A Chicago alderman since 2011, Ameya Pawar is currently pursuing a third master's degree from the University of Chicago. An avid runner who supports bully-breed canine rescue organizations in his spare time, Pawar is pro-choice, favors marriage equality and counts retail development projects such as Mariano's and LA Fitness in Ravenswood among his term accomplishments.
Windy City Times: What has been your most significant achievement as alderman?
Ameya Pawar: Locally, we've been working on creating a local K-12 system by investing heavily in, and organizing people around, our neighborhood schools, and putting TIF [tax-increment funding] money in our schools so people who are leaving for the suburbs can look at staying in the city. We have a major project going on in every neighborhood school in the Ward, including our high schools. At the citywide level, passing an ordinance to create an independent budget office.
WCT: What are your views on the Chicago Public Schools in your ward?
Ameya Pawar: We're lucky in that we've got all great schools, all level 1 or above. I think the big issue right now is to keep families over the longer term, beyond eighth grade. We're seeing a lot of families starting to leave after fourth or fifth grade and so my big push in the next four years, now that we've invested heavily in the K-8, is now 9-12 and organizing people around the schools.
WCT: Did you vote for the recent increase in the city's minimum wage?
Ameya Pawar: I did. I was on the task force and I think there's a couple things going on: the cost of living keeps going up and the minimum wage remained stagnant for many years. The thought was, not only to increase the minimum wage to $13 over five years, but also then index the minimum wage to inflation going forward so you're not having the same drawn out political fights every eight, nine, ten years. [The increase] exempts small businesses with four or less employees and we phased it in so everyone has time to price in costs, price in the issues. I think we've taken a very aggressive, yet pragmatic, approach.
WCT: What do you think are the causes of, and the solutions for, crime in Chicago?
Ameya Pawar: One, we're a very segregated city; two, we have an incredible amount of illegal guns flowing into the city. You add those two together and it's a recipe for disaster. We can't get Congress to do anything on secondary markets, on illegal gun supply chains and purchases, or stronger background checks, so … you know, we're doing our absolute best and certainly hiring more officers is part of the equation. But you're not going to police your way out of it—we need to do something about affordable housing in the form of a strong affordable housing ordinance and we need more diverse communities.
WCT: What would you recommend to have a better relationship between police and the citizens they serve, including people of color and the transgender community?
Ameya Pawar: I think fundamentally it all comes down to all of us recognizing we're on the same side. And that acknowledging historical issues is important. Historical trauma is real, and so if you have a community that feels like it's been discriminated against or experienced mistreatment at the hands of the police, those things impact how communities of the future deal with the police department. At the end of the day, we're all on the same side, whether you're in the transgender community or live on the South or West Side, but sometimes it doesn't come across that way. We need to have more dialogue around some of these historical issues so that we can start moving beyond those and having a better relationship between the community and the police department.
WCT: Are any members of your current staff—either campaign or general office personnel—openly LGBT?
Ameya Pawar: Definitely in the campaign, but I don't believe on staff.
WCT: Do you have or would you install a written policy in your office regarding sexual-orientation and gender-identity discrimination?
Ameya Pawar: Yeah, I would. Well, one, it's unacceptable, I won't tolerate discrimination; two, a lot of the work I've done since taking office has been around social justice issues. I amended the Human Rights Ordinance to prevent employment discrimination, so I feel strongly in the protected classes that are listed. So, any discrimination of any kind is not going to be tolerated in my office. So, if you wanted me to post something, I'd be happy to do that.
WCT: Do you favor hate-crimes legislation that increases penalties for crimes committed based on the sexual orientation or gender identity of the person attacked?
Ameya Pawar: Absolutely.
WCT: Do you believe that LGBT individuals have the right to adopt children or become foster parents if they are qualified?
Ameya Pawar: Yes.
WCT: Are there environmental programs in your ward?
Ameya Pawar: We have an active Green Council [that] is working on incentives installing solar panels, green roofs [and] rain gardens, which is something I believe strongly in. This will be a major focus in the next term because my background is in emergency management, and the types of rain events that we're seeing, with the intensity and frequency, are the new normal and so we've got to do more. I just had a textbook come out: Emergency Management and Social Intelligence.
WCT: Tell us about Ward Night.
Ameya Pawar: It's an open forum, doesn't matter whether you live in the ward or not—everyone is welcome. All we ask you to do is sign in, and I'm there to listen and work with the people.
WCT: What is the most interesting or appealing feature in your ward?
Ameya Pawar: Gidding's Plaza in Lincoln Square is amazing—you're not going to find a plaza like that elsewhere in the city. I think it reminds people of an old Europe. It's just a nice place and people enjoy going there with their families.
WCT: What are your plans for reinstating the #11 bus?
Ameya Pawar: I keep fighting; I keep talking about it. I'm not going to let it go. I've talked to anyone who is willing to give me a moment to identify funding and we'll keep pushing the CTA. That's a fight that's not going to go away.
For more information on Ald. Pawar, visit chicago47.org/ .
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