Policies
Audit the 18th Ward: Seek an independent financial and performance audit covering available ward-office spending, infrastructure allocations, city contracts affecting the ward, and publicly funded development projects. Publish findings, identify missing records, and refer documented misconduct to oversight agencies.
Make the Ward Budget Public. Publish clear explanations of ward spending, project costs, contractor information, and completion dates so residents can follow where their tax dollars go.
Give Residents a Vote on Infrastructure Spending. Introduce participatory budgeting for a portion of eligible ward infrastructure funds, allowing residents to propose and vote on neighborhood improvements.
Remake Ford City for Families. Champion the Ford City Plaza Community Concept, with commercial development, public green space, education opportunities, and improved transit connections. Push for independent environmental and traffic studies before additional industrial expansion.
Demand Benefits from Major Development. Push for enforceable community benefits agreements addressing local hiring, job quality, pollution reduction, infrastructure improvements, and protection against displacement.
Fix Roads, Sidewalks, and Alleys. Publish an annual repair plan that prioritizes dangerous conditions, recurring flooding, accessibility barriers, and streets that have waited longest for improvements.
Reduce Train Horn and Industrial Noise. Pursue federally compliant rail quiet zones and the crossing improvements needed to establish them. Advocate for noise monitoring and mitigation near homes, schools, and parks.
Protect Neighborhoods from Truck Traffic and Pollution. Work with city agencies to review truck routes, address unsafe turns, enforce applicable idling restrictions, and pursue publicly accessible air-quality monitoring.
Improve Public Transportation. Advocate for more reliable buses, accessible stops, stronger connections to the Orange Line, and push for an Orange Line extension serving Ford City and Daley College.
Reinvest in Neighborhood Businesses. Help small businesses navigate permits and assistance programs, support storefront improvements, and work to bring useful commercial services into vacant properties.
Expand Parks, Trees, and Community Gardens. Pursue additional green space, restore neglected public areas, expand tree planting, and support gardens with reliable water access and community stewardship.
Create Opportunities for Young People. Build partnerships for paid summer jobs, apprenticeships, after-school programs, urban farming, community service, arts, athletics, and career pathways with local employers and City Colleges.
Make Our Communities Safer. Advocate for violence prevention, youth outreach, mental health crisis services, better lighting, and safer routes to schools and transit.
Strengthen Police Accountability. Support independent civilian oversight, help residents navigate misconduct complaints, and hold regular public discussions about neighborhood safety and police performance.
Stand Against ICE Raids and Defend Immigrant Families. Defend Chicago’s Welcoming City protections, support access to legal assistance and know-your-rights education, and make ward services accessible to immigrant residents.
Protect Housing Stability. Connect residents with home-repair assistance, property-tax appeal resources, eviction prevention, and housing counseling. Support affordable housing and development that helps existing residents remain in their neighborhoods.
Support Seniors and Residents with Disabilities. Prioritize accessible sidewalks and crossings, assistance navigating benefits, home-repair referrals, and ward services available by phone and in person.
Prepare for Severe Weather and Disasters. Coordinate a ward response plan for flooding, severe storms, power outages, and extreme temperatures, including accessible alerts, designated assistance locations, and follow-up on cleanup requests.
Make the Ward Office Responsive. Establish a published response standard for constituent inquiries, provide updates on unresolved service requests, and report recurring problems while protecting residents’ personal information.
Bring Government into the Neighborhoods. Hold regular community meetings and rotating office hours throughout the ward, offer English and Spanish communication, and explain major votes before and after City Council decisions.