignation letter addressed to Mayor Andy\u00a0Ezard, White-Williams said she took pleasure in working with him and “learning how the city ticks.”<\/p>\n
“I will probably still pop into city meetings now and then?” she wrote. “I hope whoever takes my spot keeps Ward 1’s regular folks in mind. Not just the few wealthy.”<\/p>\n
White-Williams, who was chair of the special studies committee, said there were no projects she was leaving behind. The committee she led recently helped construct Jacksonville’s no-camping ordinance. The ordinance, which was passed in February, prohibits residents from sleeping on public property.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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City officials have said the ordinance is a way to move homeless people away from businesses and point them toward social services. White-Williams oppsed the ordinance, though she was unable to attend the meeting during which it passed its second reading.<\/p>\n
“I feel for the homeless, especially the ones who are not causing harm,” White-Williams said on Monday. “But I mean, I wanted downtown people to be happy, as well, and it’s very hard to make everyone happy. I’ve learned that very fast.”<\/p>\n
She said the person who replaces her should keep in mind that her ward, aside from downtown, encompass some of the poorest parts of Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
Of the six city council meetings held in 2026, White-Williams has attended two. She cited personal, health and family obligations as reasons for not attending. Ahead of the March 9 meeting, she was in council chambers briefly before 6 p.m. to update Ezard about why she wouldn’t attend that meeting.<\/p>\n
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The former\u00a0alderwoman was elected in 2017 after she, as a resident, pushed back against the city’s rules against owning chickens in\u00a0residential areas.<\/p>\n
“I was known as the chicken lady, yeah,” she said. “Other people around here had chickens but, for some reason, I was served a code \u2014 I guess \u2014 violation one day.”<\/p>\n
White-Williams would have been up for election in May 2027. With two empty council seats \u2014 Alderman\u00a0Don Cook<\/a> retired in January \u2014 Ezard now has the ability to appoint two aldermen.<\/p>\n “Now having both seats to fill, these appointments will move up on my task list,” Ezard said. “I have had some inquiries and I have also initiated contact in both wards. I don’t anticipate waiting for the consolidated election but will weigh all options.”<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n