2023 Chicago Runoff Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

As someone who has chaired a public body and worked for candidates and causes close to my heart for years, seeing droves of alderpeople leaving city council signals an opportunity for a new generation of leaders to answer the call. I’m someone who is experienced in building consensus and finding common ground, and we need more of that in city government. From my legal career to the Zoning Board of Appeals, I’ve shown that I have a passion for bringing private sector results to public service.

Every community in our city deserves an alderperson who listens, problem solves and gets things done. I’m not someone who is interested in bomb throwing or political theater. Public service requires people who are driven by their constituents' needs and bring a can-do attitude to this work. With our city at a pivotal moment as we rebuild from the pandemic and face fresh challenges and opportunities, I am energized to bring my skillset to use to better our city.

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

Our ward office, like so many across the city, is lucky to have hard-working staff that attend to constituent needs, no matter how big or small. When I came into office in late 2022, I found that in some areas we were still operating on pen and paper. I think the public ought to take a page out of the private sector’s book when it comes to customer service. We should be thinking of our constituents as people who we have relationships with — which is what CRMs (which stands for customer relationship management system) do well. We need to be proactive, not reactive.

The city took a positive step for innovation through its massive investment to put 311 onto the Salesforce Platform (one example of a CRM), but this system needs to be bridged into aldermanic offices so that the everyday requests residents make to their local officials are effectively managed. Currently, when a constituent makes a 311 request, the aldermanic office only sees the requests when they are manually pulled from the system or when we call our busy Ward Superintendents. Because of this, constituents rightfully do not understand if the right place to make the request is through 311 or through their alderperson’s office.

In the 43rd Ward, through an independent government technology provider, we are embarking on a system overhaul so that our office is automatically informed as soon as a 311 request is submitted. This streamlining of information will allow us to follow up directly with the residents who made a request, ask questions, give them additional insight on completion timeline, or to help expedite the request.

This type of communication will increase positive outcomes and accountability, which is why it’s been a top priority of mine. As someone who has helped founders grow their businesses, my strong belief in bringing technology into the way we treat constituent services in the 43rd Ward will better serve our community, and serve as a model for other wards to follow.

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

Public safety and fiscal stability are two of the 43rd Ward’s primary concerns. To deter crime, we invested ward infrastructure dollars into strategically placed security cameras and innovative license plate readers. I’ve built strong relationships with local CPD commanders and co-sponsored ordinances to crack down on illegal guns and improve CTA safety.

We need to continue long-term investments to address the root causes of crime and create economic opportunity in communities that have been disinvested in for too long. The city budget illustrated ways to tackle both priorities: investing $100 million more in anti-violence programs, $20 million more to fund more officers, and $242 million in advance pension payments — all without increasing property taxes. I also helped block an increase of the Real Estate Transfer Tax because I know we can’t rely on homeowners every time the city needs a revenue source. I’ll keep working to be a pragmatic progressive alderman who gets stuff done for our ward.

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

Like I mentioned above, our investment in innovative government technology to improve constituent services will be a game changer to improving accessibility and responsiveness for residents. I have built strong relationships with business owners, school leaders, neighborhood groups, and the like to open lines of communication in these spaces. I’ve told these leaders — as well as every resident I’ve talked to — that I have an open-door policy to anyone who has an idea on how to improve our ward. I’ve already had countless meetings and conversations with concerned citizens from all corners of our community. In fact, a recent talk with local high school students sparked inspiration to look into an ordinance to reduce the emissions of idling cars around schools. This is just one of the latest examples of the ways that I seek out and act upon constituent feedback.

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

No. When I started on the Zoning Board of Appeals as the alternate member in 2019, it was the first time that aldermanic prerogative was being stripped from ZBA matters. When I became Chairman, this allowed me to lead the board in a truly independent manner, without regard for where the political winds were blowing. I believe that a dilution of aldermanic prerogative is necessary for the greater development of our city and will lead to more cohesive planning.

We must move past alderpeople being able block certain projects coming into their wards while the city deems them essential. The old system is yet another barrier towards achieving a more equitable city, which is essential to combatting historic decades of disinvestment and a long-term solution to crime.

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

Stay the same. Where I am proud to have voted for substantial investments in public safety infrastructure in this year’s budget, we now need to work on filling the vacancies that are already funded and advocating for efficiencies that boost public safety (for example, civilians at the desk, retired officers at the desk, etc.).

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

I support the policy goals of Bring Chicago Home, but I do not support a flat threshold on a RETT (e.g., $1 million) because it would have negative impacts such as market price manipulation near that threshold. The proposed rate (3x the current RETT) is also too high. We need to encourage people to buy, sell and invest in Chicago, and a large increase becomes another hurdle. However, in talks with community advocates on BCH, my goal is to assist in structuring a route to the sustained $160 million in annual funding for the un-housed community in a more diversified manner. For example, an escalating increase of RETT on all homeowners (in a more progressive fashion) would be a much better solution. My hope for this conversation is that it becomes less divisive and all parties can come together to find a productive funding solution.

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

Yes. Mental health is an area that hits home for me and has become an early priority as alderman. Particularly as we continue our recovery from the pandemic, we must tackle the stigma surrounding mental health care and also work to increase access to it. I have used my ward platform to elevate mental health resources for my constituents, sharing city-backed programs and proven methods of improving wellbeing like practicing gratitude, meditation and mindfulness that I use on a daily basis. T

aking a closer look at challenges within specific communities, I know there is much work to do to help students and frontline workers in particular, which is why I have supported and will continue to advocate for more comprehensive mental health programs in schools and city agencies. I believe that mental health is just as important as physical health and will always work to bridge that gap. As we continue to push for improved access, I will continue to share resources and be a present and friendly face as a fellow neighbor.

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

I am a strong advocate for more affordable housing in the city of Chicago and specifically in the 43rd Ward. In the 43rd Ward, we have a lack of affordable housing that needs to be addressed, in order to create a future where the teachers, waiters, nurses and other people who work in the ward can afford to live here too. To work on this, first, we should remain consistent in requiring developers building under the Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) to include 20% of affordable units in their projects on-site (as opposed to paying for affordable units off-site, often at a far away location in the city, which was previously the norm in the 43rd Ward). This history of “off-site building” of affordable units has the effect of concentrating affordable unit building into specific parts of the city, which leads to an unbalanced city. In addition, to boost affordability in the 43rd Ward, I look forward to partnering with the City’s Department of Housing on their work to get creative on affordability and to utilize city investment in new and repurposed housing in our ward and the city as a whole.

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

Public safety is the No. 1 issue that I have heard as I meet neighbors on their doorstep and in the community, and it is my No. 1 priority as alderman.

On my very first day, I started looking at our ward’s infrastructure budget to see where we can put it to good use to improve safety. And in my first 100-plus days, I have advanced a two-track approach to public safety because we need to make both short-term and long-term investments to address this crisis.

Let’s start with what will have an immediate impact:
— Making a significant investment in stationary security cameras and license plate readers that experts say are proven to prevent crime.
— Building strong relationships with CPD commanders so that our needs are communicated directly with leadership and issues can get addressed quickly
— Supporting police officers for their work and commitment to our communities in both big and small ways, from championing better mental health programs for officers to being a present and friendly face as a fellow neighbor.
— Co-sponsored an ordinance that allows the city to impose fines and jail time on people caught with an illegal gun – regardless of what happens in the Cook County court system.
— Co-sponsored a resolution that successfully spurred CTA President Dorval Carter to agree to meet more regularly with the City Council, in part to address inaction towards ensuring rider safety.
— Educating residents on ways to increase personal safety, the importance of the police district councils being set up by the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, and other changing safety laws.

Each of these are small steps in the right direction. I know we need a comprehensive long-term plan too. That’s why I am focused on:
— Helping pass the city budget which invested $3.02 billion in public safety, including an additional $100 million for violence prevention and increased funding for CPD to hire officers and purchase critical equipment.
— Supporting other long-term investments to address the root causes of crime and economic development programs that put critical resources into communities that have been disinvested in for too long.
— Improving officer recruitment and retention. On hiring, we need to fill critical vacancies and improve the pipeline of applicants, which could include extending age requirements to enter the academy. On retention, we must recognize the challenges officers face and help overcome the stigma of mental health within the force, which I have already started working on with other alders.
— Leading a comprehensive revitalization to the CTA which requires increased hiring, security, and innovation.

My top priority is making our ward safer, and I will not stop until residents feel a sense of security for themselves and their families.

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?

Yes. Transit oriented development allows cities to reduce their carbon footprint (which we need to do at all levels) while increasing quality of life for citizens. Cities that have championed transit oriented development, like Copenhagen, Denmark, have shown incredible results on livability through large average cut downs on commute time and higher quality parking spaces, economic development through making jobs across the city more accessible and higher real estate valuations, and carbon emissions because of less of a need for cars. Transit oriented development is the future of Chicago as a modern and competitive city.

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

Yes. I am proud to support the vision of having 10% of Chicago’s streets with a low speed limit and permanent infrastructure to separate bike lanes for the protection of bikers, walkers and drivers. As an avid biker, I’ve met with several advocates of this policy and look forward to Chicago becoming the most bike friendly city in the nation.

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

In order to address vacancy issues throughout our city departments, I would be open to the conversation of expanding geographic requirements on city employees to a reasonable definition of the “greater Chicago area.” Similar to World Business Chicago spearheading a Greater Chicago Economic Partnership to produce better regional growth, expanding geographic requirements may be a method to allow us to better compete to fill vacancies within our city departments. A policy like this could be considered on a department by department basis, as the needs of the Chicago Police Department are different than, for example, the Department of Public Health.