Table of Contents

1 - A more ethical Administration

 

2 - Lower Taxes - New Revenue Stream

 

3 - Create Jobs

 

4 - Increase City Services

 

5 - Lower Crime

 

6 - Fix our school system

 

7 - Fix the City Pension Plans

 

8 - Help wanted - Young adults / college grads

 

A More Ethical Administration

As Mayor, my first Executive Order would be to Decrease the Mayors, Aldermen, Commissioners salary and Aldermanic Budget by 30%. Cut all middle management salary by 15%. And freeze it for 4 years. This move would save the tax payers over 20 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR. It is not ethically correct to ask the tax payers for more money, the workers to take furlough days off, give up their holiday pay and work overtime for Comp time - which can only be taken in 4 hour blocks, WHEN THE ADMINISTRATION CREATED THE PROBLEM WE ARE IN.

 

 If this Administration gets back in you will see an increase in their salaries from between 25 to 30 percent over the next 4 years, this practice has been going on over the last 4 election cycles.

Lower Taxes - New Revenue Stream

Chicago has the highest tax base in the Country. This causes businesses to move out of the City, and the general population to shop in the Suburbs or across the borders in either Indiana or Wisconsin. I know of families that go on shopping excursions every 2 weeks. This trip is usually to Oakbrook where there is a COSTCO. The 3 family members go as a group and spend over $400.00 in Groceries, saving 4% or $16.00, 10 cases of water, saving $1.20 per case or $12.00, Fill up their Suburban with an average of 23 gallons of gas, another savings of $12.00 and purchase 10 cartons of cigarettes for themselves and co-workers for a savings of about $45.00 per carton of $450.00, That is $490.00 in savings every 2 weeks. This is 1 family and I am pretty sure more are doing this.

 

This goes on at the expense of our businesses in the City and decreases out tax base. We have to lower the taxes and keep the business in the City; this will also lead to more local jobs.

Lower the taxes and finding new streams of revenue, this Administration does not know how.

 

 I would issue a "Chicago Trade Dollar" with 4 different obverse designs showcasing Chicago. The reverse design would show an expiration date of the end of each year issued. The Chicago City Businesses would be asked to accept these "Chicago Trade Dollars" at face value for purchase of merchandise from the general public, and then "re-sale" them at face value to the general public and tourists as a collectible item or souvenir.

The general public would be offered these "Chicago Trade Dollars" at 80 cents on the dollar when purchasing them in $100.00 increments. This would save the customer 20% at the businesses which accept them increasing the business sales, offsetting the high local taxes and keeping the money in Chicago. This could generate an income of about 180 MILLION DOLLARS per year without raising taxes.

 

I would also issue a "Chicago Knowledge" scratch off type game ticket. This ticket would ask various questions about the City of Chicago. Each ward would submit 10 questions with answers pertaining to their area. Such as: The Marx Brothers lived at; then give their Drexel address along with 2 incorrect addresses or Wrigley Field is the home of the: Bears, Cubs, Bulls. Businesses would be asked to donate prizes for the winning answers. Each ticket would be a winner when the correct answer is scratched off, void if more than one answer uncovered. This would spur more business to the businesses that donated prizes and increase the knowledge and history of Chicago to everyone who played. This could also raise over 100 MILLION DOLLARS per year. The above ideas would promote our great City, create revenue and raise our tax revenue.

 

I would push for a "Chicago License Plate" designed with the skyline in the background. With a 3 Million population and only 10% of the public purchasing the special plate it would raise about 15 MILLION DOLLARS per year, this money could go to the school system and hire over 25 more teachers and pay for their salary and benefits for 4 years. Every little bit helps.

Create Jobs

By lowering taxes and increasing the business of local business owners, this would inspire growth and the need to hire help. It would also  raise the general revenue to Chicago so more City employees could be hired.

 

I would also look into using vacant land in Chicago to build 4 ONE MILLION SQUARE FOOT indoor farms. These would be multi level buildings with wind turbines on top to generate electricity and rain and snow collectors for water to make it self sufficient. This farm would produce locally grown vegetables such as tomatoes, green - red - yellow - hot peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, etc. This produce would be then sold at market prices to local restaurants,

mom and pop stores and used for lunches in our School system.  

 

Also 1 Million Square foot of growing would be used to produce the Jatropha Curcas plant. This plants seeds are refined and used for heating oil and diesel fuels. With alternative energy programs there are federal grants to fund this project. More jobs created and less dependence on foreign oil.

 

More jobs could be created by purchasing the Old Royal Crown plant on 47th and California. It can be turned into a " CHICAGO WATER BOTTLING PLANT " Chicago's water could be bottled there and sold to local stores, hotels, restaurants etc. There is a HUGE PROFIT IN bottled water, use our resources, put people to work and the PROFITS WOULD GO TO HELP THE SCHOOL SYSTEM!

 

On top of each one million square foot growing centers and the water bottling plant I would install 4 carbon carousels. These carousels would not only help clean the CO2 from the air and lower the green house effect, they would also produce another alternative energies source. Funding for these projects would come from the TIFF monies along with Federal grants for clean energy alternatives and the reduction of green house gasses. These ideas would create permanent jobs, lower the costs of fuel consumption for the cities diesel vehicles, make the air cleaner for everyone and raise revenue for the Cities budget. More information about the carbon carousels can be found in the June 2010 issue of Scientific American page 66 - 71.

 

More jobs - temporary summer jobs - but it puts money into people's pocket!  The city has ordnance about parking 10 feet away from the crosswalks, alleyways and 15 feet from the fire hydrants. However they are not marked. Summer help to have the curbs marked off and painted yellow, not a hard job - puts people to work, makes the City look better, people have money to spend - increases business revenue who may have to hire more people, and it will increase tax revenue with people spending money.

 

With the push for electrical vehicles, I would have an electrical grid system installed around the downtown area so people would be able to charge their vehicles while parked. I would also install charging systems at both airport taxi stageing areas to help promote the taxis to become all electric.

 

I have been getting a lot of questions about the Chicago Water Bottling plant. Such as "what are you going to do with all those plastic bottles that will go into the land fill"? Well, plastic is recyclable. The problem we are having with putting the plastic in the landfills is, there are no plastic recycling plants close enough to Chicago for it to be profitable to transport the plastic to them. Plastic is very light and would cost to much to ship, so I would propose to build a plastic recycling plant right here in Chicago. We would get the raw materials for free, create jobs, make outdoor hard plastic benches for our park system, hard plastic playground sets for our schools and a number of other hard plastic items along with insulation fill for our winter coats. Plastics are very recyclable and usable - we just have to do it. To have this building built I would use the TIF funds along with corporate and public donations, NO TAX DOLLARS.

Increase City Services

As a city worker I see how top heavy upper and middle management is. I also see how your services have been cut and mismanaged.

The departments do not coordinate with each other. ex: I know quite a few of you have seen new sewer and water projects going in through your neighborhoods. The big diggers get there and cannot operate because of the tree limbs overhead. Once they realize this they call out the Forestry department to clear away the trees. While they wait for the trees to be cleared they sit and wait, and wait, and wait at about $4,000.00 or more per HOUR - labor and equipment cost. Upper and Middle management - GOD WE HAVE AN OVERSUPPLY OF THEM and yet they cannot plan simple tree clearing before the sewer and water lines go in. Or maybe you have seen that you received new streets and curbs, finally, and all of a sudden signs are posted that new water and sewers are going in - so much for new streets and curbs. WASTE - WASTE – WASTE

 

 Speaking of trees - How many of you have dead trees in front of your home? I see them every day. As a worker I have been told NOT TO CALL THEM IN, THAT IT IS NOT MY JOB, it is the homeowners’ responsibility. You see we have a "list" we have to go by, and they are VERY SHORT OF EMPLOYEES WHO ACTUALLY DO WORK. SO I ask you to PLEASE CALL 311 and report ANY CITY SERVICES THAT YOU NEED. We will get there.

 

Recycling - did not work with blue bags, not working with blue carts. A much simpler ideal would be to use ORANGE bags to put in table scraps, dirty diapers, cigarette and cigar ashes and butts, items that are not recyclable. This would keep the rest of the garbage "Clean".

 More Police are needed, laborers and drivers.

Lower Crime

Seems like no one knows how to do this. When various Aldermen were asked their response was " I would first form a committee to study the aspects of why and where said crime is taking place". DUH - WATCH THE NEWS, GO OUTSIDE INTO YOUR WARD, OR READ THE PAPER! I will translate what they were really telling their constituents:

I would form a committee, made up of my relatives, raise your taxes to pay for committee, talk about how and what crime is affecting the "Committee" and pretend everything is alright until next election.

 

I would ask for the Governor to send in the National Guard. 500 members to patrol the hot spots and drug areas of the city. As a driver for the city I see drug deals going on every day in various neighborhoods - right around the corner from the police cameras. Most of the time it is vehicles with suburban city stickers buying the drugs. I would ask for the National Guards presence for a year and crack down on these street buys  - the seller and buyer, confiscate cars, and fill up the 500 MILLION DOLLAR VACANT PRISON in downstate LaSalle. Doing this would dry up the income from the buyers and force the Sellers out of Chicago. I would also hire 200 more police officers right away and 200 more every 4 months to give our Police force the boost it needs – until we hire 1200 more officers.

 

Graffiti - Some people think that this is art. I call it Criminal damage to property. It not only causes immediate damage to the property that is defaced, it decreases the value of the surrounding neighborhood and brings gangs to the area. I would offer a $5,000.00 bounty for anyone who turns is a tagger upon their conviction. If the tagger is a minor the parents would be charged with child neglect and would be forced to pay the child's fine and costs.

 

Guns - Unfortunately, gun laws do not work. Well they would if our courts would enforce them. The people who use guns criminally are breaking the law to begin with and more gun laws are not going to stop them. This administration has been spending 10's of MILLIONS of DOLLARS per year to fight against laws guaranteed by our Constitution, basically the Second Amendment. These monies would have been better spent to prosecute the criminals who have been using guns illegally in the first place. Attempted murder - CRIME GO TO JAIL! MURDER - CRIME GO TO JAIL, Unlawful discharge of weapon in the City limits - CRIME GO TO JAIL, No State Firearms Identification Card while carrying gun - CRIME GO TO JAIL

 

And yet the Administration in charge now thinks that MORE GUN LAWS are going to make the criminal who uses the gun think twice? Citizens - THEY ARE WASTING YOUR TAX DOLLARS - USE THE MONEY TO PROSECUTE THE CRIMINALS. Also CREATE MORE JOBS!