>>> IN JANUARY OF 2 SWRO 17

SANDI JACKSON STEPPED DOWN FROM

THE SEAT SHE HELD FOR SIX YEARS,

AND PLED GUILTY TO TAX EVASION.

SO SERVE OUT THE FINAL TWO

YEARS, MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL ASKED

PEOPLE TO APPLY FOR THE JOB.

THERE WERE 53 APPLICANTS AND

CHOSE NATASHIA HOLMES, SHE FACED

7 CHALLENGERS AND GOT 25% OF THE

VOTE AND FORCED HER INTO A

RUN-OFF WITH GREGORY MUCHEL WHO

GOT 20% OF MORE THAN 10,000

VOTES CAST.

THE SOUTH SIDE WARD HAS THE

LAKEFRONT ON THE EAST AND HAS

PARTS OF CALUMET HEIGHTS AND

JEFFREY MANOR.

JOINING US IN THE ORDER THEY

APPEAR, IS GREGORY MATCHEL, WHO

IS 45 AND LIVES IN THE JEFFREY

MANOR NEIGHBORHOOD.

HE IS AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

MANAGER AT THE CHICAGO AMERICA

AND TIME EXCHANGE.

ANNA TASHIA HOLMES WHO IS 39, A

LAWYER AND FORMER POLICY ADVISOR

FOR THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF

TRANS.

WELCOME TO CHICAGO TONIGHT.

WHAT IS THE BIG OF THE

ACCOMPLISHMENT SINCE US REPLACED

SANDI JACKSON A COUPLE OF YEARS

AGO?

>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST

ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT I WAS ABLE

TO DO WITHIN THE FIRST FOUR

MONTHS WAS TO PREVENT A PAWN

SHOP FROM OPENING ON 95th

STREET.

WE PUT TEN BUSINESSES THROUGH

THE NUISANCE PROCESS AND WE HAD

THREE LIQUOR LICENSES REVOKED

AND THREE BUSINESS LICENSES

REVOKED.

TWO LIQUOR LICENSES AND THREE

BUSINESS LICENSES REVOKED.

WE ARE WORKING TO TURN THINGS

FORWARD, IN TERMS OF BRINGING

GOOD CORPORATE CITIZENS AND

DOING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

INITIATIVES.

DIOFFICE HOURS ON THE BLOCK AND

HELD EVENTS IN THE PARK, I TOLD,

HELD FORUMS AND HAD AN

APPRENTICESHIP THERE.

>> YOUR RESPONSE TO THE

ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

>> SHE TALKS ABOUT THE

BUSINESSES SHE GOT RID OF AND

LICENSES REVOKED AND SO FORTH.

FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO SAY

SHE DIDN'T DO THOSE ALONE, THERE

WAS INPUT AND EFFORT FROM THE

COMMUNITY.

SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO GIVE

CREDIT TO THE COMMUNITY.

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LOT MORE

OF THAT.

SHE MENTIONED THE INVITE

CORPORATE PART MERES TO THE

WARD, AND UNDER MY

ADMINISTRATION WHAT IS WHAT I

WILL DO.

HOW I WILL DO THAT, IDENTIFY THE

ASSETS IN THE WARD AND STRUCTURE

THOSE WITH THE DESIRES OF THE

COMMUNITY AND TRY TO BRING

BUSINESSES INTO THE WARD.

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM VOTERS

AS TO WHAT THEIR TOP CONCERN IS?

>> THE TOP CONCERN IS PUBLIC

SAFETY.

PUBLIC SAFETY.

YOU KNOW, AND FOR MY EXPERIENCES

GROWING UP BACK IN THE 70s AND

80s...

>> YOU GREW UP IN THAT WARD?

>> YES, IRGREW UP IN THAT WARD.

WE HAD A COMMUNITY POLICING

POLICY.

THE POLICE OFFICERS KNEW THE

NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT PRUT THE

COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND THEY

WOULD EASILY, THEY COULD

IDENTIFY ILLEGAL ACTIVITY.

>> I ASSUME YOU WANT TO BRING

THAT BACK?

WHY NOT MORE PROGRESS ON THE

ISSUE OF PUBLIC SAFETY?

>> WE HAVE SEEN PROGRESS, WE

HAVE SEEN CRIME GO DOWN OVER THE

COURSE OF MY TENURE, AND THAT IS

NOT SOMETHING I HAVE DONE ALONE

AND IT IS BUILDING A COMMUNITY

RELATIONSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP

WITH THE FOURTH DISTRICT.

I REALLY THINK WHILE PUBLIC

SAFETY IS AN ISSUE I THINK

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND

INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY IS A

MAJOR ISSUE.

>> ONE THING THAT YOU SAID, YOU

SAID YOUR WARD IS A FOOD DESERT.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO CHANGE IT?

>> I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY SAID

THAT.

IF YOU QUANTITYIFY HOW THEY ARE

DESIGNATED, THERE ARE AREAS OF

WARD.

THREE GROSSRY STORES IN THE WARD

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT TYPES

OF GOODS ARE SOLD IN SOME OF THE

STORES YOU PROBABLY HAVE ONE

STORE THAT YOU KNOW MEETS A

CRITERIA FOR WHAT MANY WANTS.

>> YOU HAVE KNOWN, YOU YOURSELF

AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE

WARD HAVE TO GO ELSEWHERE TO BUY

SOME OF THE PRODUCTS THEY NEED.

>> ABSOLUTEDLY, THEY DO.

THAT IS BECAUSE, WHAT I REALLY

SAID IS WE LIVE IN AN AREA OF

THE CITY WHERE THERE IS A $400

MILLION RETAIL GAP.

THAT GOES ELSEWHERE BECAUSE WE

DON'T HAVE THE GOODS AND

SERVICES AND PRODUCTS THAT WE

WANT AND WE GO ELSEWHERE AND

BEING IN THE TIME WHERE WE ARE

NOW WHERE MOST OF US HAVE A CAR,

THE 7th WARD, A GREAT TRANSIT

ACCESS YOU CAN GET ALMOST ANY

PLACE.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING YOU WILL

GO GET IT.

>> WE WILL GET GREG MITCHELL IN

ON THIS.

HAS THE ALDERMAN DONE ENOUGH TO

BRING IN GROCERY STORES AND NEW

BUSINESSES?

>> I DON'T THINK SO.

AS I MENTIONED ABOUT OUR ASSETS

ONE CONCERN OF THE RESIDENTS HAS

BEEN A CENTRALLALLY LOCATED

GROCERY STORE.

WE HAVE ASSETS IN THE WORD THAT

COULD LEND ITSELF WELL.

WHAMPLGTS DID YOU MEAN, A GOOD

LOCATION,?

A STRUCTURE IN PLACE.

LOCATION.

WE HAVE BUSINESS STRUCTURES, ON

75th AND 87th AND TAKING A BIG

LEER THEY COULD PROVE TO BE A

GOOD LOCATION FOR CENTRAL

LOCATED GROCERY STORE.

>> I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THAT.

NEXT WEEK I'M HAVE THE 79th

STREET QUARTERLY PLANNING

MEETING, AND LOOKING AT THAT

CORRIDOR, I THINK THAT MY

OPPONENT HERE, YOU HAVE TO

UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE.

YES WE WANT A GROCERY STORE

THERE BUT THE RETAILERS HAS TO

WANT TO COME THERE AS WELL.

AND THERE ARE A LOT OF FACTORS

THAT GO IN WHEN AN INVESTOR HAS

THE PROPERTY.

OF H YOU KNOW, I THINK ALDERMAN

SNAP THEIR FINGERS AND THESE

PROJECTS APPEAR.

IT IS A LOT OF WORK, AND IT IS

GETTING THE COMMUNITY TO BE

INVESTED IN IT AS WELL.

>> WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD DO

BETTER THANNALMER DAN HOLMES?

>> I WOULD BE A COMMUNITY

ALDERMAN, TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS

OF THE COMMUNITY.

>> IS SHE NOT?

>> NO, I DON'T THINK SO.

WHAT I MOON BY THAT, AS I WALK

THE WARD, HE CREATE A BOND.

WHAT I HEAR WITH THEM IS THE

ALDERMAN IS IN THE ACCESSIBLE.

SHE DOESN'T REALLY RELATE TO

WHAT IS GOING ON.

>> ARE YOU ACCESSIBLE?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

YOU KNOW WHEN I HEAR MY OPPONENT

SAY...

>> WHEN YOU ARE ON THE CORNER

FOR 15 MINUTES.

>> AFTER FOUR HOURS, DURING THE

DAY, SOME OF THE MOST NO SANSED

AREAS OF THE CITY AND TO HEAR MY

OPPONENT SAYING HE NEEDS TO GO

THROUGH A PROCESS, YOU NEED TO

ENGAGE ASSETS, AT BEING THERE 44

YEARS.

FOR SOMEONE TO SAY THEY ARE

INACCESSIBLE, THAT WOULD MEAN

THEY TRIED TO ACCESS ME.

WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION IN A

FORUM.

>> NO, NOT TO MEET.

NO.

>> YOU CAN'T SPEAK FOR YOURSELF.

>> WHERE I HAVE A 40, 50,

70-YEAR-OLD CONSTITUENT SAY IF

THERE ARE FIVE DIFFERENT CALLS

YOU GET FIVE DIFFERENT

EXPERIENCES.

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF A CONCERN

THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE THAT THE

CITY COUNCIL IS THE MAYOR'S

RUBBER STAMP.

AMPLTS COLLEAGUE SAID EVERY YES

VOTE ISN'T A RUBBER STAMP.

AND I WILL STAND STRONG FOR MY

RESIDENTS AND MY COMMUNITY

BECAUSE WHAT I DO, WHEN I DO

SOMETHING GOOD FOR THEM I DO

SOMETHING GOOD FOR MYSELF.

AT THE SAME TIME, MY COMMUNITY

IS ONE OF MANY, THE 7th WARD IS

ONE OF 50 IN THE ENTIRE CITY.

AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT YOU WILL

BE MAKING DECISIONS THAT WILL

AFFECT A LARGER POPULUS THAN THE

7th WARD.

>> MR. MITCHELL, THE LAST WORD,

ARE YOU BACKING MAYOR RAHM

EMANUEL OR CHUY GARCIA.

>> RIGHT NOW I'M BACKING ME.

IT HAS BEEN A LONG ROAD TO GET

HERE AND I'M FOCUSING ON TAKING

THE 7th WARD BACK, AND PUT IT

BACK ON THE SIDE OF PEOPLE.

>> THAT IS WHERE WE WILL LEAVE

IT.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE.

APPRECIATE IT.

THE STORY OF THE REAL VIKINGS UP

NEXT, SO DON'T GO AWAY.