Openly gay 15th Ward Democratic Committeeman Ray Lopez has been active in politics in the ward, which includes Back of the Yards, Brighton Park, Gage Park and West Englewood. Formerly a skycap for Southwest Airlines, he says that he has been responsible for delivering a number of community services since the ward was redistricted in 2012. He's now running to replace Ald. Toni Foulkes, who herself is engaged in a runoff to represent the 16th Ward in the City Council.
Lopez, who garnered just over 47-percent of the vote February 24, will face off against Rafael Yañez, got obtained just under 23 percent.
Windy City Times: How has the campaign changed gears for the runoff?
Raymond Lopez: Obviously we were not planning for a runoff. We were very confident we could pull it off in one shot and we came very close. The official total was that we missed it by 108 votes—that comes out to 5 or 6 votes in a precinct. Everything we did prior [to the runoff], we're doing again, but at an accelerated pace—we're ramping up fundraising efforts. We're very thankful to Alderman Tunney, Alderman Cappleman and Representative Greg Harris, Equality Illinois and the Victory Fund, who stepped up in a number of efforts on our behalf, as well as a number of trade unions and organizations, who are coming to assist us as well.
WCT: What are you doing in terms of outreach?
Raymond Lopez: We are doubling, and in some cases, tripling our presence in every precinct, as well expanded door knocking, to make sure that people know that there's an election again, and that I need their support. A lot of people went to bed on February 24 seeing the news that I had won and they assumed it was over, only to find out later that a couple of straggling precincts brought us under. So we did an initial mailer to the ward, reminding everyone in the neighborhood about the election, thanking them for their support, but asking them to do it again.
WCT: What makes you a better choice than Rafael Yañez?
Raymond Lopez: I've been part of this ward for seven, eight years now. I was elected out of this ward. … The Gate newspaper—the Back of the Yards newspaper—did a comparison of the two candidates. While he could speak of broad sweeping ideas, there's nothing concrete that he refers to. I have a record of accomplishment in every neighborhood that I can point to, and say this is what I've concretely done, and this is my specific plan is for Brighton Park, Gage Park, Back of the Yards and West Englewood. That only comes from being in the neighborhoods for so long. That's a clear difference. While he'll need time to learn the ward, I'll hit the ground running.
WCT: What were your thoughts on the proposed budget cuts at the state level, which will likely trickle down to the ward somehow? What do you regard as being the direst, and how can they be addressed?
Raymond Lopez: I have a number of concerns based on some of the proposed budget cuts. I've always supported substance and alcohol abuse programs and [Rauner's budget would] cut about $28 million from them. It will have a detrimental impact in my ward. High education cuts place undo burden on poor students and students of color, who don't have the means to pay for a huge increase. If [Rauner's] proposing a 30-percent cut, our universities won't cut, they'll just raise tuitions 30-percent to match. Our students will not be able to afford a 30-percent increase in tuition. We have a number of interns here who are already telling me that the elimination of the Pell Grant will be monumental. … CeaseFire has been a wonderful partner in the 15th Ward—they've been very aggressive in combating some of the violence, particularly in West Englewood. I can only image that cutting their budget by only two-thirds will almost emaciate their office, which will lead to increased block-by-block violence in West Englewood.
WCT: What are the most pertinent services for residents?
Raymond Lopez: As it was before February 24, safety and security is a top priority. Since we last spoke I think we've had at least 6 shootings in our ward, and a number of other criminal activities against our business community. That has to be at the forefront. I can use the office of alderman to ensure that the city services are working in tandem with efforts by citizens and police to increase safety. I can make sure that the city trims trees up higher, brightening the streets, making sure everything is working as it should, so that the law enforcement aspect can do what it needs to do. Every community in the ward had said quite clearly that our safety and the safety of our children in priority number one.
WCT: What are the most pertinent issues for LGBT residents of the ward?
Raymond Lopez: At two different schools, Mikva [Challenge] students put out questions for candidates. Bullying came up in two of the three major communities in this ward. At the high school level bullying is usually centered around orientation, so I think that getting the message out that you can be who you are, especially in the high school setting, and tackling the bullying issue is important. We've had students in this ward who've tried to commit suicide because of it. I know we've had families who've disowned their children because of it, so we need to get that message out that, these are our children we're talking about. We have to protect them in our schools and in their homes, and just focus [more] on things of that nature.
See www.electlopez.com .
