Candidates for 1st Ward alderperson talk crime, affordability, transparency
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Less than 24 hours before polls open with major decisions on the ballot, will 1st Ward residents re-elect the incumbent? Or will they bring a former alderperson back to office?
Or go with an entirely new face?
Morning Insider Lauren Victory takes us inside that four-way race.
Wicker Park and Logan Square are among the neighborhoods the four candidates running for 1st Ward alderperson want to represent.
Incumbent Daniel La Spata, Attorney Sam Royko and Community Activist Stephen "Andy" Schneider sat down with CBS2 to discuss their positions on issues such as crime and gentrification. Twice, we had an interview set up with former alderperson Proco "Joe" Moreno but ultimately, he answered our questions via email.
Note: Candidates' responses are edited for brevity.
We asked everyone about their solutions to getting a handle on crime.
Moreno wrote: "I have released a detailed plan that includes funding a state of the art police satellite station in the 12th district, bringing our walking beat cops back to the ward, and expanding mental health services for our constituents, as well as our police men and women."
Royko says his girlfriend getting carjacked two years ago is a major reason he's in this race. "First, we have to help people feel more safe now. We can do that by increasing the amount of officers we have. We still have to have accountability with our officers but we need more officers," he said, adding that he'd push to increase the number of cameras with license plate readers. "We can also focus on the long term. We need better intervention programs, especially for juveniles. We need to invest on the South and West sides to make sure we're doing a better job."
"Increasing lighting on a street for example or adding a camera where it might be needed," said Schneider on how to reduce crime. "When you're dealing with public safety, there are localized issues that you need to address and I think having an alderperson that can coordinate, that has a history of both building bridges among neighbors, right and also between neighbors, between police and the Ward office, that's a crucial skill…but the bigger issue is we have to address the root causes of crime."
One of La Spata's suggestions: think differently about noise and parking complaints.
"Parking enforcement aides, social workers, mental health clinicians providing relevant responses oftentimes at a fraction of the cost of sending an officer as well," the incumbent explained. La Spata also points to what he feels are his office's public safety accomplishments: "We've added license plate readers and safety cameras in parts of the ward. It's how we were able to justify adding a new entertainment corridor detail."
Gentrification and housing affordability is a hot topic among ward residents that live in neighborhoods including West Town, Ukrainian Village and Noble Square.
"Property taxes and the assessment system is so convoluted that it needs to be modernized…property taxes are something that really is a primary driver of displacement and if we don't get a handle on that, it's going to be very hard to prevent a cycle of displacement," said Schneider who leans on his work as president of Logan Square Preservation as demonstration of his commitment to a City-community partnership. It's one of the main issues that brought him to the ballot.
Moreno wrote "I am proud of my track record of bringing affordable housing units to the ward. Between 2014-2018, I brought more ARO units to the ward, than any other ward in the City besides the 27th Ward. Lathrop Homes was not included in those statistics. If you include the revitalization of Lathrop, the 1st Ward was number one in the city. I plan to continue to lead on that issue."
La Spata spoke about his work helping to legitimize coach houses and basement units as housing options. "If the only way that we're encouraging affordability and housing stability is through new development, we're going to be sunk so we're trying to find ways to reduce property taxes for longtime homeowners, to expand the assessor's new program that brings property relief – longtime relief – to folks who are willing to keep rental units affordable."
On housing affordability and development, Royko told CBS 2, "We need to make sure that we're adding housing while also trying to help keep families here who have been here for a long time. For me, it's about adding community input and leaning into those lawyer skills I have of being a negotiator, a mediator, being someone who believes in working out compromises and telling people, 'Hey, this is how it can benefit our neighborhood.' It's going to be walking that line and bringing that balance in a case-by-case scenario."
Then CBS 2 brought up the topic of transparency since city officials are sometimes criticized for not being forthright.
"For me, I've always called it like it is. I want to be honest with people and we want to really make a difference that people can care about. It's about representing the people," said Royko.
Moreno's answer about transparency: "In terms of development, for every single zoning change request, I referred them to the various community organizations in the ward. I agreed with their recommendations 95% of the time."
La Spata referred to the publication of some of his decisions on the 1st Ward website.
"You can see every single zoning change that I've approved, everything that I've rejected, everything that's been considered," he said, telling us his inspiration to run for office four years ago was for a more transparent and democratic representative.
Schneider took a dig posting decisions online. "…Transparency isn't just a passive, 'Here, the information is out there, go find it.'" Instead, he suggests the following: "When there's a zoning or infrastructure change, that you're actively going out, you're actively knocking on doors. You're taping flyers or passing out flyers so that people understand that something is going to change that something is an issue."
He also took a swipe at the incumbent. "…if a developer does give us money, we would return it. The alderman Daniel La Spata has not done that."
Moreno was the alderperson before La Spata. Since the last election, he made headlines for a DUI arrest but tells CBS 2 "…I went to recovery over two years ago and it changed my life. I don't deserve a pat on the back, I own it…" We asked Moreno why he wants to return to office. His answer? "For the past 3 1/2 years the ward has gone backwards in so many ways, especially on public safety. I simply could not sit back and watch all of the work that the community I did for over nine years, go backwards."
Exactly who the 1st Ward alderperson represents is changing in May. The boundaries will creep north the highway including the area near Talman and Altgeld and swing east to include more of Noble Square and Ukrainian Village.