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

ELECTION 2019, 47th WARD. Angie Maloney on hopes for aldermanic post
by Matt Simonette
2019-02-13

This article shared 2132 times since Wed Feb 13, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Educator Angie Maloney, who is one of several openly LGBT candidates running in the Feb. 26 citywide elections, hopes to win the 47th Ward city council post that's currently held by Ameya Pawar, who has mounted a run for the City Treasurer job. Maloney is competing in an extremely crowded race, and has said that affordable housing in the area is one of her main concerns.

Windy City Times: Why did you decide to run for city council?

Angie Maloney: As a longtime resident of the ward, I'd become concerned that the neighborhood has become a place that is not accessible to middle-class residents. It's always been a great place to love. I've lived here for 20 years. It's been very safe, with great access to transportation and walkable to small businesses. But in the past 5-10 years, it's become increasingly unaffordable. I don't think it's as welcoming a place as it used to be.

WCT: Did anything specifically motivate you further?

AM: The rampant de-conversion of two-flats into single family homes. When my partner and I went to purchase a home, we saw the two-flat as the only affordable option in our community. With developers purchasing two-flats and de-converting them to $2 million homes, we saw our pathway to home ownership slipping away. We talked to residents and heard stories from them, and they felt that, either for this reason, or different resigns, this place is longer welcoming to them.

WCT: Are there other issues beyond affordability?

AM: Locally, it's going to be affordability that's key. We live in really safe place. The schools are great. So we have to keep an eye on those things and improve quality of schools for kids all across the city. I'm a teacher, so I've seen how many families without resources don't get the same attention for their schools. Similarly, with safety, there are a lot of places in the city that have a lot of crime, and also don't have the best relationship with our police force. So improving both safety and schools across the country has to be a priority.

WCT: You've pledged to increase government transparency, a promise many politicians make. How do you foresee yourself doing that?

AM: I would be upfront with folks about why I made certain votes and be willing to explain them. I would be willing to let people know the trade-offs that come from voting a certain way, or the collaborations or coalitions that I was building in order to improve our conditions and get things done in the city. Obviously, I would be available in my office and welcome feedback from residents and do participatory budgeting. I'd also solicit input—not just waiting for input to come to me—by reviving the precinct captain program.

WCT: You've already spoken a bit about safety. What are your recommendations to bring about better relations between Chicago Police and residents they serve, specifically persons of color and members of the transgender community, who have had issues with being over-policed in the past?

AM: There's a lot of rebuilding of trust that needs to happen. It's not a one-way street. … It starts by taking a therapist's approach, where we foster listening sessions and keep an eye on the fact that the police's voices have been the most-amplified in the past. I would like to an era of empathic listening sessions. Having police accountability oversight would be a mechanism that would make citizens feel like someone [who understands] their own perspective is watching the proceedings. Getting police and civilians in communication when it's not just crisis moments is also important.

WCT: What are the most pertinent issues for LGBT persons residing in the ward?

AM: There's still a lot of discrimination. People often don't want to discriminate, but there can be some latent discrimination. I went to a seniors' forum and I got some feedback that a lot of people liked me, but that they were "hesitant" because of the lGBT thing. That actually took me by surprise. … Keeping the area affordable for artists and other non-conforming folks is key for a number of people. In our area, beyond that, I think we have the same issues everybody else has—property taxes or rent, making sure we're safe walking down the street. We appreciate that there's low physical crime and low violent crime.

WCT: What do you think is an appropriate minimum wage for Chicago residents?

AM: I think $15 sounds like a lot to people when you have to start a business. But if you look at the facts, most minimum wage recipients are women and women of color, so I think it is important that we talk about who we are raising wages fr before we talk about amounts. I think $15 is a good place to be.

WCT: What are your thoughts on the current state of the City Council?

AM: I think we're at a healing crisis point. It's time to grow. It's time to clean up. I'm someone who's honest to my core, and I'm also a relationship-builder. I'm ready to go in there and hold people accountable, but not in such a way that they turn away; it will be a way that will hopefully inspire people's integrity and use the best of themselves to serve.

See iam47.org .


This article shared 2132 times since Wed Feb 13, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

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

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


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

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians
2024-03-12
Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


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 ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Precious Brady-Davis says climate change is top issue as she runs to finish appointed MWRD term
2024-03-08
Precious Brady-Davis, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Brady-Davis was appointed to the role last summer ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 MWRD's Marcelino Garcia discusses flooding, land use and LGBTQ+ inclusion
2024-03-08
Marcelina Garcia, commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), is one of several candidates in the running to fill three seats on the board in the March 19 election. Garcia, who chair's the MWRD's Finance ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

Affinity Community Services' Latonya Maley announces departure
2024-03-06
Latonya Maley, executive director of Affinity Community Services, announced March 6 that she would be stepping down from her post. The announcement came from a statement with Affinity board members. Maley said that, "It has been ...


Gay News

LPAC celebrates historic wins for LGBTQ+ candidates in Super Tuesday primaries
2024-03-06
From a press release: Washington, DC—Today, LPAC,the nation's leading organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary candidates to public office, proudly announces the outstanding victories of 67% of endorsed candidates ...


Gay News

Illinois's first openly gay elected official voices support for Cunningham
2024-03-05
Judge Thomas Chiola, who served in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994-2009, has officially endorsed Justice Joy Cunningham for reelection to the Illinois Supreme Court. Chiola is the first gay man to be ...


 


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.