The first of six aldermanic debates in the 49th Ward was held on Sunday at the Good News Church in the North of Howard area. All four candidates, Chris Adams, Jim Ginderske, Don Gordon and Alderman Joe Moore (49th) participated in front of a standing room only crowd.
The debate was moderated by Rev. Marilyn Pagan-Banks, pastor of the church and Louisa Pizarro, an educator at Rogers Park’s Jordan Community School. They presented four main issues to the candidates, affordable housing, safety, jobs and health care. In addition they asked two questions posed by the audience; what they will do to reduce poverty and what youth initiatives do they envision.
In a recent poll of the neighborhood, 91% of those polled favored housing set asides for those earning $37,000 or less, an income cap which is far lower than what is mandated by the state.
Don Gordon favored the idea and noted that he also backed the current provisions of the set aside programs, but he emphasized that he believed that jobs were more important and would naturally lead to the ability to own property. He wanted to see initiatives that would bring living wage jobs to the neighborhood, and an overall revitalization of the business district.
Jim Ginderske approved of the idea to create housing that will be affordable to lower income people and stated he also supports the city’s 15% diversity in housing dictates.
Chris Adams is running on the platform of calling for a 12 month moratorium on development to “reevaluate where we are.” He also called for accountability among rental owners and said he would call for landlords to be licensed by the city and thereby held accountable to residents.
Alderman Moore reminded spectators that he has held developers to the city’s requirements on affordable housing and led the charge in the City Council to pass the “Big Box” ordinance which would have forced large retailers to raise wages. He then mentioned that Gordon’s desire for living wages was disingenuous since he was opposed to that ordinance. Gordon later shot back that it’s not that he doesn’t think we need a living wage ordinance he just didn’t agree with the way it was done.
On jobs, Moore said he has brought 86 large scale projects to the neighborhood in his tenure, including the $80,000,000 CTA rehabilitation project which employed nine local residents, the library and the Jordan School. He has also worked to train local residents so they can gain employment on these projects. He will get commitments from contractors to hire locally for the new fire station and Gale Community Center.
Ginderske countered that it’s hard to get contractors on city projects to commit to hiring local residents because they are typically union jobs, but he would like to get involved in job training programs should he be elected.
Adams would like to see city initiated projects include local residents, but said the long term solution to the problem is education.
Gordon would like to provide job training incentives to developers in the area who frequently don’t use union or local labor. He would like to streamline the permit process if they agree to hire locally. He also sees revitalization of the commercial and retail sector in the ward as crucial to providing employment.
On safety issues, Moore noted that crime has decreased, though it has also decreased citywide. He noted that he brought the CAPS program to Rogers Park and believes that has been instrumental in reducing crime in the area.
Adams countered that there needs to be a commitment from the alderman’s office for CAPS to work, and he has not seen that commitment. He said the lack of presence at meetings from Moore’s office is “depressing.” Moore responded later that Alicia Lopez from his office attends the meetings and that Adams didn’t start going “until he decided to run for alderman.” Adams disputed that charge.
Gordon would like to bring technology to CAPS so residents can go online and participate or just see exactly what CAPS is doing. He thinks this would be better suited to people’s many commitments and make the process ongoing instead of simply a once a month meeting. He also wants tenants to be screened because he believes that bad housing is the basis for many problems in the community.
Ginderske would like to see a specific group of persons or city agencies responsible for follow up on issues brought forth at CAPS meetings. He also wants to bring a Boys and Girls Club to the neighborhood, because he has had police complain that when they have kids on the street corners they have nowhere to send them. It would also provide outreach and positive influences for at risk children.
On health care all candidates were in agreement that the ward needs health care options, Gordon wants to get existing organizations which can service people more funding and work with the County and the Board of Health, as Rogers Park is one of the top three HIV infected communities in the city.
Ginderske has been working with Neighbors for a Healthy Rogers Park to get a clinic in the ward and wants to get the first Federally Qualified Health Care clinic in the city here.
Moore agreed that Ginderske has been instrumental in this initiative and said he worked with him to get a location on Touhy west of Ridge to sign a lease to open a clinic contingent on receipt of federal funding.
To reduce poverty all of Moore’s opponents focused on improving the schools, where Moore noted that he built an additional school during his tenure, put an addition on Gale Academy and introduced the living wage ordinance into the City Council (which was passed but vetoed by Mayor Daley).
Gordon also wants to concentrate on creating jobs and revitalizing the commercial district, Ginderske again mentioned the Boys and Girls Club and wants Loyola to contribute by having their students tutor our children, Adams would like to get inside the schools and fix them as well as find a new way to fund them besides property taxes.
As for youth initiatives, Ginderske would like to see a longer school day and wants to see the police get involved with the children at an early age with events sponsored by the police department to give children a positive impression of the police.
Moore touted the Gale Community Center as a positive alternative as well as hoping that the park district employees at the field house could act as mentors.
Adams wants to get more involved with After School Matters as well as start our own program with our own people.
Gordon wants to expand the living wage ordinance but ground it in sound economics, which is his background. He would like to provide incentives for companies to pay our workers fairly. He also questioned where Moore was when the Park District cancelled the Junior Guard program at Leone Park which served 450 kids.
The candidates closing statements were essentially recaps of their platforms though Ginderske offered that he has been a union member for over 20 years and Adams said he has worked in government before and this certainly wouldn’t be the largest program he ever worked on.
The notable exception was Gordon who wanted the people to get to know him not his platform.
He said “I have been characterized as a rich, white, suburban banker.” They are correct on one “I’m white.” He explained that he works as a project manager at a suburban bank, but was raised near Wrigley Field “before it was Wrigleyville” by three women; his mother, his aunt and his grandmother.
He said his mother was a single mom “before it was fashionable” so he knows what is to struggle to put food on the table, and there were times that need wasn’t met. But the one thing his mother made sure he got was an education, which is why he knows that is the key to success.
1 comment:
Odd, Danny is the 'screening' committee on audience questions, surprise - surprise!! Since people were asked to put their names on that card, I'm sure he was looking for NSP pre-fabbed questions.
Everyone else will probably be added to their mailing list.
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