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: Larry Svabek
Ward: 48th
Current job: Lecturer and fellow, University of Chicago
Previous political experience: N/A
Education: BA Political Science and Economics, Northwestern University 2015; MA Political Science, University of Chicago 2017; PhD Political Science University of Chicago 2022
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
Sources of outside income: No extra income year 2022
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.
We need city leaders who will pursue data-driven solutions that prevent crime rather than merely responding after the fact. Programs like Chicago CRED and READI, which provide counseling, education, and workforce development, have proven to be effective interventions for adults who are at risk of becoming involved in organized crime. Research estimates that intervention by READI Chicago reduces the likelihood that an individual engages in gun violence by nearly 80%.
So far, the city has not adequately funded these highly-effective programs at the scale necessary to disrupt violence. Leadership from these organizations report having around 250 outreach workers—a number insufficient to allow these programs to serve the estimated 10,000 Chicagoans whose likelihood of engaging in gun violence would be reduced by these programs’ engagement and intervention.
City leaders took an important step toward funding these organizations at the necessary scale when they allocated nearly $100M in pandemic relief funds to violence prevention efforts. But unfortunately, even as homicides have remained above pre-pandemic levels, city leaders have failed to spend the violence prevention money they allocated. That is unacceptable. This kind of implementation failure shows that we need leaders who not only have the right intentions and vision, but who will follow through to implement critical programs and deliver meaningful results.
Moving forward, one critical way that we can scale up these life-saving interventions is by providing funds for CPS to expand programs that engage high schoolers who are at high risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence. Given that CRED and READI currently focus on adults who enroll in job training programs, developing and implementing effective violence prevention programs that engage our youth is critical to durably and effectively address violence in our city.
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.
Maintaining a safe, reliable, and efficient citywide transit system is necessary to reduce our emissions and to ensure that every resident, no matter the zip code, can pursue Chicago’s economic opportunities. Since the pandemic began, CTA ridership has plummeted; unreliable service and concerns with transit safety have only exacerbated this problem.
Just last week I was “ghosted” by a 22 bus (which appeared on the schedule but never actually operated) when I tried to go from the north end of the ward back home. Especially during the winter months, it can be especially uncomfortable and unsafe to wait another 20 minutes to see if the next bus will actually show, and in many situations it creates real difficulties: any Chicagoans rely on public transit to get them where they need to go—whether work, a doctor’s appointment, school or a family gathering.
To provide the type of reliable service that Chicagoans need, CTA must address its staffing shortage head-on. To address reliability in the short-term, City Council needs to immediately begin to exercise more oversight of the CTA by holding officials accountable to maintaining the staffing levels necessary for reliable operation. Unfortunately, for nearly a year, CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. refused to attend City Council hearings. Such unacceptable refusal to be accountable to our city government suggests that city officials should find a replacement.
In the longer term, to encourage ridership, I would advocate for targeted free-rider pilots, similar to a program that Boston recently implemented citywide. We also must modernize and expand our transit system, so riders can efficiently travel between neighborhoods. Currently, it takes over an hour by bus or train to travel from Edgewater to neighborhoods to the west like Logan Square or Wicker Park. By car, the same trip is 75% faster—about 25 minutes long. We can and must do better. Other major US cities have begun expanding bus rapid transit routes as a cost-efficient and reliable way to provide speedy service to more destinations.
Riders should also expect a safe, and comfortable environment as they travel across the city, which is why the increase in violent crime on CTA since the start of the pandemic is so alarming. This will require short- and long-term steps, ranging from CTA ambassadors to providing mental health services and housing. While we are seeing signs of improvement, there’s much work to do. For example, social service providers like the Night Ministry conduct regular outreach to unhoused individuals on trains. Throughout the pandemic, these social service providers have noticed an increase in individuals living on CTA for various reasons, including public health concerns with shelters but also because our shelter system has been especially strained. In addition to increasing this outreach, we must ensure that individuals who would like to receive services like therapy or housing have safe, reliable places to go.
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?
Amidst dwindling CPS enrollment, student-based budgeting—the enrollment-based method by which our schools are currently funded—has made it impossible for our neighborhood schools to provide the staffing and services that our students deserve, especially in majority Black and brown communities that have experienced substantial enrollment declines. To address this enrollment crisis, we must address the problems that have caused it, including rising housing costs, which pushes families to move out of the city, and lack of faith in CPS.
Unfortunately, we currently face a catch-22. As enrollment declines, our schools only become more starved for adequate resources, making it difficult for schools to attract new students: it is difficult to inspire confidence in schools when they cannot provide adequate services and staffing, including teaching assistants, special educators, librarians, and social workers. These funding shortfalls deepen the impact of existing inequalities, as schools in wealthier neighborhoods privately fundraise in an attempt to plug staffing gaps while other schools simply must go without.
We need to tackle these problems in two ways. First, we must maintain and expand housing affordability so that working families can remain in the city. Second, we must allocate funding so that our schools can provide the staffing levels and resources our students deserve. City Council should aggressively surplus TIF funds to return badly-needed funds to neighborhood schools. Because TIF funds alone will not be enough to adequately fund our schools, City Council must also collaborate with state officials to better fund CPS.
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.
The South and West sides of our city need investments that foster strong communities for the long haul, not just multi-million dollar strip mall developments like the Englewood Whole Foods venture, which failed in just six years. Creating durable, meaningful investments in the South and West sides will take many different approaches. However, one way that City Council can immediately take action to address inequities is to reform how “menu money,” discretionary infrastructure funds that are provided to each ward, are allocated. If elected, I would urge the City Council to increase these funds as recommended by the Inspector General, while also allocating these funds more equitably. Currently, each ward receives the same amount of funds no matter its geographic size or total miles of streets.
For example, five North Side wards could fit into our city’s 10th Ward, which encompasses several neighborhoods including Chicago’s East Side, but they both receive the same amount of money. That’s not fair, and it’s not smart policymaking. Moving away from a flat formula is necessary to ensure that menu money allocation does not unfairly advantage geographically smaller, and generally wealthier, parts of our city. This is critically important given that menu money is one of main sources of funding by which wards fix sidewalks, improve roads, and otherwise rebuild their infrastructure. While this is just one step in addressing the challenge of funding inequities, it is an important one: having well-maintained streets, safe crosswalks, and attractive pedestrian infrastructure is critical to neighborhoods’ economic development and sense of community.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Too many Chicagoans—including folks who already struggle to find an affordable place to live like renters, seniors, and students—are feeling the pinch of higher property taxes. Especially for those on a fixed income in owner occupied buildings like two and three flats, an increase in property taxes can be the choice between remaining in the city and finding a new home. When long-time neighbors can no longer afford to live in their homes, too often those properties are sold to luxury developers who tear down multi-family, livable housing and replace it with high-priced luxury units.
We cannot shy away from the city’s budget challenges, but before we turn to property taxes, we must prioritize finding progressive revenue sources that reduce our reliance on property taxes as our main general revenue source. I support the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program that asks multi-million dollar nonprofit organizations to pay a portion of what they would have paid in property taxes. In addition, currently every property—whether it is a lakeside mansion in the Gold Coast or a condo in Uptown— is subject to the same real estate transfer tax (RETT). I support creating a progressive RETT structure so that sales of multi-million dollar buildings contribute more revenue.
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?
Tax increment financing districts, or TIFs, can generate funds for important projects like emergency bridge repairs and affordable housing, but too often, city leaders have utilized them to subsidize private development. Big companies like Amazon and Whole Foods can afford to expand their business in Chicago without public tax subsidies, and as we saw with the recent closure of Whole Foods in Englewood, these types of projects are not strong public investments. In general, TIF dollars should be used on projects that are in the public interest such as improving schools, parks, and public transit. In the 48th Ward, we have seen TIF funds used in this manner with much success such as the classroom and ADA investments at Senn High School, the new athletic field at Hayt Elementary, and the Red Line Modernization. I would support legislation to restrict the use of TIFs to pressing public-interest projects like these, and will aggressively surplus TIF funds to return them to local taxing bodies, including our public schools.
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?
The abysmal rate of lead service line replacement demands urgent action by city officials, especially considering that our city has the most lead service lines of any major city in the United States. Environmentalists agree that any level of lead can lead to health problems, so officials’ claims that most homes have not exceeded the 15 parts per billion EPA standard provides little comfort to residents.
Our city has set aside money to undertake the large-scale replacement of service lines, but we’ve still failed to hit our target goals. The pace of lead service line replacement should be expedited by pressing the Department of Water Management (DWM) to rapidly expand their workforce. We have already set aside the funds to do this. Now, it’s time to get it done. Right now, DWM is in the process of hiring 300 more workers to increase the speed of replacement. Given that replacement is largely being completed by city crews, we need to continue to urgently increase the labor force at DWM. The city should also utilize private contractors in periods where hiring slows so that we can complete projects on time. City councilors and government watchdogs must oversee such efforts to ensure efficient use of funds.
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 teach at the University of Chicago, where I completed my PhD in Political Science. As a researcher, I am comfortable working alongside policy experts from diverse perspectives to formulate new solutions to pressing public issues. I teach courses in Political Science, History, and Critical Race & Ethnic Studies, an experience that has deepened my appreciation for our democratic institutions and instilled in me the belief that increasing participation in local politics is key to preserving those institutions.
I also know what it takes to build winning coalitions and pass new ordinances. I came of age during our nation’s reckoning with the problem of unchecked police violence against Black and brown citizens. The frequency of publicized killings at the hands of police officers spurred me to action. I organized with neighbors across Chicago’s North Side to translate the rising anger into substantive policy change. I co-founded a community group that worked with the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression to educate neighbors about the Community Police Accountability Council (CPAC) ordinance. As a member of the negotiations committee, I helped merge CPAC with the alternative coalition forming an ordinance that would create community councils for each police district and a city-wide commission to decide CPD policies and play a role in selecting CPD’s leadership. Together we steered the ordinance through the Council—creating the first ever civilian oversight in our city, ensuring that police officers are accountable to the communities that they serve. This experience taught me that passing progressive policies requires not only determination but also a willingness to compromise and bring new coalition partners to the table.
We need a leader who can deliver real results on critical issues which–in our time of political stagnation–requires conviction and courage. My Mom, originally a schoolteacher, showed me the importance of being involved in my community. My earliest memory of political participation is her running for school board when I was ten. She was a fierce advocate for funding arts education and ensuring that every student had the resources necessary to succeed. But public service came at a cost for her: after calling out her colleagues for violating transparency laws, she received anonymous death threats. Watching my mother stand strong through these challenges helped me realize that our democracy can thrive only when we have leaders who are courageous enough to stand up for what is right. I plan to stand up for my community and fight to ensure that our city government is accountable and transparent.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Across the 48th Ward, neighbors are deeply engaged with the issues we face and have concerns about critical issues like housing affordability, climate change and basement flooding, and access to safe and reliable transit. But as I talk to neighbors, the issue that community members bring up most often is that they feel our public safety system isn’t providing the sense of safety, security, and comfort that we deserve citywide. While the 48th Ward sees fewer violent crimes than much of the city, we know that all instances of violent crime create ripple effects of trauma and fear. And all across our city, we’ve lost too many lives to gun violence, including a tragic increase since the start of the pandemic.
To make sure that our city upholds its commitment to safety for every resident, we need to attack the root causes of crime, improve transparency and accountability within our public safety institutions, and expand alternative emergency responses, like our mental health first responder programs.
We know that overwhelmingly neighbors want more transparency and accountability from our public safety system. After the murder of George Floyd, I worked alongside community organizations to help pass the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance which democratizes public safety decision-making. As a result, for the first time ever, neighbors will elect community representatives to collaborate with each police district, and allow neighbors more say in public safety policy and leadership decision-making. As Alderman, I will work closely with our new, local police district councilors to engage our community and invest in programming to prevent crime. Talking with neighbors in the ward, many day-to-day concerns involve property crimes such as theft of catalytic converters or package thefts, which can be costly and frustrating for everyday residents. Through ward-level engagement with our police district representatives, we can devise strategies to help prevent these types of crimes from occurring. Finally, our ward cannot remain a welcoming, safe community without providing a robust array of humane, tailored emergency responses for people in crisis. Right now, our public safety system asks police officers to respond to every kind of crisis. We need to rapidly expand our mental health crisis responders program so that mental health professionals and social workers respond to certain crisis calls.
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 running to bring independent, progressive leadership to the 48th Ward. This election, Chicagoans have an exciting opportunity to elect new leaders who will help the City Council put away its rubber stamp and bring new energy and ideas to City Hall. We have big challenges in front of us. In this moment, we need leaders who are principled and will faithfully represent our communities, while also delivering meaningful results on the issues most important to us.
This starts with data-driven, community-informed policymaking. My experience as an educator and researcher at the University of Chicago will uniquely allow me to work effectively with policy experts and my colleagues on the City Council to pursue innovative, data-driven policy solutions.
But good policymaking alone will not set us on the right track. It can only succeed when programs are faithfully and effectively implemented—something with which our city has struggled. While the city has set aside millions of dollars to address issues like violence prevention and lead in our pipes, it has failed to spend most of that money, and our communities are the ones that pay. Informed by my organizing work to democratize public safety decision-making through ECPS, I will push for City Council to play a more active and effective role in monitoring and overseeing city programs—making sure that our city government delivers on promised programs and intended results. It is only through this type of aggressive and consistent democratic oversight that we will be able to actively learn from our city’s practices and address situations in which our programs fail to meet acceptable standards.
This is a crowded race with many candidates who I respect and with whom I agree on many issues. I believe my experience as a researcher, organizer, and active community member uniquely positions me to deliver the type of principled and results-driven leadership that we need to make progress on issues we all care about.