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: Joshua Gray
Ward: 5th
Current job: Political Consultant/ Self
Previous political experience: Former Chairman of the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center
Education: Sam Houston State
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
Sources of outside income: N/A
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.
Firstly, more needs to be done to recruit and retain officers. We also need to train and hire more detectives and improve homicide clearance rates. I would also like to see the police department have a more positive presence in the community. I think this can be achieved by reimagining the CAPS office. As an alderperson, I would like to have greater influence on the hiring process for the District Commander. I feel being involved in the hiring process will help increase confidence in the department and increase cooperation. There also needs to be continued support of community organizations that are already effectively addressing root causes of crime and violence. Lastly, there has to be better communication and cooperation between stakeholders. The police department, local and state officials, as well as the public need to come together to solve this issue that affects us all.
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.
Public transportation is vital for many Chicago residents, including many in the 5th ward. It’s critically important that the CTA is able to provide reliable and safe service. Some measures the agency should be taking include developing and implementing incentive programs to increase recruitment and hiring. The CTA needs more personnel to keep the system moving efficiently, and also to help curtail crime. Bus tracking and scheduling needs improved technology. I’d also like to see more cooperation with Metra and Pace to help transit run more smoothly throughout the whole Chicagoland region.
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?
The best thing that CPS can do to reverse the trend of dwindling enrollment is to do the best for the students that are currently enrolled. Chicago public schools need to be fully and equitably funded. Every school needs to be properly staffed with the appropriate support staff and well trained teachers. CPS also needs to work to have a unified vision among leadership. Principles and administrative staff need to be properly trained and equipped to ensure that every student can thrive.
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.
There is a wealth of talent, passion, and innovation on the South and West sides that needs to be tapped into to increase investment in these areas. Finding and supporting leaders within these communities will help to foster a sense of ownership and community buy-in. There needs to be more local control of improvement projects, including the use of Community Benefits Agreements. I’d also like to see strategic partnerships between community stakeholders, including public and private entities, to make sure that any new improvement project money coming into the community is used to enrich the whole community.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
I am a proponent of property tax relief in the form of property tax caps. I would also like to see a more efficient use of taxes that are currently collected. I am in favor of lowering property taxes when it is fiscally viable to do so.
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?
When done in an equitable fashion, TIFs can be an integral source of funding to improve disadvantaged areas of the city. However, the loopholes that allow for the siphoning of money away from these areas to bankroll projects in more affluent neighborhoods is unacceptable. TIF districts need to be remapped to ensure disenfranchised areas of the city get the funding needed to erase decades of disinvestment. We also need to disincentivize the practice of excluding affordable housing on-site in TIF funded projects.
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?
Lead in Chicago’s drinking water is indeed a major health concern and the issue needs to be prioritized. The pace of replacing lead service lines needs to be drastically increased. Coordination between local, state, and federal agencies needs to happen to secure funding for this project. Also, the city should be doing more to educate residents about this problem and readily offer information about solutions that can be done to deal with the problem now.
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 professional roles working for two prominent South side alderpersons, Ald. David Moore (17th), and Ald. Leslie Harriston (5th), as well as other political officials, has given me a unique perspective of the inner workings of Chicago politics. Along with my political experience, I bring invaluable knowledge from my time as an educator in which I served in roles as teacher, dean, and school administrator. My career as an educator also included working to turn around several Chicago Public Schools. I also served passionately for several years as an anti-violence community organizer. These aspects of my background along with my grit, determination, persistence, and fortitude make me the best candidate to get things done and move the 5th Ward forward.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The issues that will be my priority to address once I’m in office are the issues of crime, along with community and economic development. My office will work to create meaningful youth engagement that is accessible and varied while championing more support for existing organizations and developing a database of available programs. We will work to develop corporate partnerships to bolster job creation and bring more flagship retail to the ward. My administration will work with the police department to enact meaningful reforms and foster a better relationship amongst my constituents. We will also work to create partnerships with developers to ensure there is more quality affordable housing throughout the ward.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
My distinctive combination of professional experiences in not only politics, but education as well as community organizing, makes me especially qualified for the position of 5th Ward Aldermen. My approach is informed by practical knowledge about what it actually takes to get things done in Chicago, as opposed to ideals. My office will act strategically to bring about creative solutions to problems that have long plagued too many Chicago communities. I have the requisite skills for this role and I am ready to serve.