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: Lamont Robinson
Ward: 4th
Current job: State Representative, Illinois General Assembly
Previous political experience: State Representative, Illinois General Assembly and SSA commissioner for 47th St.
Education: Bachelor and MBA
Spouse’s occupation: Not answered
Sources of outside income: State Legislator, All-State, Rental Income
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 have to look at this from a holistic approach. Which means, making sure the State Police, Sheriff Department and CPD are all working together and using resources to tackle crime. Chicagoans should be safe commuting to work and kids should be able to play outside and go to school without fear of bullets flying. The lack of opportunities in many neighborhoods is often the driving force behind the young people who commit many of these crimes. An effective way in combating crime would be to coordinate with schools and community leaders to identify young people most at-risk of being perpetrators of violent crime and invest in direct mentorship programs, before and after school programs and work with the business community to create jobs and skills training for them.
Another measure to reimagine public safety: investing more money into trained professionals such as social workers, mental health professionals and violence interrupters.
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.
Making the CTA safer, more reliable and more equitable is crucial. The CTA is the lifeline for many Chicagoans to gain access to employment, school and healthcare. One way that the CTA can make transportation safer is by working with community organizations that have trained violence interrupters and social workers to collaborate with CTA security guards to de-escalate situations in a non-violent manner.
Ghost Buses and Trains: Coordinating city-wide job fairs with city council members and the CTA would help fill in the employee shortage gaps to decrease the ghost bus and train phenomenon. Fine tuning the tracking system would also help with notifying riders if a bus or train is late or not in operation for the day.
The recently approved Red Line south expansion will help make service more equitable.
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?
Declining enrollment is a combination of many issues such as: residents migrating to the suburbs for more affordable housing and public safety concerns, teacher shortages, low birth rates and lack of funding for before- and after-school programs to keep students engaged.
Some measures CPS can take would be to increase funding and training for staff members to identify students who are at high risk for dropping out and engage in counseling; increasing funding and access to trade programs and for before- and after-school programs; coordinating citywide job fairs with city council members and CPS to fill staffing gaps; and providing equitable funding for all schools.
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.
Years of redlining and blockbusting continue to have negative impacts on the South and West sides of the city. Multiple studies have shown the long-term impacts of those two policies.
One solution is to make sure all city owned land is debris-free and incentivize development by building housing or retail spaces in those lots. Taking a look at what other cities have accomplished in reviving commerce in plighted areas around the country such as Newark could be helpful. One innovative idea from Newark I would like to explore adopting would be to provide low-interest loans for small businesses in retail corridors, provide city grants to cover the cost of job training and charging cheaper sales taxes in those neighborhoods can spur economic development and decrease crime. As Alderman, I would create a task force to explore these initiatives.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes, but it has to be long term property tax relief with a solid, responsible plan to pay down debts. There are several ways that property tax credits can be implemented without funding for schools, street infrastructure, fire, police, municipal services or pensions being affected.
One way to bring down property tax relief would be to consolidate municipal funds. I supported a similar measure with the FireFIghter pensions funds on the State level that’s been effective. Also securing revenue on the State and Federal Government to assist with additional funding for example, GAP and/or low interest rate loans.
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?
The program needs to be closely assessed and then reformed so the neighborhoods that need it most are serviced first. That means mandating surplus declarations annually on all unencumbered TIF dollars in districts that no longer fit the original intent of the TIF policy and returning that money to the taxing bodies. Those monies should be used for services such as education, youth programs, job growth, economic development and investing in better infrastructure. I would also work with the City Council to create a TIF Task Force and community advisory board to address the most critical needs of our city.
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?
This is a top priority of mine. No one should have to have unsafe drinking water. As a State Representative, I spearheaded this legislation in Springfield to replace lead service lines. The pace should absolutely be expedited and with federal funding coming in, that should speed up the process. In addition, we need to educate homeowners of the lead concerns and incentivize them to replace lead pipes.
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’ve been a State Representative in the General Assembly for five years. The knowledge, resources and connections I’ve established being a State Representative will allow me to get straight to work once I’m sworn in. I also have the unique advantage of having colleagues in the General Assembly to collaborate with to bring state funding back into the 4th ward, which no other candidate has that type of experience. I am also a small business owner and am business minded. I have served on the SSA as a commissioner for 47th and 51st where we built shops and lofts on 47th Street which has retail and affordable housing.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Crime is the most pressing issue. I will continue to work with CPD, the Sheriff Department, State Police, violence prevention organizations, community organizations, block clubs and churches to hold listening sessions. We need more community involvement to help mitigate crime. Having community leaders and creating groups in the 4th ward such as: “Real Men Walk,” to volunteer to walk troubled areas and blocks to engage with troubled youth and mentor them can be instrumental in decreasing crime.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
As a State Representative, I have passed meaningful legislation to tackle some of our major societal ills such as: poverty, education and violence. I will continue to tackle these ills in the city council alongside the relationships that I have in Springfield. I have had an open door policy as a state legislator in my district and Springfield office and will continue to do so as Alderman.