Trina Mangrum, Illinois House 9th District Democratic candidate profile

Candidate profile

Trina Mangrum

Running for: Illinois’s 9th House District

Political/civic background: Chief of Staff to Alderman Ervin (28th Ward)
Served in same capacity for the 24th Ward

Occupation: Chief of Staff to Alderman Ervin (28th Ward)

Education: Prairie View A&M University

The Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board sent candidates for the Illinois House of Representatives a list of questions to find out their views on a range of important issues facing the state of Illinois and their districts. Trina Mangrum submitted the following responses:

Please tell us about your civic work in the last two years, whether it’s legislation you have sponsored or work you have done in other ways to improve your community.

I have dedicated my life to public service and improving my community, working as Chief of Staff to Alderman Ervin of the 28th Ward and in the same capacity in the 24th ward for many years prior. After facing a major family tragedy, I am working to bring positive change to my community in the west side of Chicago to ensure things like this don’t happen again.

I’ve been a part of life stabilizing government programs that give people a chance in a world where chances are not given to our community. We worked with City of Chicago programs to help people purchase their own homes and stay in them when the market pushed many into foreclosure. We’ve worked to provide seniors affordable housing so that they have somebody looking out for them in their lives. I’ve used the resources available to me to do what I can to help others in the community and I hope to continue doing so in the future.

Please list three concerns that are specific to your district, such as a project that should be undertaken or a state policy related to an important local issue that should be revised.

1. First and foremost, we have to use every tool available to combat violence in our communities. I applaud the work done by the new administration so far, but too many members of my community face violence without the trust that the police will protect them. I want to rebuild that trust.

2. Affordable housing is an ongoing issue across Chicago and our community is no different. We need massive investments so that residents have stable, safe, and secure housing where they can anchor their families and build for the future.

3. Public transportation is a must for our community as its the primary way we can get to work, school, and community functions. I would focus heavily on increasing access and affordability to CTA.

What are your other top legislative priorities?

Beyond public safety, affordable housing, and public transportation, economic development is important to my community. I would focus on green energy investments that must occur throughout our state and the jobs they can provide by a just transition.

What is your position on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed graduated income tax? Please explain.

I am in full support of Gov. Pritzker’s graduated income tax. I think that the fair tax is the only way to ensure that everyone is paying their fair share and creating a more equitable Illinois. I think it is far past the time that the wealthy elites of Illinois start contributing and help lift the burden off the middle/working class. The billions of dollars in unpaid bills and the $3.2 billion dollar deficit need to be paid and I think the best first step is implementing this fair tax.

Illinois continues to struggle financially, with a backlog of unpaid bills that tops $6 billion. In addition to a progressive state income tax — or in lieu of such a tax — what should the state do to pay its bills, meet its pension obligations and fund core services such as higher education?

I believe supporting a progressive tax rate and fairly taxing the uber-wealthy in the state will help relieve the pension debt. Changing the constitution to reduce the benefits that employees were guaranteed would be unacceptable and unconstitutional. There are other sources of progressive revenue that we can tap into like the coal severance tax for example. Moreover, I think instituting a more progressive property tax and corporate tax system is vital to meeting these pension obligations. While the fair tax is certainly an important first step, we must continue to find progressive and equitable sources of revenue to help pay off the pension debt.

Should Illinois consider taxing the retirement incomes of its very wealthiest residents, as most states do? And your argument is?

Before we ask seniors to pay more money in taxes on their hard earned retirement, we have to see what our budget situation is from the implementation of a fair tax.

What can Illinois do to improve its elementary and high schools?

The answer is simple. Fully funding schools is the best way to improve them. We cannot let public education be under-prioritized again and again. Without proper funding, teachers are not able to provide a quality and equitable education to students.

Mass shootings and gun violence plague America. What can or should the Legislature do, if anything, to address this problem in Illinois?

Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with the gun violence epidemic plaguing Chicago, our state, and the entire country. We must set an example for neighboring states by implementing stricter gun legislation. Requiring all firearms to be registered by their owners and prohibiting the transfer or possession of assault weapons, 50 caliber rifles, and large capacity ammunition magazines are two important steps we can take to make our state safer and show our surrounding states we mean business when it comes to reducing gun violence. I think it is so important to try and get other states on board with our strict legislation because far more crime guns are being trafficked into the state. Moreover, we must address the mental health crisis facing our state. Adequate mental health care is an important step in reducing gun violence that is often overlooked. Funding mental health facilities across the state must be made a priority when discussing gun violence and how we can reduce it.

Do you favor or oppose term limits for any elected official in Illinois? Please explain.

I favor term limits for legislative leaders in chambers to allow fresh thinking and energy into the legislative process. Overall, I do not favor term limits for elected officials because voters can decide if a public figure is not doing a good enough job for them.

Everybody says gerrymandering is bad, but the party in power in every state — Democrats in Illinois — resist doing anything about it. Or do we have that wrong? What should be done?

I favor a non-partisan redistricting process.

The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago is investigating possible official corruption by state and local officials. This prompted the Legislature to pass an ethics reform measure to amend the Lobbyist Registration Act (SB 1639). It was signed into law in December. What’s your take on this and what more should be done?

I support any and all ethics reforms that will help keep money out of Illinois politics and ensure that all elected officials are held accountable. For too long, Illinois has been marred by corruption and abuse of power, and if elected, I would do everything in my power to ensure that the citizens of Illinois are being represented and not the moneyed interests who too often win out. Further, we should have robust economic disclosures closer to the federal system so we can see relevant information about politicians.

When people use the internet and wireless devices, companies collect data about us. Oftentimes, the information is sold to other companies, which can use it to track our movements or invade our privacy in other ways. When companies share this data, we also face a greater risk of identity theft. What should the Legislature do, if anything?

In this day and age, protecting our privacy and our data has become increasingly difficult. I think it is important to implement legislation that protects the consumer’s privacy and I would do my best to pass legislation that ensures such protections.

The number of Illinois public high school graduates who enroll in out-of-state universities continues to climb. What can Illinois do to make its state universities more attractive to Illinois high school students?

Revamping current infrastructure and fully funding our public universities is the best way to draw more Illinois high school students to our public universities. Recently, legislation was passed that guaranteed funding for higher education and if I am elected, I would continue to support measures that improve our universities and offer a solid education to its students.

What is your top legislative priority with respect to the environment?

My top priorities are the just transition to a clean energy future and the investments that will be made in communities that have been disproportionately harmed because they were low-income communities or communities of color. For decades, corporate polluters have used these communities as dumping grounds, and they face an enormous and unequal burden from the costs of pollution and climate change. 

What historical figure from Illinois, other than Abraham Lincoln (because everybody’s big on Abe), do you most admire or draw inspiration from? Please explain.

I’ve drawn significant inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr., specifically regarding his housing protests on the West Side. While the main focus of the protests were to end slums in the city, they expanded the demands of the protest to be far more comprehensive, including things like quality education, transportation and job access, income and employment, health, wealth generation, crime and the criminal justice system, community development, tenants rights, and quality of life. Dr. King and his fellow protesters continued to stage regular rallies outside real estate offices, as well as regular marches through white neighborhoods where they encountered mobs that King said were even more hostile than those in Alabama and Mississippi. Despite the adversity they faced throughout this movement, they continued to persist, and as a result of the open housing movement, Congress passed the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The kind of work that Dr. King did changed the course of history--he never backed down and he did everything he could to help those being unjustly persecuted. I hope to do his legacy right on the West Side by never giving up on my constituents and always fighting for them.

What’s your favorite TV, streaming or web-based show of all time. Why?

My favorite tv show is Law & Order. It always pulls themes from actual headlines. I enjoy the realness of the characters, reflecting on real people and real events.