17th District
Elizabeth "Beth" Rochford
Thank you for taking time to find out about me and my candidacy for the 17th District Council. I am a lifelong resident of the district. I have been a nurse for 35 years and a Nurse Practitioner for over 20 of those years. I have spent my professional career listening to my patients and then acting on what I heard in order to make the quality of their lives better.
In my time outside of work, I have been very involved with my church and through it became aware of community organizing. I began work around affordable housing in 2003. When ONE Northside was founded, I quickly turned my attention to the work they were doing around violence prevention. After the tragic incident involving Laquan McDonald, I and the Violence Prevention Coalition made police accountability our focus. Coming from a family of police officers, including my father, I felt some responsibility to be a part of reforming the system. Through the ONE Northside Police Accountability Task Force, I participated in many community meetings to gather input from those affected by police misconduct and helped to write and pass the ordinance.
The district council is now a reality, and I want to continue to push for equity in our community policing. I believe I am uniquely qualified to represent my district because of my experience as a nurse, because I come from a police family, and because I was directly involved in getting the ECPS ordinance written and passed.
Endorsements: One People's Campaign and Andre Vasquez Alderman of the 40th Ward, 39th Ward Neighbors United; 30th United; United Neighbors of the 35th Ward; United Working Families of the 50th Ward; Alderman Carlos Rosa ; Northside Democracy for America; Commissioner Anthony Quezada
Steve Spagnolo
My name is Steve Spagnolo and I’m running for 17th District Police Council. When I was three years old, I lost my father to gun violence. He was repeatedly shot by individuals who were attempting to rob the restaurant he managed. No one was ever arrested for my father’s murder. In 2018, I was robbed at gunpoint, with several colleagues, in the 17th District. That moment could have turned deadly at any point, and I thank God we survived physically unscathed. No one was ever arrested in connection to the robbery.
For years, I have fought for police reform to achieve accountability, best practices in policing, and greater investment in resources that address the root causes of crime in our communities. Now, I want to fight for all residents of the 17th District and those who travel into the district. I have lived in the 17th District for over 7 years, with my wife and our son. I have served our community as a member of the Local School Council at Albany Park Multicultural Academy, and most recently, at Roosevelt High School.
It matters how our communities are policed, and it matters when violent crimes aren’t being solved for victims and survivors of crime. We need leadership that will hold police accountable, push back against failed “tough on crime” policies, and work to implement impactful crime-reduction strategies. I am running because I have the personal and professional experience to effectuate real and meaningful change regarding public safety in our communities.
Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter
Endorsements: 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez, Congresswoman-Elect Delia Ramirez
Anthony Michael Tamez
Anthony Tamez is First Nations Oji-Cree/Black and the current Chairman of the Center for Native American Youth's Advisory Board, a member of Chi-Nations Youth Council, a Chicago-based grassroots collective of Native peoples, and a steward of the First Nations Garden in Chicago's northwest neighborhood of Albany Park, located across the street from the 17th District. As a Black and Native person, Anthony is committed to teaching others how to live ethically on Anishinaabek lands and supporting Black Indigenous solidarity in the struggle for collective liberation. Tamez is committed to reimagining what public safety means for our communities. In an ever-changing world, we need systems that work for, not against, the people. Anthony is committed to a government that serves the community’s best interests. Anthony knows the city government’s inner workings and has worked to make meaningful change a reality, working alongside two of Chicago’s progressive aldermen.