>> THANKS, AMMAN DAVMENT MAYOR
LORI LIGHTFOOT AND CITY COUNCIL
CONFIRMED THE CITY'S NEWEST
ALDERPERSON TAKING OVER FOR PAT
INDUSTRY DALEY THOMPSON WHO WAS
CONVICTED OF FEDERAL TAX FRAUD.
AND JOINING US IS THE NEW
ALDERWOMAN, NICOLE LEE.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
NOW, YOU'VE BEEN ON THE JOB FOR
THREE WEEKS TAKING OVER IN
DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST PART
OF THIS TRANSITION?
>> PARIS, THANKS FOR HAVING ME
ON THE SHOW.
THE HARDEST PART OF THE
TRANSITION HAS JUST BEEN TRYING
TO GET MY ARMS AROUND ALL THAT
THE JOB ENTAILS AND I'M LEARNING
SOMETHING NEW SEVEN NEW THINGS A
DAY.
>> THAT IS A BIG LEARNING CURVE.
ARE THERE HUGE BACKLOG OF
REQUESTS FROM 11TH WARD
RESIDENTS?
>> I DON'T HAVE A POINT OF
REFERENCE FOR WHAT HUGE IS.
BUT THERE'S A BACKLOG OF THINGS.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT
ONLY THE ALDERPERSON CAN
APPROVE.
SO THE STAFF THAT WE'RE STILL IN
THE OFFICE FOLLOWING MY
PREDECESSOR'S CONVICTION, DID A
GREAT JOB WHAT THEY CAN DO TO
KEEP THINGS MOVING.
BUT THERE WERE THINGS THAT HAVE
BEEN HELD UP.
THAT WE'RE GETTING THROUGH THEM
RIGHT NOW.
>> ALL THE DIRTY WORK OF EVERY
ALDERPERSON, THE PERMITS AND THE
TREE TRIMMING.
ALL THAT FUN STUFF.
ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE THE FASTEST
GROWING DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE CITY
OF CHICAGO.
A WELL DOCUMENTED RISE IN
ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME THROUGHOUT
COVID.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ON CITY COUNCIL
TO ADDRESS THAT?
>> I THINK THE RISE IN
ANTI-ASIAN HATE HAS BEEN A
TERRIBLE THING ACROSS THIS
COUNTRY AND OBVIOUSLY IN
PARTICULAR HERE IT HITS HOME FOR
THE CHICAGO RESIDENTS AND I LIVE
IN CHINATOWN AND WE'VE ALSO SEEN
A RISE ON THAT FRONT AS WELL.
I THINK THAT BEING A
REPRESENTATIVE ON THE CHICAGO
CITY COUNCIL IS LIKE THE FIRST
STEP IN REALLY PUTTING A FACE
AND HUMANIZING US IN A WAY THAT
MAYBE RESIDENTS HAVE NOT SEEN US
BEFORE.
AND JUST SEEING US AS REGULAR
PEOPLE JUST LIKE THEM AND NOT
SOME OTHER GROUP.
>> AND YOU ARE THE LONE
ASIAN-AMERICAN ALDERPERSON ON
CITY COUNCIL THERE WAS ONE
RECENTLY WHO IS NO LONGER THERE.
LOTS OF CITY BUSINESS TO GET TO.
MAYOR LIGHTFOOT IS GOING TO MAKE
HER PICK ON A CITY CASINO ONE OF
THE POSSIBLE LOCATIONS IS THE 78
RIGHT NEAR CHINATOWN.
ARE YOU SUPPORTIVE OF A CASINO
PROPOSAL SO CLOSE TO YOUR WARD?
>> YOU KNOW PARIS?
I'M DOING A LOT OF LISTENING
RIGHT NOW.
MY FOCUS IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF
WEEKS HAS BEEN GETTING MY ARMS
AROUND ALL WHAT THE RESIDENTS
NEED AND THE BACKLOG.
I PARTICIPATED IN THE 78
PRESENTATION TOWN HALL LAST
WEEK.
GOING TO BE CO-HOSTING A
COSPONSORING A TOWN HALL WITH
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND ELECTED
OFFICIALS SPECIFICALLY IN
CHINATOWN AND GET FEEDBACK AND
THOUGHTS FROM RESIDENTS ABOUT
THE 78 PROJECT.
I WILL BE DOING A LOT OF
LISTENING.
>> WHAT HAVE YOUR RESIDENTS SAID
SO FAR?
>> WHAT I'VE HEARD, ARGUMENTS ON
BOTH SIDES.
A LOT OF CONCERN FOR WHETHER OR
NOT A NEW CASINO WILL BRING
CRIME, SAFETY AND TRAFFIC
CONCERNS OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO
GET BACK AND FORTH REASONABLY
WELL.
AND THEN ALSO THE ISSUE OF
GAMBLING ADDICTION IN THE
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
AND WORRIES AND CONCERNS THAT
OUR COMMUNITY WHRB PREYED UPON.
AND I'VE ALSO HEARD FROM
BUSINESS OWNERS, TOO, ABOUT
LOOKING FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
MORE BUSINESS TO COME TO
CHINATOWN AND THE SOUTH LOOP AND
BRIDGEPORT AS WELL.
I THINK THERE ARE CONCERNS ON
BOTH SIDES.
THE CASINO IS COMING TO CHICAGO.
WE'VE GOT A LOT TO WEIGH AND I
WILL LOOK FORWARD TO LISTENING A
LITTLE BIT MORE AND HEARING FROM
RESIDENTS MORE SPECIFICALLY
ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS AND WHAT WE
CAN DO TO MITIGATE THE BAD
STUFF, IF YOU WILL AND TO MAKE
THE BEST OF ANY NEW DEVELOPMENT
IN THE CITY.
>> THERE MIGHT BE A SPILLOVER I
IMPACT ON THE BUSINESSES IN
CHINATOWN.
FOLKS GOING TO A CASINO.
THE 11TH WARD IS SET TO BE
REDRAWN.
THERE ARE TWO COMPETING MAPS.
ONE BACKED BY THE BRACK CAUCUS
AND ONE BACKED BY THE LATINO
CAUCUS AND BOTH MAPS WOULD
CREATE A ASIAN-AMERICAN MAJORITY
IN THE 11TH WARD.
IS THERE ANY MAP THAT LOOKS
BETTER IN YOUR EYES?
>> I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT EITHER
MAP VERY CLOSELY YET.
RIGHT NOW I'M REPRESENTING THE
RESIDENTS OF TODAY'S 11TH WARD
AND I'M GOING TO REVIEW BOTH
MAPS WITH THOSE RESIDENTS AND
THEIR CONCERNS IN MIND.
>> AND IF THERE IS NOT A DEAL
AMONG ALDERPEOPLE WILL GO TO A
PUBLIC REFERENDUM FOLKS SAID
THEY DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN
IT COULD LEAD TO A RACIAL FIGHT.
DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THIS GOING TO
A REFERENDUM WOULD YOU PREFER IT
GETS SOLVED BY CITY COUNCIL?
>> I THINK IT WOULD ALWAYS BE
BETTER TO BE RESOLVED BY CITY
COUNCIL.
WHAT WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM PAST
HISTORY WHEN THESE HAVE GONE TO
REFERENDUM IT BECOMES A VERY
EXPENSIVE BILL FOR THE RESIDENTS
OF CHICAGO TO PAY FOR
ULTIMATELY.
WHAT I'M HOPING FOR IS THAT SOME
SORT OF RESOLUTION BE MADE.
ULTIMATELY, IF THAT COMES TO A
REFERENDUM THE PEOPLE WILL
DECIDE.
>> WHAT OTHER TOP OF MIND ISSUES
THAT YOU ARE HEARING FROM YOUR
COMMUNITY MEMBERS?
>> SAFETY.
YOU KNOW.
I'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT
PREVIOUSLY AS I'VE BEEN
INTRODUCED TO THE PUBLIC.
MY TOP PRIORITY AND TOP CONCERN
OF RESIDENTS IS SAFETY.
JUST A COUPLE DAYS AGO, THERE
WAS AN INCIDENT IN THE WARD
WHERE UNFORTUNATELY, VERY
TRAGICLY A YOUNG LADY LOST HER
LIFE.
THERE WAS A SHOOTING THAT
HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF A CAR
CHASE THAT CAME IN FROM OUTSIDE
THE WARD AND ENDED ACROSS THE
STREET FROM A PARK WHERE A LOT
OF CHILDREN WERE PLAYING ON THE
FIRST WARM DAY OF THE SPRING
SEASON.
IT IS AT THE TOP OF MY MIND AND
THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S MIND IN
THE CITY ESPECIALLY LEADERS
RIGHT NOW.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
IN A YEAR AND ALL OF YOUR
COLLEAGUES AND THE MAYOR WILL BE
UP FOR REELECTION.
YOU'VE SAID YOU HAVE NOT DECIDED
WHETHER YOU WANT TO RUN FOR A
FULL TERM.
HAVE YOU DECIDED YET?
AND IF NOT WHAT IS YOUR
TIME-FRAME?
>> I HAVE NOT DECIDED YET.
I'M INTO THE THIRD WEEK OF THE
JOB AND I WANT TO BE SURE THAT
THIS IS A JOB THAT I CAN DO AND
DO WELL BEFORE I ASK THE
RESIDENTS OF THE 11TH WARD TO
CONSIDER ME SOMEBODY THAT COULD
REPRESENT THEM LONG-TERM.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE'LL WATCH FOR THAT.