Interview with Ald. Leslie Hairston
League member Judi Schindler interviewed Alderman Hairston on March 18, and the interview premiered on March 25. You can watch the interview now.
Alderman Leslie Hairston (5th Ward), who has served under three mayors, said that the City Council would be stronger and more independent if aldermen could meet and discuss committee assignments without direction from a mayor.
In the Zoom interview, Alderman Hairston observed that:
Violence is a concern for 5th Ward residents. The ward has seen increased car jackings and, in 2020, a mass shooting in Hyde Park.
Fair treatment of all individuals by police requires stronger supervision by mid-level management regardless of who is at the top.
Enactment of the Anjanette Young Ordinance would prevent no-knock warrants and ensure humane treatment of women and children during police actions. The Anjanette Young Ordinance calls for the elimination of no-knock warrants and for officers to wait no less than 30 seconds before entering a residence after knocking and announcing themselves when executing a search warrant. The ordinance was introduced on February 24 by the Black women of the Progressive Caucus of Chicago City Council. The ordinance is a response to the incident in February 2019 when Ms. Young was left naked and handcuffed in her apartment for 40 minutes after police executed a no-knock warrant at the wrong address.
Poor health outcomes of 5th Ward residents are due to several factors including a lack of nutrition education in schools and the absence of conveniently located supermarkets and stores that offer fruits, vegetables and nutritious alternatives to heavily salted and sweetened foods and beverages.
Benefits of ranked choice voting would be elimination of costly run-off campaigns and negative campaigning during the run-off.
Concerns about a non-partisan commission to draw ward district boundaries are several, including the manner in which members would be selected as well as assurances that voters would not be disenfranchised and that communities of color would have sufficient numbers to be represented in the governing body.