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 currently Alderman, and it has been an incredible joy and honor to serve these past 4 years. I love Berwyn, the community my husband Jousef and I chose to make a home almost 20 years ago. I am seeking re-election because there is still more to do to keep our community moving forward. Before Alderman I was Vice President of the Berwyn Development Corporation, where I helped craft the “Why Berwyn” campaign and other efforts to promote Berwyn and attract new residents and businesses. I have brought that perspective and passion for community growth to my role as Alderman. We have seen incredible successes in Berwyn with many new businesses, individuals and families moving here the past few years directly due to the policies we supported on the Council.

I want to build on that success, and keep it going. I also have been heavily involved in the community through volunteering for several local organizations and non-profits. I am passionate about promoting neighbor to neighbor engagement – the bedrock of a strong and diverse community. For example, I have helped with organizing and promoting Berwyn’s annual LGBTQ+ PRIDE parade. It began with a few dozen people in 2017 to over a thousand people in 2019. I also work hard as a volunteer to help make sure our festivals and city events are successful. One of my skills is communications, which is something else I am passionate about working on the next 4 years. I would like to work on modernizing Berwyn’s city communications to increase accessibility and awareness of resources/important information. During the last few years I have been working with the City administration to get more Spanish translation of City forms, live stream videos, and communications. I would like the City to hire a Communications Director and utilize more modern tech tools.

I bring great energy and passion to everything I do, and I look forward to working even harder these next 4 years to make the 1st Ward and Berwyn better than ever.

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

Successful governing is all about balancing competing interests, and I think myself along with the administration have done a good job with that. The latest example that demonstrates that is Police Reform and Public Safety. We need to balance the need for reforms with the needs to keep our neighborhood safe. We have been able to do this successfully in Berwyn without “defunding” or “abolishing” police. We still support our police with sufficient funding and resources to keep us safe. Berwyn has an average 2 minute police response time which is phenomenal. But we are also focused on getting crucial reforms enacted as well. We just signed on to the “10 Shared Principles” which is supported by the NAACP promoting police reform. To me the key is sitting down with people, bringing together different perspectives. My style is collaborative, I want to listen to what residents want and address it but make sure we are still doing our job to maintain public safety. Coming at either side in a policy negotiation with hostility or mistrust is not the most effective way to get results. We have shown through the passing of this reform initiative - while still maintaining public safety - that it is possible to get results that satisfy the needs of competing interests.

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

Transparency is incredibly important to me. It is crucial to a functioning government and creates a more educated and involved community. I have been an extremely open book as Alderman. I frequently post city updates on my Facebook page (that reaches over 2,600 people) as well as my positions on issues and why I vote the way I vote. In my first term, I have put out newsletters, hosted regular ward meetings, and I personally walked the streets to drop flyers when there is urgent or important city information residents need to know. That is also part of my goal the next 4 years to modernize our City Communications to create even more accessibility to information and transparency for our residents.

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?

I am a very active user of Facebook as a tool to communicate with 1st Ward residents. With over 2,600 followers, I have a large megaphone so to speak, and I use it to almost-daily send out important and helpful information about resources and what the city is doing. I also use it to explain my positions on issues in an open and transparent manner. I always try to answer questions and comments from 1st Ward residents, even those that don’t agree or support me in the election. I also freely give out my personal cell phone (it is on Facebook and I put it on campaign literature as well flyers I have dropped over the last 4 years) and I always try to respond to every text, call and email I get. If you are my resident, I will always try to answer questions, provide information, assistance and services no matter how you view me politically.

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?

We have a lot of new people who have moved to Berwyn recently, and that is part of my drive to increase and modernize our City Communications so they can see more how to get involved. Lack of clear and consistent accessible information can be a barrier, especially if you are new in town. I feel strongly that modernizing our communications at the city and bringing in a Communications Director will help get people become more engaged and involved.

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?

1) City Finances — We need to keep focused on managing the long term debt by continuously negotiating and finding new interest rates on our bonds.  I will also continue to foster strong relationships with leaders in state, county and federal offices to keep getting resources and grants from them. For example, we just secured $18 million in grants from the state to do badly needed infrastructure improvements in our Depot District. I will continue my dedication to economic development in Berwyn which is also key to dealing with long term debt. New businesses = New tax revenue (without burdening our residents.)

2) Public Safety and Police Reform — I will keep working with the Police Department to make the necessary reforms to transition them into a truly 21st Century police force that has the strongest possible trust among our residents. We just had a success with the City Council adopting the “10 Shared Principles” police reforms supported by the NAACP. We will also continue making sure our Police Department has the resources they need to keep our neighborhoods safe.

3) Transparency and Communications — We need to make sure our City Communications are clear and accessible to all residents, and use all modern tools available. I will push for the City to hire a Communications Director. The goal being more Spanish translation, quick coordination among Departments, and embracing modern tech tools to A) increase transparency and B) expand awareness of resources and important information.    

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

Racial equity to me means everyone has equal rights and access to resources, and is treated equally and with dignity by police, government, businesses and neighbors. It also means understanding that different marginalized groups have different obstacles and needs we need to always keep in mind in policymaking. Berwyn is a wonderfully diverse place, and that’s why I love it so much. That’s why so many people of all walks of life are moving here. We have come a long way in Berwyn. But I will say that recently the killing of George Floyd last year was a wake up call for myself, and many in our community and our nation that we still have more to do to keep progressing. I took action and have spent hundreds of hours working with the Berwyn Police Department the past 6 months to work on reforms. I am happy to say we had a great success recently on February 8th when the Mayor and Council signed on to the “10 Shared Principles” police reform initiative supported by the NAACP. We are always moving forward in Berwyn, and I am proud to be helping to lead these efforts at reform.

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 always try to listen and help, and see others’ perspectives however I can, and try to understand. I invite folks with differing opinions over to my house to talk, or I will stop by and visit, or we will talk over email, phone, you name it. I also frequently put that invitation in my Facebook posts, where I say clearly ‘please reach out if you have any feedback or questions.’ I think it’s important all leaders here in Berwyn and everywhere take this approach, and we create an environment where people feel comfortable bringing issues up. I believe when neighbors keep talking to neighbors, and viewing one another as a friend and not with suspicion, that is how strong bonds of trust grow in a community.

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?

Ed and Mary Karasek. Both of them passed recently, but their influence is still with us, and will always be with Berwyn. Ed and Mary personified community and what it means to be engaged and dedicated to our city. They demonstrated consistent passion for Berwyn for decades. Ed helped form the Berwyn Development Corporation (under a different name) over 30 years ago, and his relentless efforts to promote Berwyn and bring investment to our community helped make Berwyn what it is today. He understood that progress and results take years, and sometimes decades and you have to KEEP AT IT. Him and Mary were the types who were at EVERY community or charity event in Berwyn, up until the end. Mary was an amazing leader as well who tirelessly helped many local organizations. They showed the power of consistent engagement and hard work that it takes to build a community, and keep it moving forward. It was not always easy, with changes in the politics and people moving in and out, to keep the ball rolling on building Berwyn up. But he taught me that you have to keep engaging and working in the community - and always be adaptive to change - and the results will come.

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

I am a huge believer in youth involvement. It is part of my push for more social media communications. I regularly donate to youth sports leagues, Youth Crossroads, Scouts, local PTA and PTO’s. I am a big supporter of the Morton JSA (Junior States of America) which is a student organization that promotes civic engagement. They volunteer in the city, at City Hall and in City Council, and also out in the community working with elected officials helping residents. I also supported their recent program which sent them to Washington DC to learn more about government.

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

Berwyn and many other local communities have Section 8 housing. We also have reduced rent for veterans through the federal government. Part of my drive to increase and improve city communications involves making sure all Berwyn residents are aware of the many resources that are available for assistance (for example Housing Forward). There are also programs through the state, county and federal government that we need to make sure people are aware of. I consistently share information about these resources.

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

I have pushed for an increase in park and green space in Berwyn. I helped get Ed Karasek park established in the Depot District as well as the park at Oak Park and 34th St. It is also part of my drive to modernize Berwyn operations and make them paperless and Green. The vast majority of operations can be done on computer or phones now. I am also a huge advocate for the immediate replacement of cut-down trees in Berwyn.

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

There is no denying that debt is a problem for Berwyn just like most cities in Illinois and America post-recession and post-COVID. Pension obligations and agreements that were made decades ago still need to be paid, so we have to keep focused on managing it by continuously negotiating and finding better interest rates on our bonds. But in the short term, we must keep focusing on economic development. Growth is a crucial component to solving this problem as more new businesses coming to Berwyn means new sources of revenue (without added burdens on residents.) I will keep promoting growth and economic development. There is still so much opportunity, especially on Harlem, Ogden, and the Depot District. We need to maintain strong partnerships with state, county and federal leaders who can get us grants and resources, and rigorously pursue all outside sources of assistance. For example, we just secured $18 million dollars from the state and other governmental agencies for our $26 million dollar infrastructure upgrades in the Depot District.

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?

My approach to the budget has been, and will continue to be, balancing the needs of our residents and public safety, while keeping costs as trim as possible so we don’t need to heavily burden our taxpayers. Berwyn’s taxes are far less than many surrounding suburbs, and we still have been able to maintain strong public safety, with less than 2 minute Police response and 3 minute Fire response times. Yes, I absolutely believe our budgeting process is transparent. Our budget meetings have always been open to the public, and in 2020 we also moved our meetings online both as live stream and to be viewed later. Our Budget committee meeting minutes are available online at the Berwyn city website.

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?

I have already been pursuing changes and reform, and we are seeing results. I spent hundreds of hours sitting down with the Police Department and other community leaders, as well as other elected officials at the federal level, to work towards having a 21st Century police force that all residents can have trust in. I am proud to say recently (February 8th) that the Council and Mayor signed on to the “10 Shared Principles” which is a bold set of reforms supported by the NAACP. We will keep working at this, and I will keep doing my part as a city leader to make sure these reforms are enacted.  

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?

An increased focus on modernizing City communications will help residents understand more what the City does and doesn’t do. I do think the Township needs a lot of improvement, they have a lot of tax dollars to work with, and I would like to see more energy there in helping our residents.

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

Government is essentially a service we pay for. We pay taxes and when things go wrong on a large scale – such as a Pandemic – this is the time we need to see government kick into high gear to support the people. I think we on the Berwyn City side did as much as we could with our limited resources. We had frequent public health updates and communications about available resources. We also had mask, food and other resource giveaways. But we need every level of government to step up in a crisis. We need to be asking and pressuring our larger government officials to step up more, such as State, County and Federal. We only have so many resources here in Berwyn, and this Pandemic has really shown us that we need to be working with all governing bodies to address big problems. Coordination and Cooperation is the key.

• • • • •

[The above answers were supplied on 2/11/21.]