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: Megan Mathias
Ward: 45th
Current job: Attorney. Lopp Mathias Law
Previous political experience: Elected Local School Council for Belding Elementary
Education: 2 BA + Juris Doctor
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
Sources of outside income: Legal services
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.
The 45th ward is experiencing a rise in crime and public safety remains a top priority for residents. I have spent more than 100 hours interviewing officers and residents on safety issues. We need to focus on issues that rebuild trust between the police and communities they serve. We also need to utilize data from studies on crime to implement strategies that have an impact on a short term and a long term basis. Investment in communities that have been historically suffering from disinvestment, as well as programs to keep kids focused on activities and school, and their future are key to a long term public safety plan. On a short term basis, below are some of the factors that should be part of a public safety plan:
focusing on response times
innovative techniques and tools can be a key factor in the effectiveness in public safety programs
research into tools that can be utilized in a fair and equitable manner
support for officers in terms of mental health and work conditions
increase retention of officers with a Drop provision (aka deferred retirement
allowing officers to retain benefits they pay into their retirement; thereby increasing retention of more seasoned officers)
state of the art training and techniques
removing tasks from the police that do not require a police response like calls regarding illegally parked vehicles
development of a system to sort 911 calls and route non-police responses (or CSOs)
investigating a CSO (community service officer) model and whether that can be successful in Chicago
These are all factors that should be part of an overall public safety plan to reduce crime in Chicago.
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.
CTA should develop goals and determine action items to meet those goals. One goal should be to be able to adapt and become more resilient.
CTA can develop better data management platforms to navigate today’s transit circumstances, post-covid. Operations must be adjudged, service routes must be modified given ever changing capacity and resource changes. One way to accomplish this is to modernize the process to become more efficient and offer micromobility options (shared bikes, scooters, integrated with public transport networks). Innovation should be a priority for CTA to better manage the changing schedules and needs of customers.
The CTA can and should be a viable and reliable transportation method from every corner of Chicago. While the 45th Ward is blessed with many bus lines and multiple L stations, busses and trains are useless if they don’t show up or if riders feel unsafe. Any solution to the CTA’s citywide problems must balance implementing effective solutions with the cost of doing so. Determining how best to keep people safe should be a top priority for CTA, which would give the public confidence that they can arrive at their destinations safely and timely.
Fair wages and recruitment of drivers and train operators should be prioritized to meet the demand. Having CTA security positioned onboard the trains, perhaps walking through the cars, would discourage lawlessness and provide riders with confidence that there is someone responsible for preventing criminal activity on the CTA.
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 an elected Chair of an LSC, I have witnessed the issues with CPS enrollment and policies. This is a multi-faceted issue which at the core requires investment in a strong public school system. Investing in neighborhood schools improves educational outcomes but also stabilizes a community. The selective enrollment system should be evaluated as to whether it is serving the students equitably and whether the neighborhood schools are resourced appropriately. Generally, students in 7th grade know their performance will make or break the high school they get into, and even a solitary B grade could take away those chances. Neighborhood schools can be a pillar of the community and generate students with amazing world views and successes. One example that I have witnessed, is that some high schools have no field for sports programs. Yet, Lane Tech has a campus that compares to some university level campuses. This is just a visual example in the difference in investment. Enrollment would be better if families were confident that their neighborhood school would be adequately supported and the alderman’s office was committed to supporting neighborhood schools. Recently, the incumbent took a $50,000 microgrant and provided it exclusively to private schools. As a leader, I would prioritize supporting public schools (as I have done for many years as the Chair of Belding’s LSC).
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.
There are so many things that can be included here. This question demands leadership, and why leadership is such an important part of my campaign for the 45th ward. Reversing South and West side disinvestment includes: increasing public safety for people to travel to and from work safely; increasing opportunities for home and property ownership; increasing opportunities for jobs and bringing employers to neighborhoods; investment in infrastructure; policies that recognize and reverse historical segregation; investment in communities, programs, and create opportunities. I will focus on increasing opportunities for property ownership as I believe that can also apply city-wide and can have an immediate impact on neighborhoods. Home ownership can be out of reach for many families. I grew up in a family that did not own a home until I was almost out of high school. I took on student loans to get myself through college and law school so home ownership took second place to paying student loans. Expanding government grants for home ownership, or to finance affordable home construction, can be monumental to a family seeking to purchase or rehabilitate property. Home ownership can also facilitate investment and dedication to the community.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes. I also think that tax relief should not be a burden upon the homeowner to figure out how to get the exemption. A retired homeowner may not have the mobility or digital know-how to accomplish the tasks needed to get a certain exemption. I think the onus should be on the government to properly exempt homeowners – not the other way around.
I support the recent proposal to use federal Covid-19 funds to reduce property tax burdens for residents. I would also like to create an Affordability Liaison in my office that is tasked with helping 45th ward residents work on property tax issues.
It is not enough to have webinars when many people struggle with the difficulties of everyday life. We should be providing the mechanism to assist homeowners to get these things done.
Finally, the center of the 45th ward includes Jefferson Park. Jeff Park is considered a an economically ‘extremely distressed’ category for the New Market Tax Credits program (a federal program). Since the process already exists to determine economically distressed areas, we should be able to utilize those categories to provide tax relief to economically distressed areas.
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 can be useful but they are often not utilized efficiently or effectively. To the extent they still exist, the funds should be easier to access for local business owners. I was recently told that a person on the northside would have to pay for the building upgrade and submit the payment for reimbursement by the TIF funds. However, she did not have the funds for the repairs and could not come up with the funds before the TIF expired.
It should be explored whether we can use expiring TIF funds to help homeowners with their tax burden or providing funds to local Chambers to give business grants to local businesses, or to support a local business incubator. The success of the federal PPP loan program demonstrates that some support can keep small businesses alive. In the 45th ward, we suffer from economic disinvestment and a struggling business corridor. I want to provide for a Vision45 Business Corridor Development Program with business improvement incentives and a business incubator that serves the ward. The Vision45 Business Incubator can assist small businesses with pop-up retail leases, and mentor business owners to assist in growth strategies. The Business Incubator can incorporate other aspects of life like art, digital education and be a model for an innovative ‘community center’ + business incubator model. This program could also include discounts on rent in exchange for hiring from the neighborhood.
Recently, Milwaukee Avenue was designated at a state level as the Polish American Heritage Corridor. I, along with local stakeholders including the Polish American Chamber and local business owners, met with local elected officials with the state and federal government to advocate for funding to assist businesses to stay along Milwaukee and sustain their properties. The incumbent was not present but I offered to work with him to help accomplish this goal. I was informed that the 45th ward did not participate in an economic study to determine economic development priorities along Milwaukee Avenue. As the next alderman, I would work hard to include the 45th ward in the study and implement action to reinvigorate the Milwaukee Corridor and its surrounding neighborhoods, and find a way to better utilize TIF funds for that purpose.
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 grew up in a small town, near Flint, Michigan. I have seen the impact of poor leadership and bad decisions relating to clean drinking water. My grandfather and my uncles worked in the auto manufacturing plants in Flint, Michigan. Chicago’s pace to repair lead service lines should be expedited and the health of citizens prioritized. The failure or refusal to do that can have devastating effects on the health of our residents, and their confidence in local government.
The best path to accomplish that is to hold those responsible for this accountable. We should set a goal and a timeline, after receiving feedback and understanding what is feasible. The timeline should be set and delegated with specific deadlines and tasks for completion. A task force is one way to make sure that people feel accountable to get this done for our city. A responsible, phased approach should be the most feasible way to replace the lines safely. I would be happy to serve on such a task force and lead this effort.
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.
A successful alderperson needs to have at least 3 traits – i) an understanding of the legislative process and how to get things done from a legislative perspective, and a command of the budget. I have spent 22 years as an attorney and know how to navigate rules and be prepared to get things done – just like you have to prepare for a trial. Second, a finger on the pulse of the neighborhood and an understanding of community needs, even block by block, and citywide. I have spent the better part of 2 years in the community as a candidate, and have also developed models for how to incorporate community voice into policy. Finally, the most basic requirement of leadership is at the forefront of this race. My work as an attorney serving people for more than two decades is helpful. I can navigate the complexities of CIty Council and have the tools to get this accomplished. But my community service highlights the kind of leadership I will bring to the 45th ward. I have won many awards for community service, even the 2021 leadership award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Alta May Hulett Award from the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women, and multiple awards from Women in Management for service to the community. I served on the Boards of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, LifeSpan, and the Ross K MacNeill Foundation, and the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law. I did not just serve on the Boards but I also jumped in with two feet – often trying cases with Lifespan or serving food to food insecure families with the YWCA. This demonstrates my deep commitment to service and the type of inclusive, empathic leadership that I will bring to the 45th ward; the type of leadership this neighborhood so desperately deserves.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Public safety and public schools have already been addressed in this questionnaire. One of the other biggest issues in this campaign is leadership. The productivity, perception and operation of the alderman’s office has been severely impacted by ‘leadership’ issues. Confidence in government has been impacted. The ability to get things done for the neighbors has been impacted. We have been without an adequate ward superintendent for months and significant controversies and lawsuits involving the ward super and incumbent. Residents don’t feel heard or respected. I have committed to transparency, inclusivity and community voice and I understand the concept of public service. I have spent decades in service – service on Boards fighting domestic and sexual violence, service for organizations fighting food insecurity, and other important causes like pediatric brain cancer. I have served on the Board of the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago (eliminating racism and empowering women), Board of LifeSpan (domestic violence), the Filament Theatre, the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law, and the Ross K MacNeill Foundation (pediatric brain cancer). I’ve committed to finding common ground, listening to community input and respecting differing opinions. I am running to bring better leadership to the 45th ward and give people an opportunity to be heard. We want more than just ward nights. We want a vehicle for true community input. I have spent more than two decades finding solutions in an adversarial system. I will put that experience to work for the 45th ward.
Economic reinvigoration is important to all parts of the 45th ward. I have developed a Vision45 on Economic Revitalization which includes a Milwaukee Corridor Development Plan, a plan to evaluate the SSAs in the area and use for the 45th ward (the Six Corners SSA was just diverted to a neighborhood outside the 45th ward by the incumbent), and prioritize affordability for the residents of the 45th ward. Supporting small businesses with robust programs, especially along the desolate Milwaukee Corridor, can have a significant impact on the lives of 45th ward residents and their families. With businesses that families can walk to, it becomes more of a community than it already is. One thing that sets the 45th ward apart is the community. Our Vision45 enhances that to bring more amenities to our residents and business owners.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
I often tell voters to think about 3 things:
why the candidate is running;
how they have run their campaign and
what they want to do while in office.
I am running to give back to the community that helped my family for years while my spouse battled cancer. After he passed away in October 2019, I felt an even deeper pull to serve others. It is one way we have healed as a family. We even took in a boy who was housing insecure and he lived with us for almost 10 months. I understand what it means to give back and the impact you can have on other people. I want to bring transparent leadership that serves everyone back to the 45th ward.
I started my campaign in March 2021. I had 135 people at my kickoff in Sept 2021. I have spent the better part of 2 years getting to know the community members and their needs. I have had community events focused on learning (like roundtables) and giving back (donating school supplies). I have been well-planned and strategic in terms of how I treat my staff and volunteers, so as not to overwhelm them. We were the first to start petitions, for example, while others tried to cram petition signatures into a few weeks. I have made my campaign about educating people on how the office works and how we can do better. I have focused on a vision for the 45th ward that can unite us and make progress on shared concerns. Part of the reason I am the most viable candidate is not just because of my background and experience. It is also because I started early, knocked the most doors (10,000 so far) and raised money early.
While knocking doors, residents tell me they want leadership that listens and can still listen on a topic on which there may be disagreement. Inclusive leadership that can integrate community voice. Understanding the needs of the neighborhood – even block by block – but also citywide issues and how the 45th ward plays a part.