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: Peter Chico
Ward: 10th
Current job: Chicago Police Officer
Previous political experience: None
Education: Benedictine University- Undergraduate Degree in Political Science and DePaul University-Masters Degree in Public Service
Spouse’s occupation: I am not married
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.
I am a Chicago Police Officer in the 004th District so I see everyday the amount of violent crime taking place. We need to be realistic in our approach. Officers are leaving the department at an all time high and we are not hiring nearly enough to fill those positions. We need more police on the street now. We have to evaluate all administrative positions or desk jobs to see what officers we can place back on the street. When it comes to overtime, every district should be allowed to facilitate their overtime. Currently, during Tiered Deployment overtime, officers go to headquarters and are then sent to a random district. We will be able to get more from our officers if they are kept in there district they work at because they understand the district better. In the district, we have tactical teams that need to be utilized more efficiently. At least two units should be sent to each sector each day to provide for much needed assistance. All it takes is for a beat car to make an arrest or go down on a shooting and they cannot patrol their assigned beat. We also need to develop better relationships with our outside agencies. Our federal partners need to be utilized much more and have a healthy relationship with each district. They have different tools that can help combat crime and have a sustainable effect. Also, partnering with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office is imperative in creating lasting change. We need to be able to use things like Electronic Monitoring home checks as a way to target problematic individuals in each district.
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 needs many issues addressed immediately. First, they are so understaffed it cannot function properly and that is why we see so many problems. From ghost buses and trains to uncleanliness, it has really affected people who count on it. We need to develop a workforce through the partnership with city colleges to train bus drivers. The city should educate high school students about the career opportunities because college is not for everyone. We have to develop potential employees so this issue doesn’t ever happen. It is important that the Red line is now going to 130th to give far south side residents an opportunity to seek better employment. Finally, when it comes to the violent crime, I don’t know how effective unarmed security guard are. We can use the funds being spent on them and divert them to the Mass Transit unit in CPD. Guards aren’t properly trained to deal with violent crime and de-escalating techniques, but police officers are. We should also explore a CTA policing unit.
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 it is important to acknowledge the some of the issues contributing to this decline. Things like the birth rate and exodus of minority families from the city have impacted the decline. When it comes to selective enrollment schools, we should think about taking labels off schools and try to strengthen our neighborhood schools. The amount of applicants for selective enrollment schools versus amount of spots available in overwhelming. If a student does not get into a selective enrollment, often times they leave the school district all together. Ensuring our neighborhood schools are an attractive choice to families is the first step in retaining and growing enrollment. This issue is linked with the other issues facing our city. Public safety, economic development, community investment all play a role in the enrollment at our schools. If there are improvements on those other issues, we will definitely see an increase in students coming into the district.
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.
We need to look at filling our empty storefronts in our business corridors. While I understand it isn’t an easy task, more can be done. While the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund and Invest South/West are great ideas, we need to put the ownership of neighborhoods back in the hands of the residents that live there or grew up there. We need to give prospective business owners money upfront to open their business, not have them wait for a reimbursement later down the line. If we are serious about improving our business corridors and beautifying it we need to invest in the ingenuity of the residents who live there. It’s one thing to talk about it, but another to actually do it. If someone from the community opens a business, they know the residents better than anyone. We want the neighborhood to feel they have a stake in development and that is what this would do. We need to motivate people to own businesses and not deter them with red tape.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
I do support giving Chicagoans property tax relief. It is much needed and will help aid our residents. I think we should allow the federal Covid relief money to help with property tax relief. Many property tax bills have skyrocketed in minority communities and it could ultimately push them out of the city. We already have a decreasing population, so we want to keep our residents here and not tax them out. In addition to the relief money, we need to examine the vacancies within city government and evaluate them. This could save taxpayers millions and allows government to become more responsible.
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 need to be properly used for what they were designed for. The are enacted to spur economic growth in blighted areas. That is where they should be used for. We have seen TIF dollars being used in areas that don’t necessarily need them. This is wrong and take away from investing in our South and West sides. We need to include the communities where the TIFs are so they have a voice. We shouldn’t be lining pockets of the wealthy through the TIF program. We need to implement stricter guidelines on how TIFs are used and be transparent with the residents of the Chicago.
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 pace of lead service line replacements should definitely be expedited. This is a problem we have known about for years and have been slow to do anything about it. The city has the capability to use a trenchless technique that requires less digging. This would significantly save time and money for the city. The city estimate on replacing these lines is astronomical and higher than other cities. While this approach will help with the cost, we still need more federal dollars to come in. Also, we need to do a better job on helping our residents with paperwork that want to qualify for certain programs. We want our lower income residents to have the opportunity to qualify for assistance, but paperwork issues seem to be holding the process up.
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 feel I am most qualified for the job because I understand the 10th Ward. When I get up and go to work in the morning, I go to the streets of the 10th Ward. I have worked in this ward during every hour and in different capacities through the Chicago Police Department. I see firsthand through a unique perspective the problems we face on a daily basis. Seeing the problems is also one thing, but doing something is also another. I decided to become more involved and four years ago I ran for Local School Council at the neighborhood high school, George Washington, and have been on the board ever since. It is here where I see issues families have and how better funding for our schools can help with that. Watching our students develop into adults and having a small hand in their success is something I value. I didn’t stop there when it comes to being involved in the community. I am a sitting board member of the Hegewisch Bulldogs Football Program, it is the only football program in the ward. The fact I get to interact with families and see our community members unite for a common purpose motivates me to run for alderman. I am entrenched in the 10th Ward every single day. I love living, working, and being a volunteer here because I am so passionate about these neighborhoods. My grandfather was the president of Local 65, US Steel Southworks in the 1970s. This was a major position because the steel mills were the lifeline of the southeast side. I remember talking to him about the importance of good jobs and how it could stabilize a community. My roots are firmly planted here and I want to help recognize the true promise of what this ward can be.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The most pressing issue is clearly public safety. This is a problem all over the city, but our the 10th Ward has unique challenges. We border Indiana and criminals know if they commit a crime, all they need to do is cross the border. Once they cross the border, it makes it extremely difficult to relay information to Indiana in a timely manner, thus allowing them to make good on their escape. We need an alderman who understands the crime problem and as a police officer in the 10th Ward I am prepared to deal with it on day one. The 10th Ward and 004th District are very large and we to take that into account. Several months ago, we were fortunate enough to get an extra beat car in our 30 sector which is a step in the right direction. This is long overdue to the size, but unfortunately there are many times this car goes unmanned. I will be calling that this car be staffed at all times. While we are experiencing staffing shortages, we will be advocating for tactical units to be assigned to 10th Ward beats everyday. This will provide extra cars on the street when beat cars make an an arrest or have to do paperwork. It is important to have an alderman who helps strengthen the CAPS program. The more information sharing we have is vital to assisting our police. We will request a business district officer on 2nd and 3rd Watch to deal with the nuisances that plaque or business corridors. We wants businesses to invest in our corridors and once they see drug dealing and loitering it is a tough sell. Developing a better relationship with Indiana is a must. We need more information sharing and a quicker way to relay real time information more effectively.
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 am the neighborhood person who understands all parts of the ward. I have ideas that would help with economic development such as building a steel mill museum because the southeast side is home to rise and fall of the mills. This would create an economic engine that would help a blighted area like South Chicago and have the potential to revitalize that neighborhood. My policing strategies to get more police protection on day one of my administration is something the residents desperately want. They want to feel safe living their lives and not have to worry about constantly looking over their shoulder. Our educational facilities need to vastly improve and I would be an advocate for that. We have a building that has classes for two different schools in it. I would have a hard time believing that this would happen on the north side, but because we are on the south side it seems to be acceptable. Our constant issues bordering a state like Indiana will always exist and we need an alderman that recognizes. If elected alderman I will constantly work to create something here that our residents will be proud of, where we can get people to stay here instead of moving to Indiana.