Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and I have deep roots in the Pilsen community. I was born there, and he was raised there.
As a state legislator, I see every day, just as Pedro does, the unique challenges Illinois communities routinely face. He and I are proud Latino leaders who know firsthand the value of public education, not only as a critical resource for uplifting communities by preparing our children for the careers of the future, but as a lifeline for communities that lack access to expensive private options with limited admissions.
Pedro understands, just as I do, that collaboration is key when it comes to ensuring that all schools have the resources they need to accomplish their important mission, those in Chicago no less than any others.
He understands that character is measured not when things are easy, but when they’re not — and that we have a responsibility, especially now, to not only express the right values but to live by those values as well. That includes sticking by your principles when it comes to making decisions that will affect those to whom he is responsible. It means weighing not only the short-term needs of the present but the long-term implications of doing what may look best in the moment.
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His ability to collaborate with legislators and push for creative solutions demonstrates his dedication to ensuring that every student in Illinois has access to a quality education.
That’s why I personally find it so distasteful when someone like Pedro is attacked and vilified because someone with an agenda is impatient to score political points or to check the box on a certain outcome. It’s why I’m speaking up today, to express solidarity at a time when shortsighted politicians are threatening to unjustly tarnish Pedro’s reputation and legacy.
The fact is, those slinging mud don’t even have their facts straight. Case in point, their charge that he hasn’t done enough to shore up the CPS budget by reaching out to Springfield is just not true.
For example, Pedro came to Springfield and worked energetically with me just this year to pass two bills that, together, would have created and funded a $35 million grant program to help schools, not just in Chicago, but statewide deal with the significant influx of migrant children in recent months. Though, sadly, those bills did not pass, those spreading the claim that Pedro hasn’t been working with state lawmakers don’t know what they’re talking about. That, or they’re simply not being honest.
Pedro Martinez is a dedicated public servant whose first priority is working toward a future where students — newcomers and lifelong residents alike — all have the support they need to thrive and reach their fullest potential. I share his hope for that future, and I’m confident that together, we can make it possible.
State Rep. Fred Crespo, 44th District
Pedro Martinez for mayor
Our next mayor, Pedro Martinez? He has acted ethically and with integrity as he seeks a solution to the CPS budget shortfall and has reminded Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union that all have to work together to solve this funding problem. Mayor Martinez? He would have my vote.
Bob Otter, Loop
CPS must make sacrifices
Mayor Brandon Johnson said that the people of Chicago elected him as mayor to rebuild CPS. This gives him the power and authority to do what he thinks is necessary to accomplish it.
When he was elected, he also took on the obligation to do his job in a fiscally responsible manner. The problems he is trying to correct were created by generational neglect, mismanagement, incompetence and greed. These problems are not going to be corrected in one term.
The solutions are going to take sacrifice, teamwork and time. Underutilized schools need to be consolidated with others, and some need to be closed. There also needs to be a restructuring of CPS.
There is only so much money to go around, so every financial decision the mayor makes needs to be one that will give us the greatest return on our investment.
These financial problems have been kicked down the road for so long that we are now at the end of the road, and we’re at the edge of the cliff.
Charles Carlson, Belmont-Cragin
About those TIFs …
I agree to end all TIF districts in Chicago. However, do not transfer money to Chicago Teachers Union. The CTU and Board of Education take too big of a piece of our property taxes already. They have misused our tax dollars for too long. Put the TIF money toward all the underfunded city pension funds. Reducing pension debt will also help future funding for development projects and keep property taxes more stable.
John Petersen, Belmont Heights
Acevedo’s costly no-show job
It’s been reported numerous times that former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo was the beneficiary of what is commonly called a “do nothing” or “no show” job at AT&T. For that “job” he was paid $22,500, not bad for doing nothing. If that was a real job paid over a year it would be like making $11 an hour.
I put a pencil to it and figured out that if Acevedo had taken a real job, at McDonald’s for instance, at the minimum wage of $14 an hour (in Cook County) he could have made that same amount in nine months and saved himself the trouble and public ridicule of his current predicament. Crime doesn’t pay.
John Hankes, Geneva
Presidential appointments matter
While we focus on electing our president, far too many of us forget to even think about whom that president will select to actually run all the departments that decide how the country is being run.
If those people are not competent, knowledgeable people who really know their field of expertise, we the citizens will suffer. While yes, the president should have the ultimate authority, we have to remember a chain is no stronger than its weakest link and think about the big picture when voting in this election.
Janet Lumm, Schaumburg
Tulsa race massacre cannot be forgotten
Regarding “Federal review of 1921 Tulsa race massacre is long overdue” by Marc Morial, what a great article. History cannot and should not be hidden or forgotten. Innocent families were just trying to create their own prosperity.
Adele Garza, St. John, Indiana
Vote ‘yes’ for DuPage forest preserve referendum
One of the most cost-effective methods of protecting our water resources, controlling flooding and reducing traffic congestion is by preserving lands along our creeks, streams and rivers.
The DuPage County Forest Preserve has placed a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. If approved, this will allow us to permanently protect an additional 250 acres of our natural areas and watersheds, restore wildlife habitats in our forest preserves, and continue constructing and improving trails, recreational areas and other public use facilities. Our forest preserves not only provide recreational opportunities, they also help ensure a clean water supply and control the effects of flooding.
The DuPage Forest Preserve has diligently preserved more than 25,000 acres of open space. Had that land been developed, we would have experienced even more high-density development, vastly increased traffic congestion and flooding. Preserving open space now prepares us for the future and will allow storm water to soak into the ground, naturally.
Currently, the forest preserve portion of our tax bills is less than 2%. If this referendum passes, it will still be less than 2%. For approximately $3 to $4 a month for most homeowners, that is a small price to pay to protect our quality of life and the investment we’ve already made in our homes and communities.
I urge voters to vote “yes” on Nov. 5 to help our Forest Preserve District acquire more critical open space and keep our water clean in DuPage County.
Connie Schmidt, co-chair, DuPage Neighbors for Open Space, Clean Water and Clean Air, Warrenville
Where are the questions about Trump’s mental fitness?
After years of chatter about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness, there is a disturbing disinterest in the state of Trump’s mind.
If watching an entire Trump rally speech was a prerequisite for voting, I think that he would lose, to use his adjective, bigly, because some who plan to vote for him aren’t paying enough attention to know how unhinged he sounds. Projecting that forward four years at his age should scare people, especially when his enablers are mining the U.S. legal code for forgotten laws that give presidents extraordinary powers.
The “That’s just Trump being Trump” attitude is reckless and a major hazard to the nation. The standard should be “normal,” not “Trump normal,” because “Trump normal” isn’t normal.
It does not make it better that, if President Trump stepped down because of incapacity, his successor would be the extremely attitude-adjustable JD Vance, who made the transition from overt critic of Trump to vice presidential candidate in a political eye-blink. Based on this, can anybody predict what Vance’s positions will be over the next four years? He is a textbook example of a politician who will say whatever it takes to obtain power.
If Trump wins in November, this could be the best economy to ever cost a party the White House. Inflation was high, but was an unsurprising (and worldwide) problem while recovering from a once-in-a-century pandemic. It was one of few flaws in a strong economic outlook.
Inflation has been declining and is within spitting distance of “normal.” Trump claims credit for low inflation, but I have not heard him say, “Inflation was low because I (did something specific).” Has anybody? His plans for more tariffs and deficit spending from tax cuts sound inflationary to economists. He risks undoing years of recovery.
Trump’s emphasis on opponent vilification, fear-mongering and outright lies (crime, now near the bottom of a 30-year downtrend, being “out of control” is an easily disproven example) are not the tactics of a candidate with a winning agenda.
Curt Fredrikson, Mokena