Candidate for Chicago City Council

About the Candidate

Name: Pete DeMay
DOB: June 6, 1971
Family: I live with my wife Liz Gres, son Anthony and daughter Maggie. We also live with a family of asylum seekers from El Salvador. We are hosting them while they await their immigration proceedings, and I consider them to be like family as well.
Occupation: Union organizer
Political Experience: I am a founding member of the 12th Ward IPO and a founding member of Neighbors for Environmental Justice.
Website: petedemay.com

Candidate Statement

2018 is not a time for bystanders. It is a time for action, and that is why I decided to run for City Council.

In the 12th Ward neighborhoods of McKinley Park, Little Village and Brighton Park, we are native Chicagoans, and we come from around the country and around the world. But despite our differences, we’re united in our values and hopes.

We want a community where there are great schools and safe neighborhoods. We want affordable housing and access to good jobs. We want clean air and water and we want to feel connected to our neighbors.

Unfortunately, in the neighborhoods of the 12th Ward, our reality is often very different:

Our schools are under-resourced. We have high rents and property taxes. Our neighborhoods suffer from high rates of poverty and we have lead in our drinking water.

We did not get here by accident.

We were driven here by a Mayor and a rubber stamp Alderman who choose to lavish Millions in tax dollars on developers downtown and up North, all while starving our neighborhoods of needed funding.

And we were driven here by a Mayor and an Alderman who choose campaign cash over the needs of 12th Ward residents every single time, and that’s gotta change.

On February 26th, we will seize our chance and finally give our kids the fully funded schools they deserve, get SW Side residents trained and working in good union jobs, and bring economic stability to the Ward.

We will make our neighborhoods safer by attacking the root causes of crime, and giving kids summer jobs and other programs they need – and we will hire more school counselors instead of handing big blank TIF checks to developers.

Finally, we will make the Millionaires and Billionaires pay their fair share for a change, instead of soaking people in the neighborhoods. We’ve already paid enough.

Brothers and Sisters, my name is Pete DeMay. I am a husband and father, a union organizer and a democratic socialist, and I am asking for your support to be the next Alderman of the 12th Ward. Thank You!

Candidate Q&A

What is your vision for this office?

In the 12th Ward, we need an alderman who will:

Fight for fully funded schools, parks and city services – It’s time to end the disastrous TIF corporate welfare program and bring tax dollars back to our communities.

Give 12th Ward residents a voice on development issues – Our current alderman sells off our neighborhoods to the highest bidder. Now, it’s time for us to have a real say in what our community looks like. Let’s unite to put people’s needs before developer profits and campaign cash.

Fight for green jobs– Unemployment and poverty rates are too high in our neighborhoods, and we have lead in our drinking water. We need a jobs program that puts 12th Ward residents to work removing lead service lines, and we need to attract green manufacturing. No Millions for Sterling Bay! Let’s invest in our health, improving infrastructure and getting our neighbors working instead.

What is the most pressing issue facing constituents, and how can you help address it?

The most pressing issue facing our Ward is poverty, and the myriad social problems that come from 20% -25% of our neighbors living in poverty. I would address this by:

Fighting for fully funded schools, parks and city services – It’s time to end the disastrous TIF corporate welfare program and bring tax dollars back to our communities.

Giving 12th Ward residents a voice on development issues – Our current alderman sells off our neighborhoods to the highest bidder. It’s time for us to have a real say in what our community looks like. Let’s unite to put people’s needs before developer profits and campaign cash.

Fighting for green jobs– Unemployment and poverty rates are too high in our neighborhoods, and we have lead in our drinking water. We need a jobs program that puts 12th Ward residents to work removing lead service lines, and we need to attract green manufacturing to the Ward. No Millions for Sterling Bay! Let’s invest in our health, improving infrastructure and getting our neighbors working instead.