2015 Mayoral Candidates Respond to BGA Questionnaire

Rahm
Emanuel

Willie
Wilson

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

William “Dock”
Walls, III

Rahm
Emanuel

Willie
Wilson

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

William “Dock”
Walls, III

• Extending OEIG oversight to the City Council and City Council employees

• The proposed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

1) How do you view the relationship between City of Chicago law enforcement and the communities they police? What additional steps need to be taken to promote a positive dynamic between police and communities?

Rahm
Emanuel

Developing higher levels of trust between communities and police has been a major priority for this administration. CPD created and implemented training for police officers to teach fairness and respect – also called “procedural justice.” To date, more than 9,500 Chicago police personnel have completed this training. When police misconduct does occur, we are committed to responding swiftly and fairly and providing a new level of transparency about the process. Over the last 18 months, the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all serious police misconduct, has reduced its case backlog by 51% by streamlining its intake procedures, expanding the use of mediation, and holding personnel accountable for timely investigations. And, in a reversal of past practice, the City recently announced that it will make internal investigation files into alleged police misconduct open to public scrutiny.

Willie
Wilson

My plan is to integrate our officers into the communities. The fact is that City of Chicago has more police officers per resident, than any of the top four largest cities in the country. We need to have officers in the streets, on the trains and in our communities. 

All the other candidates, including Mayor Emanuel during his first campaign, have called for more police. However to add more police we would need to raise taxes on the little guy to pay for it, I won’t do that. We need to stop the “nickel and dime” tax thinking, it is destructive in the long run.

I say the problem is management. As a businessman with interests in Chicago, Tennessee and worldwide, I know that the hard part about any endeavor is managing what you’ve got, not just spending more money. You’ve got to follow up, follow through and be held accountable. You’ve got to know your customer and speak with them all the time. Who is the customer of the police? THE PEOPLE! We need to reemphasize the motto slogan ‘We serve and also protect’. The police need to be trained to feel that service is in their job description.I propose to have four district commanders each reporting to me. Those commanders will be held accountable based on how their district is doing with relating to their community, as well as crime statistics.

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

Right now, as in many communities, the relationship between police and members of the community is strained, and that simply cannot continue. While I support piloting a body camera program and putting more officers on the street to relieve our overworked first responders, good relations between citizens and police come from deep understanding and knowledge of the neighborhood. Officers must be trained in the complexities of our neighborhoods. Good community policing should be a legitimate goal, not just a talking point. We must work hard to not only ensure our forces are diverse, but share the values and concerns and know the issues in the communities they’re sworn to protect.

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

Violent crime is a staggering problem throughout the entire city. By the numbers, Chicago is sadly considered the new murder capital of the nation, having surpassed New York, a city nearly triple our population. Though our murder rate has declined in the past two years, the number of murders and amount of nonlethal gun violence remains at an intolerable level. Gang warfare and violence continue unabated, claiming the lives of innocent men, women and, tragically, even infants and children. Here, in Chicago, we have tried many approaches and run through numerous police chiefs without solving major problems—and in some cases exacerbating them. I would take a multi-faceted approach that addresses the root causes of violence by addressing the employment needs in our neighborhoods while working to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

In order to truly impact public safety, I would implement community policing, a proven and effective strategy to both solve crime and prevent it. The existing police force is insufficiently staffed to effect true community policing and significant overtime currently is unavoidable, which reduces the effectiveness of current officers. With the 265 current patrol vacancies and the 580 vacancies in Sergeants, Lieutenants, and Detectives reported by the Police Superintendent, the Department will remain understaffed for the foreseeable future unless we act to correct this problem. I would keep the promise Rahm Emanuel broke by hiring 1,000 new officers, and ensuring that they are appropriately trained to implement community policing.

I know community policing works, because I have witnessed firsthand the difference it has made in my own neighborhood of Little Village. There, the community group I founded, “Enlace Chicago,” has partnered with the Chicago Police Department and North Lawndale Employment Network to reduce youth violence and to improve community-police relations.

In addition, I would ensure that officers are appropriately trained to recognize and assist victims of human trafficking and domestic violence, and that they serve and protect all residents, regardless of race, sexual orientation or immigration status.

William “Dock”
Walls, III

Generally Speaking, Chicago police and Community residents have a very good relationship. In particular, residents on the North, Northwest, Southwest sides and Downtown Chicago have a very friendly, effective relationship with the police assigned to their districts and beats. Typically, those city residents consider their policing to be community oriented and effective.

Conversely, many South and Westside residents view their relationship with the police as more adversarial, than not. The overwhelming majority of those police are of a persuasion starkly different from the people of those communities. They frequently encounter disconnected youth and young adults, plagued by low self esteem, unwilling or unable to satisfactorily respond to common police questions, such as, “Where are you coming from?” and “Where are you going?” Statistics prove that there are warnings and more arrests in these areas as opposed to the other areas.

We need a fresh start between police and residents. The city of Chicago should develop an even handed media campaign, characterized by wholesome messaging, which encourages residents to abandon the “no snitch” policy while encouraging the police to abandon the “blue code of silence.” Police training should more acutely emphasize the importance of serving and protecting. The “Officer Friendly” program should be reintroduced into Chicago Schools. Students should be taught their rights and given instructions on how to best respond to law enforcement officers when approached. These and other measures are needed to develop much needed mutual respect between police and communities.

2) Please describe your vision for public education in the City of Chicago. Will you consider reopening any shuttered neighborhood schools? Do you plan to close additional neighborhood schools? Do you intend to seek proposals for additional charter or contract schools?

Rahm
Emanuel

While the Chicago Public Schools have never been stronger, there remains much work to do. Graduation rates, attendance and test scores are all at record highs, but we should not feel satisfied until every student from every neighborhood is guaranteed the same high-quality education. There is a lot to be proud of: after four years of investments and reform, Chicago provides students with a full school day that will provide a student entering kindergarten nearly 2.5 additional years of instructional time by the time they graduate high school. For the first time, all 30,000 CPS kindergarten students receive a full day of kindergarten and 75% of 3 and 4-year olds below the poverty line have access to quality pre-school options. In addition, students and families have more high-quality school options including strong neighborhood schools strengthened by investments in International Baccalaureate and STEM programs, magnet, gifted, charter, and military schools.

But we still have more to do to ensure that every child has access to a world-class learning experience from birth. If I’m fortunate enough to be re-elected, my administration will continue to pursue an education agenda built around five themes – expanding diverse and rigorous high-quality public education options for all Chicago families, empowering principals and teachers with greater autonomy and holding them accountable for performance, investing in student supports, engaging and empowering parents, and challenging the district to innovate to make Chicago a city of learning.

My full education plan can be found here: http://www.chicagotogether.org/blog/campaign-updates/press-release-mayoremanuel-announces-plan-to-expand-high-quality-education-choices-atneighborhood-schools-and-empower-local-leaders/

Charter schools play an important role in providing quality school options to Chicago families. It is important, though, to ensure that charters are held accountable. Under my watch, poor-performing charters have been held accountable for the first time, with two being closed and another 11 placed on a warning list for failing to meet academic performance standards and growth metrics. One in four top-tier Level 1 high schools are CPS charter high schools. Not including selective enrollment high schools, the top 11 high schools in the city are charter high schools. At 75% of CPS elementary charter schools, students outperform non-charter district schools on the proportion of students meeting or exceeding state standards. I will continue to expand those successful models while holding underperforming charters accountable.

I have issued a five-year moratorium on school closures.

Willie
Wilson

The re-opening of closed schools can only be properly accomplished by a committee of community residents, teachers and administrators. The specific decisions as to how many can be re-opened or combined, must be a communal effort by such a group. I plan, if elected, to form such working groups with representatives from the communities affected to work alongside the others mentioned to form a new plan.

On the subject of financing these changes, we will look to all areas of the existing budget, the contract purchases specifically, as well as the property tax base, and an independent use of the lottery funds. Finally, in other development plans, we intend to follow through, with the new governor, to release the license for a Chicago casino to partially fund these education initiatives. Our plans for the casino are detailed and in another topic. 

My education plan also includes the re-establishment of a vigorous trade school and alternative school program. Utilizing some of the 50 schools closed, again relying on a committee of community residents, teachers and administrators, we will begin opening schools that teach Para-medical, mechanical, culinary and other trades while allowing review and study for the GED for any student without a high school diploma. This will allow young people and perhaps even adults, who have not completed high school as well as those that have and need to learn a new trade, to find what they need to succeed in their communities.

As to the recent announcement by the President regarding free higher education, as modeled originally from the full State of Tennessee program and adopted by Chicago, we applaud this thinking and plan to pursue this initiative with enhancements of our own beyond the City Community College program.

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

Strong neighborhood schools naturally make neighborhoods safer. I was a vocal opponent of the school closures and have pledged that as mayor, I would make certain not one more neighborhood school will close. I am open to the possibility of reopening neighborhood schools as well as finding a solution to use these facilities as community centers or for vocational training. Furthermore, I support a moratorium on charters and contract schools until a long-term facilities plan is enacted, as well as a determination regarding long-term sustainability of school reform policy.

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

I believe it is necessary to change course dramatically from the so-called “reforms” offered by Mayor Emanuel and instead take a new, holistic approach to our city’s schools. A sound public education system should be the right of everyone in our society, as it is the very foundation of a functioning democracy and a healthy economy.

My plan involves giving the school system back to the people through an elected school board; reducing to the barest legal minimum the plethora of high-stakes, standardized tests by which we falsely judge schools, students, and teachers; placing a moratorium on further charter schools; expanding public education to include pre-kindergarten and even earlier; and reducing class size, which is one of the largest in the state.

I would also support the need for a public elected Chairman of the CPS board, and I would insist that the election be done by district to allow every community in the City to have fair representation on the School Board.

William “Dock”
Walls, III

Members of the Board of Education should be elected by the public. We should establish eight single member districts with a president to be elected at large. The legislation must include safeguards to avoid the hijacking of the election by powerful, well funded organizations, PACS, unions and other special interest groups. The enabling legislation must be carefully drafted to include strict campaign financing and spending limits, and thereby ensure that ordinary and average individuals have an equal opportunity to win election. Our primary goal is to provide a superior public school education for each and every individual child. We will certainly continue to develop modern buildings with state of the art equipment and facilities, which are conducive to safe and potentially productive educational environments. However, we will do more than safely warehouse students; teach them reading, writing, math and science and train them to pass tests. We will completely educate all children, and thoroughly expose them to all of life’s intangibles; including the arts, music, history, humanities, civics, languages, vocations, sports and technology.

Irrespective of the level of parental support or involvement, or lack thereof, we must empower our children to perform critical and analytical functions; and thereby enable them to appreciate their limitless potential. I will Mandate “Educational Intensive Care.” We will implement policies, practices and procedures designed to ensure Chicago students have at least an 80% chance of completing their education, Pre-K through 12th grade. 

We will designate one common curriculum for use in the education of children at the same grade level across the entire school district number 299.

As mayor, consistent with my commitment to decentralize city government, I will reopen the 50 schools Rahm recklessly closed. Those buildings will be “education first facilities” with a “mixed use” component. Those sound structures will be refurbished and restored to their primary use as neighborhood schools. However, to make this economically feasible, and reduce the burden on taxpayers, we will modify each building to also accommodate, a Police Sub Station; A Regional or Local CPS office; A WIC office; A Neighborhood DHS office, and a student therapy facility. Given the proper design, these several essential community service providers can safely and efficiently co-exist in the same structure. This configuration will also allow us to avoid closing any more schools.

We must open additional Chicago Alternative Learning Opportunities Programs (ALOP) to students between the ages of 17 and 21 who have left the school system and wish to re-enroll. We would use select CPS properties to provide a combination of alternative educational opportunities, skill training and development, therapy, and general city services.

I will ensure we provide Charter schools the support they need to succeed, but establish a moratorium to freeze the number of Charter schools at the current level.

3) Please give an example of a major issue impacting Chicago residents that requires action by the state legislature. How would you address it?

Rahm
Emanuel

Education funding is a key issue that demands Springfield action. Investing in our children’s future is a top priority and despite budget constraints CPS continues to make significant investments in schools, programs, and facilities that will benefit students in all Chicago neighborhoods across the city. Through $750 million in central office, administrative and operational cuts, we will ensure the funding stays where it belongs – with the students in classrooms across the city. But moving forward we must address the looming budget crisis with a far broader strategy. To start, I continue to work with our partners in Springfield to reform the pension system and give Chicago its fair share of education funding. Last year, Springfield passed pension reform for all school districts in Illinois except Chicago. Equally problematic, the state of Illinois budget pays the full pension cost for all school districts other than Chicago. Between these two disparities, Chicago is losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in financial relief that can directly impact our classrooms. I will continue to work in Springfield to correct these disparities and fight to make sure that Chicago is no longer treated differently when it comes to education funding and pension relief.

Willie
Wilson

Our pension crisis needs to the attention of the state legislature. I would work with pension/financial experts to create a legislative solution to the pension crisis and then work with Springfield legislators to get the bill passed in an efficient manner.

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

The state legislature has the ability right now to give the power back to the people of Chicago with an elected school board. In 1995, the General Assembly passed a bill that made the board an appointed one at the behest of Mayor Daley. That bill could be easily repealed or otherwise changed to make our board an elected one. I will leverage the relationships we have with Chicago’s representatives in the legislature to make this a reality.

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

There are three major areas where the State legislature provides significant funding and dictates policy choices for the City: pensions, transportation/infrastructure and health care.

Concerning pensions, the 2011 law that required contributions to city pensions sufficient to achieve 90% funding created the 2016 deadline for an additional $600M annual payment. The courts will set the parameters for what can be done with pensions going forward. The legislature allowed an increase in the 911 fund fees which provided some additional pension funding this year. That is not a long term solution. I will work with the legislature, the Governor and City employees to develop a long term funding plan including sources of revenue to keep the pensions viable for city employees.

Transportation and Infrastructure funding (e.g. a Capital construction plan) is also critical for the City and State. Illinois Jobs Now provided billions to the State to fund road, transit and other capital construction but has now ended. There is strong need for State leadership in funding such investment. The City roads need long term and stable funding for longer term repairs as well as funding to improve transit options in the neighborhoods, address freight and rail/intermodal congestion which is limiting economic growth. The road resurfacing and pothole initiatives of the City last year provided short term patches and minimal repairs to the roads decimated by the harsh winter. Those repairs will not last more than a couple of years or another harsh winter – we need a long term funding source(s) which will require legislative action. The decline in federal funding is putting more pressure on the states to provide some core funding for transportation and which provides the resources for more innovative funding proposals.

Finally, federal and state funding for health care – especially preventive care and supportive services (such as mental health) will require state support. How the state funds Medicaid and other health programs are essential to long term growth and sustainability of Chicago. 

As Mayor, I will work with the legislature and the County to develop funding and programs that address these needs. Breaking down the City and County silos will be a priority and is essential to providing broad-based and cost-effective programs.

William “Dock”
Walls, III

The Illinois State constitution mandates that the state has the primary responsibility to fund Public Schools. Illinois Ranks Last in State Contribution to PK-12 funding. There are 102 Illinois counties. Of them, 101 fund education with a proper mix of Property taxes and State Income Taxes. Unlike the other counties, Cook County relies primarily upon Property taxes to fund education. In fact, over 50% of Cook County property taxes goes to fund education.

As Mayor of Chicago, central to my downstate legislative agenda will be a change in the Funding formula for schools in Chicago and Cook County.

4) Many advocates have suggested reforms to the way in which the Tax Increment Financing program is conducted, such as enacting through passage of an ordinance a process for the distribution of the “surplus” of unused funds, or requiring the online TIF Portal to list specific dollar amounts regarding where TIF money is spent, rather than only reporting how it is allocated. Are there ways in which the TIF program could or should be reformed? If so, how?

Rahm
Emanuel

I am committed to continuing the TIF reforms that were implemented during my first term in office. Soon after taking office, I launched the TIF Reform Task Force to provide me with recommendations for increasing transparency and accountability, improving performance, and strengthening oversight. Since the task force issued its report in August 2011, we have implemented many of the recommendations. 

First, we have eliminated unnecessary TIFs, reducing the number of TIF districts by 15 since taking office. Second, to promote increased transparency and accountability, we created a comprehensive online TIF database that tracks all projects in one place, provides public access to performance data and dashboard, and an online TIF Portal that provides an easy to navigate geography-based representation of TIF districts and project data. Using the TIF Portal, Chicagoans for first time can review TIF project data on a map; by address, project name, TIF district name, and or a ward number. Third, we now require every proposed private development TIF project to have an assessment report that will be posted online before City Council consideration and will outline the project’s ability to create jobs and provide return on investment for the city. Finally, I established the city’s first-ever TIF surplus policy through Executive Order to formalize and expand the practice of declaring a TIF surplus. The policy requires the declaration of a surplus in TIF districts that are older than three years, were not created for single redevelopment projects, are not transferring funds to other TIF districts to pay legacy school debt service costs, and have a balance of at least $1 million. The amount of the surplus is at least 25 percent of the available cash balance in the TIF, after accounting for current and future project commitments and contingencies, revenue volatilities, tax collection losses, and tax liabilities.

Going forward, we will identify opportunities to deepen these reforms to ensure that taxpayer dollars are put to their highest and best use.

Willie
Wilson

Unfortunately, the TIF program, because of obvious abuses, has come to be thought of as a “slush fund” for insiders by many Chicagoans. The TIF program should be considered as an engine for the development and expansion of such programs. TIF funds should also be distributed equally among all communities-we must grow all of our neighborhoods.

The TIF program needs to be reined in and become a more transparent pool that is used as a development tool for all of Chicago’s neighborhoods, not just downtown, the South Loop, DePaul and a few others. I am specifically weary of these funds being used as inducements to large corporations to stay or relocate.

I believe in economic empowerment and stimulating the growth of communities through strong, new business opportunities. I propose to take city owned empty lots, vacant buildings and potentially other, larger buildings and sell them to members of communities and people who want to start new business, for one dollar, as we have strong historical precedent for.

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

The TIF process is fundamentally broken, which is why I will call for an immediate moratorium on any new TIFs.If we freeze the TIF program, it will allow us time to conduct a complete audit to find out exactly where our money has gone and what the benefits are. This audit should be done by a completely independent body and be made public, giving independent experts, media and the people of Chicago the ability to examine how their tax dollars were spent.Mayor Rahm Emanuel promised his administration would be “more accountable, open, and transparent” than any other administration. The TIF Data Portal on the City’s website, while a beginning, falls far short of anything most people would call transparency. Independent research has shown millions in unaccounted for money, and the Department of Planning has not answered demands to account for these dollars. I will call for a complete overhaul of the system to ensure true transparency.

Meanwhile, estimates say the City may currently have $1.4 to $1.7 billion in unused TIF funds. I will declare a TIF surplus with the vast sum that is not committed to any specific projects or debt. That money could then be used to reopen our mental health clinics, shore up some of our school budgets, make a payment into our beleaguered pension fund, turn some of the closed schools into community centers that drive economic development and begin meaningful neighborhood economic development programs in communities that were intended to receive TIF funding in the first place.I support the use of TIF funds with local support to assist in creating development and jobs in our communities. Thoughtful development can put vacant properties and parcels back on the property tax rolls, simultaneously generating tax revenue, creating jobs and fostering safe streets and strong neighborhoods.

The first step in addressing our city’s financial crisis is to use TIF money for its original purpose: lifting our least-developed neighborhoods out of blight and poverty to create opportunities across all of our communities.

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

TIFs are a valuable tool in funding specific construction or development projects and should continue to be used. However, the original design of TIFs in Chicago envisioned the TIF district being used to support development in areas where such development would not otherwise occur within a reasonable timeframe, and being shut down after the main projects in the district were completed. TIFs became a problem when they started being used to support developments that were commercially viable without the TIF. To the extent that this continues to occur, the City, our schools and parks, are being denied important sources of revenue. 

Use of TIF revenues for specific projects which, in turn, increase property tax receipts is smart fiscal policy. However, using TIFs to hijack money from other revenue-strapped local governments is unfair and unwise. We need to keep those TIFs alive that are needed to complete planned projects or development initiatives (such as school construction) and terminate the remainder. We need to earmark more specific projects for TIF funding, such as support for new manufacturing and the development of affordable housing, which result in improving the City’s economy and help our residents live better and more productive lives. I would support TIF Advisory Councils in the neighborhoods to help make these determinations. Absent specific and publically supported plans, excess TIF funds should be returned to the tax base. Returning TIF funds to the property tax base of the schools and other taxing bodies would reduce the property tax rate, which would reduce the burden on individual taxpayers.

William “Dock”
Walls, III

TIF Funds should only be used to facilitate the building of low-income housing, grocery stores and community approved economic development projects in blighted areas. We must have greater transparency in the reporting of the amount of TIF Funds diverted from the secondary taxing bodies.

TIF’s should sunset as originally scheduled and ancillary taxing bodies should receive the funding needed to fulfill their core responsibilities. We must include the amount of funds directed to TIFs on Property tax bills and through regular publication and notification as requested by renters and various city residents.

We must stop the practice of Porting TIF funds into neighboring TIF districts as a means of diverting funds from blighted communities into those which are not blighted.

TIF funds should not be used to build private projects like the DePaul Arena or the Marriott Hotel because the costs to the community outweigh the benefits.

5) Please give an example of a major reform proposal affecting the efficient and transparent functioning of city government that requires action by or is pending in the City Council. How would you address it?

Rahm
Emanuel

Learning from the critical mistakes made when privatizing the parking meters, I assembled a Midway Privatization Working Group, which included participation from organized labor, to examine the potential of a public-private partnership at the airport. Based on the group’s findings, I did not support that deal. I believe that process should be codified in law to prevent any further privatization mistakes, and my administration is currently working with aldermen, labor and good government groups like the Better Government Association to codify that process so that all future administrations are required to complete thorough and public due diligence before entering into a deal.
 

Willie
Wilson

While I have already given several such examples above, here is another.

The vacancy of Commissioner of Health is an opportunity to restore the short sighted cut to necessary mental health services that are critical and have impact on the entire city’s operation, safety and finance. Police, Hospital ER’s and our prison system end up with the people who are not getting mental health services, family services and necessary medications.

I propose to reopen these community facilities. In 2012, the mayor closed half of the city’s 12 mental health clinics, a decision that has drawn ongoing criticism from mental health advocates and some aldermen who say Chicago’s low-income residents who need mental health care are finding it tougher to get those services.

We plan to pay for these corrections with the very funds that the current administration used as an excuse to close them down, PPACA. Our health care advisors have determined that the additional funds available through the Mental Health Parity Act along with PPACA (“Obamacare”) will allow for third party billing of mental health services at a sufficient level to pay for the cost of the program and the further savings from reduced strain to the Police, Hospital ER’s and our prison system.

Robert W “Bob”
Fioretti

A major overhaul of the Rules of Order and Procedure of the City Of Chicago City Council needs to be undertaken. Liberalization of the procedures for discharge of legislation from a committee and more frequent application of a quorum are among the necessary reforms needed. As Alderman, I have witnessed this too many times. The taxpayers of Chicago deserve and should demand that business conducted in City Hall is taken seriously. As mayor, this will be a top priority.

Jesus “Chuy”
Garcia

There are many major reforms needed to provide for the efficient and transparent functioning of city government pending in the city council. These are some of the most important:

• 1. Better scrutiny on the use of the new Infrastructure Trust;
• 2. Placing aldermen and aldermanic staff under the scrutiny of the city’s Inspector General instead of the ineffective City Council Inspector General; and
• 3. Appointing a qualified head to the new city council budget analysis staff, with special oversight over TIFs to ensure that they are being used as contemplated in the original design of the TIF program.

As Mayor, I will instruct my transition team to study the inaction by the Infrastructure Trust and amend the legislation creating it to make it more effective in its public-private partnership functions. In a time of major budget cuts, we will have to depend on private funding for some projects but we need a better oversight to insure that we don’t walk into another parking meter deal. I will push the new city council to pass the pending legislation on this issue, by reintroducing it as soon as the new council is sworn-in. I will meet with the heads of the appropriate committee chairmen to broker a compromise along the lines advocated by 47th Ward Alderman Pawar and the other original sponsors of the legislation.

William “Dock”
Walls, III

The City Council and current administration have not made a full commitment to funding and maintaining the office of legislative inspector general. To avoid undue influence, the Inspector General should be appointed for a five year term. This would exceed the term of the mayor and alderman, and help to make that official fully independent.

The office of the Inspector General should be strengthened with a grant of subpoena power. This authority should include the ability to subpoena the mayor, clerk, treasurer, aldermen, Shakman Decree exempt employees and city contractors to find out what they knew and when they knew it, in order to ferret out corruption.

The office of the Inspector General, when properly funded could more closely monitor bids, the bid submission process and the bid results. All of these components should be displayed online so that citizens might be able to assist in the monitoring process.