2023 Chicago Runoff Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

My roots and work in our community give me unique perspectives on the kind of leadership needed as the 46th ward is in a moment of transition and change. My experience as an organizer and community leader around housing, education, healthcare, and more position me to be a policy leader in city council on issues impacting our neighbors. Through my life and work, I have a unique window into how the issues facing the city are deeply intertwined and interconnected at a community level, and I believe our neighbors are in dire need of a leader who bridges organizing in the community and effective policy.

Our next alderperson needs to understand the lives of the residents in every corner of our community, they need to understand the ways our policies affect our neighbors' lives, and they need to understand the ways the issues we talk about every day impact each other. Our next alderperson needs to be able to bring together diverse communities across the ward and city around shared concerns. From how our housing stock impacts school enrollment to how healthcare access or environmental justice impacts crime and violence — the solutions to the deep challenges our city faces require creative and thoughtful solutions with an understanding of how these issues play out in our lives in communities in interrelated ways. I’m running because my own lived experience and the work I’ve done over the last nearly two decades position me to take on the kind of leadership our communities deserve. 

I’ve been a leader in advocating for solutions and as Alderperson I will take leadership to ensure we address the shared challenges in our communities. This includes addressing issues of funding for homeless support services by pushing for the Bring Chicago Home Ordinance. I will take leadership to pass the Treatment Not Trauma Ordinance which is an innovative approach to addressing the need for mental health support when it comes to emergency and crisis response from the city. Before becoming Alderperson I have been an active leader in advocating for these two proposals, and many more, and will continue this work with the powers of the Alderperson’s office because I believe they are the kind of thoughtful and creative solutions our city needs.

What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?

The top three things an alderperson to be successful at include providing the basic constituent services of a ward office and have a pulse on the needs of the neighborhood, from street safety to trash pick up and tree trimming and so much more. They need to be implementing policies at the city level that positively impact the lives of their constituents and Chicagoans all across the city. Thirdly, they need to be able to bring people together, be a vessel for community input and leadership and do the work to bring the right people together to address the emergent needs of the community. 

The 46th ward will have new leadership later this year and this comes with an opportunity to orient differently to many of the current approaches to the office. This means things like redesigning the zoning committee, and ensuring that consistent services are timely and equitably — that residents in the Lakeview portion of the ward get the same access to services as the Uptown part of the ward.  When it comes to policy, our next Alderperson has an opportunity to take leadership on key issues like homelessness support services, and mental health crisis response, and work to ensure our neighborhood schools have the resources they need.

What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?

Affordability and public safety are the two most pressing issues facing our ward.

Many neighbors I grew up with in this community can no longer afford to live here. Some are experiencing homelessness without resources to get permanently housed.  This impacts so many different facets of our community — for example, available housing stock impacts the longevity of our schools. 

Public safety relies on stable communities where people know their neighbors. Holistic public safety is dependent on effective mental health resources and community-driven approaches. I support addressing root causes by creating a dedicated revenue stream for homeless support services through The Bring Chicago Home Ordinance, building new and preserving existing development that promotes affordability, and creating mental health crisis response through the Treatment not Trauma Ordinance.

What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?

For an alderperson to be successful it's essential that the alderperson’s office and the alderperson themself is accessible and responsive. This is a core part of what it means to be an effective alderperson and something that is a priority for me. As an organizer, I know that for people to have their needs heard and met it often means taking initiative to make contact with parts of the community.

In addition to our office having open doors and quick responses to people reaching out via phone or email, we also need to be in the community to reach neighbors where they are. Reaching people across this ward isn’t something I only do during election season, I’ve been doing this work for years now, whether it's about connecting with elders to make sure they have the resources they need, supporting tenants to advocate for their rights or access government programs, or being a bridge between different educational resources in the community. 

Through my years of work in the community, growing up in this ward, and having family in the neighborhood for over 80 years I come to the office of alderperson with existing deep relationships all across this ward and city and experience being a connector and navigating getting people the services they need. I’m running for alderperson because I want someone who is accountable to the entire community.

Do you believe in the tradition of aldermanic prerogative, which gives each City Council member the final say on issues in their ward?

The history of Aldermanic prerogative is one where political systems have free reign on implementing major changes to communities without clear checks and balances. Alongside machine politics and gerrymandered ward boundaries, this on the whole has negatively impacted communities of color and low-income communities. Working within our current system, it's important to me that I use the powers given to an alderperson and create systems for community input and accountability and that I take leadership that implements positive changes for the community. But it should not be left up to whoever is alderperson to make that choice for their community.

Should the $1.9 billion budget for the Chicago Police Department increase, stay the same or decrease?

As a young person of color in this community, I’ve seen both positive impacts of policing in the community, like my neighbors' relationship with a beat cop named Officer Foot, and the negative impacts including police brutality which has been extremely close to home. 

So before we talk about the amount of funding, we need to talk about the effectiveness of policing and how it fits into a full public safety plan. We currently have police officers forced to do jobs they are not trained at a high level to do, including responding to mental health crises which can better be addressed by people with specific social work and/or mental health intervention training. 

While we need more resources targeted toward public safety initiatives, and while much of these resources should go to our current approaches, we need to increase spending to fund mental health resources, youth programs, and initiatives that prevent crime and violence before it happens.

Should the city raise the Real Estate Transfer Tax on properties sold for more than $1 million to fund programs to help unhoused Chicagoans?

Yes. I have been an active part of the Bring Chicago Home coalition which has been organizing to raise the Real Estate transfer tax, a one-time tax, on priorities over $1 million in order to create a dedicated revenue stream for homeless support services. I was disappointed to see the current 46th ward alderperson not show up for a critical vote to move this proposal forwards. We need dedicated funds to solve our homelessness problem in this city and this proposal is a thoughtful way to do so.

Should the city open and operate mental health clinics to provide free care to Chicagoans?

Absolutely. When the Emanuel administration closed 6 of our mental health clinics, we took away a vital tool in the city’s toolbox to provide direct mental health support. As a first-time mom, raising an infant during the height of Covid in isolation, left me and other parents in a very vulnerable place, with limited resources. Re-opening the clinics and providing direct mental healthcare to neighbors across the city is a top priority for me to help others gain access to the mental health resources they deserve.

How should Chicago build the 120,000 homes it needs for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans?

Housing is a basic human right, and with increasing rents, property tax burden, and more, many Chicagoans cannot afford to stay in their communities. This is certainly happening in the 46th ward where displacement is a huge problem. First, we need to ensure that new developments have 30% affordable units on site, this will make sure that with new development comes access for low and middle-income Chicagoans. 

Additionally, we need to be intentional about what kind of housing stock is being built — for example, if all the new developments being built are studios and one-bedroom units when a neighborhood has a housing shortage for families, this will not address the housing needs of the community. I’m also in support of initiatives current alderpeople have put into expanding housing access by widening eligibility for Additional Dwelling Units which allows for maintaining the character and history of a neighborhood while increasing housing density and affordability for both renters and owners.

What do you see as potential solutions to address the number of shootings in Chicago?

Shootings and gun violence hit very close to home for me and this is a problem that requires a very multi-faceted approach. Change in federal gun legislation is essential here and I would of course use my platform to advocate for changes at the federal level. 

Within the oversight of the city, we need to invest more deeply in violence prevention programs that have proven to be widely successful. We need to get to the root causes of violence and not just try to stop it after the fact. This means providing access to housing, good quality jobs, meaningful and safe spaces for young people, mental health resources and so much more. We need an approach to public safety rooted in relationships where our neighbors know each other & actively fight for their success, along with long-term investment from local business owners, churches, not-for-profits and schools.

Should the city do more to encourage residents to live close to where they work and shop by building dense multi-unit apartment complexes near transportation hubs?

It's important for the longevity of our communities that we invest in access to housing where people live near public transit and can easily access work, schools, great healthcare and more. I’ve been a huge supporter of development that integrates shopping centers and housing in the community, such as the Wilson Yards development here in the 46th ward which has street-level storefronts (including our current campaign office space) and affordable housing for elders and families in the ward all within a block of the Wilson red line stop. This mix of development has been a success story here in the ward and there is a huge opportunity to replicate these successes.

Should the city prioritize the construction of bicycle lanes and encourage people to use bicycles to commute to work?

I’m a huge supporter of investing in bike infrastructure and ensuring we invest in infrastructure that allows for different forms of transportation to be accessed cohesively and safely. Cyclist accidents, including horrendous examples of small children being killed while biking are deeply concerning to me. People should be able to bike safely around our neighborhoods, to get to work, school, and more. And that means investing in bike lanes, protected bike lanes, bike-safe intersections and more.

Should city employees continue to be required to live in Chicago?

I do think it's beneficial for city employees to live in Chicago. Having city employees that invest their lives in the city by living here means the incredible people that run our services are invested in it as residents in addition to working for the city. The city provides many good-paying jobs and it's beneficial to ensure that Chicagoans have access to those job opportunities.