Mexica Political Organization-25th Ward Candidates Forum

Mexica: Political Organization

Presents Candidates Forum
Casa Aztlan
January 17, 2007

By Latino Voice


Mexica Political Organization held a second Candidates Forum of the 25th Ward on January 17, 2007 at 6 PM at Casa Aztlan, 1837 S. Racine Avenue-Pilsen.

Out of seven candidates running for the Aldermanic seat of the 25th Ward only three showed up: Cuahutemoc Morfin, Ambrosio Medrano and Juan Soliz. The other candidates; Daniel “Danny” Solis (Alderman), Aaron Del Valle, Joe D. Acevedo and Martha Padilla did not appear. Sherry Rontos, a local resident stated that “it’s a shame that those individuals that want to represent us do not have the respect to show up.” A crowded hall at Casa Aztlan and the TV and Radio media captured the lively discussion and little debate among the candidates present.

Guillermo Lopez gave a brief description of Mexica; “it’s a political organization to support, promote and educate the public on Mexican and Latino political leadership.” Ramiro Borja moderated the event and introduced the candidates:
Mr. Medrano, past Alderman (1991-1996) started with an opening statement saying that he is a long time resident of the ward, graduated from Harrison High School and Northeastern University. He acknowledged Casa Aztlan as a focal point of his youth activism and thanked Mexica for this opportunity.

Morfin immediately followed Medrano and he said that he has been a resident of the ward for the last 30 years, attended Walsh elementary and graduated from Benito Juarez High School. Morfin is presently on the Juarez school council and he leads the present expansion at the high school. He says that as a businessman in the ward and as an immigrant he is privileged to be running for this honorable position as Alderman.
Soliz followed and he was “under the weather” and using a microphone he said that back in 1981-1982 here at Casa Aztlan he embarked in the first political race by a Latino and he served in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1984-1986 and is again seeking political office.

The questions asked were from accessibility, housing, safety, education and the environment.

Question: If you become Alderman what would you do to be more accessible to the residents of the 25th Ward?

Answer:

Soliz: “I would use more technology, internet and utilize organizations like Casa Aztlan and do more outreach.
Medrano: “It’s real easy, I will adjust the office hours to accommodate the working people, hold meetings with the community and the people want someone who is accessible and who works full-time.”
Morfin: “It’s very simple,” you need to be accessible, “We have a present Alderman that is not accessible, at least we see Santa Claus once a year and I don’t know about our present Alderman.” As Alderman I will institute a general assembly made up of residents to come together and discuss the issues. I will be accessible to the people and after 9-5.

Questions: 1. How would you be held accountable to the community in terms residential, industrial, commercial, business development, planning and zoning? 2. What would you do to honor the advisory referendum that past with 96% of the vote requiring a more transparent inclusive community process in issues of housing and development?

Medrano: “I worked along with the Pilsen Alliance to pass the referendum and I will abide by it.” In terms of residential, I will down zone every parcel and any developer who would want to build condos would have to not only see me but a real Pilsen planning commission board that is not a rubber stamp. In terms of commercial there are a lot of programs, the present Alderman has a TIF and this areas was designated as an empowerment zone in 1992 or 1993. “I have no experience in development”, but I will hire a qualified person in development and help me in evaluating the best programs for the community.
Morfin: “I am in agreement with the referendum and I am for this community, we are not for sale, yet we are being displaced from our neighborhood by rising property taxes.” There is no community input and my plan for a general assembly will provide that input. As vice-president of the chamber of commerce I am very concern with small business. Our current Alderman voted against the Big Box Ordinance and this will hurt the small businesses because the people would go to them instead of the local businesses.

Soliz: “Our community is disintegrating and it’s because the lack of education.” We have been fighting this since Chicago Plan 21. I will impose a steering committee to help with economic development of the community.

Question: Please define accessible and affordable housing in your ward and explain what steps will you take to prevent gentrification and displacement of the residents of the ward?

Answer:

Morfin: We have the referendum that past that called for the down zone of 460 single family homes that was not done. Down zoning the homes would discourage developer’s coming into the 25th Ward. The developer comes in buys a house at a low price, then tears it down and replaces it with two to four condo units selling for over two or three hundred thousand dollars a unit. “If that’s accessible to you then you must have a good paying job.” The current Alderman is fighting for accessible affordable housing but he bases it on the average income county wide that make it an average of $42,000 average income, this is not an accurate measurement of the residents of the 25th Ward. “I will make an ordinance that would designate in each ward an average income standard instead of a countywide average household income.

Soliz: The single family owner is being cited for violations, city inspections going on and there are areas of the ward that development is going on and nothing can stop it, like Taylor Street, Halsted Street, and etc. We need to bring equity to the rest of the community and how do we do it? By establishing a housing development fund and to assure that funds are available to single family residences for repairs in order for them to stay in their homes. The problem is the contributions from the developers that the current Alderman is getting and development is saturating the community, we need a new direction.

Medrano: I am in agreement with Morfin with his analysis that no one should be paying more than 30% of their income toward a mortgage or rent. I agree that the income average should be calculated locally and not county wide. “It’s an insult that the current Alderman does not appear to this and the other forum sponsored by Mexica. I do not like to attack any candidate that is not around to defend himself but if the Alderman is going to “run” and hide he leaves me no choice.’ Of all the city council Alderman, this Alderman has received the most contributions, more than one million dollars from developers. Do you think he is going to represent you or the contributors? He is already bought.”


Question: What would you do to improve the academic outcomes of our students?

Answer:

Morfin: I believe education is very important and having the opportunity to go to College and it’s a priority that I have to give to all the young people of the 25th ward. “There is no excuse today for any young person of not getting a high school education and beyond. I got an education in the 80’s and it was hard with the gangs. We need more incentives and programs for students.

Soliz: Education is a priority for me and I have supported in the past legislation to provide more programs and funding of public education. I supported the Safe School Zone Act and pushed for screening detectors at the schools at a time when legislators did not support it. We need schools to be open in the evenings to get them of the streets and gangs.

Medrano: Education is not only the building but what is in side. We celebrated when Benito Juarez High School was built and today that school has the highest drop out rate-over 50% in the city. In a couple of months Alderman Solis is going to shovel some dirt from the ground breaking ceremony at Benito Juarez High School for the expansion of its Arts and Cultural facility. It is okay but what about the quality of education? We need to do more with teachers, administrators and students.

Question: How do the citizens of the 25th Ward protect themselves from environmental pollutions such in the air and water? Should the city make environmental information available to the public and what can be done to clean the pollution?

Soliz: There is no reason to have pollution in our ward and it’s been going for too long. There are two major companies in the ward that contribute this coal pollution and he would institute a resolution to reduce the pollution or eliminate it completely, from the companies to the CTA buses.
Medrano: Regarding plants in the ward there are three companies, Midwest Generation Plant (Cermak and Peoria), one at 35th and Pulaski and the H. Kramer Plant. Pollution information should be made public, the pollutions components of lead paint in our buildings, our schools and asbestos. In the Tribune newspaper the State made an agreement with these plants and the Midwest Generation Plant was waved away by the new pollution standards because they were granted “grandfathered” protection from the Federal Clean Air Act, I would work with our congressman to eliminate that Grandfather (a provision in a statue exempting those already involved in a regulated activity from the new regulation in the statute) exception.

Morfin: I have been living here for over 25 years and I feel the affect of the pollutants in the air. We have an organization that is working in this area and I support them. There are statistics that show that our State Senator, State Legislator and Alderman have received donations from these companies and I ask whose interest are they concern with? I will work to eliminate the grandfather exception and make the companies more accountable to the community.


Question: Do you support an increase funding so that more after school and sport programs are expanded in the ward?

Answer:

Medrano: It’s a simple yes, there is no doubt. Some years ago the Chicago Sun-Times had Pilsen in the front page saying that it has the least amount of park or green space. That story came out when I was in high school. Have there been some changes yes, like the new field house at Harrison Park and Boogie Park. We need more, our community is over run by young people and they need a place to release that energy. If there is no place for them to release the positive energy than it becomes negative energy and they stand on street corners or in alleys. I had a great place for a park, 18th and Peoria Street, there were two parcels and one could have been a park or more green space and not just little placitas that they placed in between the ten condominiums. Another place for a park is at Blue Island and Oakley and I support the efforts for more green space in the ward.


Morfin: The parks are important and they give us the oxygen to live and I support more green space. Harrison Park has huge holes that need to be repaired. I have fought for years to expand and repair Jefferson Park and what does the city tell us that we need to raise a million dollars in order for them to expand the park. We need more accountability and not just green space for condominium owners.

Soliz: Our children need more extra curriculum after school hours. These schools need to be open after hours. I am a person of action and I brought legislation to eliminate asbestos in our schools. I will not be an Alderman controlled by the Mayor as the present Alderman “who if the Mayor says jump he says how high.” I will be an allied to the fifth floor only it’s in the best interest of the community.

Question: What would you do to keep public transportation in the ward and keep it safe and affordable?

Answer:

Morfin: We need improvement in our public transportation and in the last six months how many accidents did we have on our trains? We have a transportation system that is obsolete and its over a hundred years old. Every train line needs to pass through downtown and that’s unacceptable. The accessibility of people with disabilities is horror able and in most part non existence. We are planning to bring the Olympics in 2016 instead of working on making public transportation safer and more accessible to all.

Soliz: We did the reports on public transportation and more is needed. I will bring leadership to this community and lead the community for more services.

Medrano: We need better public transportation.

Question: What would you do to have more Police presence in the ward?

Answer:

Soliz: We have to be part of the solution to crime and find ways to keep the youth out of the streets. We need a legislative effort and to have the schools open after hours and my committee will work on a solution about the crime in the ward. We have an Alderman that does not have his priorities in order and I will have safety as a priority.

Medrano: I will form block clubs and work in those areas that have high crime and work with the police department to be more accountable. We have to report when a crime is being committed and report this at public meetings. We need to work with those organizations that are working with the youth and make sure that park services and school services are available.

Morfin: Here in the 25th Ward people are getting shot, innocent people going down the street and getting shot. Let me tell you something about these great cameras that we have on the street corners with those flashing blue lights. Those cameras are very expensive and the Alderman claims that he put 17 cameras in Pilsen that have done nothing for our community. People are still committing crimes down the block and in front of the cameras. Who knows if they are evening working or it’s just a flashing blue light. As a probation officer that’s my job, I work with youth and they know the juvenile system better than me or the judge putting down the gravel. When the judge tells the offender that he is going to place him in the department of corrections and he laughs about it because they know it does not work. The Juvenile System is not working. We have to do the job ourselves and I will establish a community effort-parental skills center. We need more programs and in the weekends and get the parents involve.

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