What do you believe are the greatest transportation challenges facing the City of Chicago right now?

The area that makes up the 13th Ward is a very car-centric area, but I'm working to help neighbors understand how improving public transit, pedestrian safety, and cycling infrastructure helps drivers by reducing traffic and improving safety for everyone. I think broadening the notion of who benefits from these investments is going to be essential to implementing the kinds of policies we need to improve health and safety for the whole city. I also think we need aldermen who will think beyond their individual wards and appreciate how large scale transportation investments across ward boundaries can benefit all of us, rather than focusing on our parochial interests.

Do you or members of your family regularly use sidewalks, bike, take transit, drive, or a combination of any/all to get around? Does this correspond with your preferred/ideal modes of getting around? If not, what barriers do you and your family face in using your preferred mode of transportation?

My family and I use a combination of all modes of transportation to get around. We often take walks as a family, and I love taking my daughter to school on my bike when the weather cooperates (but we'll drive when it's cold). There are relatively few barriers to transport for us, though our neighborhood could certainly be better designed for the comfort and safety of pedestrians and cyclists. We need more trees, more pedestrian friendly destinations, more traffic calming infrastructure, and more protected bike lines to really encourage multi-modal transportation in our community.

Can you share a personal experience that changed your opinion about a transportation related policy matter?

When I worked in an office, I had a number of co-workers who were regular bike commuters. I had ridden a bike recreationally for years, but I never really used it to commute. What struck me was the fact that every one of my cycling co-workers had been doored at least once, or had a story about a close call, or had been in some kind of accident while commuting. These were people who were experienced cyclists who took traffic safety seriously, and almost all of them had suffered some kind of injury while commuting. It helped me understand the dangers that cyclists can face, and better appreciate the need for human-centered street design.

Chicago is a snowy city, and even one stretch of uncleared sidewalk can make it impassable – particularly for folks with disabilities, the elderly, and parents with young children. What is your position on implementing a universal city-wide sidewalk snow/ice removal service?

I support plowing the sidewalks. This is actually a service that already exists in the 13th Ward as a hybrid city/political service (some of the sidewalk plows were paid for with city tax dollars through Aldermanic Menu, while some were paid for by the 13th Ward Democratic Organization). If I win this election, the plows purchased with city money will remain and can be used to continue plowing the sidewalks here in the 13th Ward. Incumbent Alderman Marty Quinn is proud to tout his sidewalk plowing service, but to my knowledge has been silent on supporting a citywide version of this service. He should be leading the charge, but he isn't. If elected, I'll be happy to help push this program forward for the whole city.

It is now widely recognized and understood that interstate highways were used to physically divide urban communities from one another – often along racial and class lines. How do you propose we overcome these divisions to restore the urban fabric of Chicago and reconnect our segregated neighborhoods?

I believe it's possible to use pedestrian and cyclist friendly infrastructure to improve connections between neighborhoods on opposite sides of interstate highways to make movement between neighborhoods easier. This is simpler in areas where residential neighborhoods sit on either side of the highway. On the Southwest Side, where the 13th Ward is, much of the north end of I-55 is flanked by industrial areas, which makes connecting neighborhoods on either side of the highway more of a challenge.

What role do you believe transportation plays in Chicago’s collective greenhouse gas emissions, climate responsibility, and overall environmental health?

Chicago is a major transportation hub, and emissions from transportation play a huge role in our overall air quality. In 2022, the American Lung Association listed the Chicago metro area as #16 on its list of most polluted cities, and last summer the Chicago Sun-Times ran a great piece about the air quality in Chicago and the effects of traffic and industry. If we want to improve air quality, we definitely need to find ways to reduce overall motor vehicle traffic by incentivizing transit and improving non-car transportation options.

What is your position on the Illinois Department of Transportation’s current proposals for rebuilding North DuSable Lake Shore Drive? Do you believe the proposed designs will reduce congestion, improve transit access and make pedestrians and cyclists safer? How do you think the current proposals will impact access to the lakefront?

I think it's good that IDOT is working on improving DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and I hope that they continue to incorporate feedback from residents. As I understand it, most of the proposed changes should improve public transit on the Drive and reduce congestion, but as my ward is about as far away from North Lake Shore Drive as you can get, this topic has not been a major area of focus for me.

What barriers do you believe the Illinois Department of Transportation presents to Chicago pursuing better safe streets design standards and transit investments? How do you plan to work with City Council, the Governor, and State legislators to overcome these barriers?

I understand that IDOT has recently changed its position on safe street improvements within Chicago, and that's definitely a positive step. Building streets that are safe for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians will require cooperation between all levels of government, and if elected I will be happy to work collaboratively with city and state agencies to implement better, safer infrastructure.

The 99-year parking meter deal enacted by former Mayor Richard M. Daley has been a barrier to enacting safe street designs by privatizing large portions of Chicago’s streets. What is your plan to address this?

If elected, I will work to unwind the parking meter deal by whatever means available. We never should have signed away our ability to control our streets, and we certainly shouldn't have done it for most of a century. I don't have a specific plan for addressing this issue, as the legal issues around this topic are complicated, but it is definitely something that I'm thinking about, and I will be considering all options if elected. Hopefully, the complications from the parking meter deal will continue to serve as a reminder of why we shouldn't privatize public spaces in the first place.

Studies show us that speed and distracted driving kill. What do you think are the most effective ways to reduce driver speed and increase safe driving behavior?

I think the best way to affect driver behavior is through street design that forces drivers to slow down and stay alert. Too many of our arterial streets have designs that resemble highways, and this encourages drivers to travel at highway speeds. We need to work on adding pedestrian islands, more trees, and other safe street designs that signal to drivers that they need to slow down and pay attention.

What is your position on the City passing ordinances that attempt to regulate the size, weight, and/or safety features of personal and private vehicles?

I don't think this is an area where the City should be regulating. The federal government sets vehicle safety standards and the state distinguishes between personal and commercial vehicles, and I think those bodies should continue to regulate motor vehicles.

What is your position on establishing a dedicated funding stream for safe and universal pedestrian and bike infrastructure in Chicago?

My general preference is that infrastructure be paid for out of general city funds and passed through the standard budget process.

What is your position on creating select pedestrian-only streets?

I'm in favor of pedestrian-only streets where they can be implemented without severely impacting residents' ability to get around their neighborhoods, and where the majority of residents support such a change. I don't expect that this is something that would have widespread support in the 13th Ward.

What policy solutions would you implement to ensure CTA buses operate on schedule, frequently, and quickly?

One of the big issues right now for CTA reliability is staffing. I support efforts by the CTA to improve recruitment and training of new bus and train operators to help bring the system's operational capacity back up to pre-pandemic levels. I think we need to improve reliability and frequency on the system before we can expect to see ridership rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and the sooner we can do that, the better.

Considering the role the CTA, Metra, and Pace play in providing public transportation within the city, what are your plans to address the impending fiscal cliff – a deficit of over $700 million – that the agencies will be facing in 2025?

We need to be considering alternative funding sources to cover for the impending loss of federal relief funds. This can include increased subsidies from the city, county, and state, an increase in the share of sales tax revenue that goes to the RTA, or increases in advertising and concession fees. Of course, we should also continue to lobby for additional federal assistance to support these agencies.

What is your position on establishing a network of Bus Rapid Transit lines in Chicago?

I'm in favor of Bus Rapid Transit, and I would be in favor of exploring the possibility of a Bus Rapid Transit line on Pulaski.

Will you commit to securing the funding necessary to implement CTA's plan to become 100% accessible according to ADA standards? (yes/no)

Yes.