ELECTED ALDERMEN WE WILL MEET

TONIGHT.

>> LAST NIGHT PATRICK O'CONNOR

ONE OF THE MOST SENIOR MEMBERS

OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR

RAHM EMANUEL'S FLOOR LEADER AND

THE INTERIM FINANCE COMMITTEE

CHAIR FAILED IN HIS BID TO BE

REELECTED ALDERMAN OF THE

40rd WARD FOR A 10TH TERM.

THE MAN WHO BEAT HIM IS MORE

SURPRISING, THE CITY COUNCIL

VETERAN WAS TAKEN DOWN BY A

FORMER BATTLE RAPPER AND

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST ENDORSED BY

VERMONT SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS.

JOINING US TO DISCUSS HIS

VICTORY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR

THE 40TH WARD IS ALDERMAN-ELECT

ANDRE VASQUEZ AND

CONGRATULATIONS.

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE

VOTERS OF THE 40TH WARD WHAT

ISSUE TURNED THIS ELECTION IN

YOUR FAVOR AND AWAY FROM

ALDERMAN O'CONNOR?

>> I THINK CITYWIDE CORRUPTION.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE

HOUSING, HAVING MORE TRANSPARENT

GOVERNMENT, THE INFLUENCE OF BIG

MONEY IN THE CORRUPTION THAT

PEOPLE WANTED TO TURN A PAGE

AWAY FROM.

>> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT

CORRUPTION, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT

IT REFERENCE TO ALDERMAN

O'CONNOR WHAT WAS THAT

CORRUPTION IN YOUR VIEW?

>> THE INFLUENCE OF BIG MONEY IN

GENERAL IN OUR GOVERNMENT.

IN THE 40TH WARD WHAT WE SAW WAS

THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PUT IN.

WE RAISED $200,000 BUT UP

AGAINST A MILLION-AND-A-HALF AND

A QUARTER MILLION BROUGHT BY THE

CHARTERS AND LARGE DEVELOPERS

AND RAHM EMANUEL.

PEOPLE SAW THE INFLUENCE OF THAT

MONEY BEING A PROBLEM.

AND WHAT WE SAW ACROSS THE CITY.

>> AND THAT IS WHAT YOU DEFINE

IS CORRUPTION?

NOT ILLEGALITY BUT THE INFLUENCE

OF BIG MONEY?

>> WE WANT TO SEE SOMETHING THAT

WORKS FOR THE PEOPLE AND NOT THE

LARGE DONORS AND CORPORATIONS

WHO HAVE THEIR AGENDA.

THE SELLING OF THE PARKING

METERS OR THE LINCOLN YARDS

PROJECT COMING UP, THE NEIGHBORS

OF THE CITY DO NOT WANT TO SEE

THAT THEY WOULD RATHER SEE MONEY

INVESTED IN THE COMMUNITIES AND

NEIGHBORHOODS AND THAT IS IN

EVERY WARD AND WE SAW THAT LAST

NIGHT.

>> WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF THE 40TH

WARD THEY THINK OF A MIDDLE

CLASS WARD WHERE CITY SERVICES

ARE NOT THE SORT OF ISSUE THEY

MIGHT BE ON THE SOUTH OR WEST

SIDE.

WAS THERE A PROBLEM IN THE

DELIVERY OF CITY SERVICES?

>> DEPENDING WHERE YOU WERE IN

THE WARD.

THE WE HAVE A TALE OF TWO WARDS

WHERE RESPONSES WERE DIFFERENT

AND IT ALSO IS BECOMING LESS AND

LESS AFFORDABLE.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT WORK THAT

CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE THERE

PEOPLE BEING PRICED OUT.

ALL THOSE THINGS ARE ON THE

MINDS OF NEIGHBORS.

>> LORI LIGHTFOOT WON A STUNNING

VICTORY, WON EVERY WARD.

HAVE YOU TALKED TO HER TODAY?

>> WE REACHED OUT BUT I'M SURE

SHE HAS A LOT OF CALLS FROM

EVERYBODY ELSE.

>> WHAT DO YOU SEE IS YOUR

RELATIONSHIP WITH LORI

LIGHTFOOT?

>> WHEN YOU START FROM A

BASELINE OF EVERYONE WANTING TO

SEE THE CITY BE BETTER IT IS

ABOUT HAVING THE CONVERSATIONS

THAT ARE PRODUCTIVE IN THAT

MANNER.

MAYOR ELECT LIGHTFOOT CLEARLY

HISTORIC WIN AND WHAT IT SAYS

ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

IS EXCITING.

SO I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING

WITH OUR FUTURE MAYOR TO GET

THINGS DONE FOR THE NEIGHBORS OF

THE CITY.

>> ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH HER

PICKING THE CHAIRMAN?

>> I PREFER DEMOCRACY.

WHEN IT COMES TO CHAIRS I WOULD

PREFER THAT AND I THINK WE WILL

SEE A LOT OF HEALTHY DEBATE IN

THE COUNCIL AS FAR AS THE

DIRECTION WE SHOULD GO IN.

>> THAT MEANS YOU DO NOT WANT

HER 0 TO PICK, YOU WANT THE

COUNCIL TO PICK THE CHAIRS?

>> I THINK I WOULD PREFER

EVERYONE HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS.

WHAT TO DO ON DAY ONE BEFORE WE

START MANDATING THINGS.

>> WHAT ABOUT ALDERMANIC

PREROGATIVE?

>> IT NEEDS TO BE REINED IN.

WE NEED TO HAVE A CITYWIDE

VISION WHEN WE TALK ABOUT

AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND TIF

DOLLARS I PREFER FOR A LARGER

DEVELOPMENT THAT THE WHOLE

COUNCIL WEIGH-IN.

>> OPPOSED TO THE ALDERMAN

MAKING THAT CHOICE?

>> THAT IS RIGHT.

>> AFTER YOUR VICTORY YOU TOOK

ON THE CORRUPT POLITICAL MACHINE

BUT YOU ARE A NEWBIE, A NEW GUY

ON THE SCENE.

DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU KNOW ENOUGH

ABOUT THE WHEELS OF GOVERNMENT

TO BE ABLE TO TURN THEM?

>> I THINK I KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT

WHAT THE CITY'S THE CORRUPTION

AND HOW IT'S IMPACTED PEOPLE.

SOMEONE GENTRIFIED OUT OF FIVE

NEIGHBORHOODS AND GREW UP POOR I

HAVE A PERSPECTIVE THAT MANY

SOME MEMBERS DON'T HAVE.

BUT TO BE FAIR FIRST WE WANT TO

GO IN AND UNDERSTAND THE

DYNAMICS OF THE COUNCIL.

AND THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL

TO BUILD COALITION WITH THE

PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS, AND LATINO

CAUCUS.

THERE IS A LOT OF POTENTIAL OF

COMING TOGETHER AND BUILDING THE

COALITION THAT MAYOR HAROLD

WASHINGTON BEGAN.

>> WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN

JOINING THE PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> AND THE LATINO CAUCUS?

>> YES.

>> AND YOU WANT THEM TO JOIN THE

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST CAUCUS?

>> I THINK WHEN WE HAVE THE

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT OUR

VALUES ARE AND WHAT SOLUTIONS

ARE, THERE IS A LOT OF OVERLAP.

SO I IMAGINE A DIAGRAM.

>> PHIL WAS ASKING WHAT IS A

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST?

WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF THAT?

>> IT'S DEMOCRACY.

HAVE A COUNTERBALANCE TO THE

INFLUENCE OF LARGE MONEY THAT

BUSINESSES EXIST TO RAISE

REVENUE.

AND THAT CAN BE SEEN AS GOOD BAD

OR ANYTHING ELSE BUT GOVERNMENT

IS THERE TO PROVIDE FOR THE

SOCIAL GOOD AND SHOULD BE USED

AS A COUNTERBALANCE THAT REINS

IN THE EFFECTS OF THAT LARGE

MONEY.

PUBLICLY FINANCED ELECTIONS AND

AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT IS

MANDATED AND NOT ALLOWING

DEVELOPERS TO PAY LOOPHOLES TO

GET OUT AND PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

AND NOT PROFIT.

>> I RAN INTO SOMEBODY ON THE

STREET TODAY SAYING WHAT IS A

DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL LIST?

HE SAID TO ME THAT SOUNDS LIKE

LET'S RAISE TAXES.

IS THERE THAT ALSO THAT YOU WANT

MORE MONEY PUT INTO GOVERNMENT

AND THAT IS GOING TO REQUIRE

MORE TAXES?

>> I DON'T THINK THE ISSUE IS

MORE TAXES MORE THAN A RETURN ON

INVESTMENT.

IN THE PAST 36 YEARS WHAT THE

COUPLE HAS DONE TAXES CONTINUED

TO BE RAISED.

IT'S WHERE THE MONEY GOES WHEN

IT'S GOING TO DEVELOPERS AND

CORPORATIONS AND NOT INVESTED

BACK INTO THE CITIZENS OF THE

CITY OR THE NEIGHBORS THAT IS

THE PROBLEM IT IS NOT ABOUT

RAISING OUR TAXES FURTHER.

THAT IS JUST A FALSE NARRATIVE

THAT KEEPS GETTING PUSHED DOWN

WHILE PEOPLE ARE STILL RAISING

TAXES IT'S ABOUT WHERE THE MONEY

GOES AND IT SHOULD BE PUT

TOWARDS MARGINALIZED

NEIGHBORHOODS.

>> CHICAGO HAS A TON OF RED INK

IN TERMS OF THE PENSION FUNDS

AND THE BILL IT IS HAS TO PAY.

SO WHERE WILL THE CITI GET THE

REVENUE, NEW REVENUE THAT IT

CURRENTLY DOESN'T HAVE TO PAY

THOSE THINGS?

>> WE HAVE TO LOOK AT FIRST

STOPPING THE BLEEDING AND THAT

INVOLVES TIF REFORM AS OPPOSED

TO GIVING MONEY AWAY.

AND CLEARLY IT IS A CRISIS THAT

WE ALL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT AND

ADVOCATING FOR MORE REVENUE AT

THE STATE LEVEL WHEN CANNABIS IS

LEGALIZED.

AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE A

LASALLE STREET TAX.

AND THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF

LARGER REVENUE IS GOING TO COME

BUT WE NEED TO TELL DEVELOPERS

WE HAVE A CITY OF 2.7 MILLION

PEOPLE AND WE GENERATE MORE

REVENUE THAN SOME COUNTRIES IF

YOU WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE

CITY INVESTING IN.

>> ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC THERE'S

GOING TO BE PASSAGE OF A LASALLE

STREET TAX?

>> YES.

I THINK IT IS A LARGER STATEMENT