Amy Crawford, Candidate for 46th Ward Alderman

Candidate Full Name: Amy Crawford

Office: 46th Ward Alderman

Email Address: amyfor46@gmail.com

Web Site: amyfor46.org

Campaign Name: Friends of Amy Crawford

Campaign Office Mailing Address: 4750 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60640

Phone: (224) 703-4263

Survey Questions (Character limit of 2,000 per response)

1. What is the most important issue that you will address in your ward?

The most important issue to Ward residents is crime. While violent crime and murder rates have fallen across much of the City, they have risen in the 46th ward. Violent crime in the neighborhood, particularly gang-related gun violence, scares residents, encourages them to move out of the ward, and prevents businesses from thriving. We need more police on our streets. In addition, we also need more youth engagement programs to keep our youth off the streets and build a sense of community pride in which violence isn't tolerated.

2. What are your plans for helping fight crime in your ward?

Our rise in crime has been the result of a 25% decrease in police in the 19th police district. Unfortunately, officers in our Ward face a "whack-a-mole" effect: officers are shifted to focus on robberies in Boystown, and then shootings rise in Uptown. Then officers are shifted to Uptown, and burglaries rise in West Lakeview. We need adequate staffing in order for our police to be able to patrol proactively, so that they are not just running call to call. This would also allow police to build and maintain relationships with Ward residents and join forces with community agencies to work on youth engagement and crime prevention activities.

3. What, if any, city assets would you consider privatizing to raise money?

I generally disfavor privatization of city assets. Privatization deals are sold to the public as being better for the City's bottom line. In practice, this has often turned out not to be the case. We need greater transparency and accountability in these arrangements, and need to ensure that public-private partnerships benefit the City over the long term and do not come at the expense of service quality for City residents or employee wages.

4. Do you support or oppose the vote to increase the minimum wage in several steps to $13 an hour by 2019?

Yes, I support a living wage that provides working families a wage that can support a family. I come from a working family, and basic economic justice is part of my core values. Raising the wage helps create security in the workplace and gives working people more money to spend in our economy. I also support a raise in the State minimum wage to help those who work outside the City, and to create a more balanced playing field for businesses located in the City.

5. Are you in favor of Chicago's Red Light Camera program?

I'm not opposed to the red-light and speed camera programs in principle, especially because we need to be open to reasonable means of generating revenue for our cash-strapped City, but the program has been the subject of poor administration and abuse, and must be reformed. The issues surrounding the relationship between the vendor and City Hall further undermine public confidence in the City's ability to get a fair deal from its vendors or private partners. Further, recent evidence has shown that the cameras are being deployed in a way that isn't making us safer. Greater oversight of this program and the vendor is needed if the City is going to continue to utilize the cameras and benefit from the revenue stream they create.

Amy Crawford