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?

When I think of the role of an elected official and the pandemic, I think of three things; communication, modeled behavior, and priorities. I have learned that it is imperative for the government to be in consistent and direct communication with the community. People want to know how they can pay their bills .They want to know what the city’s plan is for vaccine rollout, And above all, they want to know their city’s leadership is prepared. We need to wear masks in public and make decisions that will demonstrate that we want to keep our community safe. The people elect us to govern, to balance the budget without accruing more debt, protect public health, and grow the community.

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

Neighbors are constantly in conversation about competing issues. Do we as a city pay down our debt or seek bonds to fix our 100-year-old sewers? Do we raise taxes or cut spending (including salaries) to fix our streets and alleys? Do our seniors need smaller property tax bills or our children better schools? These questions and most competing interests are framed as zero-sum formulas. I can get sucked into this framing of either/or as easily as anyone else, but I try to look for third options to meet our common needs. Some of those ways are seeking grants to offset specific needs, while we reduce costs through retirement and shared resources.

As alderman, I have learned that it is so easy to name singular things as the “most” important and that it is much harder to hold that in our city many things have to be managed and honored to move us all forward. Privileging city employees over resident tax bills forces us to raise taxes without raising service standards and felt benefit to city residents. At the same time, employees have been promised benefits that they depend on. Finding ways to navigate these interests requires leadership that is less interested in where they will get their next vote and more interested in developing a thriving city that includes all.

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

Transparency in government has several meanings to me. It is not simply ensuring clear and easy accessibility to all residents to city data, city services and city decisions. These things can be addressed by providing residents with a more user friendly website that is created with end-users (residents) in mind. They can also be addressed by holding city employees to the highest standards of customer service, both in-person and on the phone. Residents too often relate that they can’t reach a person when they call or when they do the person is too busy to be “kind.” As a city we must address these concerns. I am also aware that all too often a trip to city hall is experienced as adversarial. When people expect the visit to be a struggle, they bring that energy to the window and our employees bear the brunt of it. Training and supporting our staff so that they can diffuse the energy that the public brings in is part of a strategy to make dealing with City Hall a more transparent experience.

Deeper transparency requires that the City moves from defending information from our residents as though they can’t be trusted with the fullness of our debt, our operations, or our personnel. Moving to participatory budgeting is one means of accomplishing this.

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 Alderman, I have been committed to having monthly ward meetings. I am proud to report that even through covid-19, 3rd Ward residents have been able to meet 37 times in the past 44 months. The Covid-19 virus has forced us to use Zoom and meet outside in the park, but still we have met. Email, phone calls and texts have been the primary direct connections between residents to me. Over this term, I have walked door-to-door speaking to neighbors about proposed tax levies and precinct voting changes.

I have relied on social media and word of mouth for communication. I support a local paper in Berwyn. Cicero Independiente is a wonderful example of grassroots news gathered by neighbors for the betterment of neighbors. I hope that such a model could gain traction here in Berwyn.

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?

There are several barriers that I see reducing engagement by community members in Berwyn. Language is certainly one of them. Many folks in Berwyn are more comfortable speaking and being informed in Spanish. This city can and should intentionally prepare materials in both English and Spanish. I recognize that legal documents (particularly contracts and ordinances require precise language that is not always directly translatable) can limit fully bi-lingual material. Nonetheless, we can easily do better.

Another barrier is our Inconsistent access to city services. Folks who “know a guy” whether that “guy” is an Alderman, Mayor, city employee or otherwise connected are more able to access city services. Our city should dedicate itself to equal access to services for everyone, regardless of who they know. Every time someone gets a favor that no one else can get, residents lose.

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?

Debt. Aging and Failing infrastructure. Cronyism.

We don’t have the luxury of dealing with one at a time, also these issues are intertwined and require simultaneous consideration. Hiring a Certified City Manager, a person trained to address Berwyn’s challenges from a non-partisan, non-political position. This manager would be hired by (thru a national search), responsible to City Council and if unable to meet the expectations fired by City Council. Berwyn elected officials all come from other professions and have learned municipal management while on the job. Decades of this kind of learning has led to our nearly 338 Million dollar debt. Over one third of a Billion Dollars! “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” No matter who said it first, it is time Berwyn get off the hamster wheel.

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

Racial equity is the call to dismantle the systems that create systemic injustice that is inherent in our institutions and organizations. Seeking racial equity demands conscious consideration of who is affected by policies and procedures, are those effects fair and just across racial and ethnic groups and are the benefits and burdens disproportionally shared?

The city’s response to the June 1st marches from Cicero through Berwyn into North Riverside, highlighted that Berwyn’s institutions privileged some residents over others. “Law and Order” vigilantes knew implicitly and explicitly that they could bring bats and muscle to Cermak Avenue to “protect” our businesses from “them.” Black residents realized in those days and after that “they” weren’t worthy of that protection. The lines between who is a worthy resident and who is not felt bright to me as a result of the immediate aftermath of those marches and the BLM rally at Berwyn City Hall.

Before this summer I had a superficial awareness of the inequity of being Black in Berwyn. I was aware of tacit agreements, de facto redlining and coded language about gangs and crime that contributed to the disproportionate demographics in Berwyn and in metro Chicago. The last 8 months have deepened that awareness and spurred me to greater commitment to challenge those old ways. I am doing that in concert with other residents committed to making Berwyn a racially equitable city.

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 have reached out to residents and asked that residents encourage others to reach out to me. I have, in partnership with a colleague alderman, provided resources for groups to wrestle with the events of this summer and determine their collective and individual hopes for a Better Berwyn. I have listened to residents tell of their experience. I have worked to not offer my help where it is not wanted, or yet needed. I am committed to using my power as alderman in service of the needs and requests of residents in the 3rd Ward and throughout our entire city.

The barriers that exist are many. One is presuming that I know what other people need and running rough shod over them to provide it. Another is being impatient with myself and with others because change is slow and difficult even when we all want it. It is glacial when some don’t want it. There are too many potential barriers to capture here, but a final significant one for me is managing feeling overwhelmed and forgetting that worthwhile relationships and change take time and can not be done by one person.

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?

One of the most inspiring people in my time as Alderman has been Mary Parenteau. Mary is a resident in the 2nd Ward. She shows up at the darnedest places.  I often turn around and she is sitting in the gallery for City Council meetings. She volunteers at the library. She was wrapped in scarves and mittens for the moment of silence and bell ringing on January 19th for those who have died from Covid. Her white head was at the BLM rally. In my experience, Mary is quiet and thoughtful and learning. She doesn’t tolerate fools. She doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but she listens. Mary supports Berwyn with her presence and her whole heart.

I hope people know that I care about this city and every resident of it. I care that your money isn’t wasted and that your time is valued. I care that your city work for you far harder than you work for it. I care that we leave our children a thriving city and not insurmountable debt. I care that every person in Berwyn reap the bounty of great neighbors, wonderful houses and a better future.

I also hope that people see me asking questions and demanding answers and feel empowered to do the same.

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

I encourage youth to participate in our life together as residents. I invite them to lend a hand in the ward and support their efforts to share their visions of Berwyn in the murals at the Oak Park underpass. I speak about my work to groups and organizations.

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

I believe that a thriving community requires varied housing stock. Berwyn hosts a small range of housing options, with most of this housing being more modest. To support a wider range of housing options Berwyn needs to invest in both low-income housing and high-income housing, so that we build a mixed income community.

Home ownership is how many of us build personal wealth and personal equity. Berwyn is better served investing in resident homeowners instead of non-resident developers’ intent on flipping our housing stock and removing that equity from our city.

Berwyn is known for its housing stock. We have historically been a blue-collar community, with modest sized lots through most of the city. This necessarily means that we have modest sized houses on those lots. The Chicago bungalow lives in Berwyn. These houses are prized and sought after because many are full of great craftsmanship and they are affordable. We have larger apartment buildings and rafts of 2 and 3 flats on the north side. Larger lots mean four-squares and Victorians toward the south. 

Berwyn is pretty full, there are not a lot of vacant lots or areas for new housing to shoot up. As a result, under regulated developers have not always honored the heritage of the homes they flip for top dollar. Those practices reduce some of what makes Berwyn so attractive to residents and new home buyers alike. As a city we can find a way between slavish conservation and capitalism run amok. But that way will require that each competing agenda be held in tension to maintain both our famous houses and new demands.

Additionally, there are one or two areas where new development is possible. In those places I have urged the BDC director to maintain economic diversity in those areas as developers vie for those properties. My hope is that we don’t develop exclusively high-end neighborhoods that create pocket gated communities that segregate “old” Berwyn from “new” Berwyn.

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

Berwyn is already experiencing the effects of climate change. As a region, we have had several “50-year rains” just within the last 10 years. Our outdated combined sewers are not designed to handle the demands of elbow-to-elbow houses with modern plumbing and appliances, let alone 3-5 inches of rainwater in 24 hours. Many of us know all to well the costs of this in backed-up flooded basements and water lapping over curbs into our yards. I fully support our current zoning that requires water retention be mandatory in every new build and prohibits over paving our city. I think we can do more to capture and slowly release rainwater and hope to contribute rain gardens and native plant areas through the 3rd ward to absorb more water before it hits the storm sewers.

More globally car manufacturers are moving to electric vehicles and this is certainly something that Berwyn should be weighing for our city fleet as much as possible. As the tech grows our options grow and we need to prepare today for those options.

Conventional recycling will not be an option for the city in the very near future. Waste Management has notified us about closing markets for our waste and recycling. Berwyn must act now to limit our literal and figurative footprint. This is not something that individuals will efficiently tackle. But as a city with combined efforts and shared services, we could leverage shared resources. Areas that require further thought are city-wide composting, focused city planning to enhance pedestrian and bicycles safety and access, while reducing reliance on cars for daily activity.

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

Berwyn has significant debt and pension shortfalls: $337,983,978 (Cook County Treasurer 2020 First Installment Property Tax Bill). The 2020 projected budget was $117,904,951 ($317,112 expenses over revenues). Covid-19 shortfalls and costs increased that deficit to more than $3 million dollars. Berwyn is a blue-collar community that has begun to gentrify.  Housing is growing more expensive and as a result property taxes are increasing. For years the answer to such shortfalls has been increase taxes and expand city footprint (we now spend $27 million more per year than we did in 2010).

We can not address today’s and tomorrow’s problems (infrastructure decay and covid recession) with yesterday’s solutions. I voted against increasing our city tax levy, because until Berwyn realistically reduces our expenditures and pays down our debt, we will be unable to thrive as a community. Taxes and spending cuts must be combined to shift our slide into debilitating debt, decreased credit ratings and increased interest rates.

I would implement a city-wide audit, considering staffing and workload for every city department. Utilizing the information from that and other audits done in the past five years, I would favor encouraging retirement for eligible employees and reorganizing personnel to meet actual demands and financial obligations.

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?

I do not believe we have had sufficient transparency in budgeting.

I would favor a return to a Budget calendar like we used in 2008 and projected into 2009 (found in 2008 Budget Document on city website). That year all budget meetings where concluded, and a final city budget was voted on in the last meeting in November. This was in time for a concrete number to determine the necessary levy to be applied to property tax revenue.

I have championed just such a schedule.

Several cities are using Participatory Budgeting to determine community needs and values and tailoring city spending to reflect those values. I believe that Berwyn can shift to such practices incrementally over just a few budget seasons.

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?

Yes, I have been and will continue to work for changes in policing policy and oversight.

I would support a robust City Council committee that partners with the Police and Fire Commission. I would make an alderman a permanent part of that commission and responsible for communicating to Council commission concerns and from Council City concerns. I would establish a citizen oversight commission for both police and fire to facilitate alignment of community values and community safety. I would emulate other cities models for forming and evaluating these and other measures.

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 certainly do think it is necessary to increase public awareness as to the function of these bodies. I also believe there is mutual responsibility for this awareness. The citizen and the institution must each do their part. If the institution does not provide information, the citizen must demand it and force it from their elected officials—ultimately through the vote. Re-electing people who don’t keep the lights on, means we (voters) share some of the responsibility for the confusion and lack of clarity.

Ask questions, demand answers and hold people accountable both to answer and keep doing better. This is what I try to do as alderman and as a resident. As such, I expect to be held accountable too.

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

I believe people do the best they can with what they’ve got/know. When they get/know more, they do more. We must learn from our performance as a city through this pandemic.

The bills don’t stop, even in quarantine. IMO I and the city were not adequately prepared to move city services “remote.” This meant that several departments “closed up” or were drastically hindered to meet their responsibilities. As alderman, I “feel” we could have done better. Moving from that “felt” experience to concrete, objective facts will require an audit and intentional review of the months of April, May and June throughout City Departments.

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