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: Carlos Ramirez-Rosa
Ward: 35th
Current job: Alderman, City of Chicago
Previous political experience: I have served as 35th Ward Alderman since 2015. I am also 35th Ward Democratic Committeeperson. I previously served as a Community Representative on the Avondale Elementary Local School Council.
Education: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, BA in Political Science
Spouse’s occupation: My domestic partner is a Project Coordinator with the Chicago Department of Public Health
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.
No Chicagoan should fear calling 9-1-1, and no Chicagoan should fear walking in their neighborhood. All of us deserve to live in safe, well-resourced communities. That is why I have worked with city agencies, neighbors, and all stakeholders to build relationships and deliver the resources that make for safer and stronger communities.
At the local level, in the past four years, I have:
Hosted “Walk Your Block” events throughout the ward throughout the spring, summer, and fall, allowing neighbors to come together with local police and city departments to tackle public safety concerns; Used aldermanic funds to install public safety cameras at hotspots throughout the ward; Worked with the 33rd Ward Office, the City of Chicago Law Department, and the 17th Police District, to initiate a Strategic Task Force to investigate problem buildings on Chicago’s northwest side; Worked with the 14th and 17th police districts to fund and host one of Chicago’s first catalytic converter theft deterrence events. We helped 50 ward residents paint and permanently ID their catalytic converters. We are planning another event for early 2023; Welcomed and supported the Avondale Restorative Justice Court (RJCC) at St. Hyacinth Basilica. The RJCC resolves conflict through restorative conferences and peace circles involving non-violent defendants, victims, family members, friends, and community members.
At the city-wide level, in the past four years, I: Led the successful effort to pass the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, establishing the most democratic police accountability system in the nation, ensuring Chicagoans have a real say over policing in their communities and helping to restore trust between residents and police; Worked to ensure no Chicagoan would fear calling 9-1-1 in an emergency, amending the city’s Welcoming City Ordinance to ensure local police could not work with ICE to separate and deport families; Fought for and won historic investments in the 2022 budget in programs proven to reduce crime, including $85 million for violence prevention, $65 million for youth programs, and a 72.5% increase in staffing at the City of Chicago’s public mental health clinics.
Chicago and the nation experienced an increase in violent crime throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 35th Ward was no exception to this increase – we saw an increase in violent crime in 2020 and 2021. After two years of increases, violent crime is trending downward in our 35th Ward – vehicular carjackings are down 52.4%, homicides are flat, and all violent crime is down 5.3% in our ward. My community welcomes this downward trend in violent crime, and I know we will all continue to do what we can to ensure no one is afraid to walk down their block or through their neighborhood.
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.
In 2022, I initiated City Council efforts to improve CTA service and reliability. After hearing from ward residents on CTA service and reliability – and experiencing these issues firsthand – I worked with dozens of my City Council colleagues to require CTA leadership to testify before the Committee on Transportation on their plans to improve CTA service and reliability. Requiring CTA to testify at Council was an unusual step, given that CTA is a separate agency from the City of Chicago. However, given the ongoing issues at CTA, I felt it necessary for City Council to step in and put pressure on CTA leadership to improve service for our city’s residents. In response to the Council effort I initiated, CTA released a plan to improve service and reliability, agreed to quarterly testimony before the City Council, and CTA leadership hosted listening sessions at stations across the city. More is needed to improve CTA service and reliability, and I will continue to use my Council position to push CTA in 2023. One key takeaway from this effort to improve CTA service is that CTA is in dire need of employees to maintain and improve service. To that end, I have helped CTA promote their job fairs, and I am pleased to see CTA signing bonuses for drivers, conductors, and mechanics. I support increased funding for CTA to ensure we are paying CTA workers properly and recruiting and retaining sufficient staffing. Lastly, if things don’t turn around soon in CTA, the mayor and the board should consider a change in leadership.
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?
While troubling, the decrease in CPS enrollment correlates with the overall decrease in the city’s under-18 population. From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. Census found that Chicago had 76,457 fewer children. Five of our nation’s six largest cities saw a decrease in their under-18 population during this same time, although only Los Angeles experienced a steeper decrease than Chicago. It’s difficult to tell if this drop in Chicago’s under-18 population results exclusively from declining birthrates or from families with young children choosing to leave the city. Working-class Latino families, who statistically have more children, could be choosing to leave Chicago because of rising property taxes and rent – this could be a driver in declining enrollment at CPS. Several of my friends, in their early 30s and starting their families, have chosen to buy in the suburbs due to the high cost of housing in many Chicago neighborhoods. I have also heard of young families choosing to pay higher property taxes in the suburbs to get their children into the enrollment boundaries of certain suburban school districts. However, I do not know anyone who has made such a move.
The reasons for Chicago’s declining under-18 population and the corresponding decline in CPS enrollment are complex and require more research. That said, whether CPS has 300,000 or 400,000 students, every Chicago public school student deserves a fully-funded school with a librarian, nurse, counselor, wrap-around services, and an enriching environment. CPS’s failure to adequately provide for special needs students is well documented. If parents leave the city to provide their child with better education, it is most likely the parents of special needs students who are at the top of that list. That is why fully funding our public schools and providing a quality education for every child must be at the heart of any plan to improve CPS and CPS enrollment.
To that end, I have consistently worked to support my local neighborhood schools, including allocating aldermanic menu funds to improve school facilities, raising money from the private sector to fill gaps in CPS funding for our local schools, and fighting to surplus and allocate TIF dollars to benefit our schools. Most recently, we secured a record number of local TIF dollars for Darwin Elementary in Logan Square. In 2016, I initiated the push to ensure Logan Square’s Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF dollars went to public schools, not connected developers. This year, our community accomplished that goal. With my support in Council, the city has allocated $10.1 million from the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF to fund needed repairs at Darwin Elementary.
I will continue doing everything I possibly can as an alderman to help fund our public schools. I hope that in this new term, Chicago’s mayor, City Council, and our Springfield delegation can work collaboratively to ensure CPS schools receive the funding they need to provide a world-class education for every student.
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.
I was proud to vote yes on the recent TIF district approval for the Red Line expansion. The extension has been an effort decades in the making, and I believe it provides one critical measure to address the disinvestment on the south and west Sides. We know that major infrastructure improvements, particularly train stations, can help attract investment and support businesses and housing. In my ward, the historic heart of Logan Square was developed due to a train station.
In addition to supporting efforts already in the works, like the Red Line expansion and INVEST South/West, my innovative idea is that the City of Chicago should work to save existing buildings and housing on the south and west sides from demolition; this should include a job training program for south and west side community residents to enter the trades. Such a program could be accomplished by raising the real estate transfer tax, as proposed by the Bring Chicago Home proposal – creating a dedicated revenue stream to address homelessness, which includes people and families doubled- and tripled-up in substandard housing in many of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. I would take a portion of this funding and partner with the CFL and MWBE contractors to create a job training program for south and west side residents. This job training program would give south and west side residents a career path in the trades and put them to work rehabbing dilapidated housing and mixed-use commercial/apartment buildings in the south and west sides. This funding and program could also be used for infill development – building new housing on vacant lots on the south and west sides.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes, absolutely. In November 2020, I voted against the proposal to raise property taxes annually for the next 36 years. In 2016, after voting against Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s massive property tax increase, I worked with my colleagues and the then-administration to create a property tax rebate program to provide relief to struggling homeowners. This term, I have hosted seven property tax appeal workshops to help hundreds of ward homeowners lower their property taxes, and I have another in the works for early 2023. I have also pursued other measures to help struggling homeowners with rising property taxes, including working to pass and bring the Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance to make it easier for homeowners to build new basement, coach house, and attic apartments. Rents from these units could help homeowners pay their rising property tax bill. Additionally, I support the recent proposal to use remaining ARPA funds to provide some relief to struggling homeowners. Ultimately, Chicago residents, particularly struggling seniors and working-class families on a fixed income, need structural changes to our property tax system. That is why I am in talks with my counterparts at the county and state levels to identify long-term reforms to our broken property tax system.
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?
I believe that our Tax Increment Financing system is broken and needs reform. The original purpose of TIFs was to increase investment in blighted communities, and we’ve seen too many TIF projects created for areas that are certainly not blighted. I support phasing out TIF districts in areas that are no longer blighted and eliminating TIFs in affluent neighborhoods.
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?
We need to replace Chicago’s lead service lines intentionally and quickly. I support the Illinois Environmental Council’s call to fully identify and replace all lead service lines in Chicago by 2040, with supportive measures in place for low-income families at high risk of exposure. A significant undertaking like this requires a city body that can provide direct oversight of the identification and replacement of these lines and can enforce the process when faced with challenges or delays. This is why I support reinstating a fully funded Department of the Environment, with a full staff and resources at its disposal to ensure our city provides clean air and water for all its residents.
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’m proud that during my time as 35th Ward alderman, I’ve delivered for our ward’s neighborhoods and families, and – so importantly – I’ve sought to tackle our shared challenges by building coalitions, bringing people together, and providing resources to families in need.
In the 35th Ward, in the past four years, we’ve built new affordable housing. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped seniors get vaccinated and helped connect families and small businesses with the resources they needed to survive. We’ve invested in our neighborhood schools. We’ve attracted new investment to the ward. We’ve made necessary pedestrian and traffic safety improvements and worked to institute good, honest government where our ward’s residents and families – not special interests – come first. Our ward’s community-driven zoning process has been recognized as a model by local and national organizations.
At the citywide level, I’ve played a key role in passing public safety ordinances to ensure no one is afraid to call 9-1-1 and that Chicagoans have a real say over policing in their neighborhoods. I’ve led successful legislative efforts to win property tax relief for working-class homeowners, historic city investments in violence prevention and social services, paid sick leave and protections for Chicago workers, equality and protections for LGBTQ Chicagoans, accountability and transparency on municipal financial transactions, and protections for historic two- to four-flats — the single biggest source of naturally-occurring affordable housing in our neighborhoods.
In 2023, I’m running for re-election because I love Chicago – I love our diversity, our neighborhoods, and our families; and I know that continuing the work we’re doing in our 35th Ward is critical to helping our neighbors in need and transforming our city for the better.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Housing affordability is the number one concern I hear from ward residents. Accordingly, I have worked to keep families in their homes and worked to ensure our 35th Ward neighborhoods are affordable, integrated, and diverse.
Since 2019, I have hosted seven property tax appeal workshops to help hundreds of ward homeowners lower their property taxes. I successfully advocated for rental assistance to help struggling tenants at the height of the pandemic, and my ward office directly assisted over 600 families with their rent assistance applications in 2020. In November 2020, I voted against the proposal to raise property taxes annually for the next 36 years. In December 2020, I supported and worked to pass the Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance to make it easier for homeowners to build new basement, coach house, and attic apartments. I’m also leading the charge to preserve our community’s historic two- to four-flat apartment buildings – our city’s most significant source of naturally occurring affordable housing. In 2021, we passed anti-deconversion and anti-demolition ordinances for portions of Logan Square. This year, I cut the ribbon on the all-affordable Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments after leading the successful effort to build the new 100-unit housing development next to the Logan Square Blue Line stop. We have another all-affordable housing development in the works just a few blocks away on Kedzie Boulevard. I have also worked with city agencies and community organizations to help conduct outreach and assist our unhoused residents in signing up for the city’s coordinated entry system – the first step to getting housing. My office has helped house several of our ward’s homeless neighbors through consistent outreach alongside our community partners. While I’m proud of my efforts, I know more must be done, which is why I will continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to advance housing justice and address displacement in my ward.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
As shared above, I’m proud that during my time as 35th Ward alderman, I’ve delivered for our ward’s neighborhoods and families, and – so importantly – I’ve sought to tackle our shared challenges by building coalitions, bringing people together, and providing resources to families in need. Chicago’s 35th Ward has a progressive and liberal majority. During my time in office, I’ve not only represented our ward’s progressive and compassionate values, but I’ve sought to work collaboratively to get things done for the good of all Chicagoans. I’m proud that my local governing coalition includes small business owners, civic leaders of all political persuasions, and new and long-term ward residents. My collaborative approach to governance has delivered at the local and citywide levels. My legislative track record speaks for itself – I’ve played a critical role in passing ordinances to protect immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, workers, and all Chicagoans. I’ve delivered on affordability, transportation, public safety, and education for ward residents and Chicagoans. In 2023, I’m running for re-election because I love Chicago – I love our diversity, our neighborhoods, and our families; and I know that continuing the work we’re doing in our 35th Ward is critical to helping our neighbors in need and transforming our city for the better.