2023 Chicago Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

We have an exciting opportunity for a newly drawn ward to finally have thoughtful, energetic and honest representation. I have knocked on tens of thousands of doors in the 30th ward and our residents are asking for bold leadership that can get the job done. I have a plan to engage the residents with consistent communication, establish a feedback loop to inform our work and show up everyday to push resources to every corner of the new 30th Ward.

The issues that we face today in Chicago call for more than sloganeering or catchy soundbites from our elected officials. Our children deserve to grow up in a community where they do not live in fear of being shot at. Crime is out of control and how have our Aldermen responded? They have given themselves a $12,000 raise. I will not take a raise. When crime and property taxes are down, and we have created a City Council that works together for the betterment of Chicago, then we can revisit a raise.

I am ready to re-imagine the police and public safety. I am a strong advocate of police accountability; I also believe that the majority of the men and women of the CPD wake up every morning to defend us. It is time that we not only call for police accountability but equally restore the faith back into our police officers. Of thousands of doors knocked in the 30th ward, not one family has stated that they do not want the police, on the contrary, they desire a better relationship with our police department. In the 30th ward we want to know our police officers the same way we know our mail carriers. How do we solve the dire issues in public safety? By working together, making the CPD a visible and intrinsic part of our community’s make up.

I am pro-women and I am pro-choice and building a society that protects women's rights and believes women’s issues are a fundamental cornerstone of a strong society. The protection of and access to women's reproductive rights is something I will fight for everyday.

During the pandemic there were aldermen that shut down their offices at a time our community needed them most. While aldermen were out of touch and sight, I opened up a direct service office in Belmont Cragin, one of the hardest hit Chicago neighborhoods. We made sure kids were fed, landlords were paid and that nearly 8,000 residents received vaccinations. I approached the pandemic the same way I plan on revamping the 30th ward - going door-to-door, organizing, restoring the faith in working together but most importantly, listening.

Experience matters.

I look forward to putting the breath of my lived experience on behalf of every constituent of the 30th Ward and the City of Chicago.

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

The outgoing Alderman has been a no show for years. It is time to reinvent this office for the new 30th Ward.

First 100 Days Agenda:

• Hire a full-time public safety liaison.
• Host ward nights and weekends.
• Do a ward wide infrastructure audit.
• Audit our TIF’s and SSA’s to make sure your tax money is spent wisely.
• Establish a zoning advisory council.
• Implement Participatory Budgeting for Menu funds.
• Host education and public safety town halls.
• Establish a business directory and commercial corridor asset list.

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

First and foremost, attention to constituent services has been lacking for many years. Inconsistent allocation of Aldermanic Menu Program dollars has left some areas far behind others. Old and new areas of the ward have to be treated equally. I will implement participatory budgeting and zoning review.

Public Safety: I am a strong advocate of police accountability as a means to reestablish the relationships and trust between community residents and the police fighting against the criminals that threaten our neighborhoods. I will hire a senior staffer that will act as a public safety liaison between the community and the myriad public safety agencies with jurisdiction in Chicago.

Quality Neighborhood Schools: As a teacher, I know how to improve education and I will make it a priority to fully fund our schools so we can prepare all of our children for the future.

Spending Reform: Aldermen are increasing their salary by $12,000 this year. It’s time to hold the line on property taxes and create responsible budgets that prioritize people over politicians.

In my first 100 days my staff and I will tour the entire ward with Streets and Sanitation and CDOT, CTA, Park District staff to document existing conditions. We will then produce and publish an infrastructure plan. This will ensure we are held accountable and residents can have a baseline for our performance in the years to come.

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

First 100 Days Agenda:

• Hire a public safety liaison
• Host ward nights and weekends.
• Do a ward wide infrastructure audit
• Audit our TIF’s and SSA’s to make sure your tax money is spent wisely
• Establish a zoning advisory council
• Implement Participatory Budgeting for Menu funds
• Host education and public safety town halls
• Establish a business directory and commercial corridor asset list.

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

“Aldermanic prerogative” is a pact between aldermen that has allowed for systemic discrimination in housing and funding. It needs to end.

We need to pull the curtain back on the process of zoning and municipal spending. Residents will have a seat at the table on every zoning issue that comes to us.

I will establish a zoning review committee made up of residents from all corners of the ward and partner with community groups and chambers to ensure development is responsive to the needs of our community, its businesses and residents.

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

Public safety must be approached with short and long term solutions.

Our $1.94B CPD budget is not the problem. How the $1.94B budget is allocated is the problem.

We have to begin addressing public safety for the long term, utilizing sustainable and tangible solutions. To see crime stay down, city council must address the root causes like poverty, mental health care, housing and job instability. When we shift to sending social workers to answer non-violent distress calls instead of cops, we will have more units available to patrol our streets and deter crime. When we put more funding into social services like after school programs, mental health services, affordable housing, and job creation, we will help stabilize families and reduce the stress that comes from not knowing how the rent, mortgage, or bills will get paid.

I have spoken with families in our communities that have to wait for an officer to respond to a domestic violence call, or a hit and run, or a shooting. We lose precious time to catch alleged criminals because we don’t have enough police officers to answer these important calls. We don’t have enough detectives to work the cases and put the right person before a judge.

Decades of consistently exceeding budgets for police overtime and settlements of police misconduct cases are an indicator of poor leadership and mismanagement of our Human Resources. I see these factors that lead to a frustrated police force primed more for conflict than de-escalation. Like all of us, our police are human beings with lives outside of their work. They need time to decompress from the stress of the job.

This is not a police versus the community problem.

This is a leadership problem. There must be efforts to build bridges wherever possible with our police officers and our communities of color. They want our police to feel part of the community - the community they protect and serve. They want to meet our officers — not just as they are writing tickets, but when they’re out at the grocery store or at the park playing with their kids.

My office will lead recruitment efforts from our neighborhoods to ensure our police are our neighbors who are familiar with the issues in our communities. I will advocate for community members AND our officers sworn to protect us. I will build bridges within our communities and our police.

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

Fighting displacement, homelessness, and housing insecurity is not going to be solved by funding alone. We must find short and long term solutions to fight a continuing problem we are seeing play out here in Chicago. There have been multiple proposals for use of an increase in the RETT that earmark this additional revenue towards much needed initiatives. Lead pipe abatement, homelessness, pensions to name a few.

Some estimates of $25M per year in additional revenue have been offered. We need to look closely at all possible revenue streams and evaluate the economic impact, and gain consensus on what gives us the highest return for the investment.

Among the new initiatives dedicated to funding climate initiatives and affordable housing is the sale of Social Bonds backed by the Sales Tax Securitization Corp. It is innovative concepts like these that we must look to to address the needs of Chicagoans.

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

Yes. Mental health is the leading cause of trauma for our youth and more and more leads to violence in our community. It negatively affects our public safety professionals and leads to a cycle of trauma we see play out everyday.

It is time to correct this error and bring back this critical resource.

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

The city has a program to market Social Bonds that it hopes will raise revenue to fund 2,000 units. It’s a start.

In the current session, Senator Martwick and Rep. Guzzardi are spearheading a progressive income tax plan for high income earners and capital gains that would dedicate funds to affordable housing. This should be passed and implemented.

We need to lower the cost to build by reforming the building code to allow lower cost plumbing and wiring technologies.

Finally, we should increase TOD development along underutilized branches of the CTA rail system.

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

We need to support the good cops and give them the tools to do their jobs, but she’ll also hold bad cops accountable when they do the wrong thing. I want to work with police to make sure they are getting out of their cars to walk the neighborhoods and meet residents and business owners.

Furthermore, I will work to recruit officer candidates from the ward and incentivize officers to move into the 30th Ward, making our community and police better partners and making people feel safer to come forward to help solve crimes.

How can the city better serve Spanish-speaking residents?

The 30th Ward is blessed to have a diverse community. It is important we have an alderman who can speak both English and Spanish to effectively communicate, in real time and without the help of a paid staff person. This community calls for this leadership.

My office will be bilingual and all communications that are published in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Polish. It is important to convey complex programs in a resident's native language to make sure the program's intent is clear.

For example, decarbonization initiatives are currently poorly conveyed to Latino households. A prime example of the education-based barriers we had was the Belmont Cragin Youth Leadership Council spearheading bike lanes at major corridor. Latino youth are growing faster in bicycle ridership than any other demographic. However, when 311 service calls for potholes and sidewalk repairs go unanswered for years, the parents of the youth feel like their taxpayer dollars are going to a resource they themselves do not use, but are still paying for. Promoting bike lane usage and other low cost transportation initiatives to the Spanish speaking community will help increase usage and safety.

Should the city do more to help undocumented immigrants?

Yes. Recognizing the contribution immigrants play in making our city great will pay dividends for the future. As we invest, they will pay back that investment by starting businesses, building community and reversing the population drain that has occurred.

The city council needs to be a leading voice to our representatives in DC to finally pass immigration reforms so those that are here can come out of the shadows and fully participate in our society and economy. This includes enshrining DACA into law and establishing a path to citizenship for immigrants seeking asylum.