Our greatest strength is our residents. My vision for my ward is full storefronts, community events that help
us create new relationships and growth, and clean, safe streets and sidewalks. My vision for my ward office is
people coming in with concerns and walking out with the feeling that they are being listened to and helped by
a person who was elected to serve them.
Just as the residents count on the alderman, I am going to collaborate with our best resource: The people of
the 50th Ward. Our business leaders are going to help build our business community, our teachers and parents
are going to help make our schools better and our police and public safety officials and our neighbors are
going to work to reduce crime. We have experts on every issue you can imagine right here in the 50th Ward
and I want to work with these people to create a plan for the 50th Ward and then, with all the resources I can
direct to this cause, we are going to see that plan through. I expect the residents to hold me accountable to my
promises and I will work tirelessly to live up to the high standards we should all expect — and we all deserve
— from our elected officials.
I want to take this opportunity to contrast my approach to leadership with that of the current alderman and I
want to do that by exploring the issue of the parking meter privatization deal. It is possibly the worst and most
costly deal the city has cut in its history. It cost taxpayers as much as $9 billion and every year we keep seeing
the parking rates going up.
The number one supporter of this deal is running for re-election in the 50th Ward. When asked why he failed
to do his due diligence, he said on WTTW that it was, “None of our d*mn business.”
Well it very much is our business because our alderman and our city improperly sold off not only our revenue,
but also our ability to determine policies that affect everything from our streets to future development and
construction projects. I hear about it from nearly every voter I have spoken with over the last four months.
These voters are angry and the vote for this proposal was shameful.
Were you ever asked your thoughts on this proposal before it was voted upon? I know I was not and I
certainly never would have made a vote of this magnitude without consulting our neighbors and doing my
own research. I think that provides a good framework to view my vision for our ward office