Jaime M. Andrade Jr., Illinois House 40th District Democratic candidate profile

Candidate profile

Jaime M. Andrade Jr.

Running for: State Representative, 40th District

Political/civic background:Founding board member, Cardinal Bernardin Early Childhood Center; has worked with the North River Commission, Rincon Family Services’ Avondale Coalition, and Albany Park Neighborhood Council; former member, Active Citizens Team/Neighborhood On Watch and Keep Chicago Renting Coalition

Occupation: State Representative, 40th District

Education: B.S.B. in Accountancy from DePaul University, Driehaus College of Business (cum laude); post-graduate studies at DePaul University

Facebook: facebook.com/RepJaimeAndrade/

Twitter: @AndradeRep40

Instagram: @andraderep40

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 their districts and the country. Jaime M. Andrade Jr. 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.

As an aldermanic staffer for more than 20 years, I am very committed to ensuring that constituent needs are promptly and sufficiently met. I spend time walking door-to-door every week to be accessible and find solutions to residents’ problems, helping connect them to the right resources who may be able to help. I have also worked with community groups to assist in mural painting and started an initiative called Maintain IL - 40th District Clean. We concentrate in areas that my team and I identify while walking door-to-door.

In the last two years, I spearheaded a campaign for a new library that was constructed and completed just last year. I also secured $6 million in funding to make improvements at the Irving Park Blue Line Station, including replacing the escalator that was removed and making structural repairs to address water damage. For this summer’s construction season, I secured another $5.5 million for Cleveland Elementary School to replace their windows, among other projects that will happen this summer within Chicago Public Schools. Also, I started an initiative to make sure that the 17th District Police Station achieves equity in staffing, and also within the last two years, I worked to improve playground accessibility at Independence Park.

On issues that affect the community as a whole, such as escalating incidents of violent crime, I have discussed possible solutions at length with constituents and community leaders at neighborhood organization meetings. My staff and I have also attended CAPS meetings to hear concerns and reports firsthand, as well as “Positive Loitering” events to promote safe behavior at dangerous intersections.

Legislatively, the Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT Committee, which I created, has taken steps to protect student data privacy while ensuring we do not stifle technological development. Also in this past session, I passed the first artificial intelligence (AI) regulations in the nation regarding AI being used in the hiring process. I will be working on follow-up legislation regarding the use of AI to detect facial expressions.

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. Strengthening local schools:

CPS cuts have hit many of our local schools, with some schools losing thousands, and even a million dollars in funding. Schools in my district face overcrowding concerns alongside concerns about funding. Even though I am bringing close to $15 million in new funding for projects within the schools, we still have many schools that require repairs or updates to their facilities. I also strongly support efforts to create an elected, representative school board for Chicago.

2. Public safety:

There have been several incidents in my district over the years, ranging from robberies to armed assaults and shootings. I have worked to enact stronger gun safety laws, while continuing to attend community events to discuss possible mitigating factors to violence. In addition to increasing police staffing, I am also working with Metropolitan Family Services to make sure that holistic violence prevention programs are operating in and servicing neighborhoods in my district.

3. Affordable housing:

Parts of my district have seen large rent increases over the last few years, causing residents to become concerned about their ability to afford housing in the future. I want to make sure my office is prepared to help residents looking for affordable housing options, as well as partner with local organizations to host events and provide residents with resources on housing.

For homeowners, rising property tax rates continue to be a concern. The broken property tax system has been broken for years and will take time to fix, but in this past year I have helped advance a property tax relief fund which will provide annual rebates to homeowners, and I have hosted property tax appeal seminars in conjunction with local aldermen and county commissioners. I also supported a new education funding formula that takes a critical first step toward easing the burden on property taxpayers.

What are your other top legislative priorities?

My legislative priorities aim to address the issues I hear about as I walk door-to-door, including strengthening schools, improving gun safety, and building a stronger, fairer economy.

In addition to advancing a measure to create an elected Chicago School Board, I supported $350 million in new funding for local public schools.

To address gun violence, I supported legislation to strengthen background checks, close the gun show loophole, and require police to confiscate guns from criminals as soon as their privileges are revoked.

I am also working to build a stronger middle class by fighting for fairer taxes, delivering a higher minimum wage, and creating new vocational training opportunities to prepare workers for high-wage jobs.

In direct response to local concerns, I want to ensure that all CTA stations are eventually upgraded to become 100% accessible. I am also working on legislation regarding the theft of wheels and catalytic converters, as well as relay boxes that are used in vehicle thefts.

This year I also plan to introduce follow-up legislation regarding the use of artificial intelligence to detect facial expressions and the prevention of racial bias in the algorithms.

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

Illinois’ current tax system places an unfair burden on middle-class families. I support correcting this by requiring millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share so the state can balance budgets without compromising the quality of services provided to vulnerable people.

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 supported a state budget that commits more than $1 billion to paying down the state’s backlog of bills. This required going line-by-line through the budget to cut wasteful spending while prioritizing services like health care and child care to meet families’ basic needs. I believe we must very carefully consider the creation of any new programs before we have paid down our debt.

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

Rather than consider taxing retirement income as a budget-balancing strategy, Illinois should implement the Fair Tax to make millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, while providing relief to middle-class families.

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

Proper state funding is the first step to improving our local public schools. I voted to provide $350 million more in funding, which meets the commitment under Illinois’ new, more equitable funding formula. We still have a ways to go before districts are meeting funding adequacy levels, and I believe we must reach that goal in a timely manner.

I also advanced legislation to establish an elected school board for Chicago that will be accountable to local families. This level of accountability, coupled with more funding, is necessary to address issues of class size and staffing with regard to school nurses and social workers.

To give students a voice in decisions that affect them, I also passed a law a few years ago that allows high school seniors to be voting members of their Local School Council.

I continue to stay in contact with local principals, attend Local School Council meetings regularly, and work with community groups to address their priorities with our schools.

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

I supported the Fix the FOID Act to strengthen background checks, close the ‘gun show’ loophole, and require police to confiscate guns from criminals as soon as their privileges are revoked.

Along with stronger gun safety laws, I have discussed possible solutions at length with constituents and community leaders at neighborhood organization meetings. My staff and I have also attended CAPS meetings to hear concerns and reports firsthand, as well as “Positive Loitering” events to promote safe behavior at intersections where violence has occurred.

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

Voters have the opportunity to limit an elected official’s term with every election. That’s why I work hard to ensure my community’s needs are being met—walking door-to-door, sponsoring and attending community events, and helping out when local groups seek out my office when they need something done.

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 supported bipartisan legislation to establish an independent process for redistricting as part of a larger effort to empower voters, which passed the House but not the Senate. In further discussions on this issue, I want to ensure minority voters are protected during the redistricting process. However districts are drawn, mapmakers must put the rights of minority voters first, and go to lengths to ensure people of color are empowered to elect candidates of their choosing.

One idea for a truly non-biased map would be to allow computer software to draw the boundaries, with some human tweaking afterward to ensure minority voters are protected.

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 supported SB 1639, but I know more must be done. I also helped establish a Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform to review and make recommendations for reforms to the laws governing lobbyists, elected officials, and state employees.

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?

I created the Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT Committee to specifically address concerns regarding this topic. I anticipated this being an emerging issue and have sponsored some data privacy bills, but there is more work to be done to ensure corporations that profit off of our personal information are being held accountable.

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?

Illinois must do more to help middle-class and struggling families afford the rising cost of college. I supported a budget that increases funding for MAP grants, as well as legislation that would allow students to access MAP grants all four years.

Additionally, I support expanding access to trade schools and vocational education to equip workers with the skills they need to fill jobs that are available in Illinois.

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

My top environmental priority is expanding renewable energy development with the Clean Energy Jobs Act. This legislation sets the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2050 and would lead to the creation of tens of thousands of clean energy jobs.

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.

Harold Washington because he was able to build coalitions across racial boundaries and neighborhoods, and started a movement that has allowed minorities to now participate in government at all levels.

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

When I watch TV nowadays, I usually defer to movies that my children want to watch or my wife’s Netflix shows. I have always enjoyed Family Ties though because it shows that despite having issues and problems, families will always come together in the end. Being a middle child with two sisters, I could relate to Michael J. Fox’s character.