To inform voters and to help the baiduhai Editorial Board make endorsements, the board posed a series of questions to the candidates running for alderman. See their answers below. See how other candidates answered here.
Name: Nicole Lee
Ward: 11th
Current job: Alderman, City of Chicago
Previous political experience: Elected to Local School Council at Haines Elementary School from 2016-2021
Education: Masters Degree from University of Chicago; Bachelors of Science from Indiana University
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
Sources of outside income: None
The rise in violent crime remains a top priority for City Hall. Homicides, shootings and carjackings are all unacceptably high. Tell us how city government can be innovative in combating crime, and explain what measures you would propose if elected.
Public safety remains the number one issue in my ward and across the city. I am committed to ensuring officers in our districts have the resources, training and equipment they need to safely protect our community. It means taking on gangs that have been terrorizing our neighbors for too long–and it also means continuing the hard work that our officers do everyday to get illegal guns off our streets. CPD has made great progress on both of these fronts in unimaginable circumstances, but there is more work to do. Finally, we must address root causes of violence by investing in historically neglected communities and by generating jobs and economic opportunity in areas where options have been limited for too long.
The CTA, one of the nation’s largest transit systems, remains a troubled agency grappling with issues ranging from violent crime and ghost buses and trains, to flagging ridership. Give us your thoughts on what specific measures CTA should take to make train and bus service safer, more reliable and more equitable for Chicagoans.
I believe the role of an alderman in this instance is to hold the CTA accountable for my constituents, as well as all residents of the city. The CTA has made great strides in reducing crime. CTA has already significantly increased the number of security staff and canine teams deployed in the system, as well as the number of CPD officers patrolling routes. I will continue to push for further investment and progress. Public transportation is critical to our city and to the 11th Ward. In terms of ways to make the CTA more equitable, I believe the Red Line extension will create more equity across the South Side in particular.
Ten years ago, enrollment at Chicago Public Schools was 403,000 students. In September, enrollment stood at 322,000 students. Enrollment at CPS has dropped for 11 consecutive years. What specific measures should CPS undertake to reverse the trend of ever-dwindling enrollment?
Reversing enrollment trends requires investment in communities that have long been neglected. That includes investments in public safety—our residents who are leaving the school system, or the city altogether, are seeking safer, better resourced environments for their kids. I’m encouraged by the significant funding for capital investments in the 2023 CPS budget, and am working closely with CPS leadership to ensure schools in the 11th Ward receive resources for needed improvements.
Disinvestment on the South and West sides is a decades-long problem with myriad causes. Give us at least one innovative idea that you believe could play a role in reversing South and West side disinvestment, and explain why the idea is realistic and feasible.
Disinvestment in the South and West sides is the result of a decades-long problem with a myriad of causes. It’s going to take just as many ideas to begin to turn things around. So many things are interconnected – safety, quality of schools, jobs, businesses and institutions to anchor a community are all integral factors. Finding a project that can check a few of these boxes would be a great pilot. With the plans for the Red Line Extension, we have a great opportunity to leverage the Equitable Transit-Oriented Development and the construction of the extension to attract new development and incentivize revitalization through city grants to help existing small businesses grow and expand in the area. With any initiatives we execute we need to take a balanced approach and make the very best effort to think through downline impacts.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Aldermen must do all we can to be responsible stewards of the property taxes placed on working families. The reality is that it would be every politician’s dream to provide tax relief all the time, but property taxes are a big driver of the revenue needed to keep the city running – including ensuring our schools and parks are funded and fulfilling our promise of pensions. The city controls one aspect of property taxes but not all – even if the City Council holds the rate the same – increasing assessed values will continue to hit property owners, especially working families and seniors, very hard.
Given the opportunity, I look forward to working with my colleagues to find new ways to generate progressive, fair revenue streams for the city to decrease our reliance on property tax revenue.
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Give us your take on the city’s use of tax increment financing districts. Do you feel they have been useful, or do you feel that the problems associated with them outweigh their usefulness? What if any reforms would you want to apply to the city’s usage of TIFs?
Robust and vigilant oversight is needed over TIFs, and I have been encouraged by important reforms implemented in this regard in recent years. I have also been pleased that recent budgets have fully surplussed the TIFs and allowed dollars to be directed back to original taxing bodies, including CPS. We as a City Council must demystify TIFs and use them in the way they were intended – a way to revitalize long neglected communities. City Council should work on sunsetting TIFs in areas where revitalization has been achieved or where it was not needed in the first place. TIFs should be a scalpel and not a chainsaw, intended to be used sparingly and in areas most in need of investment.
Lead in drinking water is a major health concern for the city. It is estimated that in Chicago there are roughly 400,000 homes and small apartment buildings with lead service lines. So far, the city has replaced less than 300 lead service lines. Do you feel the pace of lead service line replacement should be expedited, and if yes, what is the best, most feasible way to accomplish that?
It would be hard for anyone to argue that 300 out of an estimated 400,000 replacements is good progress. Additional federal funding is needed to support this massive undertaking, and I will join in the call for those resources. Our office will continue to work to share information with residents about how to get access to lead abatement resources.
If you are an incumbent, please explain what is it about your service on the City Council that makes you most qualified for the job. If you have never served on the council, please explain what is it about your background that makes you most qualified.
I am the only candidate in my race that has any practical experience doing the job of alderman. I’ve worked hard to build on the foundation of the strong ward organization in place and expand our reach to “make the tent bigger” and serve the needs of more residents.
I’m the most qualified for the job, not just because I’ve been doing the work every day but because I came into the role with more than 25 years of experience helping others under the constraints of limited financial resources and a near endless amount of need, which is not unlike being an alderman in Chicago. I understand how to prioritize projects, the importance of communication in the process, and every day, I continue to learn more about how to maximize the resources that the City of Chicago has for the benefit of my constituents. Beyond the day to day work of constituent services, I’ve been an active participant on the committees on which I serve including: Finance, Budget, Public Safety, Workforce Development, Transportation and Ethics. I know what it is to balance the needs of the ward and the needs of the city, and have worked with my colleagues to make hard decisions to move the city forward.
I’m passionate about serving the people of the community that made me who I am and I’m prepared to keep my sleeves rolled up to fight for the residents of the 11th ward if they select me to do so for a full term.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
In the 11th ward, similar to much of the city, public safety is the most important issue to the residents. Whether in Chinatown, Bridgeport or Canaryville, people want safer streets and less crime. The issue of crime in Chicago is a complex one that does not have a single simple answer. I believe the best ways to reduce crime include increasing economic and educational opportunities in underserved areas of the city. There also needs to be continued investment in the Chicago Police Department through increased training, a focus on recruitment and retention and better services to help our officers.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
I am proud to have been doing the important work of alderman and serving our communities – fighting for more resources, connecting with the community, and responding to concerns from safety to streets and garbage. I’ve been a strong advocate for a new neighborhood high school that will serve the needs of students on the Near South Side, including the 11th Ward. I’ve shown through my actions that I’m committed to transparency and open communication with residents.
I’ve worked hard to build relationships with my colleagues, my constituents and across city agencies and departments with one goal in mind – to serve the residents of the 11th Ward.