Voting for this year's participatory budgeting process closes November 30, which means there's still a week and a half left to weigh in on the neighbor-proposed projects you want to see funded in the 33rd Ward.  One of the goals of participatory budgeting is to open up civic decision-making to those who are sometimes otherwise shut out of it. All ward residents age 14 and up, regardless of citizenship, can vote in PB!  To facilitate as much participation as possible, we'll be holding an in-person voting day next Monday 11/22 from 5-7PM at our office (3001 W Irving Park).  JoinContinue

Today was a great day for my family: my son received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at his elementary school. The Pfizer vaccine is now fully approved for ages 5 - 11, and it's been wonderful to see so many of our youngest neighbors getting their first dose over the past week and a half.  This is especially important given the uptick in new Covid-19 cases we are currently seeing in Chicago, including in our schools: Last week, Chicago Public Schools reported 247 positive cases among children and 79 adults, the highest number since the third week of school this year.  IfContinue

This week, I voted "Yes" on the city's 2022 budget. This was not an easy decision, but it was one I made alongside a citywide progressive coalition that came together earlier this year to ensure that we used Chicago's $2 billion in Covid-19 relief funds  to meet urgent community needs coming out of the pandemic. I want to be clear that there are disappointments in this budget (more on that below). But I believe that it secures some of the basics our communities have been fighting for, and for that reason I gave it my vote. You can read moreContinue

City Council is now entering the final stages of negotiations over next year's budget. Alongside progressive colleagues and community groups from across the city, I'm continuing to push for more robust funding of mental healthcare, violence prevention, preservation of affordable housing and other issues, and we have made some headway. Today, the Council's budget committee approved the addition of 29 new clinical positions in the city's public mental health clinics, as well as additional funds for homeless outreach.  The fact that we started this year's negotiations with many of these issues already on the table is a testament to yearsContinue

Yesterday was a critical day in City Council. After hearing from members of the public about Mayor Lightfoot's proposed 2022 budget, we started the process of proposing and debating amendments. This summer, my progressive colleagues and I put forward a "Chicago Rescue Plan" that proposed putting our city's $2 billion in federal Covid-19 relief toward historic investments in housing, mental healthcare, childcare, and violence prevention. While we were pleased to see a number of these ideas reflected in the mayor's budget proposal this fall, we can do much more with the game-changing federal dollars Chicago is set to receive. WeContinue

Last week, nearly 300 of you joined our office for a public safety town hall with the Office of Inspector General's Office, Area 5 detectives and the 17th police district. Next week, we invite you to join Part 2 of the conversation.  On Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 5:30, we'll host representatives the Office of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to answer questions about safety in our ward and Chicago. You can register to attend here, or sign up to ask a question.  Our goal with these conversations—and all of community safety work—is to bring together different stakeholders for comprehensive, evidence-basedContinue

I spent much of this week in hearings for the city's 2022 budget. During hearings, City Council members have the opportunity to direct questions and concerns to the heads of each city department about the budget proposed by Mayor Lightfoot. It's a key part of our role as an independent legislative body. This week, commissioners from the Departments of Family and Support Services, Human Resources and Public Health (among others) discussed topics ranging from expanding supports for people experiencing homelessness to filling city vacancies faster to improving mental-health-related programs.  Next week will be a critical one: We'll be hearing from the ChicagoContinue