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?

Like many of our neighbors, I have grown increasingly frustrated with our local government. I got tired of my phone calls and emails asking for help and change going unanswered. I got tired of reading articles about the mayor spending $80,000 on pizza parties. I got tired of seeing the mayor give a wink and a nod to restaurants continuing indoor dining while Berwyn’s COVID rates were skyrocketing. I got tired of seeing friends and family members of government officials move into positions of power throughout City Hall. I am running to ask questions, scrutinize the budget and vote against no-bid contracts. I am running to bring a new perspective as a software engineer to the table, rather than yet another real estate professional. I am running to stop treating City Hall services as favors and to fix the system so everyone has equal access regardless of “who you know.” I am running, not because I value being an alderman as a status symbol to put on my license plate, but as a duty to the community after watching the inequities of our society exacerbated with the pandemic. 

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

This is a fairly common occurrence as someone working in technology. Everyone has their own very strong opinion of how things should be done and as there can only be one final product, we have to reach some sort of consensus on how we should move forward. My method for dealing with these competing interests is to give folks the space to voice their opinions and to see if we can find common ground in the implementation methods they are proposing. The takeaway from these interactions for me is that people can have a common goal, but have different ways of going about achieving that goal. As long as we are all pointing in the same direction, and everyone has had the opportunity to be listened to, we can find compromise and use parts of the various methodologies so that everyone feels heard and is invested. However, when it comes to questions of morality and humanity, I will never compromise the rights and dignity of our residents.

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

Transparency to me means an openness to engaging with the community over any and all questions and concerns. Transparency requires the ability and willingness to take accountability for any harm caused, and a commitment to repairing that harm, rather than trying to explain it away. Transparency means no part of city governance is unavailable to the people due to a language barrier. I will put this into practice by ensuring city documents are translated into Spanish and ensuring a Spanish hotline. I will support easier access to government information through upgrades to the existing website. Additionally, I will not delete oppositional posts or comments from residents and will take accountability if and when I make a mistake. I know that I am not close to perfect nor do not have all the answers. I am willing to level with my constituents, admit that I do not know or I have erred and then work to find an answer or solution.

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 think that Berwyn should have a social media code of conduct for public employees’ interactions with residents. I think it is imperative that local officials do not block residents, and that they engage with all residents in a respectful and professional manner no matter the circumstance. Our neighbors have a right to be outspoken and disagree with their elected officials and this opposition should not be met with aggression, retaliation, or hostility. While I think social media is a great option for quick communication, there needs to be a centralized tool for communicating with the government for all residents to ensure--regardless of membership to a social media platform or specific group within it--access to city services and government communications. The emergency broadcast system has proved to be an effective tool but we should work to expand resident membership to the program through active offline outreach so that all residents can stay informed.

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?

The two major barriers to accessing the Berwyn government are language and technology. A significant portion of Berwyn residents speak Spanish as their primary language and we need to accommodate them.. We need to provide all communications and documents in both Spanish and English. We need to set up a Spanish hotline so that residents who need to access city services are able to do so. As for technology, we need to fix the website. We need to reorganize and relabel content to improve readability. We need a centralized reporting location so that residents do not have to scroll through a list of links to find the relevant information that they are looking for. Additionally, allowing residents to do things like apply for a permit online frees up the phone lines for residents who would rather communicate that way and reduce city employees’ workloads by moving some of the burden of the paperwork off their plates. Moving these services online also allows residents to better trace progress of an issue and allows them to hold the city accountable.

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?

Public Safety — I am advocating for a new Police Chief who is willing to engage with residents and has a proven track record of successful community policing. I also promise to take my constituents’ concerns seriously when it comes to voting on officer promotions. I will not vote to promote violent and problematic officers and will fight for more transparency from the police and fire commission on the process. 

Access to city resources — I would prioritize fixing the broken links on the website, adding context and organization to the existing links, creating a City Hall Spanish hotline, and working  toward the creation of a centralized reporting tool. 

Rat problem — The rat problem requires a two part solution, the first being education. The more we educate our residents about the causes and signs of rats, the more they can help us fix the problem. The second is an aggressive and “all at once” approach to removal so the problem cannot continue to grow and move throughout Berwyn.

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

Racial equity is recognizing that our histories are different but our futures can align. Racial equity begins with an understanding of our histories. We need to acknowledge the past and work to correct the injustices that were committed. I can remember watching my dad be held down by a police officer outside my childhood home because the police were looking for a “suspicious black man”. These issues are not new, and they have not changed much since I was a child. Racial equity means listening to and believing people’s experiences. It means acknowledging them and bringing them in to collaboratively create solutions to address their needs moving forward. These are not the problems of the past, they are the problems of today and we need to act with urgency and intentionality to right the wrongs.

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 continue door knocking because I think it’s a great way to hear from residents and build trust. The number of neighbors who have said to me “well you showed up at least so that’s a start” is in the double digits. People crave being heard and it empowers residents and allows for me to be more intune with the day-to-day concerns of all residents, not just those posting on social media. My experience working in the service industry while earning my degrees has prepared me for heated interactions with folks. In running this campaign, I have met people who strongly disagreed with me and were hostile toward me, yet I still tried to listen to their concerns and explain where I was coming from. The ability to listen to criticism about yourself and assess your words and actions through a different point of view is essential for good leadership. I also welcome and encourage my constituents who supported me to hold me accountable as well. I think a continued dialogue about the issues and concerns of residents will lead to more community engagement and ultimately a better Berwyn.

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?

Jeanine Reardon, the current alderperson of the 3rd Ward, has been absolutely essential in setting an example for what good governance can look like in Berwyn. I have had the pleasure of speaking with Jeanine multiple times since deciding to launch my campaign and each time I walked away with at least one new idea of the way public officials should carry themselves. She is an unafraid leader who listens to her constituents, asks the hard questions and puts in the work of scrutinizing budgets and policies. I plan to follow in her footsteps by listening to the concerns brought forward by my constituents and in raising those concerns at council. Jeanine has paved the way for showing how to respectfully work with people you disagree with and still get things done. Like her, I want to strongly reflect and represent  the values and ideas of my neighbors.

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

As a father with young children, I love this question. I think the most important thing in engaging with youth is to treat them like everyone else. I know when I was younger, involvement with any kind of politics felt like a useless exercise and that the people in power didn’t care what I had to say. The youth today are more informed and more inclusive than ever and we need to treat them as an equal voice at the table because they are and they have earned it. Chicago Public School’s Board of Education has a good program where they recognize some exceptional teachers and students at the beginning of their meetings. We can implement a similar program here in Berwyn and build community while bringing more people into the fold. We can also engage in youth meetings and high school outreach so that folks who would not normally speak feel like they have the space to do so. Having more voices at the table expressing concerns and visions leads to better solutions and more folks getting the support they need.

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

The current administration consists mostly of real estate professionals. As such, their strongest incentive is to boost the price of houses at all costs. That means demolishing the park on my block--which was one of the few places in the 8th Ward that my children could play at--in favor of a forever unfinished cookie cutter steel monolith. The current administration proudly touts these as accomplishments because to them, the people who profit off of them, they are. to the residents who have lived here their whole lives and are now being priced out, they are anything but. I talked to a neighbor who brought this to my attention and he went house by house and pointed out all the residents who had to leave because they could no longer afford their homes. We need to continue building a better Berwyn, but it cannot be at the expense of our lower income residents and we cannot proudly wave in gentrification. We need sustainable development that fits the neighborhood paired with the creation of community spaces like parks to attract people to Berwyn and to give our residents a neighborhood they can afford and be proud of. 

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

Climate change is the issue of our lifetime and it absolutely should be a priority. The effects of climate change are already obvious and they predominantly affect the already disenfranchised. The issue of climate change is not solely focused on recycling or decreasing. it needs to be a sustainable change in how we do everyday activities and how we spend our money. For this aspect, educating residents on how they can make an impact and giving them the resources to be successful is key. There are some quick changes we could make: allow residents to opt in to paperless billing, placing recycling bins next to every city-supplied garbage can. There are some larger and longer term changes: a composting program, native gardens, bike lanes and increased walkability to minimize car usage. Then there are administrative processes that need to be changed: City Hall being paperless, choosing sustainable products, and providing community businesses the tools and incentives to decrease their carbon footprint. Together as a community we can make these changes that will allow our planet, our city, and our children to thrive for generations to come. 

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

We need a full audit of city government. There are far too many friends and family members in government roles and we need to make sure that those positions are valuable to the taxpayers of Berwyn. Besides weeding out the nepotism and corruption that costs our city money, I would hold our police department accountable. The largest percentage of the budget goes to public safety so I would vote against corrupt no-bid contracts that are pushed forward. I would vote against promoting officers with a history of lawsuit that taxpayer dollars settled to the highest paying jobs in Berwyn. Being the largest part of Berwyn’s budget has to come with financial accountability and transparency.

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?

The candidate for 1st Ward alderperson, Nicolette Peñaranda, and I have discussed encouraging more community involvement in the process of creating a budget. Similar to the program that the City of Chicago rolled out this summer, granting residents input on the services and programs they believe are valuable to them and their neighbors. I think using community input as a jumping off point promotes a connection with local government and allows folks to have a voice and feel invested. Transparent is not a word I would use to describe the current administration. Finding the budget on the Berwyn website is not a straightforward task and I have never received any information about its contents, passing, or implementation. I believe that something as critical as a city budget should be displayed prominently front and center across multiple methods of communication. I also think that it would be valuable to put time and energy into education surrounding budgetary concerns. Looking at a city budget can be a daunting task, but if we were able to better explain to constituents how it works and improve its readability, we could reach more people.

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?

This is critical and, as I said in the email I sent to the mayor that was ignored, allowing a Black Lives Matter mural was the easy part. We in Berwyn are blessed to have folks who have been doing this work long before this summer and we need to empower them and elevate their voices to create and enact the policy changes we need as a city. Recognizing the diversity commission as an official body with power would be a step in the right direction. Advocating for more communication from the police regarding what is happening in our neighborhood is another. Creating transparency in the hiring and promotion of officers is also key to lay a foundation. I will vote against promoting officers with a history of lawsuits and violence against residents. As I said before, the majority portion of tax dollars needs to come with accountability. 

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 think it is important that folks know who the people are in government and what their roles are. A good number of people I’ve spoken with while knocking doors do not even know who their current alderman is. I think the listening sessions that candidates have been hosting during this election season are a great way to get to know your city officials and learn the roles that those officials have. Erika Corona-Owens’ coffee break was extremely informative and the first time I had been made aware of what the role of the Township Supervisor is. I also plan to implement a monthly one page newsletter (which will have a paperless option). This flyer can highlight a different city and township entity allowing our residents to hear from each employee, learn their role, and get to know the faces of the people making the decisions that affect their everyday lives. Having the people with first hand experience of the role speak a little to residents about their experiences and job duties would be a great way to increase participation in local government and give residents the tools to better hold their city officials accountable. 

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

The role of the government is to collectively support the people. This support can come from financial assistance, dispersal of information, collective expertise, and access to resources. The pandemic was eye opening for me to see how much local government can have a direct impact on managing the health and wellness of its residents. The pandemic has also exacerbated inequities already present in our society and made more clear that we need to protect our more vulnerable populations. That means following science and the most current recommendations by public health departments. That means efficiently distributing federal funding appropriately. That means not spending government funding meant to help people struggling on no-bid body cameras for police. We have learned the local government is crucial and it is important that its leaders are looking out for the best interests of the people.

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