Dear community, For the last five years, there has been a homeless encampment located at the California and Diversey underpass beneath the Kennedy Expressway. A major Kennedy Expressway construction project is underway and will continue for the next few years. Because of this construction work, it was necessary to clear the encampment for the residents’ safety and well-being. We have been in conversation with the state and the city to advocate for a permanent solution to house unhoused residents impacted by the Kennedy Expressway construction. Residents of the encampment will be temporarily placed in hotels while the process to getContinue

Spring is a time for renewal and possibility. On May 15th, the new City Council and Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will be sworn in. I’m excited to work with Mayor-elect Johnson and get to work fighting for the policies that neighbors and residents have been clamoring for during this long election season. We have the chance to work together to build real, lasting communities of care within our city. There will be challenges and obstacles in the days ahead, but a better city – one that works for the many – is possible. **** In the March 24th newsletter, we statedContinue

There are 3 days left of Early Voting before voting day on April 4th! There is still time to cast your vote at any early voting location. The 33rd Ward Early Voting location is the American Indian Center (3401 W Ainslie St). Early voting hours are as follows: Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. On election day, April 4th, voting hours will be from 6 AM to 7 PM. Click here to check your polling location.  The deadline to request a Vote by Mail ballotContinue

For the last two years our office has been collaborating with Roosevelt High School’s Restorative Justice program to create a culture of care, non-violent communication and collaboration. This work is being done alongside the RHS incredible staff and students who have taken an active role in this important work. On April 15th Student Voice, our office and other partner organizations will be hosting our second Healing Village event. The goal of this event is to bring the community together to experience different therapeutic modalities and learn together how to calm ourselves down and regulate our nervous systems. We want toContinue

Earlier this week, the City Council passed two significant pieces of legislation – Alderman Martin’s Complete Streets ordinance as well as a Labor Peace Agreement covering the city’s delegate agencies. Delegate agencies are nonprofit organizations that contract with the city, receive public funding, and carry out services. Many of these services were once carried out by the public sector itself. Many frontline nonprofit workers, particularly in social services, work under extremely difficult conditions for very low pay. Over the last few years, there has been a wave of organizing among many nonprofit workers working at organizations that contract with theContinue

Runoff Election Day for mayoral candidates is Tuesday, April 4th. Early voting begins on Monday, March 20th and 33rd Ward residents can cast their vote at the American Indian Center (3401 W. Ainslie St.) or at the early voting supersites downtown (191 N. Clark & 69 W. Washington). On April 4th you will be able to vote at your assigned polling place and you can check that here. Early voting polling site hours are as followed: Weekdays: 9:00am - 6:00pm Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm Sunday: 10:00am - 4:00pm April 4th Polling hours are from 6:00am to 7:00 pm. Vote byContinue

I’m delighted that I will get to continue being your Alderwoman and representing our 33rd Ward community. I want you to know that our office is right back to work. Today, the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety voted on 47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin’s Complete Streets ordinance. I’m proud to be one of the very first co-sponsors of Alderman Martin’s ordinance along with 1st Ward Alderman Daniel La Spata, and I was proud to vote to move this ordinance forward.  The ordinance directs the Chicago Department of Transportation to incorporate improvements benefiting pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders into anyContinue

This year the 33rd Ward had its highest turnout yet for participatory budget! More than 1300 eligible neighbors voted about how our 33rd Ward office should spend its menu budget – an all-time record. We couldn’t have gotten that many people without the tireless efforts of our Neighborhood Services Director, Stacy Erenberg, motivated and tireless volunteers, and so many students throughout the ward to name just a few. I’m so proud of the community participation that we’ve been able to foster through Participatory Budgeting these last four years – we vowed to bring democratic decision making to the ward andContinue

Property taxes are on everyone’s mind.This year the 33rd Ward had the sixth’s highest increase for residential properties in the city. The increases are being felt particularly hard here in the 33rd Ward for a multitude of different reasons (the Cook County Treasurer’s Office has a really thorough study of the reasons why which I recommend reading). Many of these causes are beyond the ability of any single Alderperson to control. For example, I’ve voted against every single property tax increase on homeowners since I came into office, yet all my ‘no’ votes haven’t stopped the high increases.  In termsContinue