On April 6, Frederick Collins officially announced his candidacy for the Chicago mayoral race at the Mckenzie Mission Church in the South Shore neighborhood. Collins is the third person to challenge current Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the February 2015 mayoral election.
Since he was 17, Collins has been involved in politics. He worked for both Wallace Davis' and Rickey Hendon's campaigns while in high school, and met Harold Washington in 1983 after the Congressman asked Collins' grandfather for help on his Chicago mayoral campaign. Collins hopes to follow in their footsteps.
This is Collins' third bid for an elected position in government. In 2010, he unsuccessfully ran for Cook County sheriff against Tom Dart; in 2012, he ran against Donald E. Peloquin and Jimmy Lee Tillman II as the Republican candidate to represent Illinois' 1st Congressional District. Now running as a Democrat, Collins is currently serving in his 21st year as a Chicago Police Officer. According to his website, he volunteers at his local Boys and Girls Club chapter, is an active member at the Open Door Apostolic Church and is the father of three children.
Windy City Times recently spoke with Collins about his mayoral campaign as well as his relationship with the Chicago LGBT community.
Windy City Times: What is your primary motivation fueling your campaign for mayor of Chicago?
Frederick Collins: I would say my primary reason for running is that I am a true patriot of our Constitution. I believe the people should govern their government and not the other way around and participate fully in the decisions that affect them. This is my real focus in the election. I love the city of Chicago and I know that the diversity and people of Chicago will make it great again, not its architect.
WCT: I know you have been a Chicago police officer for over 20 years. How do you think your police training and experiences give you an edge in the election?
Frederick Collins: Being a Chicago police officer, I experience people's highs and lows and understand how to help in the most effective way. Policemen and women hold a wide array of positions from big brother to protector and information officer and so on. But most of all, it brings you into a field in which you meet people from all walks of life.
Therefore, you gain a certain kind of knowledge that is different then any other business you could work in. I think the main reason I chose to be a police officer is my love for helping and loving all people. My family was very politically active when I was young so I naturally fell into police work because my family and church were so dedicated to helping people.
WCT: What is the most important part of your platform that you want voters to know?
Frederick Collins: Our slogan—"Putting people over politics." I think everyone has had enough of the Chicago politics. It doesn't serve any of us well and tries to divide us. I believe we need to get back to what this country is all about: the people. Chicago politicians have forgotten about "We, the people." This might be an outdated idea or cliche, but this is what I truly believe. I think this is the greatest country, despite its troubles and history, and I want us to continue to strive to be a more perfect union. There is still more work to be done to truly become a perfect union.
WCT: According to your website, one part of your platform is creating 100,000 jobs in Chicago during the first three years of your term. How do you plan on achieving this goal?
Frederick Collins: There are 50 wards in the city of Chicago and we need to grow economically in order to make our city into a powerful global attraction.
It is no secret that almost every city department is understaffed. One of my goals is to hire 5,500 new Chicago Police Officers within two years because we simply cannot stretch our current policemen and women any further. If you dial 911 right now, you may get an ambulance in 45 minutes, or sometimes almost an hour. We know that when a person's life is in danger, we know every second counts and I want to make sure we are an efficient city. Another important thing is hiring more firefighters—we need 5,000 new firefighters in the city of Chicago within two years. Also, hiring more people to work in sanitation and in our park districts to make Chicago a global attraction for visitors from all parts of the world. I want visitors to see that we are a clean, safe and efficient city.
WCT: I understand you ran for Cook County sheriff in 2010 and for Congress in 2012. Why are you running for mayor now?
Frederick Collins: Some great knowledge I've acquired is life is often like the lottery: You can't win unless you play. Well, if we are trying to win to make this a better city and provide equal rights and opportunities for all, then we have to be involved. It is just that simple. Until we are living in a time in which we don't have to say LGBT and simply accept people as they are, I will continue to be on the frontline. I will give every ounce of my blood, sweat and help to make sure we are a fair and equal city and nation. This is what's important to me. We have to be fighters.
WCT: What have you done over the past few years to pass the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act in Illinois?
Frederick Collins: I have always been very [outspoken] in saying that LGBT people are our children, our mothers, our fathers, our family members and our neighbors. We have to support them and cannot allow there to be a stigma. I truly look forward to the day when it is not an issue, when it is just accepted.
Being an African-American, I know what it means to be stigmatized. Being a minority, I know how it feels to have that label. I really want to see the day when we don't have to deal with labels or [stigmas]. The fight is not over.
WCT: But now that marriage equality is passed in Illinois, what do you think is the most pressing issue facing LGBT Chicagoans right now?
Frederick Collins: Not side-stepping the issues affecting this community of people. We have teenagers who have a rough time, who are bullied and not treated fairly. There is talk of different schools, but that is segregation and I don't want that. They ought to be able to attend the same school as my kid or any other kid who is heterosexual, straight or whatever, and there cannot be a [stigma].
The other concern is training in government and training of people in power to make sure there is fair representation. It is important for everyone to understand that this is all of us in this fight, and we all have to participate. Standing on the sidelines is absolutely wrong, and I refuse to watch any harm inflicted on anyone.
WCT: I agree, but do you think there are any specific issues troubling LGBT Chicagoans like workplace discrimination, AIDS, homelessness, etc.?
Frederick Collins: I think another huge factor is the amount of information available to fulfill the needs of the community. But most of all, what really bothers me is the constant labeling. I can't get over it. Why can't me and you just sit here and simply be human beings who can admire, respect, and love one another? I think you and I should live on the same block and be able to greet one another and shake each other's hands and celebrate Christmas in peace.
But also, there needs to be an awareness of it so teenagers aren't running away from home because they don't feel accepted. I always tell people, "We are all God's children," and if we remember that, everything else will work itself out.
See www.collinsforchicago.com .
