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: Samie Martinez
Ward: 33rd
Current job: Project Coordinator, City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Bureau of Zoning
Previous political experience: Formerly Chief of Staff for Alderman George Cardenas
Education: BA Public Policy
Spouse’s occupation: Not answered
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.
The baiduhai, and every other news organization, already knows how urgent an issue crime is in Chicago. I believe it is not enough to have a view and that an Alderperson in the City of Chicago must have a plan, must be creative, and must be a bridge between opposing groups.
Specifically, as the alderman of the 33rd ward, I intend to promote a 4-part plan that focuses on Security, Accountability, Financing, and Education.
Regarding security, first, we need to retool our strategy for filling the shortage of police officers. Second, we need to go back to best emergency management and incident command practices and expand our collaborative capacity with other law enforcement partners, such as the state and university police, Cook County Sheriff, and federal partners.
As city council members, we need to work together to relieve some of the workload that police are tasked with on a daily basis: which includes calls for domestic violence situations and mental health episodes, however the calls also include vacant properties, fly dumping complaints, and ticket writing.
Regarding accountability, the alderperson of the 33rd Ward can add value to holding police accountable by using City Council oversight while supporting the Chicago Police Department in its responsibility to hold those breaking the law accountable.
Regarding financing, An Alderperson of the 33rd should be creating City Council consensus on the investment of existing and available technology to further assist in the prevention and account of crime.
This extends to other available strategies. As an example, I support increasing the abandoned building registration fees to exponentially increase year after year to create pressure on absentee property owners of vacant buildings to sell or renovate. This may create a revenue stream for the department of buildings, law and administrative hearings. Fewer vacant properties would mean fewer issues to respond to for police and potentially more housing units created.
The aldermanic menu fund for infrastructure offers the option to invest in new staggered residential piggyback street lighting. These lights are more tamper proof, aesthetically pleasing, and disperse light better by including a light towards the sidewalk and can be placed on both sides of the street while the older lights are strictly on one side of the street and get blocked by tree branches and leaves, and offer less light disperse toward the sidewalk. A city wide initiative to provide bulk pricing for this coordinated initiative can reduce the price per block and can be more efficient by improving lighting for several grids at a time.
I would likewise propose bulk pricing initiatives for police observational devices which aid police investigations and help displace crime. These front heavy investments have lasting benefits as they can be moved to new locations with each ward for a modest cost.
New crime prevention strategies should focus on gun buy backs, workforce development, and job opportunities for young adults. There is significant funding for intervention strategies for young kids, however the older demographic is ignored for understandable reasons.
Instead of stand alone mental health centers, I propose that we create comprehensive service centers that include services provided by family and support services which include domestic violence support, homeless prevention services, emergency rental assistance, and others. They would cost more however would be a more efficient use of resources which can utilize existing city facilities across the city.
Ticket writing by police should be removed from their duties and performed by civilian personnel within the police department or by the ward superintendent or Department of Finance.
Finally, with regard to education, Chicago Police need to be better trained and this training must not only align to the recent Federal Court Decree must be consistent.
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.
An issue brought up recently by the media is the shortage of bus drivers and overtime paid to under-rested workers. If labor is an issue, CTA should offer hiring incentives to develop the labor pool in order to cover all service sectors of the system. I entirely agree with diverting TIF funds for large scale and far reaching projects to invest in CTA rail on the far south side. This is a major step towards equitable transit, and will create many more union jobs both during construction and for CTA. Especially if the majority of city council agree on the investment. I would like to include that the 33rd ward incumbent voted against this investment.
On the ridership issue, we can acknowledge that quarantine and telecommuting has taken a toll on the number of consistent users of transit. However this could be an opportunity to revamp the system to create a universal right to access to transit. Potentially further funding from the Federal or State government could be provided to cover the revenue lost through fare collection. This would make fare free for all users and would remove a point of conflict requiring police response or CTA employees to forcibly remove those who refuse to pay. For residents who live in transit deserts or areas that are underserved, this would relieve some cost they experience on a daily basis.
The system could be similar to the U-pass where college students can ride the CTA unlimited number of times, and access new areas where they can work, shop, learn, and play.
Along with other initiatives to reduce workload on police, this may be a good opportunity to include police. Seeing uniformed officers on platforms and on trains and buses would make people feel safer.
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?
As a parent of children approaching school age, I know there is so much pressure to make the best decision for your child. Many elect non-CPS options because the public option is non-competitive. This trend will continue if we do not seriously invest in facilities, reduce teacher to student ratio, provide supportive services and tutoring, and adjust curricula to provide what parents are looking for.
The physical structure and interior of the school can make a big difference for the psyche of child. The physical construction of our current schools are like fallout shelters, they are not serving our students well and are so inefficient with our resources. Schools can offer so much in terms of structure, school pride, tutoring resources, and communication structure between parents and teachers. So not only should CPS invest in upgrading and redesigning facilities, we should revamp the culture we develop in schools to be welcoming and structured to encourage team building. Parents want to see these improvements and thus would cause an increase in enrollment.
I know this is easier said than done. However if we do not insist on making changes for this contemporary and future demand, we will only see further disinvestment from the public schools and will see continued population loss for school districts that do meet the demand.
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.
A city resource that is in abundance on the south and west sides especially are city owned vacant lots. These properties currently contribute nothing to the tax base and cost us in maintenance by streets and sanitation. We should promote negotiated sales of these for affordable and market rate housing. This would create more housing units, with a greater proportion of affordable dwellings and will help populate certain areas of the city. Our tax base would increase since these properties will be privately held. Greater density would improve demand for businesses, grocery stores, and infrastructure improvements. Creating an incentive for minority residents to purchase property developed in this way would create the opportunity for Chicago families to build generational wealth which has always been a disparity in the south and west sides.
This idea is feasible because it does not require much investment from the City. The properties are there, we simply have to field interest, vet projects, and negotiate sales.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
I support making our city government more efficient and adding several piecemeal revenue streams to support reductions to our operating budget. We have to do more with less and make new investments with intense scrutiny to make sure we accurately deal with social ills. I am not sure that we can offer property tax relief since the largest portion of the bill is school taxes. Property tax relief from the city can only come if we can somehow reduce our operating cost. If we sunset existing TIFs, potentially we can create a situation where tax increases slow or halt. However any reduction is not likely to net out the increases expected. I can only promise to advocate for better services for what we pay for, with a primary focus on schools and safety. Which is the number one reason families leave the city.
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?
In truly blighted areas, TIFs can be a great way to support economic development. I have used TIFs to support building a dog park in McKinley Park while also supporting the roll out of small business improvement funds on commercial corridors in the same blighted neighborhood. In some areas that are no longer blighted, they have been overused and should be retired. Their lifespan is 23 years, with a potential to be renewed. I would advocate for only one 10 year renewal period with proper justification. This would allow a return of funds to the other taxing bodies including the City and will stabilize CPS and CTA. I would support sunsetting some TIFs unless there are active projects that are pending funding.
In order to repurpose funds I would advocate for the corresponding portions be returned to all taxing bodies while the city’s portion be split between the general fund and porting to an abutting TIF district that is in maturing stages.
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?
I certainly do not want to increase taxes to fund this despite how important it is. When located in a TIF district we should use funds to cover this cost just as vaulted sidewalk repairs are covered by TIF for individual addresses. We can offer a reimbursement to property owners who decide to pay the cost out of pocket before a construction project triggers needed replacement. Another option would be to include lead service line replacement as an aldermanic menu item that is linked to other CDOT repairs such as sidewalk repair or curb reconstruction. It would be a more cost efficient option to link the 2 repairs while the ground is being opened. To answer the question however, the pace is not appropriate and even further we will be forced to make repairs faster legally based on recent tribune reporting.
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.
No other candidate in the 33rd ward race can match my years of service to the city of Chicago. I have performed the role of chief of staff in the 12th ward for years with a primary focus on public safety issues and infrastructure development. I have been a court advocate for community concerns and have worked with community organizations and police in order to improve the safety of working class and middle income neighborhoods. In fact I have taught many CAPs officers how to utilize resources and current programs within the department of buildings and law department. My knowledge of city departments, their inner workings and inefficiencies will be an asset when looking at making our city run smoother, lower costs, and relieve pressure on tax payers. I am a single family home owner and a parent of 2 young children with no other investments other than my home. Therefore I can relate to the average family which cannot be said of the incumbent who is a democratic socialist who does not believe in ownership of property and the other challenger who owns dozens of apartment buildings across the city of Chicago. Lastly, I have an educational background in public policy and public health. Which positions me to develop better policies taking into account jurisdiction, feasibility, and compared to other policy alternatives without bias. The same cannot be said of the other candidates in this race.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Gun violence and lack of Public Safety is the most important issue in the 33rd Ward.
Night time visibility is a serious concern, and when a block still has the old fashioned street lights with only one lamp over the street, it can be problematic. Because crime tends to flourish in the dark, I feel it is extremely important to update our neighborhood lighting with the modern, double lamp, 150 watt LED streetlights.
I would dedicate at least half of the ward’s aldermanic infrastructure funds, roughly $650,000, to improve lighting on poorly lit blocks. This equates to 4-5 blocks, including connecting side streets, of new, staggered, piggyback light poles, installed on both sides of the street. With one lamp over the street and another towards the sidewalk, visibility will be greatly improved. This will help to deter crime and increase the safety of our residents.
When problem properties are identified, and meet the criteria for Drug Gang House or Strategic Task Force processes with the Law department, we can pressure the courts to take appropriate action. We as the city can force action by property owner that has had ample opportunity to correct problems of substandard housing or renting to tenants that have had recent arrests for violent crime or gun or narcotics possession. This disciplinary tool is to be reserved for situations when a significant and present danger exists in our communities. The purpose of this tactic is to lessen the claim that organized crime/gangs have on areas within our communities.
Because children spend much of their time at school, the relationship between teachers, administrators and their students is extremely vital to a child’s wellbeing.
Consequently, I believe providing the necessary resources and funding for compassionate social workers, affiliated mental health professionals, librarians, and parental guidance programs are essential. I will steadfastly advocate for these services to be offered as part of a community based safety net designed to help all of our children succeed in school, as well as create opportunities for them to become positive and productive members of society.
Every young person in our community may not be destined to fulfill their dreams by attending college. Nevertheless, everyone needs an opportunity for that first job, which often sets the tone for the future. The right work environment can make all the difference in a young person’s life and that is why I am proposing expanding the Neighborhood Opportunity fund to the Northwest side in order to support new business growth and to subsidize the cost of hiring local youth. I completely understand that not every young person in our community is destined for college. However everyone does need to earn a living and the first job opportunity they have will set the tone for their future.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
Who I am combines both what is required of an Alderperson in terms of ward services and providing public goods; and the other side of advocating for thoughtful, unbiased and optimistic city policy to improve the lives of residents. My focus of ward improvements is to attack the number one issue we as a city face, crime and lack of public safety. Being the champion of the community in my previous role was a result entirely of the needs of those community members. Using the existing laws of the drug gang house ordinance and mechanisms within our legal jurisdiction on property, and infrastructure funding to improve the sense of safety in our ward have been policy options that have worked.