About the Candidate
Name: Deborah A. Foster-Bonner
DOB: Oct. 15, 1957
Family: One son
Occupation: accountant, investment advisor and business consultant
Political Experience: Former campaign manager
Website: deborahfor6thward.com
Candidate Statement
Hello! My name is Deborah Foster-Bonner and I am running for the 6th Ward Alderman. As a long time resident of Chatham and having attended school in Chatham, I see and feel the difference in then and now. My father was a Veteran, Tailor and Salesman. My mother was an Administrative Assistant. I hold a degree in accounting. I have one son and one sister. I am the President of both a block club and Reunite Chatham a Not for Profit Organization. I have spent more than 20 years as voice for my community. It is time to take it to the next level.
The safety of our residents, the ability to receive services in the community, jobs that provide a living wage and the family unit. All of these have changed and not for the better.
More and more of our young people lack direction or resources to make them valuable members of the community. I have been a part of helping us move in a different direction. An all day summer program for 30 kids providing meals and activities that teach community stewardship and business development, and Halloween for 8 years for youth and seniors.
I want to Foster our Community by engaging residents to become active, by participatory budget, where the community gets to determine what happens with the Aldermanic menu money, fight for transparency in the TIF funds so that the residents have a say in how their tax dollars are dispensed, and development of a community full service store.
As a community member that works closely with the Police Department I understand the need for the community to have an involvement in policing. There are more than 150 Properties with private security cameras throughout the community and it has made the community feel safer and I wish to bring that program to the entire ward.
These are just some of my ideas but I hope to work with the community to implement their ideas.
Please vote for me as Alderman of the 6th ward.
Let’s Fostering our Community and return the 6th ward to its glory.
Candidate Q&A
What is your vision for this office?
As Alderman, I plan to be the communication hub for the ward. I want to make sure that residents are informed about and included in decisions that affect their ward. I want to be a community steward who will organize the residents of the 6th Ward to get their fair share of resources. The office of Alderman must not be used to enrich the individual holding the office; the individual must use the office to enrich the ward and foster a vibrant community.
What is the most pressing issue facing constituents, and how can you help address it?
The residents of the 6th Ward are facing a lack of economic stability and access to adequate resources. Economic instability unpins each and every issue the ward faces. A great deal of our resources leave the ward to pay for projects not within the ward. For example, 1.8 million dollars of TIF money from the 87th and Cottage Grove TIF district is ported to 71st and Stony Island TIF district to pay debt service. If elected, I would fight for sweeping reforms to the city’s TIF program. These reforms would begin with a forensic audit of each TIF district, increased public transparency and refinancing of any bond deals unfavorable to the city and the residents of the ward. Economic development must be people focused rather than place focused. Place focused economic development leads to displacement or wasted investment. I will fight for community use of TIF dollars to develop local entrepreneurs who will be good community stewards, rather than giving the community’s resources to wealthy developers and Wall Street firms.
