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: Renita Q. Ward
Ward: 5th
Current job: Associate General Counsel, Northwestern Memorial Healthcare
Previous political experience: N/A
Education: BA & MA, Journalism, University of Georgia, Masters of Divinity University of Chicago, Juris Doctor, University of DePaul College of Law
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
Sources of outside income: Consulting
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.
Like most Chicagoans, I am deeply concerned with the unacceptably high frequency of violent crime in our beloved city. The city is not as safe as it should be.
More Top Picks Best Ergonomic Chairs For College Students
Public safety is a primary duty of our government. If we fail in this regard, we have failed to effectively govern. Violent crime is a public health crisis and must be treated as such. With continued acknowledgement and cooperation at all levels of government, we can coordinate and act to significantly reduce this incredibly destructive trend.
City government can be the most innovative in combating crime through actually activating on promised plans such as the “Our City, Our Safety”, and responding to the input from those most directly impacted. In short, the innovation is already here. We need better implementation and accountability.
The City’s current plan offers an all-out, integrated, approach to crime reduction through committing to empowering and healing people, protecting and securing communities, improving and advancing policing, affecting public policy, and better planning and coordinating. Yet, the sustained drumbeat from community leaders for an Office of Gun Violence Prevention among other recommended solutions has gone ignored.
Likewise, the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability has expressed a desire for continued partnership with the City Council, the Police Department, and residents. However, the Commissioned questioned the most recent police department budget. Voices representing the community must be answered.
We have to create space (even when faced with compressed timeframes) to listen to concerns and respond to important questions about why the budget and policing have steadily increased – but crime in certain communities has not declined.
I believe that without a safe community, we have no functional community.
I want to use the data we have for high crime areas of Chicago to help turn the red tide that too many people in our most vulnerable communities know all too well.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority statewide violence prevention report for 2020-2024, offers yet another road map that speaks to the holistic, wrap-around approaches that will starve off increased violence. That plan includes promoting collaboration with municipal & community-based agencies to positively move the needle to create a safer city.
The measures of success include la drastic decrease in homicides and violent crimes overall and in traditionally high impact areas, a decrease in the trafficked guns, institution of a city office dedicated to preventing gun violence, increased clearance rates, adequately staffed and funded investments in treatment and community outreach to reduce violence, and protection for witnesses who bravely reports perpetrators of crimes.
Again, the innovation is here. We must better coordinate at all levels of government, and partner with the community to follow our plans.
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 rebuilding public trust and effective collaboration between CTA leadership and the City is essential. The public meetings between the CTA and City leadership need to happen when scheduled and the CTA president and respective City leaders should be there to communicate and provide a transparent, open forum so the public knows what is happening.
I feel improving the overall staffing and security levels at CTA are key components to welcoming back more riders. In addition, working with the transit unions on schedule changes to address “ghost’ buses and trains needs to be a priority as well. This has to be followed with a recognition that riders are paying for a service that should be delivered in the most cost-effective manner possible.
With ridership changing during the pandemic, less people coming into the city center and more rideshare options available, I would urge the CTA leadership to take a hard look at a sustainable roadmap for the future of the Authority going forward. With Regional Transit facing a reported $730 Million budget deficit by 2025, I would work with CTA leadership and our City Council to find cost effective ways to improve staffing levels and deal with the violent crime that is projected to be reaching a five year high.
Together, we can maintain, sustain, and grow one CTA, one of the best large transit systems in the country.
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?
I think I would start by framing my response as, “How do we work together to offer the best environment for learning for the 320,000 plus students currently enrolled?”
There is a general recognition that the schools and the declined enrollment are reflective of a variety of factors – most notably continued decreasing birthrates. This is coupled with families being increasingly forced to move out of the city due to lack of affordable housing. The steady enrollment decline means schools may be operating with fewer resources to offer a competitive education to the students that remain. Reversing the trend means renewing the commitment to work with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to focus our current resources within the schools to specifically offer the most valuable courses, extracurricular activities, and staffing possible right now.
We must face head on while enrollment decline is a trend we want to reverse, within the smaller school population of today – how can we reimagine what is possible right now?
This means that if the offerings a school used to provide are not sustainable, what specifically is the career-focused curriculum that may make the most sense for a particular school? Likewise, we should identify the foreign language or other key courses that are nonnegotiable. The courses offered may not be as varied as before or as ideal, but the rigor and quality for what is present could be just as good or better.
The measures of success become how well we manage the schools that are going to remain open and educate the students who are counting on our schools for an engaging and competitive education no matter where they live or attend a CPS school.
The City Council, the Mayor, CPS and CTU leadership all have a responsibility to view their actions through the lens of what the students and parents have asked for and what they were promised.
For instance, CPS has laid out six strategic initiatives. I see a specific measure of success as looking at how are they performing by their own standards and identifying tangible ways we better collaborate to make CPS successful for our kids.
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 on the South and West sides of Chicago is a decades-long problem with myriad causes and myriad negative consequences. Those decade long causes include, racially discriminatory policies, such as historical housing segregation, redlining, historical federal or state policies, and private sector lending and investment strategies.
The myriad negative consequences include declining property values, declining tax receipts, declining employment, declining population, declining vital services and ever-increasing disinvestment.
Obviously, with so many contributing factors, and negative trending consequences, over such a long period of time, in these disinvestment areas on the South and West sides, it will take an all-out, combined, coordinated, unified effort on the part of local, state, and federal government, as well as private industry. Restorative efforts that focus on one aspect of disinvestment, such as increasing population, or incentivizing small retailers, or bringing in commercial anchors, do not appear to—in and of themselves—resolve the disinvestment trends. In addition, these narrowly focused solutions often have a negative underbelly, such as encouraging gentrification, or coming with a large tax revenue set asides, or being complicated, time consuming, and requiring specialized networking.
Even Mayor Lightfoot’s commendable 2019 INVEST South/West Community Development Initiative—a more multi-faceted approach to reverse disinvestment on Chicago’s South and West Sides—is subject to neglect, a new agenda and diminished resolve when the next mayor is sworn in.
So, my innovative idea would be to advocate for creating a “City Disinvestment Control Officer” Elected Official (DCO). That office holder would be on par with the city treasurer and the city clerk, and include a reasonable staff. The DCO would be tasked with the responsibility of networking, seeking best practices, coordinating federal, state, and local resources, as well as private industry to direct effective investment and stimulus strategies in designated divestment areas, pursuant to lawful ordinance.
The DCO would work as a subject matter expert to further attract private industry to Chicago’s designated disinvestment areas to achieve measurable investment, employment, growth and economic opportunities in those areas. The DCO would publish a public report, containing measurable gains, measurable goals, and causes of shortfalls, not less than annually, for the mayor, and the city council. Even though the establishment of the office of the DCO represents a slight increase the size of government, the longstanding problem of divestment in large swaths of Chicago, as well as the myriad long-term, negatively trending consequences is a tall task, requiring a big swing.
Moreover, the many fiscal benefits of an effective DCO to the city officials and to its’ residents would far outweigh and easily justify the burden of adding this office. The DCO’s existence ensures the city’s commitment and expertise to the DCO mission. To my knowledge, no other city has put forth such an innovative proposal.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
According to a 2022 WalletHub report, Illinois now levies the nation’s second-highest effective property taxes on residents! In fact, when all state and local taxes are considered, Illinoisans pay more than any other state in the United States, at 15% of their annual income—and nearly 39% more annually than the nation’s average.
So, yes, I am open to providing Illinoisans property tax relief we so richly deserve. Keeping property taxes reasonable is one of the factors Chicagoans take into consideration when assessing their quality of life here. As candidate for 5th Ward Alderperson, it is my intention to keep Chicago desirable, attractive and viable.
We know that property taxes rates are calculated based on the value of the property, as well as the necessary and vital public services which local government must support, including schools, public pensions, public safety, public parks, infrastructure, and other services.
Unfortunately, whenever taxes are cut, proportional services must also be cut, or other taxpayers must pay more to make up the shortfall.
So, if there are outdated services that can be done cheaper, or outright eliminated, then I would support those changes—along with a proportional amount of property tax relief. Otherwise, I could not—in good consciousness—support property tax relief.
If we are able to prudently generate and manage revenue gains anticipated by the new industry coming to the city and in general be fiscally creative, I advocate for possible reduced taxes for all Chicagoans.
More Top Picks Best Portable Monitors
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?
According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s “Improving Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Economic Development,” by David Merriman, Chicago has used tax increment financing districts (TIFs) for nearly 40 years. In fact, Chicago has used TIFs more than the other nine largest U.S. cities combined.
Moreover, the Illinois Legislature has failed to put the kinds of statutory safeguards in place to ensure transparency of TIF funds; proper use of TIF funds; public accountability of TIF administration; or even subject them to the normal legislative process and oversight. This has led to the misapplication from the original Illinois Legislative intent of TIFs, which was to spur economic development in blighted areas that, “but for” the targeted infusion of TIF monies, would not reasonably be expected to occur solely through private investment within the reasonably foreseeable future.
However, both the “blighted areas” requirement and the “but for” tests are drafted subjectively. As a result, they are so easily overcome, that these requirements may as well not exist. The lack of any meaningful guardrails has resulted in massive use, overuse, and abuse of the TIF process at the local level. Many have argued that TIFs in Chicago have wrongfully deprived underserved communities of basic services, contributed to blight and lack of economic opportunities, as well as underfunded schools, slower economic activity and higher crime rates in those same communities. This overuse, they claim, has also deprived county government and school districts of much needed property tax funds.
a. Do you feel that they have been useful, or do you feel that the problems associated with them outweigh their usefulness? TIFs have had some usefulness in that they have allowed the city, in partnership with commercial developers and corporations, to build beautiful multi-million-dollar facilities and infrastructure in that area that attracts visitors and organizations from around the world. If there is any chance to salvage TIFs, we must identify a process that entitles more resident input and greater levels of transparency and accountability in the process.
b. What if any reforms would you want to apply to the city’s usage of TIFs? Currently, the Illinois Legislature merely requires that TIFs be applied to “blighted areas” and that every TIF must pass the “but for” test. Other than that, all decisions regarding TIFs occur at the city level. Therefore, the Illinois Legislature should:
Adopt stronger “blighted area” and “but for” language;
Revise its statutes to allow counties, school districts and other overlying local governments to opt out of contributing resources to TIFs.
Chicago City Council should:
provide extensive, easily accessible information about TIF use, revenues, and expenditures and limit or dissolve any TIF that doesn’t meet the city’s or state’s objectives.
incorporate more community input and authority on the decision making process
researchers should study, document, and explain the different outcomes of TIF use in various local geographic areas. I would also study other state jurisdictions to evaluate best practices.
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?
Without question, the pace needs to accelerate. I would work with other alderpersons to see that the city takes advantage of the funds from the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill passed in 2021 to help speed up the process. I also think the idea of a more systematic approach to the work that other public officials promote has merit. Getting consensus from the other alderpersons on what the priority work zones are may be difficult, but necessary. With only a fraction of the potential work completed, it can seem like an insurmountable task; but this is about the health and safety of Chicago’s cherished promise, our youth. It should have a very high priority on our list of items to address.
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.
My passion for public service springs from a genuine concern about people, and desire to work together to move our Ward forward together. I am a committed citizen ready to work together to make the positive change as the next 5th Ward Alderperson.
As an attorney I have the skills to understand how our community operates. As a member of the clergy, I bring a compassionate way of looking at various challenges. I am running to bring the responsive and results-oriented local leadership the community is asking for and deserves.
I grew up in a hardworking family, my mother was a supermom, taking care of four children while working, and my father, a retired military man, was a pastor. In fact, I was born on an army base. I was raised with strong moral values and taught the importance of duty and service to others. My passion for service is indeed my motivation for running for Alderperson of the 5th Ward.
I feel that I am qualified. I have the experience, and the passion to move the 5th Ward to another level, by maintaining, sustaining, obtaining, and then gaining ground.
With my bachelor’s in journalism and master’s in mass communications, I will open up, and ensure clear and responsive communications with the residents of the 5th Ward regarding issues of importance to the 5th Ward.
My masters of divinity equips me to work with all people regardless of race, creed, color, religious belief, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation or identification.
As an attorney, I have the business, legal and leadership skills to lead the 5th Ward forward to excellence.
My experience as a reporter, an issues manager, chair of a six-figure regional foundation, and now as an associate general counsel for a major corporation, I have skills that translate into being an effective elected official – fortitude, business acumen, tenacity, and vision.
My community service has been very rewarding, from helping the people of West Africa, in Ghana and Liberia, and in the Caribbean to helping raise funds for diabetes, heart disease and the children of St. Jude, to serving on the Southside of Chicago as a pro bono attorney and youth mentor.
Finally, my compassion springs from being a young mother, in college with the responsibility of another human being and now being someone that ministers to people in nursing homes, hospitals, and their homes during their darkest and happiest times.
I am the most capable candidate with a compassionate lens ready to lead the 5th Ward forward.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Safety is the most pressing issue facing the 5th, Ward. I will collaborate with the Chicago Police Department, the University of Chicago police, local security patrols, church organizations, block clubs, community activists, community organizations and the residents of the 5th to actualize a Safety Plan, specifically for the 5th Ward.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
Voters should elect me because I fundamentally understand that our best articulated plans need sustained action, so they are realized. We do not need deadlock and political drama. We just do not need another presentation or slide show with cool graphics. We need elected officials who can ultimately listen to one another, work together, and deliver results. I am a results-oriented leader capable of collaboratively or independently accomplishing complex tasks. I do this with compassion and exceptional communications skills to move forward together. Our first-class city and the residents of the 5th Ward deserve an independent leader, with integrity who can persevere with them. Our community does not want to be faltering, fractured and ill functioning. We want to be whole, working together and projected to come out on top. I am the leader to help get us there.