2023 Chicago Runoff Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

Well, let me tell you the real answer to such a powerful question. President John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, But what you can do for your country”. That is a very formidable question. As the call for candidates presented itself, I asked myself that very question. What can I do for the Sixth Ward? I see leadership changing. Leadership in our city, our country, and the world. I see my generation being called to duty. The sixth ward is my home. It is the only home I know in Chicago. This is where I have lived all of my life. I see change coming. I want to be a part of it.

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

The office that we have come to know has consistently engaged our seniors who live in senior living facilitates, and the current office also does a good job providing information about city services on site and via emails on a daily basis. As I walk the blocks and listen to the residents, the residents want an alderperson that is present in the community, community meetings, and assist in holding the city accountable for delivering city services.

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

Public Safety is the biggest issue in the ward. The effects of poverty reach our classrooms, neighborhoods and is leaving people in despair. One way to engage the public safety concern while also stabilizing blocks and building community, could be improving how we engage with block clubs. Investment in block clubs will not only energize city blocks with positivity, but it would make it harder for criminals to hide.

Investing in block clubs including but not limited to block club grants, resources, and connection to other block clubs in the ward so that information and ideas can be shared creating a social safety network. Secondly, the 6th Ward needs additional streetlights and brighter lighting in alleys and corridors. I look forward to working with my state legislators and other specialized lighting partners to find funds in the capital budget to pay for these upgrades.

I support Treatment not Trauma’s fight to reopen mental clinics, and its strategy to invest in mental health care professionals, because it is needed.

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

1) I will have office hours for constituents to meet with me on a weekly basis. They can come to the office, email, and/or call to reserve their meeting time.

2) I will continue to knock doors to listen, while also sharing important literature with the constituents.

3) I will have in person and virtual as options for community meetings.

4) We will bring back monthly ward night meetings.

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

The "tradition" of aldermanic prerogative has not always included the voice of residents. My approach to aldermanic leadership is honesty, transparency, and dialogue with all residents who are willing to share their perspective with me. I will implement this through the practices mentioned in my answer to question 4.

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

I think there needs to be budget reallocations within the police department's $1.9billion to reflect an investment in the people of the ward and police personnel. This $1.9 billion budget can be the first step in funding the presence of mental health professionals when 911 is called. Within this budget, an increase in funding for police officers wellness and mental health must be taken into high consideration due to the health concerns mentioned by officers and the alarming suicides on the police force within the past five years.

The Chicago Police Department has stated their desire for residents and community leaders to help them make Chicago neighborhoods safer. More financial investment from the police department into the block clubs and community organizations can help solve the problem of disconnection between the police and the residents of the ward. Meetings to have more meetings is not meeting the needs of the community.

Public Safety alone cannot rest on the backs and shoulders of officers. As I previously stated in my answer to number 3, "one way to engage and stabilize blocks and build community could be engaging with block clubs. Investment in block clubs will not only energize city blocks with positivity, but it would make it harder for criminals to hide, and also restore the sense of community that the ward was built on.

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.

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

Yes. ASAP

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

Chicago should build the 120,000 homes with developers who have a proven track record of constructing quality homes and development projects. Secondly, we need to assure that these homes are being built with unions and laborers to secure the proper wages and safe working conditions. We do not want homes that are poorly constructed and workers who are treated poorly. Lastly, since the city owns so many vacant properties and lots, let's take a closer look at putting homes on city owned vacant lots, and even take a hard look at renovating distressed city owned properties.

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

Guns are not manufactured in Chicago, but there are so many on the streets of Chicago. As I previously stated, dark communities with little to no light, low investment in block clubs, in addition to no city led programming for youth in the ward is an open invitation to violence.

1) Turn the park field houses into innovation centers for youth with a focus in coding, gaming, and content creation. This can be funded in part by the colleges and universities throughout Chicago, philanthropist community, and the city of Chicago.

2) Reopen all mental health facilities, and look for new mental health partners to come to the ward.

3) Increase the presence of violence interrupters.

4) Extend the hours of park facilities, and reintroduce/relaunch sports leagues into the ward.

Should the CTA reopen the Green Line train station at Racine?

Yes.

What should replace the shuttered Whole Foods grocery store?

We need another grocery store that provides quality food, fair community pricing, to replace Whole Foods. The ward is a food desert.