DIGNITY FOR EVERYONE

My platform starts with your dignity—and your neighbors. Dignity is a civic responsibility. It is the difference between a city where people can build a future and one where they are continually pushed toward insecurity, instability, or displacement. That is why my goal is not simply progress or growth, but sustainable continuity: a neighborhood where people from all walks of life are welcomed, can put down roots, and take part in a shared civic life.

Dignity, in this sense, is a design principle for government. It requires more than isolated programs—it requires systems that support long-term stability across housing, education, safety, and public space. Therefore, I support investment into community spaces, affordable housing, youth programming, mental health resources, and other systems that allow people to build stable lives. That also includes career pathways that connect students (young and old) directly to the workforce—from plumbing and carpentry to technology and design. Education is not just about skills—it is preparation for civic participation.

I translate dignity into 5 city and neighborhood-level projects.

#1 “SUSTAINABLE 48”

The 48th Ward is entering a period of major opportunity. The Broadway rezone, CTA Red-Purple modernization, and Chicago’s evolving sustainability goals create the conditions for future growth and reinvestment across our neighborhood. I support housing growth, transit-oriented development, and expanded community space investment connecting the neighborhood east and west and north and south. But zoning alone is not a complete neighborhood investment strategy.

Cities grow best when housing, infrastructure, transportation, environmental design, public space, and economic development are coordinated through long-term study and data-based decision-making. Good planning creates the confidence, infrastructure, and long-term vision that encourage responsible private and institutional investment. Reaching our development goals requires strong public-private partnerships.

That is why, as alderman, I will begin building a comprehensive 48th Ward Master Plan which I call “Sustainable 48”. This plan will be grounded in the values of economic sustainability, mobility, and green design.

“Sustainable 48” will include:

A “Sustainable Broadway” initiative focused on walkability, transit-oriented development (TOD), green infrastructure, and nature-based stormwater solutions
Long-term planning for our lakefront and shoreline resilience in coordination with regional agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that supports multi-modal transportation
Expanded community spaces that strengthen community life and support local businesses
Coordination between city planners, developers, architects, neighborhood institutions, and local talent to align capital investments with long-term neighborhood goals

The 48th Ward has the potential to become one of Chicago’s leading examples of economically sustainable urban growth: a neighborhood that welcomes new residents while preserving the social fabric and environmental quality that gives this community its unique character.

Within my first months in office, I will begin building this 48th Ward Master Plan in partnership with residents and local organizations.

#2 NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

The 48th Ward is filled with talented, civically engaged residents who want to contribute to the future of our community. Too often, neighborhood participation is fragmented, disconnected from actual decision-making, or lacks leverage downtown for securing the policy and resources our projects require. I believe government works best when it creates durable channels between residents and our civic institutions.

As alderman, I will establish a Neighborhood Partnership Network to improve coordination across block clubs, local businesses, advocacy groups, arts and cultural organizations, schools such as Loyola University, and other neighborhood institutions.

The Neighborhood Partnership Network will:

Improve top-down and bottom-up communication between residents and City Hall
Serve as the “glue of the community”, organizing existing neighborhood networks into non-competing working groups focused on community space improvement, youth engagement, and small business development
Investigate and provide resources for neighborhood projects, including funding for historical preservation, arts and community projects, and green-ifying the 48th Ward

Democracy depends on more than elections. It depends on structures that allow participation to become meaningful action.

My background in organizational and change management has focused on helping groups navigate complex challenges, align stakeholders, and move projects forward. I believe those same tools can help strengthen civic trust and neighborhood coordination here in the 48th Ward.

#3 SAFETY & POLICE TRANSFORMATION

Safety is one of the most important responsibilities of city government. Public safety increases quality of life and creates a sense of physical and emotional security. But true safety requires more than law enforcement and emergency response—it requires trust, strong relationships, and public spaces where neighbors can speak openly about their concerns, experiences, and fears while working together to address civic challenges.

The true sign of a safe neighborhood is one where crisis does not always require police intervention. That is why I support police transformation: a renewed vision of community policing grounded in relationship-building, accountability, and long-term neighborhood resilience. This includes revitalizing the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) in the 20th and 24th Districts through community presence and meaningful public engagement.

Police transformation also requires modernizing how we recruit, train, and evaluate public safety personnel. Recruitment and promotion should place greater emphasis on communication, de-escalation, crisis response, and community engagement alongside traditional law enforcement capabilities. Success should not be measured only by arrests or response times, but also by reductions in violence, stronger neighborhood trust, and improved long-term community stability.

As alderman, I will advocate for:

Safer CTA stations and commercial corridors
Humane responses to homelessness and lakefront encampments
Mental health resources and violence prevention programs, including youth engagement
Community-centered approaches that build trust between law enforcement and the public, before crisis occurs, including police accountability.

The 48th Ward has long been a neighborhood where people from many backgrounds, identities, and walks of life have built community together. This is evidenced by the diverse cultures who call this neighborhood home. We must leverage that strength so that every resident feels safe participating openly in neighborhood life, regardless of sexuality, gender, background, or identity.

A healthy neighborhood is one where people feel secure enough to participate fully in civic and public life.

#4 HOUSING STABILITY & PUBLIC WEALTH

Chicago cannot remain a strong city if working families, seniors, young people, and longtime residents are continually pushed toward instability or displacement. Housing affordability is not only about building more units. It is about whether people can build a future in the neighborhoods they love.

Therefore, I support expanding housing supply, particularly near transit and commercial corridors, while also ensuring development contributes to long-term neighborhood strength. That means encouraging mixed-income growth while protecting affordability, supporting aging in place, and addressing property tax pressures that can displace residents and small businesses alike.

Housing policy should not only manage scarcity. It should help create the conditions for living a dignified life—for everyone.

To do so, I will advocate for a Neighborhood Stability Initiative. This group will investigate balancing housing growth with long-term affordability and anti-displacement protections. This includes targeted rent stabilization for older housing stock, reasonable annual increases, and exemptions for new construction so that Chicago can protect affordability without discouraging new housing development.

But if we are going to pursue rent and property tax stabilization in the near future, the City of Chicago must also think strategically about helping property owners maintain and improve aging buildings. The Neighborhood Stability Initiative should explore programs that help offset energy modernization, accessibility, and rehabilitation costs in exchange for long-term affordability and neighborhood continuity.

Many successful global cities treat public land, infrastructure, and utilities as long-term civic assets that help support housing affordability and neighborhood investment. Chicago already possesses enormous public resources, but too often those assets remain fragmented across agencies and disconnected from long-term planning.

This is why I support Urban Wealth Fund approaches that treat public assets as long-term civic resources capable of generating durable public value. The goal is not simply monetization of public assets, but strategic reinvestment into housing, infrastructure, public space, and neighborhood development. Revenue generated from these assets can help offset building maintenance costs, support affordability initiatives, and reduce long-term fiscal pressure on residents and the city alike.

You can learn more about Urban Wealth Funds in GFOA's Putting Public Assets to Work.

Progressivism must solve the problem of public wealth.

#5 GOOD GOVERNANCE & CHICAGO CITY CHARTER

Good governance is not abstract legislation. It affects whether city services are delivered in a timely fashion, whether buses arrive on time, and whether you are empowered to conduct your business.

Chicago’s political corruption is not only cultural—it is structural. Too often, residents experience city government as fragmented, inconsistent, opaque, or reactive. Public trust erodes when government lacks clear accountability, coordination, and long-term institutional vision. That is why I support exploring a Chicago City Charter.

A City Charter would establish a clearer constitutional framework for how city government operates: defining powers, responsibilities, transparency standards, and institutional checks and balances. Most major American cities adopted charters during the Progressive Era of American history. These charters sought to encourage stronger democratic structure, expand voter rights and public participation, improve institutional and corporate trust, including greater social welfare.

I believe Chicago should finally start a serious conversation about a city charter.

Chicagoans deserves institutions designed for the future of community—not only systems inherited from the past.

This is Progressivism 2.0