New Chicago 2011
Community Platform for the 2011 Chicago Mayoral Election
As a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition of Chicago residents, we stand together for a set of shared
principles that ensure that working families in Chicago have a safe, vibrant, and equitable future. Our
coalition unites African American, Latino, Asian, and White residents under a progressive agenda for
economic and racial justice, LGBT rights, disability rights, and gender equity. As the city enters its first
competitive mayoral race in decades, we as community organizations on the North, South, and West Sides
of the city support the following core principles, and will be educating our members about the positions of
all candidates on our platform:
Quality housing options so that those who live in Chicago today have the choice to be here tomorrow.
 Create and preserve affordable, accessible, integrated housing, and support ordinances such as
Sweet Home Chicago.
 Stand with homeowners to fight against foreclosures with aggressive foreclosure outreach, by
pressuring banks to re-invest their assets in communities, and through support of a strong vacant
property ordinance.
 Protect the rights of tenants in foreclosed buildings and devote city resources to preserving those
buildings as long-term affordable housing.
 Protect and increase rental assistance and home ownership programs that support our poorest
and most disenfranchised people.
Good jobs are the key to economic prosperity in our communities.
 Spur quality job creation, and support ordinances such as the TIF Living Wage Ordinance
 Support the equitable distribution of economic development opportunities across Chicago’s
diverse neighborhoods, not just downtown.
 Support efforts to increase the state minimum wage.
 Support the economic development/human services network that trains, counsels and coaches
people for employment that puts them on a career path to family support wages
 Support jobs in sectors that lift people out of poverty, including “green-collar jobs” promoting
environmental sustainability.
 Improve public transportation in the communities that need it most so that residents can get to
jobs by extending the Red Line, implementing the Gold Line, and expanding CTA bus service.
 Encourage the City Colleges of Chicago to invest in sector-based career preparation for adult
learners that offers industry-recognized certification & job placement support, and to partner with
community organizations to offer culturally appropriate education and career preparation.
 Create access to affordable, healthy and high quality food that nourishes communities, supports
local producers, creates living wage job and fosters economic prosperity.
Quality public schools with strong parent and community participation require a strong investment.
 Use evidence-based solutions for the schools. Closing schools has failed the children it was meant
to help.
 Support quality early childhood education with comprehensive social-emotional supports, in the
public school system and at community center-based locations that make it possible for parents to
work and lift their families out of poverty
 Implement the City Council Resolution for Universal Breakfast in the Classroom for all students, so
that hunger does not keep any child from learning.
 Support college-preparation systems and coursework, and post-secondary transition programs.
New Chicago 2011





Facilitate creation and sustainability of partnerships between communities and public schools
through community schools. Support and sustain child-parent centers.
Recruit teachers for hard to staff schools and positions from the communities where the schools
are located. Support existing teachers with the opportunities and resources necessary for
meaningful professional growth. Ensure that classrooms are staffed with adequate numbers of
teacher’s aides. Support all non-administrative employees of public schools to have union
protection.
Ensure training of all CPS counselors to support undocumented students, and to provide
information on a wider range of post-secondary educational opportunities including both college
and vocational training programs.
Support strengthened local school councils and meaningful student and parent voice in school
improvement efforts.
Support a democratic school system at the local and Board level that represents our mutual
interests and is accountable to community.
Violence prevention must be addressed holistically.
 Create at least 40,000 youth jobs in the summertime and part time during the school year, and
recreational opportunities that are accessible to working families.
 Address the school to prison pipeline and support the decriminalization of young people and the
reduction in out of school suspensions and expulsions. Endorse campaigns like to High HOPES
campaign to promote restorative justice practices, such as peer juries and peace circles, and
eliminate the culture and practice of Zero Tolerance Policies.
 Support an elected Police Board, to restore confidence and faith that police will operate with
accountability. Support a Citizens Review Board with powers to interview police and
complainants; keep a searchable database of the names of all police officers and the complaints
filed against them.
Reforming Chicago’s approach to budget and finances can no longer be ignored.
 Champion a Taxpayer Bill of Rights that includes greater transparency of City finances, contracts,
and subsidies to allow for greater public accountability.
 Implement a transparent city budget. Protect taxpayers by establishing a 3rd party analysis of the
budget.
 Aggressively negotiate with banks to pass through their taxpayer-subsidized interest rates (from
the Federal Reserve) to Chicagoans in the form of low-interest borrowing for the City of Chicago.
 Maintain public assets and stand against privatization.
 Support reforming Tax Increment Financing, so that the system no longer drains our public
services, nor lies in full control of City Hall.
Respect the human rights of all Chicagoans.
 Address the racial wealth gap that exists in Chicago by targeting policies that increase opportunity
for people of color.
 Support comprehensive immigration reform and maintaining Chicago as a sanctuary city.
 Advance the right of all workers to freely choose to form a union.
 Improve access for residents with disabilities through increased transit and paratransit options,
employment opportunities and job training, and coordinated transition services for disabled
youth.
 Support creating and maintaining safe schools and safe streets for LGBTQ youth.
 Support the creation of economic policies that lead to greater gender equity for women in
Chicago.