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: Prentice C. Butler
Ward: 4th
Current job: Chief of Staff for Alderman Sophia King, 4th Ward, City of Chicago
Previous political experience: I have previously been elected the President of the University of Chicago Association of Black Alumni, Vice President of the Organization of Black Students at the University of Chicago, and to the Board of the New Leaders Council, Chicago.
Education: The southside is where I was born and raised. I graduated from Hales Franciscan High School and developed a deep sense of servant leadership very young. I received a Bachelors in Political Science from the University of Chicago. Years later, while I pursued graduate studies by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Chicago studies at Loyola University and Public Policy at the University of Chicago, I dove into coursework on the city’s racial, economic and political dynamics. I have also received a Certificate in Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
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.
While we are relieved that the overall shooting deaths between 2021 and 2022 are down, there are so many other measures that we, as a city, can take to be more proactive in addressing systemic and social issues that increase crime in our communities. We must ensure we equitably allocate resources across all City of Chicago communities based on need. We need to be more proactive about preventing crime before it occurs. Additional resources for mental health services, educational programs, and job readiness programs all increase a community’s social cohesion and wellness, thus reducing crime.
We must evaluate our police department staffing and ensure that trained police officers are not performing civilian roles. This will help us not only put public safety officials back in our communities but ensure we more efficiently staff administrative positions.
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 critical path to addressing the ridership levels on the CTA, is to address public safety issues on trains, buses, and rail stations that plague our magnificent system. We can do this through increased investment in dedicated transit security personnel and social workers who can scan our platforms, trains, and buses for issues and proactively address them.
Once people are safe and feel that public transportation is reliable, they will use these systems. We will see an increase in ridership and safety go hand in hand, similar to other major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Boston.
We must plan long-term for transportation systems in the city and the region with a focus on environmentally sound transportation to create a more equitable and accessible city.
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?
Every community should have healthy, robust neighborhood public schools. We must ensure that our schools are within walking distance of families’ homes and an intimate part of community life. Over the last twenty-to-thirty years, we have taken away from the focus on neighborhood public schools and thus caused confusion in the education marketplace–with people opting out of the CPS system.
The Covid-19 pandemic showed us just how important schools are as a central point for public information, emergency preparedness, and social programs. We should learn from this and reevaluate the roles education communities, and school buildings plan in our communities.
School staff and faculty should be provided the necessary tools and resources in their extraordinary endeavor as they continue to nurture our city’s and nation’s future leaders. This means we need libraries with librarians, mental health counselors, social workers, and arts/music programs at every school.
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 should take abandoned homes and properties, rehab them, and sell them to the Cook County Land Bank to provide housing for civil servants–teachers, police officers, firefighters, etc. This is the impetus for investment in these neighborhoods. By creating a stable tax base, we stand a reasonable chance of reinvigorating our economic corridors.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
I believe residents who have been in their homes for more than 15-20 years deserve property tax relief in the form of tax exemption. Long-time residents cannot keep pace with property tax increases and need relief. This is an equitable path to ensuring that new and sustaining residents are on a similar footing.
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?
TIF districts, as envisioned by Harold Washington, can be a great tool with proper oversight and defined goals.
Particularly on the South and West sides of the city, TIF has not been utilized juxtaposed to the needed impact. There are some TIF districts that may not be necessary. I suggest they should be allowed to lapse. When done correctly with proper oversight, TIF is a great tool for economic development.
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 service lines must be replaced expeditiously. We should look toward federal resources that have been allocated for these purposes and advocate for increased federal investment.
It has been shown that the City of Chicago has some of the highest lead service lines, and we should be doing whatever we can to protect our children. We need a comprehensive plan for full lead service life replacement within the next decade. I grew up on safe and reliable drinking water. The children of today and tomorrow deserve clean drinking water.
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 the only candidate with an extensive understanding of the legislative process, a bold policy agenda, and a deep knowledge of the 4th ward communities. My previous 11 years working in the office of the fourth ward make me uniquely qualified to understand and provide solutions to the bureaucracy and the governmental issues we face daily. I am a progressive leader, with a track record of service and life-long commitment to the communities of the fourth ward. If elected, on day one, I come with the skills to execute for the community rarely seen in the city.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
There are three issues fourth ward residents regularly ask me to prioritize: public safety, economic development, and quality accessible public education.
For public safety, we must find new innovative programs to address crime; such as violence interrupters; mental health services; more avenues for community involvement.
We need equitable economic development that allows every resident to live well and build wealth. This includes programs to support small businesses, workforce development programs, and organizing local stakeholders to develop comprehensive community plans.
In order to have equitable access to public education, we need to fix the state funding formula, invest in mental health, arts, and extracurricular programs, and ensure we staff our schools with nurses, libraries, and social workers.
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 the most qualified candidate, given my practical experience working in the office for the past 11+ years, my extensive background as a public policy expert, and my demonstrated commitment to working with local community members to create a shared vision for our neighborhoods.
My background has been tailored to specifically give me the wherewithal to hit the ground on Day One, ensuring continuity, progress, and a commitment to making the community better, not just for the residents of the 4th ward, but also for the City of Chicago.