Fighting for Property Tax certainty
Advocate for "Evidence-Based" Assessments:
I will work directly with the Assessor’s office to ensure that the unique "property-poor" dynamic of the South Suburbs is factored into assessment models, preventing the over-valuation of modest homes in our district compared to the North Shore.
Use the "Southland Reactivation Act" to Lower Residential Burden:
- Vacant strip malls and abandoned industrial sites pay zero taxes. That means you pay their share.
- I will aggressively partner with the Cook County Land Bank Authority to acquire these zombie properties and use the new Southland Reactivation Act incentives to get them back on the tax rolls. Every new business paying taxes in the 6th District lessens the burden on every homeowner.
Strong Mental Health support
Mental Health Support for the southland
- Bring a "Triage Center" to the Southland:
- Cook County Health recently opened a "Crisis Triage Center" at Provident Hospital. The 6th District deserves one too.
- I will fight to allocate the next round of County Health budget surplus to build a 24/7 Crisis Stabilization Center in the South Suburbs. This facility will allow police and families to drop off a loved one in crisis for immediate medical care, rather than taking them to the ER or jail.
- Expand the "Living Room" Model:
- "Living Rooms" are safe, home-like spaces staffed by peers and counselors, not guards. They have a 93% success rate in deflecting people from hospitals.
- While we have Living Rooms in places like Broadview or Orland Park, vast "care deserts" remain in our district. I will secure county grants to open two new Living Rooms in our hardest-hit communities, ensuring help is a walk—not a train ride—away.
- Connect 911 to 988:
I will push for a fully integrated dispatch system where 911 operators in South Suburban dispatch centers can seamlessly transfer mental health calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, sending a mobile crisis team of social workers instead of an armed officer when appropriate.
