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: Monique L. Scott
Ward: 24th
Current job: Alderwoman of the 24th Ward(City of Chicago)
Previous political experience: Alderwoman of the 24th Ward(City of Chicago)
Education: MBA in Marketing (National Louis University)
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.
We need realistic approaches. UCAN, Readi Chicago and Chicago Cred have proven to bring crime down on the westside of chicago by more than 44%. If we take that model and fund it correctly across the city of chicago in those 15 communities that see the most violent crimes hopefully we would see a 50% decrease throughout Chicago. We need to dive into the unused ARPA funds to continue to fund these organizations. The other proposal is in Investing in community service activities, so that young folks have constructive activities so you can get ahead of the violence. I have worked at the Chicago Park District for 8 years and I know that when you have viable programs offered to the youth with proper staff they deter kids off the streets. Lastly, we still need to invest in our police department, we are sorely under resourced, we need to look at processes across the county that are working for the police and incorporate it. We need mental health responders to mental health issues when the police are involved. In addition, we need to work on our detective department with hiring more detectives so that more crimes are solved. Criminals will feel less likely to commit a crime. Essentially Crime will go down if detectives could solve more crimes. Our detective department clearance rate is low.
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.
Dedicated Partnership with different agencies. More specifically the Chicago Police Department with dedicated police presence on the train. Working more with CPS, the Chicago park district and CHA residents to assure that more people are utilizing our transit system through an incentive program. We must commit to economic justice by making transportation more safe and affordable while connecting more Chicagoans with jobs/careers to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.
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 dwindling enrollment is not based solely on CPS. There are a number of factors. The city has to do more to attract residents to the city and/or entice residents not to leave the city. Due to the fact you have neighborhoods such as the 24th ward with over 3000 vacant lots and a neighborhood riddled with crime. We have to have housing incentive programs to retain and attract more people in the community. Secondly, CPS has to think about making equitable investments in these communities, because there are so many school buildings that are under enrolled, you can’t do mass closing that happened in 2015 under the former administration. A targeted investment in our education as it relates to creating more trades, culinary, transportation and logistics programs that will entice the youth to stay in school in and around their neighborhood. Thirdly, having real conversations with our legislators on the state level to adequately fund CPS the way that other districts around the state are funded. We are the only municipality that has to pay into our teachers pension that could be easily covered on the state end. Having real conversations on parity of our students. Just because we are the largest district doesn’t mean we don’t deserve PARITY.
Lastly, ecosystem for healthy communities. That includes well resourced and great curriculums in schools. Economic development and parity as it relates to developing in these disinvested communities. Which ties into jobs and public safety. Ensuring residents are safe are driving factors in bringing more bodies into a neighborhoods. Job security and the ability to take care of themselves financially, if you have a job then you can buy a house. All of these reasons are secular in my eyes. You can’t tackle one without tackling all of them. You have to take small bites at each one because housing, jobs, safety, economic development and education are all connected.
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.
The city need to do more to have residents in these disinvested communities to have capital to invest in land in their own communities. Lawndale sits on 3000 vacant lots. Residents need to have working capital to invest back in their own neighborhood. You can then take that equity and build business, so that we are creating generational wealth down the line. This will give residents working capital. Example: We have funds from ARPA and 30 million in Gang Intervention money that hasn’t been used take that money and invest it in people. They can in return build houses using the various lot programs that can really assist residents and help the communities thrive.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Giving property tax relief would be great. If we could go back to the state and create a graduated income tax that would relive homeowners from property taxes that would ideal. If we can’t get that access revenue then it is not fiscally responsible for us to give taxpayers relief. Every year bread, cheese, milk, egg, clothes etc, all increase. The cost of a city increases every year as well. To be fiscally responsible we have to raise taxes and not drop millions and millions of dollars but incrementally raise taxes.
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’S used in blighted areas like North Lawndale, East and West Garfield, Austin, Englewood are necessary. You have to have entice investors to come into communities that have not been invested in before. I would advocate to continue to use TIF’s in blighted areas. However, their are TIF’s that touch in River North and downtown and although it helps those large scale developers to do infrastructure and and roads, that money can go back to our school districts. So when those TIF’s expire, I would let them expire and go back to the district. I would also make regulations more stringent on developers, so if they are not doing affordable housing, then they shouldn’t be allowed to do fees in lieu of. Those large developers should do affordable housing on site and also helps small business from the communities be apart of the development team in order to be considered for the TIF in those non-blighted areas.
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?
I had a direct contact with the Department of water and the need for aldermanic assistance with outreach to accomplish these goals. The water department is also looking to hire more plumbers and more contractors to achieve some of their goal. The 2023 Goal is to have 10,750 public side complete and 5,780 private side complete. The department of water has a LSL Replacement program projections of when and who to start with.
Homeowner initiated
Equity(low income homeowners)
Daycares throughout the city in low-income areas first
leaks and Breaks that occur
Alongside Water main Replacement
Alongside sewer main replacement This is their plan. As part of their commitment to our City, the Department of Water Management (DWM) will be conducting the first lead service line replacement alongside water main replacement on an entire block in the 24th ward at 1900 block of south Spaulding Avenue.
This isn’t an easy fix financially, this will cost the city roughly over 8-10 Billion dollars over the next 40 years. I will continue to push and advocate for the residents of 24th Ward and the work that need to be completed as well as this will essentially employe hundreds of jobs/careers over the next 40 plus years.
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 volunteered at the alderman office the year prior to me stepping into this role so I intricately know the needs of the ward and what it takes to the effectively get the job done. Since my appointment in June, I am answering constituents calls, attending city council meetings, I sit on 10 city council committee’s taking hard votes on issues on the budgets, law briefings etc,. rules and finance. Those committee assignments I sit on are Budget and Government Operations, Rules, Committee on Rules. Committee on Contract oversight and equity , Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, Education and Child Development, Committee on Ethics and Government Oversight, Committee on Finance, License and Consumer Protection, Public Safety and Transportation and Public Way. This gives me the full advantage over my opponents because I am effectively doing the job at hand. We need to assure the city run. My background in business and finances, my community service in the community makes me qualified. I have worked in around this community for over 20 years. I was born in reared in this community. My entire family has always worked to make North Lawndale better . It is something I live and breath, it is a part of my fabric in my being. I will work hard each and every day until the 24th Ward rivals in other neighborhood in the city that are thriving. That’s what I was taught, it’s why I educated myself and it’s what will happen for my community. I have already managed relationships with several city departments, Streets and Sanitation, Water Department, CDOT, Housing, Department of Planning, Buildings, Administrative hearings, BACP to get the job done in and around the community effectively.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
What are the main policy priorities of your campaign? What specific policies do you have concerning violence, the city budget, and helping the labor movement grow?
Unfortunately the 24th ward have more than just one issue. We have a problem with health Public safety, lack of investment from the city, and a lack of housing, health disparities in our community and our educational system could be better resourced on a school level. You can’t decouple any one of those issues; they all work hand in hand. I will Start with tackling the 3000+ vacant lots in 24th ward. I’ve held community meetings to address the vacant lots and how we can work to rebuild and reclaim our community.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
I love the 24th Ward and have been diligently to make it a great ward. I’ve provided great service to my neighbors since being appointed, and together we will continue to solve many problems. I am bringing tremendous resources to the ward; such as the Soulé (3621 W Roosevelt) is a Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) grant awardee and Is North Lawndale first full service restaurant in over 50 years. Grace Manor Apartments (3401 W. Ogden) is a mixed-use development consisting of 65 affordable housing units, retail and community space, and space for job training and wealth-building classes developed by joint venture East Lake Management and the Grace at Jerusalem CDC. I Recently voted on a 100 million dollar bond to rehab Albany Terrace senior home. The first development to this building in over 50 years. In addition, The Lawndale Innovation Center is a $38.4 million project led by 548 Development and Related Midwest proposed for Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue on the West Side of Chicago’s largest piece of vacant land forner home the Silver shovel. The 20.8-acre development will include a 302,140-square-foot solar-powered industrial complex, a pair of community centers and public open space featuring public art. The project is expected to create approximately 700 permanent and temporary jobs.
I sit on 10 committee’s in city council; Budget and Government operations, Rules, Contract oversight and Equity, Economic, capital and technology and development, Education and child development, Ethics and Government oversight, Finance, Licence and consumer protection, Public Safety and Transportation and public. I understand complex financial and economic development issues, I provide good service to my constituents. Through my leadership and problem solving skills. l have resolved controversial issues in this past 6 months which gives me an advantage over any of my opponents.
In the 24th Ward were dealing with decades of systemic divestment. A foreclosure crisis and shrinking population have made vacant lots more prevalent in the 24th Ward. I have got in front of the issue brining community resident together to have the knowledge to acquire the lands to reclaiming and rebuilding the 24th Ward.
As Alderwoman of the 24th ward, I will continue to work diligently to represent the interests of all residents and find intelligent, equitable and effective solutions to problems facing our Ward and the entire City. I am committed to having open discussions about inequality, development, affordability, our environment, infrastructure, pension liabilities, delivery of fundamental services to the community.