Jesus "Chuy" Garcia is seeking to return to elected office after an 11-year hiatus spent working in the non-profit sector to improve housing and education and end violence on the southwest side of Chicago where he resides.Garcia has previously served on the Chicago City Council and as an Illinois state senator. He will face off against incumbent Commissioner Joseph Mario Moreno in a race for the 7th District county board seat.
Windy City Times: Tell us about your professional background and what experiences make you best qualified to serve as Cook County Commissioner.
Chuy Garcia: Since I was in high school, I've been involved in public service, having been a student activist and leader in high school and at the university level, and I became really involved in community affairs when I was in college at University of Illinois [ at Chicago. ] I have worked as a paralegal with Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, I have worked as a housing advocate for Neighborhood Housing Services ... as interim director. I have a bachelor's degree from UIC in political science, and I have a master's degree in urban planning from the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. My public service goes back to 1984 when Harold Washington appointed me deputy commissioner of the Department of Water. I was elected one of Chicago's first Latino alderman, representing little village in 1986. I was elected two times thereafter. In 1992, I ran for a seat in Illinois Senate, I was reelected in 1996, and then in 1998 I suffered my first political loss in that state Senate seat.
I have been away from elected office for 11 years, returning to non-profit sector after I left the Illinois Senate, where I was the founding director of a non-profit called Little Village Community Development Corp., which over a year ago changed name Enlace Chicago. "Enlace" is Spanish for linkage or connection. What the organization committed to do was community organizing and leadership development, working with people in the area, advocating for public policy ... improving schools by keeping schools open until night time for students and their parents, engaging in everything from help with homework to arts and culture, English as a second language, and computer literacy for students and parents.
We also did violence prevention, working with young people to provide with positive alternatives to gang violence, drugs, reduced drop-out rates. We've also been working on economic development activities having to do with retail, affordable housing, and green space, and the creation of jobs. After 11 years, I've decided to return to public office by running for county commissioner.
WCT: What made you decide to return to elected office in this run for 7th District County Commissioner?
CG: When I left the Senate and returned back to the non-profit sector, I was convinced elected office was behind me. However, over past four years, I really grew disappointed, dismayed and angry at what a bad reputation Cook County government has created for itself and failed the people of Cook County, and basically become a place for corruption, scandal, reports of waste, favoritism and nepotism.
As the election cycle got closer, it was pretty clear to me that the incumbent commissioner here might go unchallenged and the 7th District would be left without participating in a possible chance to reform county government and make it work for the largely working class neighborhoods that comprise the 7th District. As election got near, I said, "I think I have a responsibility to help usher in a new period of good government and reform and transparency." Given my long history of public service, I thought that I had a very good chance of winning the seat. So I tossed my hat in the ring.
WCT: What do you believe are the top concerns for constituents in the 7th District? And how will you work for those issues on the county board?
CG: I think people feel that they are not getting their money's worth from county government, that there is corruption, a lack of transparency and waste ... and they feel they are not getting value they deserve for their hard-earned tax dollars. I think people want a change. I think they don't want someone there that is so closely associated to the Stroger Administration, as our commissioner has been. He is President Stroger's president pro tempore, and voted with him, according to a U of I study, 93 percent of the time over the last several years, and has been an unconditional ally. I think our district cannot afford to allow that to continue, and I am offering an alternative to voters to address issues like public safety, a main concern to residents throughout the district.
Of course, with people suffering from the recession and unemployment and foreclosures, they want to make sure tax dollars are being utilized wisely, not wasted, as is case with the county violating the Shakman court decree, calling for equal opportunity in terms of employment, not just employing people are relatives or friends of the politically connected. That is why the county has paid 3$.2 million annually in restitution to people who sued the county because they didn't have equal employment opportunities. We could do a lot with $3.2 million. I am also very concerned about healthcare. Our district has one of highest rates of uninsured people. Thus, the county hospitals are very important, as are the 16 clinics throughout the county that many people rely on for their primary healthcare and for emergency room access. So ensuring the sustainability of health system is very important priority of mine, given the working class nature of the district.
WCT: What work have you done in the past for equality for the LGBT community, and how will you represent the concerns of your LGBT constituents if elected to the county board?
CG: Actually, I have a long history of being someone who advocates for equality and equal opportunity for people who are protected by federal laws, and for people who may not be protected by federal laws in terms of civil rights and human rights. Obviously my experience as a Latino, as a Mexican American, has raised my awareness about discrimination against Latinos, against African Americans, against women, and I have been an outspoken advocate for many of those causes. I also was a member of the City Council when the Human Rights Ordinance was passed ... in 1988, and I voted in favor of that ordinance because I see it as an important part of guaranteeing equality ... for people. While a member of the Illinois Senate, a bill seeking similar types of protection for the LGBT community came before the Senate and I supported that because I believe in equality and equal opportunity ... I've been an outspoken advocate when people are singled out because of their race, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.
WCT: Do you support the legalization of same-sex marriage? Why or why not?
CG: I've been a supporter of laws that in Illinois that seek to create civil unions because I think it is a step in the right direction for protection of all people and people's rights. We as a society have made progress in this area, and are able to have better discussions and debates and have grown our understanding and awareness of the LGBT community and their rights. So I think we're making progress. In terms of gay marriage, I think people's rights are not equal when people are not recognized in marriage. The practical aspect of it is people don't have same rights to inheritances, hospital visits, those basic legal protections that citizens enjoy, which oftentimes are based in marriage, then people are going to be discriminated against ... I think as long as it is legal to discriminate against a class of people, then it flies in the face of Constitutional guarantees of equality.
WCT: If elected, what will be your first order of business?
CG: I want to shine the light on the county budget process. I think people know very little about county government. ... I am pretty certain there will be a new administration after this next election cycle and that will be the beginning of a new era ... that will put Cook County government on a new track of reform, transparency and equality of opportunity. I think bringing reform to the county and transparency is a prerequisite for any progress that we are going to make.
I think everyone knows we have sort of hit the bottom now and we can move forward, but we have to win the trust of taxpayers by showing them Cook County is a different place, is operating in a manner that is accountable, in a manner that is much more efficient than it has been in past, and that is going to really be representative of the community and offer equality of opportunity. Adhering to the Shakman Decree and ending patronage is a very important part of creating the right foundation for progress at the county.
See www.jesusgarciaforcookcounty.com .