To inform voters and to help the Chicago Tribune 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: Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez
Ward: 26th
Current job: Laboratory Corporation of America, Site Coordinator
Previous political experience: Currently Committeeperson for the 26th Ward
Education: Master’s Degree in Law, Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice with concentration in Forensic Science
Spouse’s occupation: Carpentry and plumbing
Sources of outside income: Full-time employment
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.
If elected, I would go to all the police districts that cover the 26th ward (12,14,25) and let the Commanders/Officers know that I appreciate and support them. I will host and work with them as well as the business community, residents, and schools to have a better understanding of the community. Also work with the mayor on being pro active in community policing strategies.
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.
Investigate to learn if the security firm/k9’s are worth the 100 million dollars the city awarded the contract to make CTA safer. Also, increase penalties for repeat offenders and increase the number of full-time police officers assigned to CTA.
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?
CPS should give equal educational opportunity, assets, and resources to all public schools regardless of the tier, type of school (magnet or neighborhood), school location, or academic level. CPS should remove special requirements and specialty labeling of schools so that all public schools become open enrollment schools rather than restrictive enrollment schools, this will increase the amount of enrollment in each school.
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.
Use TIF dollars to attract private investors for both commercial businesses and affordable housing. Bring back programs for city employees to become homeowners of properties in the disinvested communities
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes, for owner occupied 4 unit or less and there should be an income threshold of not more than $65,000 and an additional break for senior citizens 65 years and older.
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?
It has not been a useful tool. TIFs must be use for projects that will generate taxes in the near future, for community projects that will generate jobs, fund the purchase of homes for families of low income, and we must look at how we use TIFs to fund projects that will not generate any community benefits.
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 serious problem and first we must make this issue public and expose the seriousness of it. Where are these 400K homes and who is it affecting. We need to provide immediate solutions to the drinking water. Then have real data on the potential solutions and have community input as soon as 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 am the 26th Ward Committeewoman, and for the last 3 years I have been engaged in the community and visiting homes, talking to families and working to help those most in need. I have seen how the former Alderman has been anti-inclusive, and against the families moving into the community that are displacing the community. Gentrification, displacement, higher rents is nothing new, it has happened to the communities in Lincoln Park and many communities. The Alderman has never provided solutions or worked on helping local renters purchase property, a land bank was never established, and he has created divisions in the community putting groups against each other. The Alderman has been a part of the displacements, he has purchased lots, became a millionaire while in office, and has left the community divided and business corridors are a disaster. I have been a member of the 26th Ward since 1974, and I look forward to bringing unity, collaborations, and not favoring one group against others. I welcome the new families and united I will bring the residents together, enhance the local culture and make best use of the community assets for all members of the 26th Ward.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The crime, homelessness and lack of long term development for retail, commercial use and Jobs. This is not a difficult issue, we need to honest on the real data, we must attack the problem at the core and not just seek political solutions that appear to be immediate. The youth must have support, we must address the mental health issues, we must provide job training programs, technology training and connect with K-12 grades with the Universities and Colleges that need to prepare our youth with good, living wage jobs. We need to demand more from the Public Schools and the Universities. We need seamless relations between the demands of the labor needs and the training educational centers. This is long term sustainable solutions.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
I know the 26th Ward, I have volunteered for the last 30 years and have seen this community change, I know the problems, the concerns of the community, and I am able to reach out to all the diverse members of the community. The public needs an Alderperson in the city council that will increase community participation on the budget, we need to better manage our city, we need to make better use of technology in the city services and decrease the cost while improving on the services. This is critical the increase in the cost of living in the city must stop. I will address these issues and demand we produce real data, accurate assessments of our challenges regardless of the political exposure and find sustainable solutions. The public is tired of taxes on the increase, and the rising cost of living in the city of Chicago is unbearable for all the residents. I could articulate, and demand we have the data and explore real solutions and create policy to resolve our most pressing issues.
