
New Chicago City Council Set to Be More Diverse
Clip: 4/5/2023 | 7m 31sVideo has Closed Captions
Three newly elected City Council members joined "Chicago Tonight."
Progressive candidates won at least nine of the 14 runoffs on Tuesday that determined the balance of power on the Chicago City Council.
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New Chicago City Council Set to Be More Diverse
Clip: 4/5/2023 | 7m 31sVideo has Closed Captions
Progressive candidates won at least nine of the 14 runoffs on Tuesday that determined the balance of power on the Chicago City Council.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>>> CITY COUNCIL IS SET TO LOOK A LOT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR FOLLOWING YESTERDAY'S RUNOFF ELECTION MADE UP OF YOUNGER, MORE PROGRESSIVE OLDER PERSONS WHO WILL BE WORKING WITH CHICAGO MAYOR ELECT BRANDON JOHNSON.
A RECORD NUMBER OF RETIREMENTS, WHICH MEANS A NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME ALDERPEOPLE WILL BE JOINING THOSE SEATS.
ANGELA CLAY WON THE VOTE FOR THE 46th WARD.
ALDER WOMAN ELECT OF THE 40th WARD.
AND PASTOR WILLIAM HALL, WHO WON THE VOTE FOR THE SIXTH WARD.
WELCOME, ALL OF YOU, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU.
LONG AND EXCITING 24 HOURS.
ANGELA CLAY.
46th WARD.
UPTOWN.
YOU ARE A HOUSING ORGANIZER.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND GENTRIFICATION HAVE BEEN THE CRUX OF ISSUES IN UPTOWN FOR A WHILE.
WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH?
>> OUR APPROACH IS SIMPLE.
IT IS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE BUILDING TO AFFORDABILITY FOR ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORS, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR INCOME IS IN OUR WARD.
WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD A HISTORY OF DOING THAT.
WE HAVE SINGLE ROOM OCCUPANCIES FOR THE FORMER GOVERNOR'S MANSION WITHIN OUR WARD.
THAT SHOULD SHOW YOU HOW INTENTIONAL WE HAVE BEEN WITH HOUSING.
THAT IS SOMETHING I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE SAFE, QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR EVERYONE.
>> 40th WARD.
ANDERSONVILLE.
AT WHAT APPEARED WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE WARD?
>> YOU MIGHT KNOW THAT ANDERSONVILLE WAS VOTED ONE OF THE FIRST NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE WORLD TO LIVE IN BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BE IN THE 40th WARD WHEN IT IS MOST WELCOMING.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE POPULATIONS WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF LGBTQ PEOPLE.
AND SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE 40 LANGUAGES SPOKEN.
BUT I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST SMALL BUSINESSES TO SIGN ON TO THE HIGHER TRANSIT NOW INITIATIVE.
IT WAS PUSHED OUT TO A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL.
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ALL SMALL BUSINESSES , AS WELL AS THOSE THAT ARE IN ANDERSONVILLE, EDGEWATER.
>> A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES IN EDGEWATER.
YOU RUN ONE.
PASTOR WILLIAM HALL, WE MENTIONED YOU.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.
YOU BEAT OUT RICHARD WOOTEN.
WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES?
>> SIMPLE.
PEOPLE WANT A SAFER WARD.
WE ARE GOING TO DEFINITELY MAKE IT SAFER.
WE WANT CLINICS TO BE OPEN.
WE WANT NEW ONES AS WELL.
ALTERNATIVES TO MENTAL HEALTH.
WE WANT A POLICE STRATEGY AS WELL THAT DOESN'T MAKE THE RESIDENTS AFRAID OF THE POLICE.
WE WANT TO MAKE THE WARD A WALKABLE WARD AS WELL.
DRIVING BUSINESSES TO AND FROM , UP AND DOWN 75th, 79th, 87th STREET, 95th.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, GREAT SCHOOLS.
WE WANT OUR SCHOOLS TO COMPETE.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE ONLY SCHOOL IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF CHICAGO.
THOSE THREE THINGS.
THE NEIGHBORS AND THE WARD HAS SAID WE WANT ASP .
>> IS THREE THINGS ARE ISSUES ALL OF YOU WILL BE DEBATING ON.
ANGELA CLAY, THE ISSUE OF POLICING, BRANDON JOHNSON HAS TALKED ABOUT DIVERTING $150 MILLION OUT OF THE $2 BILLION BUDGET.
IS THAT THE KIND OF APPROACH YOU WOULD ADVOCATE?
>> YEAH.
I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT EVERY TOOL WE HAVE HERE TO KEEP US SAFE.
INVESTING IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO GIVE THEM SAFE SPACES IS SOMETHING WE REALLY HAVE NOT SHOWN A LOT OF EFFORT TO PUT.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE ARE INVESTING IN PEOPLE.
INVESTING WITH MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR POLICE OFFICERS.
ALSO GETTING INTO THE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT THEY NEED.
>> THE POLICE OFFICERS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE ARE JUST EXPECTING THEM TO CONTINUE ON WITH BUSINESS AS USUAL, BUT THEY TRULY NEED MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT.
AND ALSO THE CARE TO GET BACK HOME SAFELY.
>> MAYOR ELECT BRANDON JOHNSON TALKED ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT TODAY TOO.
LENI MANAA-HOPPENWORTH, HOW ABOUT YOU?
YOUR APPROACH TO THE POLICE BUDGET, POLICING, POLICY AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY?
>> YEAH, RIGHT NOW WE SPENT 40% OF OUR GENERAL BUDGET ON POLICING.
NOT EVERYBODY FEELS SAFE.
SO IF WE WANT TO SEE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES, WE HAVE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, WHICH IS WHY I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR THE NEW MAYOR AND ALSO NEW SUPERINTENDENT AND ALSO THE NEW POLICE DISTRICT COUNCIL , WHO ARE GOING TO BE LEADING THE CHARGE ON HOW WE ARE GOING TO KEEP COMMUNITIES SAFE.
THAT HAS TO BE A CITYWIDE STRATEGY.
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO DO THAT.
TOO OFTEN WE POINT TO THEM AND SAY THAT THEY ARE THE PROBLEM, WHICH IS WHY I'M REALLY EXCITED.
IT IS BASICALLY THE OPPOSITE OF THE GANG DATABASE.
IT WILL .2 OPPORTUNITIES -- REAL OPPORTUNITIES, JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUTH ACROSS THE CITY.
>> CONTROVERSIAL GANG DATABASE.
THE MAKE UP OF THE CITY COUNCIL PROBABLY WILL BECOME A THING OF THE PAST.
PASTOR HALL, YOU MENTIONED ALL OF THOSE BUSINESS QUARTERS.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ATTRACT SMALL BUSINESS TO HELP THEM THRIVE, TO MAKE AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO SUCCESS?
>> NO ONE LIKES TO SPEND MONEY WHERE THEY ARE NOT SAFE.
SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE FEEL WELCOMED AND THEY FEEL EXCITED ABOUT THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE.
WE WANT THE SIXTH WORD TO BE A TOURIST DESTINATION.
WE HAVE THE WOOD SHOP, WHICH IS AN ART GALLERY RIGHT ON THE STREET.
AGAIN, WITH CARJACKING AND VIOLENCE IS THE NARRATIVE, NOBODY WANTS TO EXPERIENCE THAT.
SECONDLY, WE WANT TO COUPLE BUSINESSES WITH A GREAT MODEL THAT IS ANCHORED WITH OUR TWO BUSINESS SCHOOLS.
IT GIVES MODELS TO SCALE.
MOST BUSINESSES ON OUR WARD OPEN UP ON A WING AND A PRAYER.
WHEN THEY HAVE PARTNERS THAT CAN WALK WITH THEM AND JOURNEY WITH THEM -- LASTLY, BRING RESOURCES TO THE BUSINESSES.
IT IS HARD TO GET THE BASIC LINE OF CREDIT NEEDED.
BIG BANKS DO NOT TOUCH SMALL BUSINESSES CONSISTENTLY IN BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.
WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP NOW WITH LIBERTY BANK, A BLACK-OWNED BANK WHERE OUR CAMPAIGN HAD ALL OF OUR MONEY.
PROVIDENCE BANK.
WE HAVE THE FORMER SELF-HELP BANK.
THREE BANKS THAT CAN PARTNER TO HELP MISSES BECAUSE EQUITY AND SCALING IS WHAT MAKES HIS MISSES THRIVE.
>> SAYS LIKE YOU HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS.
ANGELA CLAY, THERE IS SOME CONCERN AMONG THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY CITYWIDE.
BRANDON JOHNSON TALKING ABOUT $800 BILLION IN NEW THINGS LIKE A CORPORATE HEAD TAX.
HIGH AND REAL ESTATE TAX.
THE COMMUNITY THAT THE TAX BURDEN IS NOT GOING TO BE TOO BURDENSOME.
>> I THINK WE JUST NEED TO LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THE TAXES WE HAVE HERE.
IN ORDER TO GET THE THINGS WE NEED IN THE CITY, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK PEOPLE TO PUT A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THE POT.
THAT MEANS CORPORATIONS COMING IN AND NOT JUST BRINGING THEIR CORPORATIONS BUT ALSO BRINGING HELP TO THE CITY AS WELL.
MAKING SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE ALSO A PARTNERSHIP IN OUR CITY.
THEY ALSO HAVE TO STEP UP AND PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE SERVICES THAT ALL OF
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