About the Candidate
Name: Larry Lloyd
Date of Birth: 01/18/1974
Occupation: Attorney
Political Experience: None
Political Party: Democrat
Website: larrylloyd21.com
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Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
My run for Chicago Alderman of the 21st ward is simple, first, I want to focus on keeping our neighborhood safe, by providing our police and first responders with the support, technology and tools needed to efficiently and effectively perform their duties. Next, I want to make sure that our schools and teachers have the resources they need to educate and inspire our children for years to come, in addition to bringing in additional resources to the ward to help support small businesses and local entrepreneurs seeking to live, thrive and grow in our ward.
What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?
The issues needing to be addressed are many, however, the main issue is the lack of response for basic city services and lack of professionalism when dealing with the office and or the staff of the office. Lack of accountability needs to be addressed as well.
What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
The top issues are crime, infrastructure and economic development. Once elected, my plan to address crime will be to collaborate with community-based organizations as well as addressing funding to hire more officers, thereby leading to increased visibility within the ward. As to infrastructure, improving response times for city service requests and to repair crumbling streets and sidewalks. As to economic development, I will incentivize small business growth via grant options and work to implement a chamber of commerce for the business districts within the ward to maintain and attract newer businesses.
What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?
Accessibility and accountability are the cornerstone of my campaign. I will have expanded office hours, ensure that the office is fully staffed and respond to any inquiries and requests within 24-48 hours. We will not continue the trend of telling constituents to just call 311. We are public servants and need to be about the business of serving the communities in which we live.
Do you believe in the tradition of aldermanic prerogative, which gives each City Council member the final say on issues in their ward?
Yes.
Should the $1.9 billion budget for the Chicago Police Department increase, stay the same or decrease?
Increase.
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.
How should Chicago build the 120,000 homes it needs for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans?
Chicago has a large swath of areas with decent housing stock that simply need to be rehabbed and made available to low-income families. The solution is not to continue to demand developers, who build in areas that are out of reach for many, to set aside 10 or 20% of their units for moderate- or low-income families. The solution would be to incentivize developers to build quality affordable housing in these low-income areas and build homes with families in mind.
What do you see as potential solutions to address the number of shootings in Chicago?
There will never be a one size fits all approach to curbing the violence. It will take a monumental effort on the part of the residents of areas hard hit by violence as well as the city, to address the lack of resources, high unemployment, school inequities, poor housing and poor healthcare choices, to begin to combat gun violence. Further, there needs to be a sincere effort to implement sufficient and effective community programming to deal with trauma and other mental health issues that have long remained unaddressed in our communities for far too long.
What should the City Council do to stop the drop in the city’s Black population?
If the black residents of the city felt that their neighborhood safety matters, as well as quality schools, lead elimination, job opportunities, quality housing within their borders, this may help stem the tide of the number of blacks leaving the city.