>>> TEN CANDIDATES THAT RAN TO

FILL THE OPAL DER MANIC SEAT ON

THE CITY'S WEST SIDE, AFTER

ALDERMAN MICHAEL CHANDLER

DECIDED NOT TO RUN FOR A FIFTH

TERM.

EP WITHDREW HIS NAME TWO WEEKS

AFTER FILING HIS NOMINATING

PETITION, AND "CHICAGO TONIGHT"

DISCOVERED HE WAS MISSING 94% OF

THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS, NOT A

GOOD RECORD.

THE TOP TWO VOTE GETTERS ARE IN

A RUNOFF, MICHAEL SCOTT JUNIOR

WHO WON 31% AND VETRESS BOYCE

WHO GOT 616% OF THE VOTE.

NOW JOINING US IN THE ORDER THEY

APPEAR ON THE BALLOT ARE VETRESS

BOYCE, WHO WORKED HER WAY UP

FROM VICE PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT

OF A TOOL DISTRIBUTOR AND NOW

CEO OF HER OWN COMPANY AND

MICHAEL SCOTT JUNIOR, A NATIVE

OF THE NORTH LAWNDALE

NEIGHBORHOOD THAT OVERSEES 35

PARK FACILITIES, FOR THE CHICAGO

PARK DISTRICT.

HIS NAME MAY SOUND FAMILIAR S

FATHER IS THE LATE MICHAEL SCOTT

SENIOR, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE

CHICAGO BOARD OF EDUCATION.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I WILL START WITH YOU, MISS

BOYCE.

WHY DO YOU WANT THAT JOB?

>> I'M RUNNING BECAUSE I FEEL

LIKE I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO

HELP THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN HURT BY

THE CURRENT WAVE OF POVERTY.

IN NORTH LAWNDALE THERE IS SO

MUCH ABANDONED BUILDINGS AND

LACK OF BUSINESSES AND SCHOOLS

THAT ARE CLOSED.

CHILDREN ON THE CONNERS, LIVES

LOST, POLICE BRUTALITY, YOU NAME

IT AND IT IS HAPPENING IN NORTH

LAWNDALE.

AND WITH MY LOVE FOR THE

COMMUNITY AND MY COMMITMENT AND

BEING PRESENT IN THE COMMUNITY

AND RAISING MAY FAMILY THERE,

AND MY YOUNGEST BEING 20 AND MY

OLDEST 32 IT IS TIME TO HELP US

BRING AN ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE

TO THE WARD.

>> MR. SCOTT, WHY DO YOU THINK

YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON TO

TACKLE THE PROBLEMS?

>> EVERYONE WANTS TO LIVE AND

WORK AND PLAY AND RAISE THEIR

FAMILY IN A SAFE COMMUNITY.

I BELIEVE WE NEED TO CLEAN UP

THE 24th WARD AND WE NEED TO

HAVE IT BETTER, A WE ARE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE

DEPARTMENT AND THOSE ARE ALL

THINGS THAT I DO IN THE CHICAGO

PRESSURING DISTRICT AND I WILL

BRING THE TOOLS TO THE WARD.

>> YOU MENTION THE PROBLEMS WITH

POVERTY IN THE WARD.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BOLSTER

ECONOMIC PROSPECTS?

>> ONE THING THAT HASN'T BEEN

DONE, IS THE MARKETING.

THE RESOURCES, AS WELL AS

CONCENTRATING ON THE WORTH OF

THE COMMUNITY.

I FOUND THIS INFORMATION ON A

CITY OF CHICAGO WEBSITE, A

COMMUNITY SPENDING CLOSE TO 400

MILLION, USING IT TO MARKET

BUSINESSES THAT COULD EMPLOY

PEOPLE IN LARGE NUMBERS,

SOMETHING THAT I'M LOOKING

FORWARD TO DOING.

WITH MANY OF THE VACANT LOTS

THAT WE HAVE IN THE WARD WE

COULD BRING VIABLE BUSINESSES.

THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR

GROCERY STORES AND BIG BOXES.

A GREAT NEED IN THE WARD AND I'M

HERE TO BRING THE CHANGE.

>> MR. SCOTT, A FOOD DESERT, IF

THE FOOD OPTIONS OR RESTAURANT

OPTIONS, HOW DO YOU BRING THEM

TO THE 24th WARD?

>> THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO DO

IT CLEAN UP OUR WARD.

I HAVE BEEN TO NEIGHBORHOOD TO

NEIGHBORHOOD AND BEFORE WE CAN

BRING RESIDENTS BACK AND

BUSINESSES IN, WE HAVE TO CLEAN

UP OUR WARD.

AGAIN, INDIVIDUALS ARE CRAVING

FOR A BETTER PUBLIC SAFETY MOTTO

BEFORE WE CAN BRING BUSINESSES

IN AND RESIDENTS IN, WE HAVE TO

ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.

THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS

LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY CLEAN

UP THE 24th WARD.

>> HAS IT BEEN IGNORED?

>> WE CAN CLEAN IT UP EVERY DAY.

I CLEAN UP OUTSIDE MY HOUSE

EVERY DAY.

WE HAVE HAD COMPANIES COME AND

CLEAN THE VACANT LOTS.

IT HAS BEEN NEGLIGENTED IN A

GREAT WAY.

YOU CAN CLEAN IT UP ON MONDAY

AND IT IS BACK DIRTY ON TUESDAY.

SO YOU HAVE TO DO MORE

AGGRESSIVE THINGS.

CLEANING IT IS ONE THUNK BUT

HAVE YOU TO HAVE AN ECONOMIC

INFRASTRUCTURE FROM THE

COMMUNITY.

THIS COMMUNITY IS READY FOR AN

ENHANCEMENT OR JOB

OPPORTUNITIES.

THEY ARE READY TO FILL THE

VACANT LOTS WITH HOMES.

>> I HAVE TALKED TO MANY

BUSINESS OWNERS AND THEY CRAVE,

I TALK TO RESIDENTS, THEY CRAVE

FOR THEIR COMMUNITY TO BE CLEAN.

I'M NOT SAYING WE DON'T NEED AN

ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT

THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE TO GO

FIRST AND THE PRIORITY IN OUR

COMMUNITY, I TALK TO RESIDENTS

DAY IN AND DAY OUT, IS CLEANING

THE COMMUNITY.

>> LOOK AT OUR PARK DISTRICT,

YOU HAVE BEEN MANAGING THAT.

>> FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS.

AND AN IMPECCABLE RATE.

>> IT IS AWFUL.

>> THAT IS NOT TRUE.

>> THAT IS FRAIN SES PARK.

>> I MANAGE EVERY PARK IN NORTH

LAWNDALE, OF COURSE NOW IF GU

OUTSIDE, AFTER THE SNOW HAS JUST

MELTED YOU WILL SEE DEBRIS, BUT

EVERY DAY WE ARE OUT THERE

CLEANING AND MAKING SURE THAT WE

GET THE THINGS TAKEN CARE OF.

AND THE PARK DISTRICT IS ONE OF

THE AGENCIES THAT ARE MODELED,

THE CITY MOTTO OF A GREAT

PROGRAM, CLEAN AND SAFE PARKS.

WE HAVE CLEAN AND SAFE PARKS.

AND THAT IS NOT THE ONLY

THING...

>> I HAVE TO MOVE ON TO CRIME.

YOU MENTIONED CRIME.

WHAT ARE YOUR SPECIFIC PROPOSALS

TO REDUCE CRIME?

>> THE ONLY WAY TO REDUCE CRIME,

WE TALK ABOUT THE CHILDREN

PUTTING THE GUNS DOWN.

IF THEY PUT THE GUNS DOWN, WHAT

DO THEY REPLACE THEM WITH?

JOBS, I WILL GO BACK TO THE PARK

DISTRICT, THE CHILDREN CAN EVEN

PLAY IN THE PARKS.

I LIVE ACROSS THE STREET AND IT

IS ALWAYS IN DEDAYING POSITION.

WE HAVE TO CALL TO HAVE THE

GRASS CUT.

KIDS DIDN'T FEEL SAFE IN THE

PARK.

EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND THERE

ARE FIGHTINGS AND GUN BATTLES AT

THE PARK.

OUR PARKS ARE IN THE WORST SHAPE

EVER.

>> THERE IS AN ISSUE OF

CLEANLINESS AND ALL OTHER ISSUES

STEM FROM THAT.

MR. SCOTT, MORE POLICE OFFICERS

IN YOUR WARD?

>> WE NEED MORE POLICE, BUT A

BETTER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE

POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND OUR

COMMUNITIES.

A MUTUAL RESPECT IF YOU WILL.

AGAIN, I WORK AT THE CHICAGO

PARK DISTRICT AND I TALKED TO

OFFICERS AND THEY TELL ME IT IS

QUALITY OF LAKEFRONT ISSUE IN

THE 2 FOURth WARD AND MY

RESPONSE IS OUR QUALITY OF LIFE

SHOULD BE THE SAME AS IT IS IN

LINCOLN PARK AND CHATHAM AND ANY

OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND AS AN ALDERMAN I WILL BE

VIRGINIA ADVOCATE.

>> THE HOMAN SQUARE FACILITY,

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER CALLED IT

A BLACK SITE WHERE PEOPLE ARE

INTERROGATED THERE, OFF THE

BOOKS.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?

>> WAS AT THE ONE OF THE

RALLIES, THEY INVITED ME TO IT

AND THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS OUT

THERE BUT ALSO CALLING FOR AN

INVESTIGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT

WHAT THEY ARE BEING ACCUSED OF

IS FACTUAL.

ATTENDED A SECOND RALLY THERE

AND THEY ARE PUSHING TO GET AN

EVENT, WHAT THE COMPLAINTS ARE,

MRS. MR. SCOTT HAS DONE IT, I

HARDLY EVER SEE HIM IN THE

COMMUNITY AS IT RELATES TO ANY

ISSUE.

SCHOOLS ARE CLOSING, I HAVEN'T

SEEN HIM THERE.

I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM IN THE

COMMUNITY AND HE STEPS UP...

>> I HAVE BEEN BY HOMAN SQUARE

AND I THINK YOU DO HAVE TO, YOU

DO DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKE SURE

THE ALLEGATIONS ARE CORRECT.

I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO WHAT

SHE IS SAYING.

I LIVED, WORKED AND PLAY IN THE

WARD, I HAVE BEEN ON ALBANY FOR

30 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

I MANAGE EVERY PARK IN NORTH

LAWNDALE.

>> THE WORST PARKS EVER.

>> THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS THAT

YOUR CAMPAIGN WAS BUYING VOTES

FOR $10, THAT IS A FELONY.

WAS YOUR CAMPAIGN BUYING VOTES?

>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.

AND IT IS WHAT IT IS.

AN ALLEGATION.

>> AN INVESTIGATION INTERVIEWED

PEOPLE THAT SAID THEY WERE

APPROACHED, BEING OFFERED TEN

DOLLARS TO VOTE FOR YOU.

>> THEY ARE NOT CONNECTED TO ME

AT ALL.

THE YOUNG MAN THAT WAS

QUESTIONING SAID A MAN OFFERED

HIM TEN DOLLARS AND SAID I'M A

SUPPORTER OF VETRESS ANYWAY.

WOULD WOULD I SOLICIT HIM AND

PAY HIM TEN DOLLARS IF I ALREADY

HAVE HIS VOTE.

I STAND FIRM THAT IS NOT HOW WE

CONDUCT BUSINESS AT ALL.

>> WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE IT

THERE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.