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?

Throughout the years I have been asked to seek a city council position by residents and other community leaders. Currently, I am serving as the vice-president of the Berwyn South School District 100 Board of Education and I had no intention to run for the position of 4th Ward City Council member. However, after witnessing the death of George Floyd and the negative experiences that many of our most vulnerable residents were having in our city, along with seeing the lack of participation from many of our local officials, I decided to take this challenge when I was asked to run again. I believe that I bring many skills, experiences and perspectives to this position. I have a bachelor’s degree in bicultural education and a master’s degree in school administration with an emphasis in parent engagement. I believe those skills will allow me to continue engaging with the Berwyn residents. Being bilingual will give me more accessibility to many of our Spanish speaking residents. Being a union leader will allow me to communicate and lead with principles, along with advancing and maintaining the elements of shared decision-making. My organizing skills will allow me to organize on the issues that are important to our community. I have been instrumental in the efforts for our city’s Welcoming City ordinance and for our city council to not opt-out of the Cook County minimum wage ordinance and sick leave ordinance. While running for this office was not my intention, I love my community, care for my neighbors and yearn for a city that works for all. I am taking this opportunity to ensure that the inequalities of our government are addressed, the housing injustices are taken care of, and that those that can’t afford to put food on the table are helped.

Received the Arise Chicago’s 2017 Faithful Leadership Award for the work done to lead the efforts so that the city of Berwyn did not opt out of the Cook County Minimum Wage and the Sick Leave Ordinance.

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

Throughout my educational career and public office tenure I have had many instances in which I had to balance competing interests. Those have been the most difficult times and during these times I did research to educate myself, talked to others who may have a different perspective and then I made my decision on what is the best for all. For example as a school board member after the 2017 referendum many of our residents were hit with a high tax bill. I know that our schools are underfunded and that the district is in need of resources that will benefit our students. It was and has been a challenging situation, however I have to remind myself that when we asked for residents to support the referendum we asked for an specific amount, and homeowners were being charged more than what was promised. While I understand and know that the district can put to good use the extra funds, we also have to be responsible and honor the intent of the referendum. Throughout the process I learned that it is important to ask questions and understand the implications of each of our votes.

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

In my opinion transparency means that we should be able to hold all public officials accountable for the decisions being made throughout the decision making process. This includes communicating with constituents about the decisions in addition to why each decision was made by providing platforms for residents to voice their opinions and concerns, along with fighting corruption. Creating policies that will allow for residents to feel valued and involved in the city council decisions. Continuing to have meetings live streamed and with closed captioning. Having accessible resources and documents including a budget to be viewed and understood by all.

For example all resources and budgetary documents should be included on the city website. The current city website is very old and difficult for anyone to navigate. It should be reviewed and changed so that it is user friendly. The website should also use language that residents will understand and include visuals like graphs or other ways for people to make sense of the budget and other important information. In my opinion to berbe transparent is to conduct open meetings in a way that is easily understood. To provide written and verbal information in languages that most residents understand.

I would also put transparency into practice by hosting bilingual-monthly meetings to inform the residents of the 4th ward of important agenda items from the 4th ward and from the City. As a member of City Council, I would request and advocate for open discussions of all important appointed positions and promotions. Assessing and reformatting the City of Berwyn’s website to have it be more accessible to all. I will also advocate for professional Spanish translation of documents and interpretations of all council meetings along with a process to request additional translational services.

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?

As mentioned previously I plan to host bilingual-monthly meetings to inform the residents of the 4th ward of important agenda items and to hear their concerns and needs. In addition, I will provide a monthly bilingual newsletter to highlight resources and/or any important items. I believe that every local elected official should communicate with and respond to all of their constituents. Evey public official should engage and respect all constituents regardless if they voted for them or not. As public officials we should be held to a higher standard more than anyone else, especially 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?

Many of the barriers I see in our community are the lack of transparency and the disregard for others that disagree with certain elected officials. I have witnessed how when residents speak in open city meetings they are disrespected and shut down by the current mayor and I have personally been told to “go back to the kitchen” and to “speak English” after I was speaking in Spanish in a citywide meeting. In social media there has been a history of public officials disrespecting or blocking residents that disagree with them. After working for school district 100 all I wanted to do is give back to the community and the school district where my children were given an excellent education. I wanted to give back by serving as a school board member and I thought it would be as simple as volunteering on the school PTA. However, soon after I learned that it was not as easy. Personally, I have experienced bullying, intimidation, and harassment since the first time I decided to run for office in 2014. First, my petition was challenged and I was forced to hire a lawyer simply to add my name on the ballot. There have been times that I have been accused that I do not care for the children of our community because I advocate not only for the children of our community, but for their parents, and their neighbors.

After the 2017 Township Trustee win I was threatened to be taken to court if I took the oath as a Township Trustee. In the 2019 school board election I was accused of taking school district money to further my education. So, yes there are many barriers that prevent our community members to engage in our city government. Also, many of our residents do not identify with persons in leadership positions and that causes a disconnection. In order to eliminate all of the barriers, our residents need to know that they are valuable, that they matter, that their voice matters and that we will listen to them and their needs. When we build a Berwyn where we engage in practices that all are respected and supported we might have many more who will want to engage in our city government. Our community has a high population of non-English speaking residents. It is time that our meetings, our documents, and everything that affects residents are written in both English and Spanish.

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?

In my opinion the three biggest issues facing Berwyn are the financial debt which affects the economic development, the lack of transparency and open government, and operational inefficiencies. Hiring a highly qualified city manager that knows how to address these tough issues, who will make sure that our government operates with efficiency, and is directed by elected officials will help us be fiscally responsible, transparent, and efficient.

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

In my opinion racial equity is inclusion. It is the lens in which we as a society view the inequalities and provide resources that are available for all. The distribution of resources and opportunities for all should be available for all, regardless of color, and/or race.

The racial inequities and recent events locally and nationally of discrimination and the need for racial justice reaffirmed my determination to continue addressing institutional racism and to ensure opportunities for all constituents. If we want to be inclusive and lead with an equity lens we should eliminate policies, practices, and any attitudes that affect equity.

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 solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing Berwyn in a different way than me by providing an open door policy so that all feel welcome and heard. Monthly meetings and electronic letters newsletters for all that register to get them. In addition, I will provide phone numbers and an email address for constituents to contact me. I will follow up with constituents by answering their emails, phone calls and have a constant feedback loop of information. A barrier that may exist in the process may be the lack of trust that many of our residents have in our current system. I will need to establish a consistent, transparent process to gain community trust.

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?

There are many influential Berwyn community members that have influenced change in our community that it is difficult to mention only one. As an elected official, my influence has been from my community and their needs. As a School board member it is the students, educators and the community who have been my big influencers. As an alderwomen I will continue to have my decisions influenced by the needs of all residents, and residents of the 4th Ward.

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

In order to encourage the youth of Berwyn to interact and engage with Berwyn’s city government, we need to provide platforms that will encourage, prepare, and support them. I believe that highlighting, promoting, and providing authentic opportunities for the youth to shine and lead, will be important steps in engaging them. Create mentoring programs for youth to seek mentoring in different areas like college and/or career readiness. Implement citywide accessible programs that are easy-to-use and are available on one website along with a citywide youth employment program during the summer that will allow for career experiences and networking skills.

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

Having an affordable home is a human right. Housing inequity is an issue affecting our Berwyn residents and while our city government does have some programs, they are not enough or they are not promoted for all to know about. I believe as a city we should do more to support housing affordability. To start, we should promote services that are already in place and create policies that will allow all residents to have access to an affordable home whether they want to rent or own. Some practices could include negotiating an agreement with financial institutions that will allow for low income families and persons of color to have access to low interest loans or providing grants that can help with closing cost, down payment, senior loan principal reduction, and/or appraisals depending on the buyers needs. Creating policy that will allow a certain percent of new constructions to be accessible and affordable for all residents.

Making rental housing affordable is a step forward into equal opportunity and supporting a national rent control. Also, allocating services and support for homeowners or for those seeking to be homeowners would allow for more of our residents to want to own.

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

Individuals and all local governments have an impact on climate change and unfortunately it is affecting us all. As everything else, climate change is affecting disproportionately low income communities and communities of color. In my opinion the way to prioritize this work is by immediate planning and effective action. Creating a plan to educate and provide resources that can be accessible and understood by all on how to be proactive and participate in reducing climate change. The plan may include strategies as diverse as planning or improving emergency response systems, planting trees, creating composting services, improving energy efficiency, developing clean energy sources, creating new parks and greenways, or greening roofs and alleys and expending the city’s current rain barrel programs to all residents.

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

In addition to hiring a competent city manager I would advocate for an independent analysis of the effectiveness of city services and how we can start analyzing the needs versus wants to guide the city’s budget expenses.

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?

A city’s operating budget is an essential component for any city’s financial planning. Through the budget development process policy is set, programs are established, decisions on where to spend money are decided, performance measures are articulated, and resources are identified. Under the current city treasurer the budget has been added to the website and that has helped many have the opportunity to see it. In order for the budget to be transparent it needs to provide clear and easy-to understand information. The budget should also be accessible in a clear and easy to use on the website. The budget needs to be updated regularly, be accurate and designed with the resident’s perspective in mind.

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?

Given the community efforts around the Black Lives Matter movement including the mural in the Berwyn Municipal Building parking lot, I anticipate working, advocating, and proposing policy changes that support inclusion for all of our residents especially those that are most vulnerable to discrimination. To start we need to create a policy that will mandate implicit bias training which will require city employees and public officials to raise awareness of one’s own implicit bias and promote self-aware decision-making. We will need to create a Racial Equity Diversity Inclusion committee across city departments or improve the Diversity Committee and establish continuous training and review practices through an equitable lense.

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 believe that it is necessary to increase public awareness of the various taxing bodies and their functions. Also, city and township officials should be able to work together with one another to better serve the community. It is important that the community is aware of the roles each official and department plays related to the needs of the community. Websites should be accessible to all in order for residents to access the services they need and want. I would advocate for transparency and accessible resources for all.

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

As an elected official the lessons learned are that we should be able to plan ahead, and be proactive not reactive. When governments prepare to manage and address crises and plan ahead, it is less chaotic and we are able to reach out and support those in need. Creating policy to maintain a health care system that works for all. Continuous accessible resources that all residents will know how to access at any time can be beneficial under any situation. For example currently many of our residents want and are looking for a safe place to sign up to receive information on the covid vaccinations and appointments. There should be a central location on the city’s website for all to access easily. When we elect public officials that advocate and lead with a social, equity, and economic lens while ensuring essential services are provided, this may reduce the impact of any pandemic. When officials have the trust of the residents and are able to work and co-ordinate the needs of the community, we will have a community that will allow for all to thrive.

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/3/21.]