Chicago Decides: Joe Dunne, Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth face off in 48th Ward
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With longtime Ald. Harry Osterman retiring from his City Council seat at the end of his term, the race to replace him in the 48th Ward was one of the most crowded races on the ballot in February, with 10 candidates running for the seat.
Joe Dunne, vice president of Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation, a nonprofit real estate group that builds affordable housing, will face Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth, a photographer and small business owner, and board member of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, in the upcoming runoff election on April 4.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra spoke to both candidates about the race.
Dunne, whose family has lived in the ward for four generations, said the top issue in the ward is public safety.
"People are concerned about public safety in the ward. They want to see programs and a process to address … the root causes of violence and crime, and making sure that we're addressing poverty, and creating economic opportunity and economic development throughout the city; but they also want to see police on our streets, and feel the police presence, particularly in the business districts, where we have a lot of closed storefronts, and we've had a major impact from COVID," he said.
Dunne said he will make it a priority to get businesses into those closed storefronts, and help people feel safe coming to the ward's business district.
Manaa-Hoppenworth revitalizing the whole ward and the city overall is the top priority.
"People want to get out, and have visceral experiences, and that includes experiences in our local businesses. They want to be safe on the transit systems that we have – our Red Line, our bus systems, and on the sidewalks, and in our streets. What we need to do is address structural changes for long-term solutions, and not just keep putting Band-Aids on our issues," she said.
You can watch both candidates' full interviews in the video player above.
