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: Kristian R. Armendariz
Ward: 22nd
Current job: Construction Laborer
Previous political experience: None
Education: Associates Decree in Construction Management
Spouse’s occupation: None
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.
It’s hard to solve a generation problem, this is the product of the lack of investment in our communities and in our educational system. This is systematic- we have seen it through state sanction violence where the government has promoted more violence instead of solutions. Our people’s campaign has recognized that the problem is the government. If I’m elected alderman I’ll stop the corruption in the government, build a unify government(City Hall). We will not allow the special interest people to run our communities. If I’m elected in office I will invest more in education, like early child development and open a 24 hour affordable daycare. I want to work closely with grassroots organizations in the community that know the needs and demands of the neighborhood and the residents they serve. If I’m elected in office I will reduce crime by focusing on the youth age group 18-25, the most underserved age group. Governments can combat crime by upgrading their technology, countries like China have state of the art technology when it comes to public safety.
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.
The CTA has become the transportation of the poor and the hard working people, and environmentalists. CTA became a reliable source of transportation and once the pandemic hit it became the only source of transportation for some people. Due to COVID and inflation more commuters began using public transportation. The Chicago Transit Police Department has been in existence for years, and the CTA needs to invest more money in that CTP Department by having more secured trains & buses. CTA needs to innovate its operations and if necessary hire private security. Private security will ensure the passengers are safe, prevent altercations from escalating, and secured all means of transportation.
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?
Due to the Mayor’s of Chicago and CTU historically having differences, the children and the parents have suffered the most in this fight. We have seen a rapid increase in CPS closings and a rise in for-profit charter schools.Some parents have no choice but to transfer their children to charter schools because of the lack of CPS schools. Other parents were fed up with all the policies like neighborhood enrollment and the poor quality education. By giving the community the power and control through the local school council. Also public dollars are supporting charter schools and CPS schools are not funded adequately.
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.
One Idea is by empowering certain local chambers of commerce or by creating a chamber of commerce to educate and sustain small business. To also give the chamber the opportunity to help open new business and provide loans for zero interest rates for the first five years and if the business is still in existence after ten years the loan should be forgiven.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
I will definitely give homeowners a relief since their properties were assessed incorrectly or did not have the political connections like wealthy people do. With the approval of the sale of cannabis and the rocket numbers sales, we should refund homeowners, but yet we gave rich people property tax wealth fair.
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?
TIFs historically have been used for projects that serve special interests and make rich companies more money by utilizing the people’s money. TIFs would be useful if the funds are being invested for the community and used by the community. If TIFs will be used to fund rich companies projects that don’t necessarily serve the community, an interest rate should be applied to that TIF.
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 lead service line replacement should be expedited since lead causes health defects in our children. The health department should warn the community of the levels of lead in their water. I as a community organizer have organized events so people can be educated and test the lead levels in their water at home. We can expedite the process quickly by hiring the army engineers and big federal agencies since this is a public hazard.
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 have over five years of experience as a community organizer, I’m aware of the issues affecting my community and in the past I have brought solutions to those problems. I’m a product of the ward I’m running in. I’m already doing the job of an Alderman as a community organizer. I’m not running by myself, I have the support of the community behind me. We are fed up with the current administration that has been in power for the past 30 years. It’s time to expose corruption and get rid of nepotism!
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
I’m already addressing the main issues in our community, which is public safety. I’m addressing it by building a better relationship between the police department and the community residents. Reforming CPDs homicide department with LVCC’s committee Mothers & Families United for Justice. Also by organizing our local street vendors and creating a permanent safety plan to keep them safe.
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 for a fresh start. The previous administration has been in power for over 30 years and they have learned to become poverty pimps. Year by year crime has increased in the community and our Alderman has failed to address these issues. He fail us with the Hilco explosion, he failed us during the Covid-19 pandemic and he has fail us on addressing the crime in our community!