2023 Chicago Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

I’m running for mayor because I love our city. It’s clear Chicago is not headed in the right direction with a leader who is unable to build the coalitions we need to succeed. I’ve spent my life rooted in community, with experience at all levels of government to deliver a brighter future for Chicago.

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

The Mayor of Chicago has a huge bully pulpit, and being mayor comes with the ability to set the tone for our city and set the conversation. But our Mayor has not met the moment. She builds siloes instead of bridges, pits communities against each other, and blames others for her shortcomings. The Mayor campaigned on bringing in the light and she has failed completely. She moves from one ethics violation to another and is now trying to rush to tie the city up in a new decade-long deal with ComEd without input from Chicagoans. One of my proudest achievements is my work to defeat the Chicago machine of old and usher in a new era of expanded access and inclusive politics that created new pathways to power for all Chicagoans. I have been a leader in good, ethical government my entire career, and the 5th Floor of City Hall will be more transparent and accountable under my leadership.

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

Public safety. It’s the issue that I hear most about on the campaign trail, and it’s not particularly close. Chicagoans feel less safe because they are less safe and they have lost trust in the mayor’s ability to make our city safer and there is no trust between our communities and law enforcement. I would fire the chief, prioritize hiring a Chicagoan to do the job, and create a fully-staffed, modern police department. We also need to address the root causes of violence. That means investing in our communities, our school — expanding career pathways, access to health care, wraparound services and more. My plan calls for: -Training — Deescalation, Trauma Informed Responses, Anti Bias Training -Investments in Mental Health and Wellness and Civilian Crises Responses -Investments in Community Violence Prevention, Intervention and Community Investments -Compliance with the Consent Decree -My public safety calls for fully staffing, but also, training, civilian crisis responders, investments in mental health and wellness, investments in violence prevention and in violence interruption. -Disbanding of Special Units and a Return to Community Policing

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

The 5th Floor of City Hall is not adequately accessible. This is especially true in the case of public safety. One big reason why Chicagoans have lost faith in city leadership is that they are left in the dark about programs and the progress (or lack thereof) on building a safer city. Improving public safety means committing to produce outcomes. We need a mayor willing to publicly set goals, a mayor willing to let the public hold them accountable. As mayor, I will set milestones that residents understand and support and data publicly available so that progress can be measured.

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

We need to develop the whole City from the neighborhoods to downtown and that has to be balanced with effective local input. Aldermanic prerogative has been an important part of ensuring local input. As we move forward I will work with the City Council to address City wide needs and balance with local needs and issue.

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

This is not an either or proposition. We need to fully fund our police department. But we also need to invest more in our disinvested communities, expand violence prevention programming, and make sure that all Chicagoans have access to mental health treatment. CPD should receive the resources it needs to hire more officers and create a diverse force that reflects our community, and to modernize and better train the force.

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 support raising the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), the one-time tax paid when a property is sold, by 1.9 percentage points on properties over $1 million. I support dedicating the $163 million annually to combatting homelessness. I do want to prioritize consistent and sustainable sources of revenue for homelessness and would like to ensure that the tax is properly applied to “mansions” and not commercial builders.

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

We need to reopen the clinics, but that’s not enough. It was wrong of Mayor Emanuel to close those mental health clinics. However, just four mental health clinics do not meet the needs of Chicagoans today. We need expanded services provided in places where there currently are none. I will expand the availability of mental health services to Chicagoans. I will work with the County health system to add local mental health clinics and expand existing City clinics to provide mental and behavioral health services which would add more resources at the local level.

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

I remember the pride that Evelyn and I felt when we purchased our first home in Little Village. We were able to buy our home because it was affordable. A legacy of disinvestment has created huge disparities in home ownership that have expanded the racial wealth gap. Our Mayor, as is the case with so many issues, has not been building the coalitions and doing the work with the neighborhoods to make sure that new affordable housing does not bring displacement. The soaring costs of housing and rents, increase in homelessness are a national trend. Our city has not been immune. I brought home billions in Congress during the pandemic to keep our city afloat, and safe small businesses. But leadership in City Hall on housing has been lacking. Expanding access to affordable housing and homeownership will be a top priority for me as mayor.

We need an all of the above approach to housing.

Increase the supply of housing

-Work with the communities to understand what they need.

-Partner with CHA, non-profit housing providers to deliver new, affordable units. And we need to expand rental assistance as well as assistance first time homebuyers programs. We should also make it easier for families to build ADUs

Deal with Property Taxes

-Illinois has burdened Chicago unfairly. We need a mayor who can effectively negotiate with Springfield on this.

-Increase state funding for cities through programs like LGDF and have the state least double its support to schools as promised in the EBFF.

Transit Oriented Development

-We should be strongly incentivizing dense, quality multifamily housing near transit. This is not just good housing policy, it is good climate and transportation policy, too.

-As a T&I member, I wrote critical portions of IIJA that are bringing billions in transit and infrastructure improvements to our state. Paying for renovations to O’Hare and transit across Chicagoland.

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

I have been a strong advocate of gun safety legislation, including helping to pass the first such laws in decades in the United States Congress. My public safety plan describes how we will get a modern police force that engages in constitutional policing, how we will increase the numbers of officers on patrol, and how we will work in communities to support and coordinate violence interruption efforts.