Ald. Tom Tunney, the first openly gay alderman in Chicago's history, faces two opponents in the Feb. 24 election: businessman Mark Thomas and consultant-activist Scott Davis.
Tunney's time in office has not been without its share of controversy. Among the challenges he's faced recently have been difficulties with local residents concerned about crime in the area, and his controversial vote against the minimum wage increase that passed through the city council in late 2014 ( he says he supports an increased minimum wage, but that it should be implemented at the state level ). But the alderman feels that voters will be confident in the job that he's done since he came into office in 2003.
Windy City Times: What do you want to be your focus in the next term?
Tom Tunney: I think over the last 12 years, we've seen just an amazing progress as far as our community is concerned. I've been consistently fighting for public health funding whether it's mental illness, HIV/AIDS—the whole thing—and we really need to have a strong voice in the city council to make these things happen.
Moving forward, we certainly have issues about LGBT youth. We've been working on the Broadway Youth Center and the Crib, expanding services citywide in terms of awareness, acceptance and recognition of our culture. Our community is in every community and my focus really is to create greater awareness around the city on the issues that are important to the LGBT community. So, we have the bookends—we have the youth, and we have seniors—and we've done a lot of good work.
So how do we create the kind of model that we've done in Lake View in other communities? I pledge to work as a leader on the council on this issue as a more seasoned veteran now with gay and straight members of the council. In fact, there's a lot more work to be done on the South and West Sides, and I think I've established good relations with the aldermen over a number of years, and they trust me in terms of what's good for the city and what's good for the community, and I think my focus is really to expand with youth, housing, employment of course, and fostering and adoption—I really think that's a need that is important.
One of my most proudest accomplishments is the opening of the Town Hall Apartments, which I have been working on for about ten years. This was an amazing retrofit of the police station, quite ironic as it may seem, that is now serving the community in a way that no one would have ever thought.
Affordable housing is an issue for all communities, and I know I have to be creative in my ward with these kinds of opportunities—the SRO ordinance and some of the stuff we've done in housing—we've come a long way in terms of making sure that all communities are available to all levels of income, and it's certainly not enough.
WCT: You've mentioned issues with youth. Speak a little bit more about what work you'd like to see come up in the next term on that issue.
Tom Tunney: Well, specifically, adding more housing beds, and overnight shelters. We're trying to replicate what we're doing here on the south side, and that actually predates when we were dealing with Sandy Jackson as the alderman there. We've talked about a community center on the South Side and on the West side. That is important, and I would like to be able to help engineer that. In terms of the transgender, in some cases, not for me, this is new territory, in terms of employment especially, relations with the police, dealing with respect.
WCT: Regarding young people who do come here from other parts of the city, there are some who resent their presence here.
Tom Tunney: It started with the Center on Halsted. The Center on Halsted is not the "Lake View Center." It's a Center for the city of Chicago, and it was a tremendous investment at the time at the state, federal and local [levels]. I think we were trying to create that level of sanctuary when we first talked about the needs of youth. I have been kind of a referee [in reminding people that], this is a center for everybody and we have got to be a welcoming community like we historically have always purported to be. Now that reality has set in, it seems like, "Oh well, I like the idea in theme, I'm not sure I want it on Halsted."
There are still issues about taking advantage of youth, and turning a blind eye to the necessities that these kids need. If these kids are homeless, we've got to make sure that they have a roof over their heads and a decent way to make a living without working the streets. We've got much more work to do on the service side. I'm committed to working with our partners. We've got a great relationship with the Center, Chicago House, Howard Brown—I feel proud that I've been part of these institutions for years, in fact helping start some of them.
What I've seen mostly at the Center is [its main resources are] not for us successful white guys. We have a responsibility to make our community an accepting and open community that's safe for everybody.
Part of that is working very closely with the police department. We've done a lot in terms of gender identity and just earning respect for the LGBT community. I'm really super-proud of that police station. Those of us who've been around a long time knew that that police station was going to be closed. … It's been great. The relationship with the police—not just the infrastructure but the people-structure…We've had good commanders who have been respectful of the community.
WCT: Speak a bit about the expansion of the police-profiling law to include transgender individuals.
Tom Tunney: [On Jan. 21] the council unanimously adding two aspects to the profiling code, national origin and gender identity. I was a co-sponsor of the ordinance. It reflected the Eric Holder decision on the national level. It's something we've been working on in Lake View for a long time. How do you address the transgender community with respect, both in the way you approach them and, if they are taken into custody, protecting their personhood. We've heard for a number of years about harassment within the system, and I'm not saying that just with transgender people either. But this is an important addition to our municipal code. I think we're one of the early cities to do it.
I'm proud to see that, and other pieces of legislation. Working with our state officials. Greg Harris and I have been lifelong friends. Obviously Sara Feigenholtz and Kelly Cassidy too—these are my generation of people. That gets to how do we develop a new farm team? How do we not "eat our own" and get [future LGBT politicians] involved so they're not just a gay and lesbian candidate? Yeah I was the first gay alderman, but that's not why the people voted for me. It made the headlines for two weeks but then we had to get down to business.
WCT: How safe do you perceive the ward to be?
Tom Tunney: Very safe. I've been here 35 years. I've never felt unsafe, but I'm not a parent with two children. It's a big city. I think people sometimes think they want all the amenities of the suburbs and the cultural vitality of the city, and just have it all wrapped up in Lake View. [That] just isn't an urban experience. I grew up in the city. I've had issues—the restaurant was robbed 20 years ago. I was held up at gunpoint seven years ago. When people feel violated, it's important that they respond. In my opinion, they have to respond by getting involved with their block, their neighborhood, with CAPS. They've got to help us with the court system. People need to take ownership and responsibility.
WCT: The perception of crime is different now, because of social media—we have the Crime in Boystown blog, for example, which often paints a different picture than what city crime statistics say. Very often, people say they don't believe what the city publishes. How do you reconcile all that?
Tom Tunney: What we try to be is the trusted source through our e-news and websites. We want to make sure that we don't over-react but we want to make sure we're doing a lot more intervention, and when things happen, we work with the police to get the facts. Before we get ahead of the story, we have to make sure information is as accurate as can be. There'll always be people who will dispute or come up with a different statistic that works the way they want it to. I go door-to-door, and I think people know what they've heard. That's the value in social media, some of it is helping in solving crime and I'm not going to retreat from that. But my goal is that people know that I care and that I'm working with the police and also challenging the police about how we can do a better job working together. I think our office really serves as a place where they can get up to date and accurate information.
WCT: What are your thoughts on moving the Pride Parade?
Tom Tunney: We have changed the route in the past, so I'm not afraid to work on that. I think we did a good job with it. We've also secured a lot more police resources there. The converse question is, has it outgrown the neighborhood? [Others] say, it is a celebration of our neighborhood, on a national stage. Another idea proposed is a different route on the North Side or moving it downtown. We've talked about this extensively—it's not the parade itself. … Two things that need more work are responsible patronage, with alcohol, and being a responsible community. Also, [remembering that], if it was moved to a different location, the post-parade activities come to Lake View anyway. We have 10 times the amount of resources on that day. If they divert police downtown, what happens if they really need them here in terms of public quality of life issues? No decision has been made on it yet.
WCT: What more do you think the city can do in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention?
Tom Tunney: The city has done a really good job at prevention. They've had some good marketing. What we could do is make have an LGBTQ liaison in the city health department. Our commissioner was openly gay, but he's now moved on to Trinity, and his first deputy is the new health commissioner. Our presence is well represented in the department, but we've left a vacancy out there for many, many years. I'm a person who will work hard to find a cure. I'm in the Lori Cannon camp—we're not getting out of this until we find a cure. [Note: Cannon is a local activist and longtime ally of the LGBT community.]
It might be a little altruistic, but it's been 30 years. There are so many emotions here. What we try to do each year is make sure we work closely with Chicago House—all the service providers—and ask, What do you need from our budget? In the times that we've gotten amendments through the budget, it's been through the efforts of a few of us who've said, "Hey, this is a priority." It's never enough funding. But I'm not comfortable with the resurgence of infections.
WCT: Anything else you would like to add?
Tom Tunney: We were just talking about Halsted Street and ensuring the vitality and diversity of their businesses. We're working with the Legacy Project and trying to do a visitor center on Halsted Street. I still want a library of sorts—I want that presence on Halsted; I've always felt that way. I really want to work on our legacy, and I don't just mean the Legacy program. It's not just tourism. It's also part of our history. It's just making sure that the gay community in the City of Big Shoulders takes its share of responsibility for making the city what it is.
Visit www.tomtunney.com/ .
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