"Ask not what your country can do for you but rather what you can do for your county."
– John F. Kennedy
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"If you fight you won't always win. But if you don't fight you will always lose."
– Bob Crow
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"Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace."
– Confucius
PLATFORM
EDUCATION
I'm a teacher by trade and coach that does his job for the love of the game. I believe education is a life long process where you learn by owning your mistakes and excel when you have a positive mindset of continuous learning and open mind. I believe education at all levels should not be a zero-sum game where some win and some lose. We all pay taxes and all our families and neighbors should have access to a good education no matter what neighborhood, parent's income, or ethnic/background. I support public education because I live it and love it by first experience but also support families that choose to send their kids to a catholic or charter schools. I'm a big proponent of expanding trade schools for high school students in Chicago so they can reap the benefits of union trades and less college debt. I am also in favor of constructing a new High School for our local communities. All students and all parents deserve the support of our elected leaders when in comes to their school of choice and we should fund all schools properly without favoritism or unfair bias. Education is without a doubt my highest priority for all our communities and you can count on me being an Alderman that helps all families in our ward no matter what school they attend. As a High School Civics teacher, basketball coach, and all around educator I respect our American flag, our country's patriotism and above all, God. My faith is a big part of who I am and steers my values. I am a proud member of the Knights of Columbus as an organization that enjoys giving back to others.
PUBLIC SAFETY
We all want to live in a neighborhood that is safe where home is a place where we feel good about raising our families and grow older in peace. To me that means stepping up as your
Alderman that fights and squashes extreme socialist ideas like defunding the police and is constantly an
outspoken voice at City Hall standing up for law abiding residents, law enforcement officers and other first responders that put their life on the line. The Chicago Police Department should not be forced to repeatedly send police officers to serve the public knowing full well that its members are not properly rested. This practice goes against the oath that both the mayor and police superintendent took when they swore to do what was in the best interest of the residents of Chicago. Proper time-off for CPD personnel improves their quality of service as there is no profession that improves customer service by overworking and underappreciating its employees. Proper rest save lives: the lives of civilians who would get the benefit of rested officers in better condition to do their job and the lives of officers who may be burned out and lack the time to receive the proper mental health help. Lastly, more needs to be done to keep CTA riders safe on their commutes and this is an urgent matter that needs swift attention.
HELPING TAXPAYERS
As your next Alderman, I am committed to ending excessive taxes on overburdened Chicago taxpayers who can least afford it including no more regressive taxes, ridiculous fees, or ticketing schemes that punish Chicago residents. I commit to finding solutions that guarantee fair property tax formulas that give tax breaks to insiders that are connected and punish average people and small businesses. I oppose the creation of Tax Increment Financing districts without comprehensive community input and oppose taxpayers in our neighborhoods being taxed for projects they won't benefit from (such as the case with the Red Line extension TIF recently passed by our current Alderman). In addition, I am against using our tax dollars to pay for give away programs like Guaranteed Income program Mayor Lightfoot created that gives $500 monthly checks away with no strings attached and causes increases in inflation, creates work shortages, understaffing and discourages people from getting a job.
LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
I'm an advocate of creating and fostering local chambers of commerce that can have a direct influence on the 11th Ward's economic development plans. I advocate bringing in new small businesses that add value to our neighborhoods as opposed to problematic business tenants that attract more crime and danger. I look forward to recruiting and attracting more banks and financial investors that will promote economic development that allows for retail opportunities where our neighbors can have better shopping options and choice as well as businesses that offer local jobs with good pay and benefits.
VETERANS OUTREACH AND SERVICES
It makes operational and fiscal sense to restore veterans in Chicago with their own Office of Veterans Affairs as it is a worthwhile use of out tax dollars to help those who have honorably served our country.
Chicago city government should value our veterans so much that it will restore the mechanisms necessary to serve their unique needs with focus and not as part of a larger bureaucracy. I will make this budget item a priority.
ENVIRONMENT
I'm a firm believer in reinstalling the Chicago Department of Environment to have a wider resources and more attention to safeguarding Chicago residents from all kinds of pollution. I believe in revamping the city's recycling program to be more effective and eliminating lead contamination from piping and anywhere in schools that may harm the health and safety of our CPS students and staff.