Chicago mayoral candidates jockey at Women's Forum

Chicago Women Take Action Alliance took another leap Saturday into shepherding the crowded field of mayoral candidates, to stake out positions on issues important to women;  in CWTA’s third effort in informing both the public, and the press, on candidates running for elected office, lead by the indefatigable Marilyn Katz, who recently gave the same opportunity for the Illinois gubernatorial candidates.

Moderated by two of Chicagoland's prominent women: Julia Stasch, President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Angelique Power, President of the Field Foundation of Illinois; the afternoon gave 11 candidates an unrehearsed opportunity to stake their claims to not only women’s issues, but those that concern city wide residents.

Notably absent was Bill Daley, who also did not complete the CWTA questionnaire asking for positions of support on everything from an increase in the minimum wage, to reproductive rights, assuming, for some attendees, a Jacob Marley like presence.

He was joined by Jerry Joyce who submitted no survey and no appearance. And, curiously, Neal Sales-Griffin did not respond to either request.

Divided into and two panels, the first candidates, Gery Chico, Toni Preckwinkle, John Kozlar, Amara Enya, and Paul Vallas, all declared support for the organization’s stated goals, and, for the most part, gave the appearance of corporate collegiality, on the pertinent issues of crime, education and economics, despite being competitors for the office of the nation’s third largest city -  an unenviable task.

There were some surprises: a strong and vigorous Kozlar, adamant in his positions, and a more dynamic Enya, who sounded more confident and mayoral, and in advance of Monday’s investigative report by The Chicago Tribune on her troubled finances.

Mr. McCarthy

Coming at a pivotal point in her campaign, the piece revealed that she was behind in her rent, about to be sued for it, (the suit was later withdrawn), and that she underreported a third of her income gleaned from her work on Chris Kennedy's bid for governor, and received a larger tax refund, as a result, among other problems.

The second panel consisted of La Shawn Ford, Garry McCarthy, Susan Mendoza, Lori Lightfoot, Bob Fioretti, and Willie Wilson; and, continued in much the same way, but also had some unintentional humorous moments, as when Ford, a Catholic said that, being pro-choice, he was “going to change my cardinal’s mind” of the need to support abortion,” to catcalls, and cries of “Oh, sure” and “good luck with that!”

For many seeing McCarthy - known to some as “Big Mack” - with a developed sense of humor and humility, honoring both his mother and wife, might have been worth the price of admission.

Mr. Chico

Chico affirmed his support for women, as did all of the others, a given considering where they were, but, emphatically added that corruption had to be rooted out, and that Chicagoans were living in a divided city, and unity was paramount, if progress was to be made not just in the downtown corridors, but also in the neighborhoods, and especially on the South and the West sides of the city.

In an unexpected move, Chico called for removal of Chicago Police superintendent Eddie Johnson for police misconduct.

Kozlar seemed to hit his stride, and continued his theme to “to end corruption” that has been the aftermath of the recent fed raid on the offices of longtime aldermen, and powerful finance committeeman, Ed Burke, who faces federal charges of corruption, that has both shocked and titillated some residents, but also galvanized the candidates to enhance their message of ethical reform.

“I never accepted a nickel from [Burke], so therefore I don’t have to pay him back anything,” Kozlar said.

Mr. Kozlar

 Joining in was McCarthy who said that “that [what] has been going on in the city, the county, and state, for decades,” and that some people stating, ‘I gave the money back, well if you took the money in the first place . . .’” in an obvious reference to Toni Preckwinkle’s assertion that the money she received in campaign donations from Burke, she gave back after the Burke expose.

Lightoot, not to be outdone, took up the mantle, saying that she, and others are “fed up and knowing that we need change . . . to break from the machine past,” and quoting Shirley Chisholm, I am “unbossed and unbought,” to loud applause. 

Education was prominent, when Stasch asked how improving schools could be explained to her nine-year-old daughter, and McCarthy, and Mendoza jumped into the discussion, with the former saying that nearly all of the problems Chicago can be traced back to education.

Ms. Mendoza

Mendoza claimed that her program “could utilize $7 million” for schools not only for education, but supper, as well; and also “double down the resources for a longer school day, including wrap around service for the parents. “

With the long-standing fact of a system that has an overwhelmingly student body of color, a previously inadequate funding formula, (not fully implemented yet), which disenfranchised low-income students, it was clear that the issue of education, as we have seen was paramount, and Mendoza's ideas have some measure, if not weight, and on it she says her:

“50NEW (Neighborhood Education Works) Initiatives focused on doubling down on the neediest schools by expanding wrap-around services, increasing the number of social workers, and investing in school-based supports in high-poverty schools. Where buildings are underutilized, she will work to put unused space to use by additionally offering subsidized rent to local nonprofits, so that our schools become true community hubs.”

Problems with the formula have also centered on tax relief for some districts that seems shadowy in light of how the Illinois State Board of Education is formulating them. As NPR Illinois stated on Tuesday:

“Last week, ISBE notified 28 districts that they’re eligible for grants. But they don’t get the money right away. Before eligible school districts can receive the grants, they must prove that they have actually lowered taxes for one year. ISBE will then disburse the grants at a percentage inversely linked to each district’s level of funding adequacy. That means, for example, that Ohio Community High School District 505, which applied for more than $100,000 in tax relief, is eligible to receive just about $20,000, because it’s already operating at about 90 percent of adequate funding.

There is a glitch, “. . . some educators are questioning why such a comfortable district is eligible to receive even more state funds. Mike Jacoby, director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, is one of the chief architects of the school funding reform plan, and he says the fact that Ohio and other well-funded districts are eligible for this grant suggests the tax relief formula needs more discussion.

I understand the motivation for property tax relief, but I do believe we need to look at a linkage to percentage of adequacy,” he says. “For districts that are already highly-funded, they probably don’t need a property tax relief grant to give relief to their citizenry, and that takes dollars away from the other districts that have a long way to go before they have adequate resources for all their children.”

Enya along with Wilson emphasized the need for children to be able to walk to school and that “people who are different” can “cross boundaries” and be free from the more draconian rules of “selective schools. and have a “responsible school board”, hinting at what she has said, before, for her belief, in an elected school board, containing some “mayor-appointed members. This ensures mayors are invested in the success of neighborhood schools, while guaranteeing community members avenues for engagement in public education.”

Ms. Preckwinkle

Toni Preckwinkle endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, and a former history teacher, praised the work of CPS head, Janice Jackson, but suggested changes in the HR department to support educational goals, and allocation of the budget to ensure early education, to ensure success for K-12 attainment goals.

In one of the less expected questions the candidates were asked why those living in neighborhoods not affected by violence, should be concerned.

 Enya said, to shouts of support, that all residents, regardless of their neighborhood, live in the same city and that violence affects everyone in the city, not only in impacted areas.

Another area of, mostly, agreement was that the city dodged the bullet by not getting the Amazon HQ and that the tax incentives - some say give-away - was not worth it; and also added that TIF - tax increment reform was paramount to returning it to its intended target: blighted neighborhoods said Fioretti and Vallas suggested stopping Lincoln Yards, a controversial project that involves $1.3 billion dollars of taxpayer money, plus an additional $400 million in borrowing costs, for a city mired in red ink over pension debts.

Finally, with the primary just around the corner, there are more forums scheduled to help voters learn candidate positions, proving that a Chicago voter has lots of means to educate themselves on candidate positions with repercussions on nearly every aspect of their lives.