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: Jeylú B. Gutiérrez
Ward: 14th
Current job: District Director, Cook Co. Commissioner Alma Anaya
Previous political experience: First-time candidate for office. Served on the Local School Council at Irene Hernandez Middle School
Education: Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad del Valle de Mexico, and Kendall College
Spouse’s occupation: Union Carpenter
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.
There is no doubt that the issue of violent crime is top of mind for communities across Chicago, and this is no different in the 14th Ward. There must be efforts and initiatives put forth to bring immediate relief, but we must also address the root causes that have over time have brought us to this point. We need to work alongside police to modernize, professionalize our department and make sure our officers are not overworked and have the support they need to do their jobs. We also know that addressing violence is about more than just policing. City leadership also has to support the violence prevention work being done by community-based groups and promote positive collaboration with the police department. Serious outreach efforts are needed to offer support, real alternatives and economic opportunities for all and diminish some of the incentives for crimes such as car thefts.
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 must do better. To promote good ridership, issues like improving the dependability of the services and making sure buses and trains run on-time must be addressed. We have to work with other levels of government to make sure we secure the necessary funds to operate and maintain our transit system in top shape, including train stations accessibility and bus shelters. We need the city to work with other planning and development agencies to integrate efforts and help make communities thrive. Transportation investments must be made in collaboration with the neighborhoods and the residents. Ridership could increase if Chicagoans felt their transit system was more convenient, reliable, and affordable than alternative means. This could be achieved with a renewed commitment to prioritize public transportation oriented initiatives.
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?
We have to restore the faith Chicagoans have in their local neighborhood schools. Chicago has a rich history of private and faith based education, and the recent boom in charter schools have changed the way communities like the ones in the 14th Ward send their kids to school. That is not going to change, but the city has to make sure they are keeping neighborhood schools on par and not just the and specialty and selective enrollment facilities. This involves funding for programming and the maintenance of buildings, as well as fostering a healthy environment for teachers to thrive in and provide a world-class education. That experience should not be exclusive to certain, students, schools, or communities.
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.
Although many were enthusiastic about the Invest South/West Project and the thought of having the chance to work alongside city planning officials on development proposals, the outcome has been mixed. Many community members still feel that they are being dragged along the way the city wants to and that are failing in really engaging community. The projects have faced many delays and fall short on results. The program is there, we just have to execute it better and put things into motion and most importantly deliver results. The leaders in the neighborhoods know what their communities need, and the city needs to support them and their efforts. Only by working alongside local leaders can we revive the fabric of communities and help them thrive.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
The long-term solution is that we need to shift the burden on funding for education away from local counties to the state, so that counties can bring down property taxes. In the short term, I support Alderman Michael Rodriguez proposal to use $10 million from the remaining pandemic recovery funds to bring relief to the Chicagoans who have endured the biggest hikes in home valuations. Although $10 million is not enough, it’s something to work with and bring immediate relief to the hardest hit.
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?
Not all TIFs are bad. The TIF program is intended to create an opportunity to designate much-needed funding across programs and neighborhoods. They should be used in the way that they were originally meant to be used; stricter criteria should be used to evaluate projects, and in some cases, the city should lead efforts to recover some of the revenues that are in the fund. Improvements can be made in the process of raising and allocating funding to ensure transparency, equity, community input, and accountability.
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?
Guaranteeing clean drinking water for our residents deserves the highest priority. I believe the city should work with authorities at all levels of government to make sure this is accomplished in the most expedited manner possible. Working across the other levels of government is important to make sure the efforts are conducted in the most efficient manner possible.
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 have worked tirelessly for the people of Cook County as a district director for Commissioner Alma Anaya, servicing thousands during times of great need during a worldwide pandemic. Through this experience, as well as working in two of the Chicago Public Schools in the 14th Ward, I believe I have what it takes to be a strong supporter of the people of the 14th ward and can deliver them the services they deserve. The 14th Ward has been mired in the leadership of Ed Burke for decades, and its people deserve an Alderperson more connected to them and who is focused full-time on the job of being an alderperson and getting the service office back to work.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
As the 14th Ward Alderperson– Public Safety, Education, and getting the Aldermanic Office back to work and providing quality and timely mannered City Services, will be my top priorities. My policy priorities are related to improving the quality of life for all Chicagoans, including – but not limited to: Increasing public safety efforts through violence prevention, youth engagement programs, workforce opportunities, mental health support as well as re-building law enforcement and community relations.
Improving access to quality education from early childcare to post-secondary education through strategic coordination across educational institutions and systems. Advocating for health care affordability and access for all, including long-term COVID survivors. Defending immigrant rights and ensuring Chicago lives up to its values as a welcoming city for all immigrants, regardless of country of origin or status. Protecting worker rights through the right to organize and better workplace conditions.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
My campaign represents the hope that many of our young, diverse constituents have for the future. I am an immigrant myself, having moved to the welcoming community of Brighton Park from Guadalajara, Mexico, 14 years ago, and am a working mother of a 1-year-old and a Kindergartener and share many of the experiences of our working-class neighbors. My opponent is a protégé of Ed Burke and his main source of support is from the Burke family, so I do not think he offers 14th Ward voters the type of change they deserve.