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 motivated by justice. I have seen unethical and unjust things happen in my community and realized we need actual change to enhance the quality of life for all of our neighbors. I like to believe I bring compassion and empathy to local government. My background in Business Administration allows for me to think critically, balance budgets, and be intentional about cutting waste. However, because of the intimacy that comes with governing a city of 56,000 people we need leaders that are thinking about how our decisions will impact our neighbors. Increasing permit costs and tickets may help pay down the debt but how will that impact our low-income and working class neighbors? I believe compassion and empathy also allow for me to see past my own belief system and actively try to seek middle ground in opposing perspectives. As a former program director with nearly a half a million dollar budget and a leader of a limited income church, I have years of experience stretching dollars, writing grants, and prioritizing organizational needs. As alderman of a city with a large debt, my financial background will help redirect the city’s priorities.

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

During this campaign season I have been trying to navigate competing interests between my own ideology for public safety and that of my neighbors. The consistent issue in my ward has been speeding. The city has said they will not install speed bumps as neighbors have requested. Because of this the perceived secondary solution is to have more of a police presence in my ward and at particular stop signs. I do not believe non-violent traffic offenses should be resolved with an increase of police activity. The responsibility of the police force is already stretched as is and we can better distribute our resources. As I try to reconcile that my role as an elected official will be to represent my neighbors and bring beliefs that may contradict my own, I have been also seeking to find alternatives to problems where my neighbors and I come from different perspectives. I began by acknowledging the competing interests. Then I shared this with colleagues and named the tension of trying to honor my neighbors’ request and my values. This conversation led to a storming of research and articles sent to me about using 3D art, street sharing displays, and plants as alternatives to addressing traffic violations which prove to have positive results. I learned not everything is binary and nothing is new under the sun. Leadership takes innovation and knowing when to turn to people more experienced than you.

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

Transparency means visibility and accessibility in government decision making. Examples of this include published committee meeting minutes, publicly available applications for commission positions, competitive contracts, and third party oversight. At the moment we do not have governing practices that embody these qualities. My leadership will foster a more transparent government by establishing an accessible means of communication between the City of Berwyn and residents that provides meaningful information. This includes monthly updates of city positions available, announcements for new ventures by the city, and deconstructing political language so that it is universally comprehensive for 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?

Social media is a two sided sword for elected officials,They are balancing their professional public career and their private life. On platforms that elected officials use to communicate and engage with residents, professionalism is important. Social media has become one of the main forms of communication between the city and residents. The city needs an open form of communication with residents in a way that does not pose a physical threat or incite violence. It is complicated for elected officials to do this on their private pages because though those pages do not represent the city, residents will still hold officials accountable for private beliefs and actions. I plan to engage in a professional format and work with other outlets to interact with my neighbors. I would like to pivot away from social media as the sole means of interaction because it excludes residents who do not use technology. My intention is to communicate with newsletters, emails, and neighborhood “message” boards in our ward parks.

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?

When I first moved to Berwyn, I wanted to understand when our local elections were and what various positions were electable. As a new resident I struggled navigating the website and did not find any of the answers to my questions. I am not alone. Many residents have named a lack of access to city information. Another barrier is timing and language. In a multilingual community we operate only in one language and treat anything else loosely as a secondary and tertiary option. This must end. In regards to time, many of our residents work second and third shifts. The city’s failure to record council meetings and committee meetings (until the pandemic) made it difficult for neighbors to stay engaged. I want to work on our infrastructure for communication . As alderman, I will gather residents from different socio-economic backgrounds and seek their insight and ideas for staying up-to-date and engaged in local government. I will also launch a political education campaign to begin further informing our neighbors’ knowledge of local government. Much of this can feel very intimidating and the more we unveil the system, the less intimidating it will be.

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?

City debt — with a debt of over 300million and without a plan to alleviate this debt, our taxes may skyrocket. Hundreds of people awaiting pensions may lose out if we do not get past a certain point in our financial narrative. Because of this debt our credit rating is very low and will limit our ability to affordably borrow money. I will prioritize this effort by hiring a certified city manager, auditing each department for waste, have a public review of department heads, and prioritize grant writing for our city needs.

Infrastructure — we have spent years putting patchwork on 90+ year old infrastructure. Because of this we have poor alleyways, potholes in our street, and a sewage system that is not prepared to retain the record rain Berwyn has been getting. After we establish a plan to manage the debt, I will work with the city council to create a comprehensive long term plan for city construction.

Housing — in different parts of Berwyn we are seeing bungalows that are being sold for half a million dollars when neighbors purchased their home for half to a quarter of the market price. In comparison, the median income of Berwyn residents is $60K. The push for a higher housing market will price out present Berwyn residents and make the city inaccessible to average income families. I am not sure how I can do this on a city level but I am willing to listen and work with my peers to ensure that Berwyn stays affordable for the working class.

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

Racial equity is equal fairness throughout racial categories. For example, since 16% of COVID deaths in Berwyn (last reviewed in 2020) have been Black people though we make up 6% of the population, we know that Black people have been disproportionately killed by the virus. An equitable solution will include prioritizing the distribution of the vaccine to senior homes. These homes are where most of our Black residents lived. Additionally, we must work with state and county officials to expand vaccination priorities to all members of one family unit living together. This is especially vital for Black and Latinx people who are more likely to live in multigenerational households and more commonly work at essential jobs with higher levels of COVID exposure. In actuality, recent events in our community have deeply informed my thinking considering it was the political climate mid- movement for Black Lives in Berwyn that inspired me to run for office. I was exposed to a government that proved to be indifferent to the fears and concerns of Black neighbors. I learned that Black residents were gaslighted when talking to alderman about racist death threats from other neighbors. I read email exchanges between residents and elected officials that were escalated through involving the police. Yes, involving the police via email. It became apparent that actual concerns and needs of Black residents were not being addressed and there was no sight of that changing. My thought process changed from being an outside organizer to being an inside policy maker and advocate for all people.

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 found that door knocking does this for me at the moment and I have learned a lot from my neighbors. Everyone has a different experience and the 1st ward narrative is not monolithic. I hope that neighbors continue to open doors for me or fill out surveys if applicable. I think some of the true barriers will involve 1) disabilities and people not able to answer doors 2) work hours and folks having competing schedules with my own 3) unforseen language barriers with neighbors who do not speak spanish or english.

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?

Benjamin Henning. I recognize he is a new member to Berwyn and that there are many other folks like Elizabeth Ojeda Jimenez and Jessica Aquino Rodriguez who have done a lot with Berwyn Community in Action. However in the very short amount of time Benjamin has been involved, he organized with the right people and got the mayor to agree to a Black Lives Matter mural in the parking lot of city hall. The mural did not change policy or the systemic issues we see in government. It did however influence change for community members. That mural project stirred the hearts of a lot of neighbors for better or for worse. Many more neighbors have been activated and ready to put in the work to make Berwyn a more equitable community. He, not alone, started important conversation and communal reflection. As an elected official, I imagine I will influence how we practice community. I want to use my platform to demonstrate compassion and living into restorative justice. I want to put the government back into the hands of my neighbors and encourage people to start dreaming of a Berwyn outside of the box we confine ourselves in.

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

I want the youth to feel like they have influence in the formation of our city. I would like to encourage more internship opportunities and support more youth center programming at the park district and library. If possible, I would like to expand the working relationships between the schools, the aldermen, and the city. Elected officials should have an obligation to do an informed voter session at the high school. Parents have shared interest in aldermen accompanying neighborhood partnerships to push for literacy campaigns on an elementary level. Youth are the future leaders and voters, they should have as much buy in as a homeowner.

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

Yes. I already support the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance that provides more protection to renters. On a city level we need to pass an ordinance to ensure we do not opt out of protecting renters either. I would support policies that lift the ban on rent control and limit the annual increase of property taxes.

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

Though Berwyn is a small community, we are densely populated and home to many restaurants. We are also in the Chicagoland area making us oftentimes on the receiving end of policy and events that happen in Chicago. Rather than being reactive, our municipality can be proactive and set the tone for a green friendly and climate change aggressive community. I think as we plan for infrastructure projects and other long term plans that we need to think of how we are building in ways that will be safe and beneficial for our children and great grandchildren. We can also immediately begin changing the way we recycle, compost, collect rainwater, and build green alleys.

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

I explain this a bit in a different response. Much of it involves auditing departments and cutting city waste while hiring a certified city manager to hold our departments accountable for functioning efficiently.

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 am excited to introduce participatory budgeting to Berwyn. I believe every resident deserves a say in how we prioritize our spending and has an understanding of what the budget means. I would like to create a format where residents can complete a survey and dictate what they believe should be a primary focus of spending. As we collect this data we will also be able to graph the priorities of our residents and how they shift throughout my term. Though we are elected to lead and represent, I believe having actual input from the 56k people who invest financially in Berwyn is imperative. Presently I do not think there is enough transparency in this process nor do I think the budget is translated in a way that is again accessible to residents.

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 would support more community oversight and additional resources for public safety such as social workers and community organizers that facilitate community workshops and peace circles. I would support ordinances that address residents that are disenfranchised.

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?

Yes. We need to campaign as a city and township to educate neighbors. We need to send home information packets outlining services and the roles of elected officials annually. We should be teaching local government in our schools and advertising volunteer opportunities for people to get involved. We need buy-in from the community. As a multilingual, working class, and immigrant city it is imperative that we continually educate our residents about what we have to offer and what is at stake every election season. Informed voters lead to better leadership.

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

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.

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