Sonya
DORSEY
"LET'S ELECT THE 9TH WARD'S 1ST. FEMALE ALDERPERSON"
My Platform
A New Life In The New 9th!
Public Safety
Crime in our community has become so bad, that we no longer feel safe in our community or in our homes. We hear gunshots daily and our children are dying in the streets.
There are some issues related to crime that I will address immediately. I will demand that the police enforce curfew. I'll work to help create a year- round gun buyback program in our ward. I will conduct a Neighborhood Canvas to identify and address physical conditions that contribute to crime, such as abandoned properties, dark streets, and alleys. I will make our communities safer by closely working with CAPs and ward residents to identify and address specific community crime.
Lastly, I propose a partnership between the 8th Ward, 9th Ward, and 21st Ward to create a crime task force that shares data to identify crime patterns and address solutions across neighboring wards.
Our Community
Development & Beautification
All of our ward's communities deserve to be clean and beautiful, not just some. I will ensure that all of our communities have clean and paved allies and street and updated street lighting. I will see to it that dilapidated unsalvageable properties are torn down and vacant lots are maintained. I will hold property owners of vacant homes and buildings accountable for keeping their properties clean and kept up.
Youth Education & Crime
CPS has failed our children and has been for nearly 20 years. Their failures are destroying our communities and our city by playing a primary role in the increase of youth crime. In 2014 CPS started using a new strategy for school quality rating. However, the strategy created a system that hid the fact that CPS continued to fail most of our children year after year.
As alderperson, I will personally ensure more community oversight for our schools. I will hold school administrators and their Local School Councils accountable to develop and meet progressive annual educational goals. I will work hard to ensure that our youth are properly educated and prepared for higher education. I will partner and collaborate with other community leaders, Universities, and social service agencies to equip our community with resources that promote positive youth development, including how to participate in democracy and become a law-abiding citizen.
Our Seniors
Safety and Security
Our senior citizens deserve special support, a safe neighborhood, and the security of knowing that there is help when they need it. I will create safe spaces in our communities. Space where seniors can enjoy the company of friends and stay active. I'll work to bring monthly senior events and activities addressing health, safety, and overall wellbeing to our ward. Ensuring that seniors in long-term care facilities and seniors who are home confined, aren't living in isolation and are being properly cared for will also be a priority. I will meet with the seniors to learn more about their common needs and wants and work to bring in community resources to address them.
Our Veterans
Special Supports
Our veterans often return from serving their country with a special need for support. I plan to fight for veterans just as hard as they fought for us. I will conduct outreach to support and connect veterans and their families to needed resources as they address the challenges of military service, transitioning home, and deployment. I will partner with public and private service providers to create equity and access to veteran resources in our ward.
Economic Opportunity
Over the next 10 years our ward will be highly impacted by community development projects. Developers will need our support. We can require their projects to create opportunities for needed jobs, apprenticeships and other benefits that represent the interests of 9th Ward residents by using community benefit agreements. Community benefit agreements are legal contracts, and they spell out what our community will receive in return for supporting their project. I will use every opportunity available to help revive Michigan Ave. back to the thriving business district it once was.
Food Security
Food security is strongest when food is produced and distributed locally. Locally grown food is fresher and more nutritious. It builds the local economy as money circulates to farmers and businesses in the area. And it helps build relationships among people, making for stronger and healthier communities.
According to the USDA in 1920, there were 949,889 African American farmers in the United States. Now of 3.4 million farmers, only 1.3%, or 45,508 are African American.
We need to create a production farm that teaches farmers how to grow and manage a food crop from seed to harvest, then to local markets. We must restore the participation and culture of African American farming and create infrastructures of food independence & security.
Us Depending On Us
Our communities don't have grocery stores, dine-in restaurants, fine clothing and shoe stores, adequate business support, I can go on and on. I plan to create co-ops to help our communities take control of our economic future and overcome barriers to resources and business develop. We can supply our own needs and control the services and resources that are offered in our community. Since co-op members are local residents, business profits remain and circulate within the community which will increase our community's economic value.
Our community will have local control of our capital, local ownership, local hiring, business development, and other supportive resources for residence. Community co-ops will also create community social networks and social cohesion; which are essential elements of strong and healthy communities.
Informing All Residents
Local participation is important in the events and processes that shape communities. We need a sustainable and effective community engagement strategy that meets people where they are, and that keeps all informed on all things that affect them.
Community digital billboards along with other technology and traditional strategies, has the potential to achieve such participation. There are millions of dollars of development planned for the 9th Ward and we must ensure that all residents benefits. We have rights to be involved in and have strategies that ensure we benefit from any development that comes in our community.
I will using digital billboards to improve communication across the ward, raise community awareness and empower the community with essential information. This will help increase community trust thru transparent governing and allowing residents’ voices to be heard. When there is trust, civic participation increases, we can find solutions to any complex community issue and learn about community opportunities.
