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: Eddie Guillen
Ward: 23rd
Current job: Magic Uplighting, Inc. – Small business owner from January 2015 – Present
Previous political experience: Chief of Staff for Angelica Guerrero- Cuellar from July 2021 – August 2022
Education: Nathan Davis Elementary 2004, Bogan Highschool 2008
Spouse’s occupation: HR Manager for Envision Community Service’s (NFP)
Sources of outside income: Magic UpLighting, Inc.
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 will continue my work collaborating with our districts CAPS office, community based organizations, neighborhood watch groups, business leaders and community members. My experience as a Beat Facilitator for 823 since 2020 has brought me in at depth first look on how bringing community members and Chicago Police together on pressing issues happening in the 23rd Ward. This is an volunteer position in which bridges the gap on communicating information to community residents and finding solutions. I will also bring my experience with the West Lawn Neighborhood Watch from reporting daily street light outages in the ward, reporting dumped tires, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and report our findings to the alderman’s and CAPS office. With these experiences, I will continue to find ways to implement strategies and provide feedback on current issues happening in our community.
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.
My recommendations for CTA is to increase ridership on the trains as there is safety in crowds on the transit systems again, having cost effective strategies on having more police presence during targeted hotspot locations driven by previous data, and more security cameras to capture and deter crime.
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?
My experience as an Community Representative with the Eberhart Elementary Local as brought me with a fresh perspective on a governing body that oversees budgets and current issues. I will work with CPS administration, committees, state officials and local leadership on what has been working and hasn’t. Families value school performance, distance, lack of good information on school quality, and safety, affects families to act on enrollment
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.
One way of combating disinvesting is by adding community surveys to multiple community based organizations to lead in our neighborhoods that voice real issues happening today. Active participation is key to building trust with elected officials, community stake holders, and state agencies.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes. There needs to be a more transparent and detailed line by line audit as the current spending has spiraled out of control.
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?
No, the 23rd Ward does not benefit from any TIF districts as it shifts away from neighborhoods that are generating into current funding sources.
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?
Yes, Mayor Lightfoot has failed to address this public health crisis. A few ways to accomplish service line replacements is to work with city departments, state agencies and community based organizations to respond to these lead service lines.
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 volunteered thousands of hours to the community and surrounding neighborhoods by organizing many community events, community cleanups, snow removal program for seniors, weekly townhalls on topics and resources instrumental to bringing people together. Volunteered on multiple non profit organizations to bring equity, inclusion and awareness to our community members by collaborating with other community based organizations.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
Safety in the 23rd Ward. My experience as a Community Organizer, Business Owner, Beat Facilitator and Community Volunteer as given me a on the ground perspective on issues effecting the 23rd Ward and I will continue to have these dialogs and partnerships.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
I will represent the entire 23rd Ward and not just a small portion. The Garfield Ridge, West Lawn and West Elsdon neighborhoods are the three communities I will represent and advocate for public safety, educational equity, and first rate constituent services. By collaborating with community based organizations, hosting monthly town halls, weekly ward nights and hearing from community members, building coalitions, sharing real time community alerts on public safety, construction and infrastructure, forming committees to avoid blind spots as this will be a complete representation by the people, for the people.
