2023 Chicago Election Voter Guide

Candidate Q&A

Why are you running?

For the past 20 years, I’ve lived a life of service to the Fourth Ward. In doing so, I’ve built a reputation as a leader who can execute, and a strategic thinker who is collaborative by nature. I also have the relationships to yield results; having worked hand-in-hand with organizers, academics, bureaucrats, advocates, etc. These relationships and a wealth of experiences has given me an array of perspectives from which to view problems and solutions.

As such, I’m not prone to echo chambers or dogmatic approaches to governing. I see my role as an alderperson to be an independent legislator, steward, and champion for the residents of the ward. My job is to best represent the residents of the Fourth Ward in service to these three essential functions of the role. As a legislator, I will be largely responsible for introducing and passing legislation to help the families of the Fourth Ward live healthy productive lives, and to block any legislator that would threaten that potential.

As a champion, I see my job as fighting for the resources, services and opportunities needed for all of the residents of the Ward regardless of who may stand in the way; including if that person is the Mayor. As a steward, I have to protect the resources generated in the Ward - whether it’s the human capital, financial capital, or local amenities. To hold myself accountable to this standard, I commit to maintaining my current practice of intense approachability and presence.

I can regularly be found in community meetings, volunteer initiatives, and local efforts; and have held this track record for decades. Those who know me, can attest to my natural impulse to be a consensus-builder, and someone who takes a measured approach to drive growth. The voices that influence my decision-making will be the residents of the Ward - not a party leader.

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

For a number of years, the Fourth Ward was saddled with an alderman who publicly voiced his dislike of his job, pointing to the expectation of responsiveness, and being accessible to his constituents. He eventually resigned his post, and the current alderwoman was initially significantly more engaging. While some of that has dropped-off, she has done considerably more than her predecessor. What remains is utilizing the resources of the ward to advance every community housed within. Key to improving economic development is ensuring local residents have the resources and support needed to help them build and sustain businesses and workforce development initiatives.

There are obvious solutions, such as: subsidized rent for new business owners, grants for new construction and rehabilitation of commercial space, support for marketing and back-office essentials. However, there also needs to be a survey and audit of what currently exists to determine how effective these efforts are in supporting business owners and job-seekers alike. Goals of this effort would include increasing diversity in hiring and procurement; especially intentional creation of opportunities for youth.

As a teenager, I worked at Mr. G's in Hyde Park. It was critical in launching my employment skills, but more importantly, helped shape my understanding of community, and the role locally-owned businesses play in community stability and development. We have to also start thinking about economic opportunity in more holistic ways; including legislative means by which we also ensure discrimination no longer exists in the workplace, in contracts and procurement, in housing, etc.

As we develop systems to hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices, we can start inching closer to wage parity. As we strengthen our systems to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their dream businesses, we automatically begin to ensure parity is realized. Statistically, small business owners hire locally, have increased pay scales, employ people who look like themselves, and contribute most robustly to the communities from where the owners originate. Many of the solutions to the problems we face are simple once we remove the structural inequities from the system.

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

The concern I hear most often when talking with residents throughout the entire ward, which stretches from the Loop into Hyde Park, is the lack of community people feel. Now, this may be observed through incidences of violence (or a generalized lack of feeling safe), or a dearth of amenities to help people keep their dollars in the ward instead of having to travel outside of the ward, or not knowing where to send their children for recreational or educational opportunities.

Connected to the lack of community is the lack of transparency and accountability from elected officials. There were direct questions about how the current alderman was working with the Mayor’s office and police department to address crime, and how the decision was made to bring NASCAR to the Loop. These concerns would be addressed through direct engagement with residents. Neighborhoods where the residents are convened and their voices reflected in the decisions made are stronger, more closely-knit, and safer. Our families desperately seek opportunities for local entertainment and employment opportunities, as well as enhanced educational opportunities.

My commitment to the residents of the Fourth Ward is to make sure I’m accessible to them to hear their concerns and needs, and work diligently to be responsive.

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

Each month I will hold monthly community meetings in 3 key parts of the Ward to facilitate attendance. I will engage community groups, faith institutions and area businesses to promote the meetings. I will have canvassers regularly engaging residents at their door to hear the hopes, fears, and recommendations for the Ward. While the budget for the Ward office is relatively small, I will continue to actively fundraise to ensure the lion share of the budget goes toward constituent services; and set a 48-hour return phone call policy to ensure residents know their “concern” has been heard, and to know exactly what’s being done to address their concerns. This connects to the steward element of the aldermanic role, which I take very seriously.

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 symptom of the problem. In practice, for example, aldermanic prerogative has been used to quell desegregation efforts. Aldermanic prerogative has also been used to advocate for community demands when the Mayor stood in opposition. If the community is actively engaged in the decision-making processes of the ward, and the alderperson is earnestly fulfilling the will of the people, then they’re simply doing their job. However, when an alderperson uses aldermanic prerogative to subvert the will of the people and/or fulfill their personal agenda, then aldermanic prerogative becomes a function of despotism.

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

I would advocate for a smaller budget. We have to begin prioritizing our youth and their development, while addressing the structural stressors on families. Funding allocations have to shift from policing strategies that address crime after it happens towards initiatives that prevent the need for crime to be an option. For instance, in a previous position, I successfully diverted resources from a private security firm and reliance on local law enforcement to create a resident-led community patrol that worked to build community and relationships between the residents to proactively prevent criminal activity. Due to the success of the initiative, after I left the position, the initiative was continued. But, that’s yet one approach.

There are 2 communities in the 4th Ward that have consistently been among the top 5 communities with the highest unemployment rates throughout Chicago. That is a travesty, and reflects poor leadership. None of us should be comfortable with those rates; nor should we be surprised by the incidences of violence when there are such glaring examples of the system failing its residents.

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, the unhoused is a growing problem in Chicago that needs to be immediately addressed, which requires a dedicated revenue stream. As such, I wholeheartedly support the Bring Chicago Home ordinance. Until we identify alternative revenue sources, including the exploration of a public bank, we need to collect property taxes; but in a much more fair and equitable way. Given the disproportionate tax breaks often afforded some of the most expensive properties, I believe this is a fair means of raising revenue.

Separate, but related to this point, in my role as a champion for the people, I will work with my counterparts in Cook County and the state legislature to address long-standing flaws within the property tax system. While the assessor's office and the review board often point the finger of blame at each other, there are strategies that should be implemented to help both function better. There needs to be better coordination between the two offices. Because tax appeals have a direct impact on tax collections, there needs to be clear guidelines established to curtail some of the adjustments made on the properties with the highest tax responsibilities. When those property owners benefit from hefty reductions in their tax liability, it's at the detriment of everyone else who sits below them economically.

I would advocate for clear guidelines to tier the level of adjustments that can be made via appeal; thereby reducing the amount of tax relief that can be offered at the highest levels of tax collection. There also needs to be greater investment in ensuring the assessor's office can make timely and fair assessments of all properties. As a city councilperson, the levers of power I have to wield are limited; but my ability to work with my colleagues in the city council, and the collective influence we have with the county and state officials is where our power can be best realized.

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

Yes, I’ve heard too many stories from organizers and their leaders about the extreme challenges they’ve faced since the closure of the public mental health centers. The high-profile murders by police of men, women and children experiencing mental distress are enough to demand improved systems of care for people with mental health disorders. I support the Treatment Not Trauma campaign and the other demands of the Collaborative for Community Wellness demands, and as alderman, I’d fight to ensure ordinances are passed and resources allocated in the city council to expand mental wellness. Mental health crises require mental health professionals – not armed enforcers. We also need greater investment in mental health services in our community, which definitely includes reopening the shuttered mental health clinics. As the stressors of community life have become exacerbated over the past several years, adequate efforts to address this crisis are required. I am committed to be part of the solution.

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

My previous work with a nonprofit affordable housing developer was rooted in the belief everyone needs safe, decent affordable housing. As such, I would advocate for the utilization of the Real Estate Acquisition Program within the Chicago Housing Authority to acquire and rehabilitate abandoned properties to house people. Similarly, I would work with my colleagues in the City Council to pressure the Housing Authority to utilize their vacant properties to house people. In both scenarios, because it’s significantly cheaper to rehabilitate property, as opposed to new construction, we could get 120,000 units of housing in short measure relatively inexpensively.

Moreover, with the Housing Authority’s impeccable credit rating due to debt payments made toward the end of Mayor Emanuel’s administration, bonds could likely be issued to help cover costs. Lastly, an intergovernmental agreement could be created whereby the Cook County Land Bank Authority would acquire properties, which the Chicago Housing Authority could purchase at a discounted rate. In fact, the Housing Authority could purchase existing properties in the County Land Bank in bundles at a discount to rehabilitate.

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

I firmly believe, if people had true alternatives to meet their individual and collective needs, we would witness a precipitous drop in violence and crime. There are 2 communities in the 4th Ward that have consistently been among the top 5 communities with the highest unemployment rates throughout Chicago. That is a travesty, and reflects poor leadership. None of us should be comfortable with those rates; nor should we be surprised by the incidences of violence when there are such glaring examples of the system failing its residents.

Efforts to strengthen the “safety net” initiatives (e.g. affordable housing, youth employment) in major metropolitan areas like New York City and Los Angeles have significantly reduced crime. A contemporaneous study by the Furman Center for Real Estate and Public Policy at New York University suggested crime fell the furthest in low-income communities where the community began to hold elected officials and law enforcement accountable, and demanded government investment. That investment took the form of a real estate boon – with retail closely following the increased density, and the increased income levels that resulted from local hiring and job training initiatives. Crime is only reduced when we actively remove the factors that contribute to criminal activity.

I was excited a few years ago when the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization launched the Bronzeville Nia Project as a mechanism to get youth, particularly Black men between the ages of 16 and 24, who were court-involved or at-risk of being court-involved); receive training at the intersection of technology and sustainability. Youth were learning the fundamentals of business management and computer science in practical, project-based, hands-on, fully-applicable ways to give them a real opportunity to earn an income, and inspire them to commit to further education and/or a different track in life. Instead of just telling youth to make different choices, we have to provide them with the means to make those different choices. In my personal and professional life, I’ve worked to give youth pathways to a better future where they’re in positions to positively impact their communities.

As alderman, I would work with my colleagues in government and community experts to promote these initiatives throughout Chicago.

Should Promontory Point be designated as a city landmark?

Yes, designating the Point as a city landmark would uphold the community’s demands, and preserve the integrity of the site. For example, the community has been demanding the retention of limestone as opposed to the use of concrete. Landmark status would help the codification of that demand.

Should the city extend the Red Line south from 95th Street to 130th Street and use tax-increment financing from downtown wards to match an expected federal grant?

Yes, this extension presents a real opportunity for Fourth Ward residents and beyond. This extension is a public good that residents will access. It supports transportation access for Ward residents to the far South parts of the city while also bringing far South residents into the Fourth Ward for retail, employment, educational, and entertainment opportunities (and more). This is as much a benefit to our community as it is to their community. That being said, there are a couple of key reforms I believe are important to implement in the TIF program.

We need to set more stringent guidelines around the ability to “port” dollars from one TIF district to another. While the red line extension is a much different scenario, historically, this practice of porting has further disenfranchised so-called blighted communities in favor of development-rich communities. I would reform the TIF program to allow tax revenue raised in communities to stay in communities, and more importantly, to ensure tax revenue support the 14 bodies intended to support (including public schools), instead of “pet projects.” Tax dollars should be prioritized for the communities in which the dollars were generated. There needs to be triggers for what happens with TIF surpluses that involve public process to ensure the community has a say in what happens with their tax dollars. There also needs to be a threshold established that sets an amount of “increment” created within a TIF district whereby once it’s met, the TIF sunsets, and dollars are able to begin returning to the taxing bodies that lost the increased revenue.