Chicago Decides: Peter Chico and Ana Guajardo vie for 10th Ward seat
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In the 10th Ward, on the Far South Side, Chicago police officer Peter Chico and labor organizer Ana Guajardo are facing off in a bid to replace retiring Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza.
Garza announced in September that she would not be running for a third term, and Chico and Guajardo took the top two spots in the first round in a five-way race for the seat.
The ward includes the East Side and Hegewisch neighborhoods, and parts of the South Chicago, South Deering, and Riverdale neighborhoods.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra spoke to Guajardo and Chico about the race.
Chico said the top issue in the 10th Ward, like the rest of the city, is public safety.
"When I'm knocking on doors, going to community events, that's the one thing that the residents bring up to me, is they want to feel safer in their home," he said. "The alderman's job is to build a relationship with the Chicago Police Department. I don't have to. I have one. So day one, we can hit the ground running, making our residents feel safe, allowing them to walk on the street, go to the local eateries, take children to the park. That's the number one issue."
Guajardo said the city needs to hire more detectives and fill CPD vacancies to help address public safety. She also called for more social services.
"We also have to advocate for more mental health services, more other resources for our children after schools. We have to make sure that we have jobs in the community, but we also have to ensure and need to expect that the police is able to do their job," she said.
You can watch both of their full interviews above.
