>>> 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.