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Question
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Alderman Matlak
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Scott Waguespack
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A
recent study by the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Chicago
Coalition for the Homeless found that 21,078 people were homeless on any
given night in Chicago. Of these, only 4,654 people (or 22%) were served
in shelters.
This is
due to a variety
of factors including but not limited to lack of affordable housing, lack
of living wage jobs, health and supportive services.
Chicago's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness is a partnership between
Mayor Daley and the city's homeless service providers, those both publicly
and privately funded.
Do
you think enough is being done in the 32nd ward to support and provide for
people who are homeless?
What do you envision as the ward's role in the City's Plan to End
Homelessness, and how do you plan to engage the community to participate?
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The plan is a City
plan. Ward needs more
affordable housing (like building at Greenview and Belmont), but no land
to provide it.
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Not enough is being
done in the ward, people being pushed aside.
Aldermen should work with neighborhood and community groups to do
outreach to homeless in the ward.
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Large retail
stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Home Depot have begun opening stores
within Chicago’s city limits. The presence of big box stores has hurt
small businesses while hourly wages have remained stagnant. The cost of
living in Chicago is high and even with the state-wide increase in the
minimum wage, current hourly wages do not pay the bills.
Last year, the Big Box Living Wage ordinance fell two votes shy of
passing in the City Council. (the question was slightly different for each candidate)
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Why did you
decide to support a living wage law that would require mega-retailers like
Wal-Mart to pay workers a living wage of at least $10 an hour with basic
health benefits? How can the City of Chicago pass an ordinance that would
encourage large retailers to offer a living wage for the working families
of Chicago?
Supported the living
wage ordinance. The ordinance
was imperfect, but led to lots of movement on the state and federal level.
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If it is brought
before the Council again, as the 32nd ward alderman, would you
support a living wage law that would require mega-retailers like Wal-Mart
to pay workers a living wage of at least $10 an hour with basic health
benefits?
Living wage should be
at $10 per hour, would work with city and state officials to get it there.
Would work with unions and others to fix constitutional issues with
previous big box proposal if it came up again.
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SRO
apartments and hotels like the Ambers are essential in keeping people from
being homeless. But they are
often in poor condition, which is not good for the neighbors or the people
living in the building. What would you do to protect these units while working to improve
their condition?
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If SRO was
threatened, city should buy land, put it in land trust, and build condos
affordable to working class.
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He’ll be a vocal
advocate for getting the city council to create incentives to preserve and
improve this affordable housing.
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Mayor
Daley’s current affordable housing proposal calls for a 10% set aside
for certain developments. These set asides would be targeted to
people at 100% or less of the Area Median Income or AMI, which is about
$75,000 per year for a family of four.
We
are calling for two amendments to this proposal.
The first calls for the percentage to be increased to 15% for city
land purchases and planned developments, and 20% for properties given
density increases or when zoning is switched from non-residential to
residential. The second allows the set asides for families at 80% or
less of the AMI. Do
you support the mayor's proposal with those two amendments?
Many
aldermen across the city have put in place a ward-wide set-aside policy to
create more affordable housing in their communities.
(the
question was slightly different for each candidate)
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Supports 15%, maybe
support 20%, AMI targeting should be changed for each neighborhood.
You have not instituted a
ward wide affordable housing set aside.
Why not and what are you doing to encourage the development of more
affordable housing in the community?
Doesn’t have big
developments appropriate for set aside.
Is encouraging 2 flats because more affordable.
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Supports the 15% set
aside, needs more info on the 20% set aside, supports the 80% AMI
targeting.
As alderman,
would you create such a policy in the 32nd ward?
Would want to
research and discuss ward wide policy with us before committing.
This should be incorporated into a ward wide vision that he will
work with neighborhood to develop. Ward
should have sound housing policy to keep working class.
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This
is a question regarding resources committed to affordable housing in
Chicago. According to the
Center on Tax and Budget Accountability, only 16.5% of all the funds spent
by the City of Chicago in 2005 on Housing were actual City funds.
The rest was State and Federal money.
In fact, the City of Chicago ranks 22nd out of the 51
largest US cities for investing local funds in affordable housing and
community development.
The
City of Chicago could commit more local resources to dealing with the
affordable housing crises in Chicago.
As 32nd ward alderman would you play a leadership role in
securing $250 million a year in city funding for creation and preservation
of affordable housing?
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Supports
the goal, but needs a funding source.
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Yes.
Funding can come from dealing with current waste and corruption in
city.
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Developments
on lots like the Peerless Candy lot have a major impact on the community.
How will you include LAC in
discussions about these developments, and how will these developments help
alleviate the affordable housing crises in the neighborhood?
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People
don’t want density. There will be a public meeting on Peerless and he’ll
invite LAC.
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Shared
vision for the ward must be developed.
He will sit down with community to develop vision for developments,
meet with developer and ask them to incorporate that vision in.
Will use leverage of not granting zoning changes unless community
vision incorporated.
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The
City of Chicago and Cook County are struggling to provide healthcare to
low income individuals, and yet we are surrounded by non-profit hospitals
that benefit from property tax exemptions and fee waivers, among other
things. How do you think the
City of Chicago should hold those hospitals accountable to their mission
to provide charity care?
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There
are moves for accountability, “charity care” needs to be redefined.
Need non-profit hospitals.
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There
can and should be oversight when City is giving funding or incentives.
City Council should look at what hospitals are being given and what
they’re giving back.
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What do you
envision as the City Council’s role in creating a system of effective
police accountability?
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He
will look at serious complaints, city settles too many cases, rogue cops
need to be dealt with.
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City
council should be more active in oversight, not just allow Mayor’s
office to oversee. Could ask
for oversight hearings, will be doing that regarding the CTA.
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If elected,
will you continue to be accessible to LAC? (This question was only asked
to Scott Waguespack b/c LAC has experience with Aldermen Matlak)
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Alderman
Matlak has been accessible to LAC for the last several years.
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Yes
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