Windy City Times sat down with two candidates bidding for the aldermanic seat in the 4th Ward against incumbent Will Burns: Tracey Bey and Norman Bolden.
First-time candidate Bey, a community event organizer, is a longtime 4th Ward resident and runs her own mortgage brokerage. Bolden, a Chicago native and community activist, is the owner of both Norman's Bistro and entertainment venue Room 43, housed where his father formerly "owned a TV repair and record shop in the late '50s" in his effort to "restore and build on the legacy of the 4th Ward." Both candidates support marriage equality, a woman's right to choose, and mandatory anti-bullying policies in schools.
Windy City Times: What distinguishes your campaign from the other candidates'?
Tracey Bey: I've been out here talking to residents, community leaders, and small businesses and truly seeing what their needs and issues are. I want to be out here being a voice for them.
Norman Bolden: I am a lifelong resident of the 4th Ward, a business owner actively involved in the community. I served on the King College Prep Local School Council and I currently serve on the 2nd Police District staff advisory council. I'm a candidate who supports strong neighborhood schools. I'm in support of Dyett High School being run as a neighborhood school vs. a charter and to be run by CPS [Chicago Public Schools], unlike Ald. Burns. I support an elected school board unlike Ald. Burns who has voted to table the referendum.
WCT: What specific goals do you want to accomplish in your ward?
Tracey Bey: Making sure that the community as a whole has a voice, that their wants and needs are met and heard, that decisions are not being made without their input. So that does help to give them a voice and that is what's missing.
Norman Bolden: My vision is that we would have a ward where every resident can receive a great level service, fair treatment, transparency, accountability, and accessibility. My intention is to be an effective advocate for the entire ward. Hyde Park should not look like the Gold Coast of the south side and North Kenwood/Oakland/west of Cottage Grove looks as if it's some slum community. So we have to ensure that the investment in the overall community is equal throughout.
WCT: What are your thoughts on the recent increase of the city's minimum wage?
Tracey Bey: My thoughts are that $13 an hour will take effect in 2019. By then, the cost of living will be higher as inflation is a continuous thing. So, I feel that it was necessary.
Norman Bolden: They didn't go far enough. As you know, many people were pushing for the $15 an hour minimum wage. That would effectively give people a real boost. For Ald. Burns to carry the water for Rahm Emanuel only in a bid to look good during the election process and push a $13 minimum wage was a disservice to an entire city. The way this is structured is, between now and 2019, a 50-cent-a-year increase gets you to $13 by 2019. You're still in poverty. Fifteen dollars by 2019 would have put folks slightly above poverty. That was a political ploy to trump what the community and unions were pushing for.
WCT: What do you think the causes of, and the solutions for, the Chicago crime rate?
Tracey Bey: I do feel that we need more police officers on the streets, but I also think we need to take it back to actually walking the beat. We have bicycle police officers now, it'd be better to have a presence in the community, because it's lacking.
Norman Bolden: We need to reconnect our communities. We need to go back to knowing our neighbors. We need to focus more police in high-crime areas. We need to protect communities at the same level that they protect Downtown. Job creation has to happen and it's not happening. By any means possible, we need to get people off the street, trained and working.
WCT: What are your views on the Chicago public schools in your ward?
Tracey Bey: We have decent schools, but I believe that we do need an elected school board. I believe that we need to definitely look at fully funding the schools. I think the community should definitely have a say in what kind of school Dyett High School becomes in actuality.
Norman Bolden: They have not been treated equally. If Dyett was given the resources that Kenwood's been provided, we would not have underperformance issues. They underperform because they've been under-resourced. We have to support our local schools. In fact, speaking of which, there was an ordinance introduced by Bob Fioretti in 2013 that indicated that any uncommitted TIF funds at the end of the year should be given to Chicago Public Schools. Ald. Burns voted to table the ordinance, and this is because he favors charter schools. We need to support strong neighborhood schools so our children are not forced to travel outside of their communities to be educated.
WCT: Do you favor hate-crime legislation that increases penalties for crimes committed based on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the person attacked?
Tracey Bey: Absolutely. We need to protect anyone who is discriminated against.
Norman Bolden: Very much so.
WCT: Do you believe that LGBT individuals have the right to adopt children or become foster parents, if qualified?
Tracey Bey: Yes, I do. I believe children deserve a loving home and they can be given that home in many different ways.
Norman Bolden: I do.
WCT: Who is your political mentor?
Tracey Bey: I admire [Cook County Board President] Toni Preckwinkle because of her presence when she was alderman of the 4th Ward, I like how she's still out here and still visible.
Norman Bolden: Our beloved [former Chicago Mayor] Harold Washington. He was all about fair and open government. He was able to break many barriers. I admire how he was able to take on the Vrdolyak 29, how he persevered through opposition because he knew what he was doing was for the greater good for this city.
Additional quotes are from the 2015 Candidates Forum at Teamsters Union Hall, 300 S. Ashland Ave., on Jan 24, sponsored by the NAACP Chicago South Side Branch, along with other local organizations. Bolden was the only candidate present for the 4th Ward. Incumbent Ald. Will Burns did not get back to Windy City Times to finalize an interview.
For more information on Tracey Bey: www.beyfor4thward.com . For more information on Norman Bolden electnormanbolden.com/ .
More election-related articles at www.windycitymediagroup.com/gaynewsarticles.php .
