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: Yessenia Carreón
Ward: 10th
Current job: I was a Community Health and Response Coordinator with Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) but was told that if I ran for office my contract would not be renewed, so my contract was terminated as soon as I announced my candidacy. (end date 10/31/22) I am also an actor and social media influencer/content creator
Previous political experience: Although I worked for an elected official for 9+ years, I myself have never held office.
Education: Degree in Business Management from Robert Morris College
Spouse’s occupation: Manager at a Restaurant in Downtown Chicago
Sources of outside income: Social Media ads/collaborations; residuals from previous television and film work
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.
One of the major issues with crime is the immediate knee jerk reaction everyone seems to have in response to the rise in crime. While I do agree we need to improve how we react and deal with crime, the large missing piece is what can we do to provide them (those that choose a life a crime) with enough opportunities to make better choices. Crime prevention starts in the homes and families of those that commit crimes. It starts by providing our educators with the proper resources and facilities to provide our youth with better options to consider other than crime.
However, immediately, we can do better to provide our law enforcement officials with the support they need. We need to re-empower those individuals who have been hampered in doing their jobs by bureaucracy and special interests.We need to provide our law enforcement people with the proper training and support using technology to assist, not to obstruct. And specifically in the 10th Ward, because we are on the state boarder, we need to work along-side Whiting and Hammond, IN city government to address the issue we have with these individuals committing a crime and using the state line to their advantage.
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 CTA currently exacerbates a staffing problem by choosing to provide potential riders with a system that does not account for actual buses and trains in transit, but rather to just keep sending information for vehicles they already know are not on the road and rail. Never mind the traditional reasons why a public transportation system loses ridership, waiting an hour for a bus that says is coming in 15 minutes making you consider other transportation options.
First step is to be honest with the people of the city of Chicago and only show buses that are coming. Transit operators need to be provided proper security measures and training to protect them and riders as best as we can. Real time access to video and audio is a start, but there also needs to be infrastructure in place to respond to crime as it happens.
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?
Unfortunately, our local school system is bound by testing and other measures that may or may not properly gauge a student’s merit in the real world. Not only are we supposed to be providing a good education where children and teachers have the equipment they need to succeed, but we have lost all sense of providing children with the tools to be good people socially. So many programs have been cut from school curriculums that, once upon a time, might have provided a student with something they could enjoy about going to school. Programs like school orchestras and bands, drama class/theater, and hands-on sciences that allow children to experience education not only in a book, but an experience they can have tactically…engaging them in ways that simply sitting at a desk for 8 hours could never provide.
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.
As I look upon the 10th ward, one issue I see is the ever crisscrossing of various levels of government that manage a particular area. For example, our ward is comprised of many swatches of Illinois State Representatives maps of control. Coupled with Cook County and the various City of Chicago levels of government, many “innovative ideas” never get further than the pieces of paper they are written on. Never mind including the Federal Government into the mix. That same review of the 10th ward will show hundreds and hundreds of acres of land that are either not being used properly or cannot be used due to various levels of pollution. Multiply that by being right up against the border of Indiana, where residents don’t share the same tax burdens as we do. We bleed a lot of money from our community into surrounding areas. Before a plan, there must be a coalition of all levels of local and federal government to ensure whatever plan is thought of, might actually have a chance of success.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
In my opinion, the main argument with regard to local residents and what we call “gentrification” is that improving where you live ends up equating to a higher tax burden for the people that were there from the start. Considering the same type of concept that protects apartment seekers in New York might do well as a program in the City of Chicago. Instead of rent control, a local resident that has owned their property prior to the improvement, should be allowed to have their property taxes frozen, even if they benefit with higher property values.
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 there are many TIF districts that can show they have run the program with great success, while others have not. The main problem I see tends to be the SSA groups and their fiscal agencies that “manage” the money. Some groups are comprised of forward thinking, business minded people who do great work by volunteering their time to improve the community they manage. But there are other groups that have not had any change over in decades. All TIFs should be managed by groups that have term limits or some type of oversight that forces change faster. Aldermanic offices should do a better job of informing constituents of whom is managing their tax dollars and taking in the community’s input as to where the money should be spent. If elected, I will make sure all 5 of our TIFs have an advisory team comprised of surrounding residents, business owners, etc to make sure the community has a voice in the decisions made and their input is being taken into consideration during the allocation of funds.
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 is a potent, irreversible neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure and multigenerational impacts. The lead service line replacement needs to be expedited. Home owners should be encouraged to send in their water for testing to be able to prioritize who needs to get serviced right away. We need to allocate funding not only on the city level, but state and federal as well to expedite. Meanwhile, homeowners should be encouraged to used a water filtration system in their homes in the meantime…even offering grants for a free filtration system to those in financial need.
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 had the opportunity to work for a 16 year Alderman where I learned how the City works and how to navigate through the different departments. I would be ready to work day 1. With 15 years of community service and 9 years of experience in local government, I have a deep understanding of the issues facing our city. My involvement in civic engagement programs and my knowledge of public policy have given me the skills to develop innovative and effective solutions to the problems that exist within our communities.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The most pressing issues in our ward are economic development and safety. The lack of businesses, especially small business, has been an ongoing problem for some time now. The 10th Ward has a unique problem that the rest of the City cannot relate to…we are on the border of Indiana and are competing directly with their businesses and lower taxes. To top it off, with the closing of many retail stores and other small shops during the pandemic, there are few job opportunities available in our area and this puts us at a disadvantage economically. Additionally, there is little public investment in the area which further inhibits any potential growth we may have had.
It’s time that we work together to find solutions that would bring much needed economic development back into our ward. With a thriving business district and working economic plan, our safety problem gets addressed as well. We need to attract new businesses and capital investment so that more jobs can be created and local entrepreneurs can thrive. We must also invest in existing infrastructure such as roads, bridges, sidewalks etc.to encourage the potential businesses to set up shop in our ward. We need to take a deep look at where our TIF and SSA funds are going/being misused, and redirect those funds to help start-up businesses and encourage new retail stores, small shops, etc
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
As stated above, I am the only candidate with experience in that office. I will not need time to learn the ropes…I will be ready to work on day 1. Since leaving the aldermanic office, I have continued to work in the community, have continued to build relationships and have helped service our community during the pandemic providing health resources, vaccines; and food/financial resources to those in need. As a leader, I know how to bring together diverse stakeholders to solve difficult challenges. From charities addressing poverty and homelessness, to local chambers and business district organizations, I have collaborated with many different voices in order to move forward progress. My extensive experience in economic development combined with my ability to use social media, is what is needed to help stimulate local economic growth for our current local businesses. I will use my platform to to attract new business ventures and foster public-private partnerships that could help spur growth within our local economy.