Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

ELECTIONS 2015: 35TH WARD Openly gay candidate seeks to unseat Colon

by Matt Simonette
2015-01-28

This article shared 4977 times since Wed Jan 28, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Organizer Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has been, since September, working to unseat longtime 35th Ward Ald. Rey Colon. Ramirez-Rosa is the first openly gay Latino candidate in the city's history.

He's running on a platform emphasizing transparency, accountability and open neighborhood engagement, and further maintains that serious financial reforms will alleviate Chicago's money woes better than property tax increases and service cuts.

Windy City Times recently spoke with Ramirez-Rosa about his ideas for the ward, which encompasses areas of Logan Square, Avondale, Irving Park, Albany Park and Hermosa, and what it's like to be an openly gay candidate. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Windy City Times: How the campaign been going?

Carlos Ramirez-Rosa: Things are going really, really well. We've knocked on over 10,000 doors and overwhelmingly people in the 35th Ward, whether it's the old part or the new part, are telling me that they're ready for change, and they're ready for an alderman who'll work side-by-side with families to put our neighborhoods first.

WCT: What made you decide to run?

CR: I love Chicago and I'm tired of the direction that we're going in. We have $8.9 billion in City Hall and it's time that we spend that money in our neighborhoods, not as handouts to corporations and not as sweetheart contracts to well-connected campaign contributors. We're going to see fully-funded public schools, we're going to see potholes being fixed. We're going to see the police that we need on our streets to keep us safe, and we're going to have the money that we need to invest in our neighborhoods.

WCT: You call yourself an "organizing alderman"—what does that really mean?

CR: It means I'm going to knock on doors year-round, not just around election time. After I win Feb. 24, I'm not going to stop knocking on doors. I'm going to be talking to my neighbors year-round, block-to-block, and making sure that I engaging every single person and be transparent in my work. It also means I'm going to create spaces where neighbors come together and play an extremely important role in deciding the direction of the neighborhood. I'm going to have participatory budgeting where neighbors and ward residents will get to decide how to spend $1.3 million in ward-infrastructure funds. It also means I'm going to have community-driven development, where it's not campaign contributors that are determining what zoning and development changes are made in the ward, but rather its ward residents, that are going to be affected, that are telling the alderman what it is that they want to see and what they want built in the community.

WCT: What are your thoughts on housing issues in the ward right now?

CR: Rahm Emanuel said that property taxes were either going to have to double or we're going to have to have major cuts in order for our city to meet its pension liability. One of the starkest contrasts between my opponent and myself is that I have taken property tax increases off the table. My opponent has refused to do the same thing. We might very well see, if Mr. Colon is re-elected, that there will be property tax increases coming down the line. I think that makes housing unaffordable for a lot of families in my community. We cannot afford to double property taxes. We need to make sure we're taxing big corporations the same way that we're being taxed.

WCT: Do you see corporate taxes as your main solution, then? City services is a major concern of yours. If property taxes are off the table, would that mean service cuts?

CR: I think two-thirds of Illinois corporations do not pay property taxes. That's ridiculous. Illinois is in the one-third of states that does not have a graduated income tax. Two thirds of states ask corporations and super-wealthy people to pay more in taxes than regular people like you and me. So what I'm saying is, in the state of Illinois, we need a fair, graduated income tax that lifts the tax burden off working people and asks the corporations to pay their fair share. So what I'm saying is, let's close corporate tax loopholes. Let's generate that revenue by asking everyone to pay taxes like the rest of us. Lastly, let's stop the corporate handouts. That's why TIF reform is very important to me. That combination of revenue-generating proposals and also being fiscally responsible—saying, "We don't have money to give to these private corporations when we can't even fix potholes on our streets." Doing those things will have the revenue that we need not to just maintain city services but really improve up to the level that our constituents deserve.

WCT: You're the first openly gay Latino aldermanic candidate in the city. What does that mean for you?

CR: Growing up as a closeted young man, I never thought we would be at point in time where not only could I be open, but I could also be asking my neighbors to support me in an election and at the same time be openly gay. I think because of the work that has been done over the past decades, pre-Stonewall and post-Stonewall, because of the millions of people who have come out of the closet, we're at a point where I can say, "I'm running for alderman and I'm a proud, openly gay Latino man." It's a wonderful thing. I feel so grateful to the generations of people that have done that work. But I also feel responsible about continuing to move that forward. The city of New York recently elected two openly gay Latino men. We're in the "second city" so I think it's time that it happens here.

WCT: What do you see as the most pertinent issues for the LGBT community, both on your ward and in the city?

CR: I think it would be unjust of me to say that there is one pertinent issue. I think that the city needs to continue being a partner in LGBT health. There's a lot more that can be done around HIV care and prevention, particularly in the use of PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis]. There's more the city can do to make sure that young people, particularly queer men of color, are familiar with it, and expanding access.

I also think the city has to do more to create open and affirming spaces and communities. Having Boystown is not enough, and sometimes Boystown is not open and affirming to all members of the of the LGBTQ community, so one of my commitments is to make sure that, in the neighborhood for whom I'm alderman, I'm working actively to create those open and affirming places—in workplaces, schools, libraries and on the street.

WCT: What kind of engagement have you had with LGBT youth, working on their issues?

CR: When I was at the University of Illinois, we championed and were able to pass a referendum that said that LGBT programming, meaning speakers and seminars, would receive funding from student fees. So there was funding for Latino programs, Native American programs, African American programs, but no funding for LGBTQ and women's programs. I led a coalition that collected the signatures and got a majority of the student body to vote in favor of creating funding for LGBTQ programs. That allowed us to get speakers on campus to speak on issues for young LGBTQ folks. But I've been a mentor and a tutor to Chicago Public School students. Some of them have also been gay. My working with those students, and their seeing me as a young professional who's out of the closet is a good example for them.

WCT: A disproportionate number of homeless youth are LGBT. Have you done any work around that issue?

CR: I've been an advocate for BYC [Broadway Youth Center]. I know BYC has faced some tough fights in Lake View, and I've been by BYC's side, saying, "We need to have a home for LGBTQ youth in the "gayborhood" of Chicago. I would hope that one day in the 35th Ward, when I'm alderman, we'll have a similar space for LGBTQ youth here. There's one in the 26th Ward on Paseo Boricua on Division Street and I see no reason why we can't have one in the 35th Ward too. I would commit myself to work to make that a reality here.

See carlosrosa.org .


This article shared 4977 times since Wed Jan 28, 2015
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill 2024-03-27
- On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event 2024-03-25
- Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors 2024-03-24
- On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama 2024-03-22
- Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house 2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds 2024-03-21
- It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist 2024-03-21
- Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats 2024-03-21
- Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19 2024-03-20
- Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down 2024-03-20
- In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18
- Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools 2024-03-15
- In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.