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

I think the greatest transportation challenges facing the city right now are that people are actively discouraged from biking or relying on public transportation as their primary means of transportation.

There are a lot of reasons for this. There are people who live in transportation deserts who do not have reasonable access to public transportation. The CTA also did not sufficiently prepare to deal with the staffing exodus caused by the pandemic and still has not taken action to ensure adequate staffing levels that can provide sufficient service levels. Biking in Chicago has always been dangerous, but it feels like that has gotten a lot worse since the pandemic began.

To address those issues, the CTA must offer wages and benefits at a level that attract sufficient new employees to restore adequate service. Training must be expanded and accelerated to prepare new staff to operate trains and buses ASAP. Service must be expanded so that no part of the city is a public transportation desert.

In terms of biking, the city must implement safe biking paths throughout the city. Bike lanes on city streets must be fully protected in a way that prevents cars from entering and/or parking in the bike lane.

While I do not support financial disincentives for those who rely on autos for transportation, I would support financial incentives for people who do not rely on autos for transportation. I would support making riding the CTA free at the point of service, for example.

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?

I and members of my family use a combination of all methods to get around. I would prefer to rely less on driving and more on the CTA and biking. The barriers I face to doing so are the weather and the speed with which I need to get from Point A to Point B (and often Points C, D, E, and F). Especially during campaign season, I very often need to be at locations throughout the ward and city within a timeframe that is not possible using a bike or the CTA.

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

I was on my way to a City Council meeting, riding the Blue Line and one of the other passengers began having a mental health crisis. This passenger started yelling and throwing his phone, and people began to leave the train until it was just myself and a few others on this train car. After a while, he asked if he could sit with me and I said yes and we proceeded to talk about his knowledge of Chicago history.

By the time I got off, he was calm and able to continue with his day. I was able to support in this case because I am currently working towards my Masters in Social Work and have training. This experience furthered my deep belief that we need trained clinicians and mental health workers to be available for support whenever people are - including on public transit. That is why I am fighting so hard for Treatment Not Trauma and full funding of public services, including the CTA.

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 fully support a city-wide sidewalk snow/ice removal service. In the 33rd Ward my office established a volunteer program where residents who are unable to clear their sidewalks and other walkways could register and have a volunteer who would clear the snow for them. The program has served as a stop-gap, but it should not be incumbent on individual alderpeople to establish programs to guarantee that the sidewalks are being appropriately cleared of snow.

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 don’t know that I agree that we would be restoring the urban fabric of the city or reconnecting neighborhoods; I think we would be building the urban fabric sort of from scratch and connecting neighborhoods for the first time. This city was intentionally segregated and minority areas were intentionally over-policed and under-resourced. Our first steps are to make the city an equitable place by prioritizing resources and community-building in the areas which the city has neglected or actively worsened and then expanding those programs from there.

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

Obviously civilian transportation plays a role in emissions and negatively impacts air quality. But, it is also the case that if individuals completely ceased all emissions that would not be sufficient to stop rising temperatures globally. So, while we must work to lower the contribution individuals make to emissions, we must never lose sight of the systemic and structural changes that are necessary for any serious plan to combat climate change and mitigate its impacts.

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?

While the 33rd Ward doesn’t include DuSable Lake Shore Drive, numerous studies have shown that adding and widening lanes can actually make congestion worse. I would hope that – at minimum –IDOT’s proposals for re-envisioning the Drive will prioritize transit, cyclists, and pedestrians.

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?

The recent agreement between CDOT and IDOT is a step in the right direction because it will give Chicago transportation planners more freedom to incorporate pedestrian safety and even bike lanes on state roads, like Irving Park (where my ward office is located), but there’s much more that needs to be done. At the City level, I’m one of two co-sponsors on Alderman Matt Martin’s ordinance* which would require the CDOT to undertake complete streets planning, design, and construction practices into account and ensure that bike, pedestrian, and transit — all users of the road and sidewalks — are taken into account during programs such as Arterial resurfacing.

* https://chicago.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5705528&GUID=ED0EA0B1-304D-4C6D-9210-850326AEE567&Options=Advanced&Search=

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?

I believe the deal was a 75-year deal. I support the lawsuit seeking to get the contract between the city and Chicago Parking Meters LLC voided. Absent that, I am not sure what can be done. If the city violates the terms of the contract, it opens itself to even more expensive lawsuits. And, under the terms of the contract, if the city interrupts, in any way, access to an existing parking spot, the city must pay Chicago Parking Meters LLC as though that parking spot was occupied the entire time access was disrupted. I am fighting hard against the further privatization of city resources and services and will vote against any further efforts to expand or extend this deal or others like it.

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?

In both cases I think community-building and pressure campaigns would be most effective. We need people to feel like they are part of a community working for the common good and to believe that speeding and distracted driving are active harms to their community.

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 would support measures such as these. Some personal vehicles are now so big that it is not possible for the driver to see pedestrians from some angles, which represents an obvious danger.

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

I support fully funding city services and infrastructure and would support a dedicated funding stream provided it was not generated by further regressive taxation.

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

I support this idea. We know there are whole cities that have done this, so it is not a question of whether or not it is possible.

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

To my knowledge, there is no lack of operable buses. Which means the only issue is staffing. CTA has to incentivize enough new hires to fill vacant positions as well as expanding and accelerating training to the degree possible in order to ensure an adequate number of drivers.

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?

There is a raft of ways that the city can generate additional revenue through progressive means, some which require initial action from the ILGA. Examples are the corporate head tax, real estate transfer tax, tax on luxury rental units, a municipal income tax on earners above a certain threshold, etc. We don’t lack options for generating revenue for the resources we need; what the city has lacked is the political will to do what is necessary.

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

I’m for it. I am also in favor of the city developing “circle line” trains that connect the existing train lines towards their outer stops. Sort of the way that Moscow’s system is designed, but obviously more of a half-circle.

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

Yes.