Candidate for Mayor of Chicago

Additional Coverage from WTTW News

About the Candidate

Name: Jerry Joyce
DOB: May 6, 1969
Family: Wife Jannine Joyce, of 19 years, and four children.
Occupation: Attorney and small business owner
Political Experience: I’ve never run for office.
Website: jerryjoyce2019.com

Candidate Statement

Hi. My name is Jerry Joyce and I'm running for mayor of Chicago.

I am a lifelong Chicagoan. My wife Jannine and I are raising our four children about a mile from the house I grew up in. We are blessed with wonderful neighbors and are grateful to being raising our children here. We love Chicago and we never wanted to live anywhere else.

I'm an attorney, small business owner, a youth mentor and a neighborhood advocate-but I've never run for elective office.

Campaigning throughout our city, I'm often asked why I am running.

Last year, I saw an interview on tv with a famous author. When the host asked him where he lived, the author responded that he was a second-generation Chicagoan and he and his wife had been raising their children in Chicago. However, conditions in Chicago had reached the point that he had to ask himself if he was doing a disservice to his family by remaining in Chicago. He answered by relocating to Nashville, Tennessee. No Chicagoan should be faced with that question. I understand that authors concerns. But rather than relocate, I want to do something about it.

That's why I'm running for mayor.

Chicago faces many challenges. Getting it right on public finances, safety and education is critical to our city's future.

I have a fresh set of ideas and I am committed to building a Chicago that gets its ideas and its strength from our neighborhoods and the people in them.

THAT's what made Chicago great to begin with. Not any one person's individual agenda or political ambition.

The number one responsibility of any government is the safety and protection of its people. As your mayor, public safety will be my number one priority.

Also we cannot solve our financial problems on the backs of our residential property owners.

I'm Jerry Joyce and I'm committed to listening, really listening, to the voices from each and every one of our city's more than 200 neighborhoods.

Candidate Q&A

What is your vision for this office?

Too many times I have met people who are asking themselves whether or not they can afford to live in Chicago, whether the question they are confronting is their safety, their finances or their child’s access to quality education. This didn’t happen overnight-it’s the end result of broken promises, bad priorities and a lack of accountability.

I envision a Chicago that is responsive to its neighborhoods and that is based on transparency and honesty and is not run based on special interests and career politicians. Where we pay our bills, protect our citizens and value neighborhood schools.

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

The most pressing issue facing Chicagoans is their lack of confidence in the competence of those charged with the responsibility of leading our city and solving our problems. I would solve this by leading a transparent, accountable administration that is responsive to the voices of those living in our more than 200 neighborhoods.

Jerry Joyce on the Issues

Ethics

Education

Pensions

Crime

Transportation

Finance

Development