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: Michael D. Rodriguez
Ward: 22nd
Current job: City of Chicago, 22nd Ward Alderperson
Previous political experience: Elected Alderman in 2019; Also serve as 22nd Ward Democratic Committeeperson since 2016
Education: BA in Marketing with a minor in Latin American Studies from DePaul University, Master of Arts from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and an Executive Leadership certification from the University of Notre Dame, Mendoza College of Business
Spouse’s occupation: Director of Communications at Healthy Communities Foundation
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.
We must take a multi-pronged approach to addressing the public safety concerns that are top of mind for all Chicagoans. I have been a vocal advocate throughout my career for reinvesting in communities, specifically in organizations that are focused on violence prevention programming. My commitment to this issue predates my career as an alderperson. I was previously named one of 12 national “Champions of Change” in Youth Violence Prevention by President Barack Obama.
We cannot talk about public safety without also addressing the problems with the police department as tackling those is fundamental. We already have a blueprint for how this should work in the consent decree that the police department was forced into but, unfortunately, they have been embarrassingly far behind in enacting all the required reforms and continue to have issues engaging the community as a result. We must push CPD brass to follow through on its obligations and must also ensure full implementation of ECPS. Without better community relationships and increased accountability, we will not have safer streets.
We must have strategic data-informed methods for the police to improve services. The department’s case closure rate is well behind that of other cities. To help address this issue, we need to hire more detectives. Additionally, if we can make steps to improve the relationship between police and the community, we will have the level of cooperation necessary to solve crime in our neighborhoods.
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.
This issue has been a particularly frustrating matter during my first term in office. For starters, the leadership at the CTA has been MIA in terms of public hearings or accountability. The City Council should have greater oversight of the agency, but we have instead had to resort to threats to even get leadership to come in and meet with us. This must change in the new term.
Our entire public transportation infrastructure is severely underfunded and doesn’t match the level of investment and efficiency of other similarly-sized cities throughout the world. Moreover, the technology supporting our transit system is outdated and simply not working. One only need look to the ghost bus issue as evidence that our systems are failing.
I think we should consider returning to a system where every train had an unarmed conductor. I also think we should increase patrols of both stations and trains, but I do not believe those patrols necessarily need to be armed officers. Others can and are trained to deescalate situations and address any incidents on trains and buses that are the result of issues of mental health and homelessness.
One of the major issues with service is a lack of people power. We need to aggressively fill vacancies.
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 proud CPS graduate and the father of two elementary school aged CPS students, I know that our schools can offer a first-rate education. The challenge is that the many great schools in the CPS system are not available to everyone. Students should not have to rely on straight As, near-perfect test scores, and the ability of their parents to take them to and from distant schools in order to ensure that they get a high-quality education. There are any number of reasons why a student is not attending a high-performing school and if parents are not satisfied with their neighborhood school as an option, they look elsewhere – suburbs, private schools, or anywhere they feel their children would best be served. So, we must invest heavily in our neighborhood schools.
We must also attract new Chicagoans to move to the city and work hard to keep our current residents in order to reverse the trend of declining enrollment in CPS. This is an intersectional issue where crime, affordable housing, immigration and many other factors influence the number of children attending our schools. We need to significantly reduce crime in order for Chicagoans to feel safe enough to raise their children in our communities and send their kids to our schools. We need affordable housing for working class families, many of whom have left our city over the past two decades due to the rising cost of living.
We need comprehensive immigration reform to reverse decades long trends where more immigrants are leaving our city than coming to reside in our city. As an example, Mexican migration to the city is actually at a negative level and more immigrant families are choosing to start their new lives in the suburbs. Addressing these multiple factors will lead to more children attending our schools.
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 catalytic community centric development projects that will not only invest in south and west side communities but will also encourage and spark other developments in their immediate areas. On 43rd and Cicero Avenue we are reversing decades long trends of housing disinvestment and segregation. Phase one development of the former LeClaire Courts Housing projects will include 200 units of affordable housing across the street from a newly built school, a Tony’s Finer Foods grocery store in a food desert, a federally qualified healthcare center and more. We have spent a significant amount of time with this diverse community planning this development and have near universal support.
For years, housing projects were placed on the other side of the train tracks or expressways and were largely forgotten and disinvested in; this project however takes a holistic view at building a community and incorporates community benefit developments where the private sector is attracted to invest and improves quality of life for future residents and the current community. This will be the largest development on the southwest side of Chicago since the creation of Midway airport and we are already seeing signs that this investment has paved the way for other attractive developments including new restaurants on the corner of Archer and Cicero and on the corner of 47th and Cicero avenues.
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 immediate property tax relief to working class Chicagoans who have experienced significant increases in their property tax bills. I have filed an ordinance with Ald. Hadden (49) as Chief Co-Sponsor that would provide $10 million in immediate relief. I am working with my colleagues and the Mayor’s Office to amend my ordinance to implement a program in collaboration that would support as many working class homeowners impacted as possible.
I support efforts to lessen the burden for those at the lowest end of the economic spectrum and am also pleased that our assessor has strived to make our property taxation system more equitable and transparent. Commercial properties must pay their fair share and the current review system that leads to drastic breaks for wealthy commercial properties, disproportionately burdens homeowners. We need significant relief long term via action at multiple levels of government and I have begun leveraging my relationships to start this process at the State of Illinois and County of Cook.
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 theory, TIFs can encourage investment and promote economic development for areas that builders and investors have otherwise ignored. However, in practice Chicago’s TIF program has fallen short and is most productive in areas that least need the boost. The system lacks transparency, is not sufficiently targeted to blighted or developing communities, and risks starving public entities from the income they need to deliver services to Chicagoans.
We must get the most out of TIFs as a tool for development by promoting transparency and equity. In addition to opening up the system to greater oversight, we must hold development proposals to greater standards. Many of the projects in struggling neighborhoods that have received TIF dollars in the past have simply not delivered on the promise of economic growth for those communities. And we must continue to ensure that developers receiving TIF dollars are providing workers with a living wage and safe working conditions.
To balance the need to spur economic development with the need to fully fund vital systems like education, healthcare, and safety, we have to better manage the TIF program and have a more thoughtful approach on spending (or sequestering) surplus TIF funds. While the TIF program can help keep cranes in the sky, we must prioritize equitable development, be guided by principles of good governance, and ensure that vital public services receive the funding they need.
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 replacement must absolutely be expedited and the City’s delay is harming the health of our children, particularly those in Black and Latino communities. The City of Chicago secured $4 million dollars for a model block lead pipe replacement program and a block in my ward was the selected block to replace lead service lines for free for the residents on this block. We have held over 12 community meetings and door knocked at least that many times to sign up homeowners on the block. The length of time it has taken to implement this program has been frustrating which has further illuminated the need for the government to act more swiftly in the effort to replace lead service lines. Having safe drinking water in all our communities is essential to a healthy and prosperous city. We have the financial resources to move more aggressively on this, but without leadership from the administration, we just aren’t doing so. I am also frustrated that the city did not do more in the various federal infrastructure and spending bills to push this issue to the fore.
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 am a lifelong resident of Little Village in Chicago’s 22nd Ward. When elected as Alderperson in 2019, I brought with me relationships and skill sets developed over my career – a career that was focused on advocating for the public good. Whether as the Executive Officer of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, Executive Director of Enlace Chicago (a nonprofit organization based in Little Village), at Instituto del Progreso Latino, or the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, I have been tireless in my work on behalf of the larger community.
Coming into office in 2019, I had no idea the challenges that would face us – a historic global pandemic, civil unrest and a long-overdue call for justice reform, an increase in violent crime, and economic challenges. In the face of these challenges, I was able to mine my years of experience in public service and community organizing. For example, we built a team of organizations and individuals in the 22nd Ward who met regularly to marshal a response to the pandemic and, as a result, we were able to get the 22nd Ward from one of the hardest hit communities in the pandemic to a model for public health engagement.
Even with the challenges we have faced, we have been able to advance tremendous development opportunities in our community. From the redevelopment of the LeClaire Courts site to a massive project anchored by St. Anthony Hospital, we are going to see major investment in our 22nd Ward communities over the next few years. I am proud of the work we have done on these fronts and of the priority we have placed on ensuring that these developments went through a rigorous community engagement process.
I look to continue building up the communities of the 22nd Ward and continuing to be an effective, ethical and transparent legislator in City Council.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Chicagoans deserve to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. If you were to poll the residents of the 22nd Ward, I think safety would rightly be at the top of that list. However, all of our biggest challenges are linked, and it is my job to make sure that residents and other public leaders understand that tackling safety requires addressing so many other fundamental issues in our city. Shoring up our public schools, economic development in our communities, addressing the mental health needs of vulnerable Chicagoans, improving the relationship between members of law enforcement and the communities they serve, and so many other challenges must be tackled if we are to truly make Chicago a safe city for all of its residents.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
In my entire career – and certainly in my time as alderman – I have consistently demonstrated my commitment to the communities and people of the 22nd Ward. I have been a voice for workers and small business owners, have run an office that is accessible and responsive, and have held myself and my entire team to the highest of ethical standards. I am proud of all we have accomplished and look forward to working with my neighbors and all willing Chicagoans to build a city worthy of its people.