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: Jeanette B. Taylor
Ward: 20th
Current job: Full-time Alderwoman of the 20th Ward
Previous political experience: Local school council representative from 1993 to 2016
Education: I graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School and Dawson Technical Institute
Spouse’s occupation: N/A
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.
I believe the most effective and long-term strategy to strengthen public safety is to invest in Chicago neighborhoods equitably. This includes fully funding neighborhood public schools and after-school and restorative justice programs; securing and expanding affordable and safe housing; creating more living-wage jobs and year-round job opportunities for young people; and reopening closed public mental health clinics as well as passing the Treatment not Trauma ordinance that would fund a citywide mental health crisis response team.
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.
I have advocated for and will continue to advocate for CTA leadership to be more in touch with the people who use their services. They should have quarterly meetings around the city to ask communities about their experiences on the CTA and their transportations needs, and to seek feedback on areas where the CTA needs improvement. CTA leadership should also have better relationships with their drivers, not just supervisors, and seek their feedback on where CTA can make service improvements; this is an important perspective to have since CTA workers interact with riders every day. The CTA should also have direct access to funding to support homeless people who regularly seek shelter on CTA trains and buses and around CTA stations.
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?
The decades-long decline in CPS enrollment is linked to the destruction of public housing under the federal HOPE VI program and the formal institution of school choice under Mayor Daley’s Renaissance 2010. Therefore to reverse this trend, the city needs to invest in more affordable housing and protect low-income neighborhoods from projects that accelerate gentrification; for example, I successfully passed the Woodlawn Housing Ordinance to protect residents from the rising housing costs near the Obama Center site. In addition, the city should fully fund neighborhood public schools, which are community anchors, to guarantee: textbooks on the first day of school; school librarians and libraries, nurses and social workers in every school; safe play spaces and sports facilities; and fully staffed schools with teachers on board by the first school day. There should also be a stop to the proliferation of charter schools and selective enrollment schools/programs as well as any new school construction such as the proposed Near South high school where there are several nearby underutilized high schools that could use the public investments that the Near South school will be receiving.
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.
The City of Chicago should be investing more in small businesses on the south and west sides to create thriving business corridors in these historically disinvested areas of the city. I have spoken to many people in my ward who are forced to run businesses out of their homes because they cannot afford commercial space. These small business owners should have access to equitable financing and supports from the city to help their businesses expand and thrive and thus contribute to the vibrancy of their communities. The city can pair any small business support they provide with incentives for youth employment, which can improve public safety as well.
Do you support giving Chicagoans property tax relief? If yes, please explain how you would accomplish it. If no, please explain why not.
Yes I do. There are other ways to raise revenue other than from hardworking Chicagoans. Corporations should be paying their fair share of taxes. Chicago needs to pass the Real Estate transfer tax and the Amazon Tax so not to further burden property owners with higher taxes. We should also give tax relief to marginalized communities across the city, particularly on the south and west sides–their properties are over assessed and they should be reassessed.
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?
Although TIFs are supposed to fund development in blighted areas of the city, this development tool has instead impacted many communities negatively. Neighborhoods with TIF districts have seen property tax dollars get diverted to development projects that benefit corporate investors and the real estate sector, instead of communities in need of those investments to fund public parks, libraries and schools. Furthermore, the creation of TIFs have undermined democratic decision-making, concentrating power over these funds in the hands of Chicago mayors essentially creating a “slush fund” for pet projects and to build political power for themselves. TIFs should only be ported to communities that need them (e.g. the Wintrust deal, aka DePaul Stadium, should never have been funded with TIF dollars).
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?
The replacement of lead service lines is moving too slow and needs to be expedited. It should be all-hands-on-deck similar to how the city deals with emergencies. Lead is an emergency in this city and we should prioritize funding toward this effort because of the danger lead poses to our children and their communities.
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.
My experience as a community organizer and my lived experience as a low-income Black woman who was born and raised on the South Side of the city are important qualities to possess for this aldermanic position. I am in touch with the challenges and needs of my constituents and also know how to organize them and my ward staff to advocate for and win critical supports for our ward. As an elected official, I have constantly been on the frontline of fights to advance housing justice in my ward and throughout the city. My office successfully passed the Woodlawn Housing Preservation Ordinance winning allotments for affordable housing and protections from increased housing costs for 20th Ward residents living near the Obama Center site. In my ward I have supported more public, democratic processes such as the Community Development Table composed of 20th Ward residents who work with my office to make decisions about proposed development projects to ensure they are a benefit to the whole community.
What is the most pressing issue facing the people of your ward, and how would you address it?
The most pressing issue in my ward is stable and affordable housing for renters and homeowners as property taxes are too high and driving people out. To address rising housing costs I worked to pass the Woodlawn Housing Ordinance which expands and protects affordable housing in my ward. I also continue to fight in coalition with local community groups, for a Community Benefits Agreement that would project people living near the Obama Center from displacement. Furthermore, I continue to hold CHA accountable regarding the maintenance of HUD buildings, backlogged housing vouchers and more. Affordable, safe and secure housing contributes to the overall public safety in communities in my ward.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s)? (Please limit this to policy and approach, not a biography recitation.)
As alderwoman, my work is informed by the constituents in my ward. My work centers what the community wants and needs. I have spent my entire adult life in service to my community and I have kept every promise that I have made to my constituents. With the people of my ward, I have been able to win housing projections, fund innovative anti-violence programs and provide more job opportunities for young people, and with another four years, I will continue improving housing, schools, businesses and public safety.
