Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring, and why would those contributions be valuable in the office you are seeking?

I am a business person, husband, father and lifelong advocate for working families. Each of those roles will help me prioritize efforts and guide conversations toward consensus-based, hard decisions. I also believe in science and expertise and will make sure that Berwyn consults with the best and brightest--based on competence, not personal loyalty. Additionally, as I mentioned in the WBEZ/Cicero Independiente Candidates Forum, I will be guided by my moral compass.

2. When in the past have you had to balance competing interests? What process did you use? What did you learn?

In the specific case of Berwyn government, I will work hard to prioritize the input of residents and be guided by their priorities, not campaign donors. The first thing that my campaign did was to assemble a diverse group of residents to advise on and assemble a full platform of positions and priorities and that’s the ethic I will carry into City Hall. I learned that my neighbors’ lived experiences are different from my own. This process of listening, understanding, and implementing policy driven by residents is something I will always use while in office.

My work as an antiracist is a continual process. It is important to continue unlearning the colorblind racism that is so deeply embedded in our everyday lives. I think a good example of a competing interest is balancing the voices of our residents. White residents tend to be the most vocal, but they don’t necessarily face the same barriers to representation as our constituents of color. I hope to properly represent my neighbors of color and include them in every conversation.

3. What does transparency in government mean to you? How would you put it into practice?

To me, transparency in government means speaking to all my residents, even those that don’t get a chance to vote. It means distributing information to every single person that lives in Berwyn. It means making policy, deals, and holding discussions in real time with input from residents. It means making residents feel comfortable when approaching the doors of City Hall. As Mayor of Berwyn, my doors will be open to any and all Berwyn residents that have any question, concern, or comments. It also means translating meeting minutes, documents, and information for our Spanish speaking residents. Transparency means listening to criticism and keeping lines of communication open and public.

4. As more of our local discourse happens in social media, what is your view on how local elected officials should communicate with and respond to constituents? How will you engage with the breadth of the community, and not only those on social media?

5. What barriers do you see for community members who wish to engage with Berwyn’s city government? How would you work to reduce or eliminate those barriers?

(4 and 5, together)

These two questions, I think, allude to the core dysfunction of our city government and our current mayor: They do not want to hear competing arguments. They do not want to hear that some people think that they are wrong about anything. They don’t want to have debates in the sanitizing light of day. They demonize normal, healthy political discourse.

This is bad for Berwyn.

From it’s launch, my platform proposes the following:

● I will hold regular monthly town hall meetings with residents. These will be done on the residents’ terms and with whatever effort it takes to invite and encourage marginalized residents to be heard. I will have open dialogue with community members, organizations, and will invite third party organizations to participate to help mediate conversations and offer community based solutions.

● I will demand that all department heads do the same. They need to hear from their customers and respond to their needs.

The most acute failure in this regard has been from the Police Chief. Throughout a summer of strife and fear, the Chief has been silent. The only time he interacted directly in a public meeting was a maskless appearance at a listening session that wouldn’t have happened if not for activist pressure and culminated with him suggesting that he would force a vote...because he wanted to.

The City of Berwyn is being run as a dysfunctional family business and it is unacceptable.

Barriers can only be reduced by engaging in difficult and uncomfortable conversations that are led by BIPOC community members.

6. What do you feel are the three biggest issues facing Berwyn, and how do you intend to address them? How will you prioritize among competing priorities?

Three structural problems affect all others.

1. We must prioritize competence and efficiency over personal loyalty and cronyism. All employees, including the mayor, serve the residents.

2. We must prioritize transparency and accountability over backroom dealings and patronage/patriarchy. We need enforceable ethics reforms.

3. We must prioritize diversity and inclusion in their full forms. Every resident deserves a seat at the table.

By fixing these structural and cultural barriers, we will be far better equipped and aligned to deal with complicated issues like budgeting and tackling the city debt. All will be collaborative efforts and my priorities will be driven by resident priorities.

7. How do you define racial equity? Have recent events and discussions in the larger community informed or changed your thinking?

Racial equity: occurs when two or more racial groups are standing on a relatively equal footing.

I think it’s generally accepted at this point that true equity requires adjustments to overcome structural, systemic or cultural barriers to true engagement or value by key groups of constituents.

Two examples related to Berwyn government:

● Best example is the home ownership discrepancy between racial groups. Renters are ignored and marginalized and this is excused for political (they are less likely to vote), structural (they don’t directly pay the tax bills), logistical (they are more likely to be shorter-term residents with less “roots” in the community). In order to make the city’s relationship with renters more equitable, I will establish a dedicated Renters’ Ombudsman position in City Hall and that person will be charged with seeking and getting input on renters’ terms and via methods that best suit renters and serve as a representative regarding disputes with landlords or regarding city services.

● The chasm of distrust between Berwyn police leadership must be actively closed with genuine, proactive relationship building. It’s not enough to hold a “listening session” and complain when no one shows up. Police leadership must actively engage community leaders, activists and organizers-- particularly those who have criticized police practices --in order to develop a relationship of mutual trust and dialog. This must be an ongoing process and must be done on the terms of the disaffected communities, not the city’s power base.

● It is inexcusable that key organs of city government, council agendas and minutes, are not translated into Spanish.

8. How do you plan to solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing Berwyn in a different way than you? What barriers do you believe may exist in this process?

I plan to engage with community members from different groups that diverge from my normal in-group. Competing interests and perspective are essential for creating a government that serves us all. My positionality as a white, straight, male may be seen as a barrier, but I understand that antiracist work is a continual process and there is always more to learn. It is important to acknowledge standpoint and that we listen to experiences starting from those that are most marginalized. I will take a page out of Patricia Hill Collins’ work here, I plan to start learning about others’ experiences from the point of view of women of color.

Please see 4, 5 and 7, above.

9. Name an influential Berwyn community member. How did this person’s influence change Berwyn? As an elected official, what do you imagine your influence will be on the community?

The last year has seen a huge awakening in Berwyn. Between the microscope placed on our inequities by the pandemic, the ascent of the BLM movement and general disgust at the “Old Boys Network” of our patriarchy and patronage, Berwyn is vibrating with energy and hungry for meaningful progress. New voices are rising every day and it’s beautiful to behold.

Before that and all along, organizers and activists did the real work to push change and fight the good fights on issues like the Minimum Wage and the Welcoming City ordinance. Things were harder then and voices were fewer and I give real credit to groups like Berwyn Community Action--who led on many issues.

I have to say, though, that Luz Chavez has been a rock-solid, unapologetic speaker of truth to power in Berwyn for a long time and when it was hardest. Many times she has been the lone voice in the wilderness. Luz is an idealogue: She doesn’t couch her ethics in friendships or political expediency. She believes what she believes and she speaks her bedrock truths regardless of discomfort.

Luz has been attacked from all angles--the mayor, police officers, politicians who are otherwise aligned and don’t appreciate the scrutiny or discomfort. Powerful people dismiss her as a “keyboard warrior,” but, boy she’s the one out their walking for change. She’s the one delivering warmth to homeless people in our deep freeze. The truth is, she does the real work, all the time. She gets attacked as “angry,” but the truth is she is passionate and loving and truly hilarious.

I don’t imagine that Luz and I will always see eye-to-eye when I’m mayor. I look forward to her holding my feet to the fire. That’s her job. People like Luz make great democracies. Luz makes Berwyn better for everyone.

10. How do you plan to encourage the youth of Berwyn to interact and engage with Berwyn’s city government?

Berwyn is full of brilliant, passionate young talent. Our core campaign team includes young residents and actively seeks to engage young residents. Our Budget and Taxes Town Hall was moderated by a brilliant young Berwynner.

We will continue to invite the youth of Berwyn to the table, elevate their voices and let them shine. It is important we empower, encourage, and uplift the very voices that will be the next generation of leaders. All too many times these youth are ignored and not taken seriously. In my campaign, everyone deserves a seat at the table.

11. Do you feel that Berwyn should do more to support housing affordability? If so, what specific policies would you support?

People are getting taxed out of their homes and rents are increasing. We need to ensure that the city does everything it can to keep fixed-income retirees in their homes and help renters get assistance they need. While we don’t have good answers now, these will be issues we pursue and reach community-driven consensus on. Many older Hispanic residents have no idea that they can appeal their taxes. The housing market is extremely predatory, it is vital that information is translated and that outreach is enacted.

Illinois favors tenants in terms of housing laws. It is important that information over rental assistance is disseminated through the proper channels and to the proper people. Again, I am a strong advocate for translating all documents.

12. What impact can a municipality such as Berwyn have on climate change, and how will you prioritize that work among other issues?

Thankfully, this is an area with lots of literature and municipalities who are committing best practices into the public domain. We will study these approaches and involve the community in shaping policy that best balances all these important interests. We strive to make Berwyn greener. A few ideas off the top of my head are, community gardens, proper tree maintenance, and better urban planning to encourage more bike riding.

13. What actions would you take to address the continuing problem of Berwyn’s municipal debt?

14. One of the most important responsibilities of the City Council is to pass a budget. How would you approach the development of Berwyn’s budget? Do you believe there has been sufficient transparency in the budgeting process in recent years?

(13 and 14 together)

We have been kicking the can down the road for years and years. I believe that we need to have adult conversations about this serious topic.

We have proposed the following:

1. Hiring a Certified City Manager
2. Implement a city-wide audit of all departments to eliminate waste
3. Review all department heads with resident input
4. End cronyism in hiring
5. End pay-to-play in contracting
6. Improve our bond rating with these improved management practices
7. Increase revenues
a. Recruit businesses
b. Lobby for progressive revenue streams (like Fair Tax)
c. Improved, professionalized Grant Writing

We held a town hall meeting on Facebook last week, including 1st Ward Aldermanic Candiate Nicolette Penaranda.

15. Given the visible community efforts around the Black Lives Matter movement including the mural in the Berwyn Municipal Building parking lot, do you anticipate working for changes in policing policy or oversight moving forward? What specific changes would you support?

The Black Lives Matter movement and equity for Black residents of Berwyn are core issues for me and my candidacy. I am pushing for policy reforms that include the voices of those most marginalized. We need to work together with community members to reduce police cynicism. We hear a lot about statistics that are thrown around on Facebook groups, however there is the dark figure of crime that is missed by most. Far too many residents of color are hesitant to call the police when they are needed. My first step is to reconnect the citizens of Berwyn with their police force. Trust is vital for cohesion and collective efficacy.

16. Many Berwyn residents have expressed confusion about the disparate roles of the City and the Township, particularly in the past year as the importance of the Health Department increased due to the pandemic. Do you believe action is necessary to increase public awareness of the various taxing bodies and their functions? What steps would you take?

I do. Thankfully, there is a groundswell of good-government and pro-transparency candidates in this election. Erika Corona-Owens is doing an amazing job educating Berwyn voters on the functions of the Township and the Health District and we support those efforts entirely.

Our top priority is to have properly-functioning and transparent administrations for the City and the Township. Ultimately, we should consider the efficiencies of consolidation when transparent and accountable administrations are in place.

17. As an elected official, what lessons will you draw from the experience of the pandemic about the purpose and role of government?

The purpose and role of government is to serve its constituents. Full stop. Anything that clouds or conflicts that duty must be eliminated.

In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Berwyn’s response, it looked an awful lot like Mayor Lovero was prepared to sacrifice the health of essential workers for the benefit of businesses--many of whom are Lovero donors.

Regardless of the calculus that went into Lovero’s quickly-reversed decision, conflict-of-interest and/or the appearance of conflict-of-interest cloud the process. That’s why, to my campaign’s great financial disadvantage, we refuse donations from Berwyn businesses with special licensing and from members of collective bargaining units who do not reside in Berwyn.

I am a business owner. I understand the important role that business plays in Berwyn--as generators of tax revenue, as employers and sometimes as bedrock community institutions. I believe we need to value them only for how they benefit residents, though, not how they pad campaign war chests or enrich cronies.

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/7/21.]