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: Heather Wills
Ward: 18th
Current job: Organizer 2, SEIU Healthcare
Previous political experience: None
Education: Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Business Administration in Finance and Financial Fraud Management and Examination from Saint Xavier University, Master of Arts in Religious Leadership in Social Transformation from Chicago Theological Seminary.
Spouse’s occupation: Not answered
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.
In the 18th Ward, residents and business owners are worried about property theft and gun violence. Innovative solutions to crime are the proactive ones – we need community resource centers and hubs, affordable housing, accessible education and livable wage jobs, more mental health resources, and legislation that reflects that needs of the people. I would propose community resource centers that particularly support digital era needs, expanding financial assistance that supports home buyers and home repairs, strengthening economic development in the 18th Ward, increase community resource access, and persistently engage with residents about their public safety concerns.
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.
To make train and bus service safer, CTA must first protect its workers through providing safety shields and equipment, as well as training if an incident arises. To minimize physical threats, CTA should enhance the safety call buttons throughout their vehicles. In areas like the South and West sides, which have a higher concentration of road traffic, compared to downtown and the North Side, which have more pedestrian traffic, CTA should reconsider route efficiency especially in geographically-marginalized communities.
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?
Some factors of CPS ever-dwindling enrollment are external factors, such as migration and the decrease in the average family size. However, the dwindling enrollment does not mean our schools need to be filled to the brim with students. It means that teachers and administrators can have a more hands-on and involved process in their students’ learning day. With less students per class, there is more time for personalized instruction and educational growth. To reverse the dwindling of enrollment, CPS needs to give the same resources to neighborhood schools and selective enrollment schools, beginning with full resource staffing.
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.
One innovative idea is the creation of community centers and hubs that highly support technological advancement and encourage entrepreneurship and business development.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes. Property tax relief should be offered on an income and rebate basis. Once property taxes are paid, rebates can be claimed when the city’s fund is in excess of a predetermined percentage.
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 TIFs were intended to be useful; however, lack of oversight allows them to be treated as slush funds. We often see TIFs move between districts, which is the prevailing cause of TIF district and commercial development inequity. Therefore, there needs to be more regulation before funds can be moved from one TIF district to another to ensure that TIFs are kept within the intended neighborhood.
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?
Yes, this service must be expedited through increasing fair and inequitable contracts and subcontracts.
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.
My qualifications: I have been a community organizer all my life, so I understand how to organize my community. I have led across many organizations, so I understand how to work with people to get the job done. Leading is not a heavy lift – we just need someone to do it. In the 18th Ward, we need consistent communication, as well as proactive aldermanic presence and leadership. We need someone who will regularly go into the community and hear from residents and business owners so their needs can be addressed. As an organizer, I build relationships regularly with people, so I know how to bring a thriving community together. Because of my innate skills of timeliness and management, I can successfully manage several tasks and maintain several deadlines. As a result, I am reliable and goal-oriented and am excited to serve the residents and business owners of the 18th Ward.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The most pressing issue is public safety. People want to feel and be safe as they live their lives. Many understand that crime is inherent to the populous; however, we must mitigate crime through proactive and reactive efforts such as community resources, block clubs and neighborhood watch programs.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
Regretfully, Derrick Curtis is not present within the ward or within city council. As I have been talking to residents since August, they have overwhelmingly remarked that they want more aldermanic presence – they simply don’t know who their Alderperson is. This is apparent by his lack of attendance in his ward office and at ward events. He does not hold regular meetings with the ward to keep residents involved and knowledgeable. I have been a community representative since 2017 and have been contacted no more than 5 times by the office about distributing literature to my neighbors. Although his office boasts to reach over 5,000 residents by e-mail, this is less than 10% of the over 50,000 residents in the ward. Moreover, he has missed city council and committee meetings in over 30 months since 2019, many of these meetings which have been online. He has missed over 15 economic development meetings, which is tallied to over one year of not attending these meetings. When we look at the economic development of the 18th Ward, it is apparent that he is not involved. Likewise, he has not attended over 10 transportation committee meetings, which address issues with CTA and our airports. This is unacceptable. No non-elected official worker can repetitively miss work meetings and still have a job. There must be a higher standard for those who represent our collective voice.