About Gery Chico - Mayor

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  Speed Round: Will you be an advocate for balanced, community-sensitive programming being aired on publicly owned television and radio signals?

  0 0 Probably Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Is increasing the number of charter schools the best way to address the deficiencies found within the Chicago Public School System?

  0 0 As mentioned before, as Mayor I will work to both strengthen neighborhood schools as the backbone of our public education system, and expand options for parents and students, including an increase in the number of charter schools. Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to identify resources that can support culturally relevant, neighborhood-based youth programs and initiatives?

  0 0 Definitely Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 20 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Would you support moving city elections to a warmer month so that more people would be likely to participate?

  0 0 Probably Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to develop special commissions to address the problems of violence, education, housing, employment, drug use, etc?

  0 0 Definitely Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to continue Chicago’s rich history of neighborhood festivals?

  0 0 Definitely Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 18 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to locate a casino in downtown Chicago?

  0 0 Probably The City of Chicago, like so many units of government today, is struggling to find sufficient revenue to cover the costs of public services. The next Mayor, given deficit predictions, will need to make strategic cuts, find innovative new revenue opportunities, and balance the budget while maintaining core services that the citizens of Chicago expect. The State Senate recently approved a bill that would allow for a casino in the City of Chicago. While the House did not bring the bill to a vote, I encourage them to pass it this session. Casinos can bring with them new jobs, increased interest in convention and other destination travel, and new revenue streams for the city. To be clear, Illinois already offers gaming whether in the form of lotteries, racetrack betting, or riverboats. Experts, such as a Bill Eadington, Director of the Institute for Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, have shown that new casinos do not create new gamblers, per se, and reminds us “the pie is finite.” Many Chicago residents currently travel outside of Chicago and the state into Indiana to visit casinos. We should keep those revenue streams here in the city, and leverage the placement of a casino to stimulate the economy here. That said, if Chicago is going to have a casino, the city should own the license so the city and taxpayers can benefit as much as possible. There are several factors I will take into account when determining the location of this casino. Among other considerations, I will examine 1) revenue generation, 2) traffic flow, 3) impact on the quality of life in the surrounding community, and 4) potential for economic development and job creation. Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 17 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to create 21st century job training programs for all Chicago residents, especially for youth and young adults?

  0 0 Definitely The City Colleges of Chicago play an integral role in workforce development, and should act as a talent pipeline for our city. If Chicago is going to attract new businesses, we must make sure that their job training efforts are matching the needs of employers. As Chairman of the City Colleges, I began the process of revising curricula to specific business needs and focused on increased program completion and job placement. I implemented stronger, formalized links between the graduates produced and the needs of employers by bringing business leaders to the table. As Mayor of Chicago, I will redouble and expand my efforts to ensure that the City Colleges are actively engaged in creating the best possible workforce for Chicago’s future. We must put emphasis on training in strategic growing industries such as information technology, health‐services and clean energy to ensure our programs are directly tied to employer demand. To ensure the functionality of the City Colleges, I will create two new workforce development positions at each of the seven City Colleges; Director of Business Partnerships and a Director of Career Advising and Job Placement. Visit www.gerychico.com to view my jobs plan that includes building the “talent pipeline” in Chicago. Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to reverse the city’s parking meter deal?

  0 0 Probably Not The first thing we would need to do if we reversed the parking meter deal is come up with $1.2 billion to pay for it, and that’s the last thing we need on top of a $650 million budget deficit. Reversing the deal would also reduce our flexibility in future transactions and diminish the city’s trustworthiness as a business partner. Having said that, I would not allow another parking meter debacle to take place behind closed doors without adequate debate. Two years ago, our city leased our parking meters for $1.157 billion. After this year’s budget, it appears we will only have $76 million left. As I speak to many Chicagoans, they often ask me where did all that money go? I recently introduced a citizen ordinance that would place the = remaining monies from the long‐term lease of the parking meters into a separate trust. I also proposed paying back the parking meters’ long‐term reserve account over years to restore this account and shore up our pension. Doing so would protect taxpayer dollars and help restore our credit rating by prohibiting further use of longterm reserves for short‐term budget fixes. Before we even begin to discuss the sale or lease of any city asset, we need to fully understand the benefits and costs to taxpayers and the city, and perform a transparent analysis of the transaction with the City Council and the public. However, a few principles should that will guide us. These include that some of the proceeds will be set aside as long‐term reserves and other proceeds should help fund new neighborhood capital improvements (such as new schools and libraries). Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Please identify the TOP FIVE community issues you would address right away:

  0 0 Violence, Jobs and Unemployment, Quality Schools, Low Police Activity, Gang Activity Gery Chico - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 21 more answers »

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