>> THE ROAD HAS BEEN CLEARED FOR
THE MAYOR'S PREPAID GAS AND
TRANSIT CARD PLAN.
ALDERPEOPLE VOTE IN DPAFER BUT
JUST BARELY.
WTTW NEWS REPORTER HEATHER
CHERONE JOINS US WITH MORE NOW.
REMIND US WHAT THE GAS GIVEAWAY
CARD PLAN ENTAILS?
>> IT WILL COST THE STATE $12.5
MILLION AND SEND 50,000 PREPAID
CARDS THAT WILL COVER $150 WORTH
OF GAS TO CHICAGOANS AND 100,000
CTA PASSES WILL HAVE $50 OF CTA
RIDES.
THE PLAN HAS HAD ITS CONTROVERSY
SINCE THE BEGINNING.
LET'S HEAR A CONTENTIOUS
EXCHANGE.
>> WHEN WE'RE GIVING $3 MILLION
TO THE FOOD DEPUTY AND $12
MILLION FOR GAS CARDS SOMETHING
IS OFF WHEN WE ARE NOT FUNDING
ANTIVIOLENCE, VIOLENCE
PREVENTION PROGRAMS, VIOLENCE
INTERRUPTERS.
AT THE SAME RATE WE'RE FOR GAS
CARDS.
THAT'S NOT RIGHT.
>> IN THIS CITY, THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO BARELY HAVE A COUPLE
DOLLARS IN THEIR POCKET AND NOW
THEY CANNOT MEET A BASIC NEED
WHICH IS THE NEED FOR
TRANSPORTATION.
YES, OF COURSE, WE'RE TRYING TO
MOVE TOWARDS LOWERING OUR CARBON
FOOTPRINT WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION
TO DO THAT AS A CITY.
MEANWHILE, BACK ON PLANET
REALITY, A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE TO
DRIVE.
>> WE HEARD FROM ALDERWOMAN
HARRISON WHAT WERE THE OTHER
CONTENTIOUS ISSUES THAT
ALDERPEOPLE BROUGHT UP?
>> THE OBJECTIONS RAN THE GAMUT.
FROM ALDERPEOPLE WHO DID NOT
WANT CITY TAXPAYER DOLLARS TO
SUBSIDIZE FOSSIL FUELS TO THOSE
WHO FELT THE MAYOR WAS USING
THIS MONEY AS ESSENTIALLY A
REELECTION GIMMICK.
SHE FACES THE VOTERS WE EXPECT
FOR A SECOND TERM IN JUST ABOUT
10 MONTHS.
AND THERE WERE OTHERS FRUSTRATED
THIS MONEY WASN'T BEING USED TO
IMPROVE SAFETY ON THE CTA TO
ENCOURAGE RIDERSHIP TO GET BACK
TO PREPANDEMIC LEVELS.
ULTIMATELY WHAT MADE THE
DECISION WAS THE MAYOR'S
DECISION AT THE LAST-MINUTE TO
GIVE RESIDENTS OF THREE WARDS
PRIORITY TO GET MORE OF THESE
CARDS TO FLIP THREE VOTES ON THE
CITY COUNCIL THAT WAS DEBRA
SILVERSTEIN AND CURTIS AND
GILBERT VILLEGAS.
>> CAN THE MAYOR UNILATERALLY
CHANGE THE PLAN WITHOUT IT BEING
HEARD IN A COMMITTEE HEARING?
>> THAT IS A QUESTION FOR OPEN
MEETINGS ACT EXPERT BUT IT WAS A
LAST-MINUTE CHANGE THAT WILL NO
DOUBT RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
MAYOR'S COMMITMENT TO
TRANSPARENCY.
SHE RAN AND THAT PLATFORM IN
2019.
>> AND WASN'T THERE SUPPOSED TO
BE A SHOWDOWN OVER THE TWO
ALDERMANIC WARD MAPS TODAY?
>> THE LATINO CAUCUS WAS HOPING
TO GET A VOTE ON ONE OF THE WARD
MAPS WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED
THEM TO REVISE THE MAP SET TO GO
TO VOTERS IN JUNE.
THAT IT DID NOT HAPPEN.
IF YOU VOTES YOU VOTE.
AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE VOTES
SOMETIMES YOU LIVE TO FIGHT
ANOTHER DAY.
>> AND NOT MANY MORE DAYS LEFT
BEFORE THAT DEPOSE GO TO
REFERENDUM.
>> TWO PROPOSALS YOU WROTE
ABOUT.
ONE NEW ETHICS REGULATIONS FOR
ALDERPEOPLE AND A RESTART OF THE
WATER METER INSTALLATION
PROGRAM.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH THOSE?
>> BOTH FAILED TO ADVANCE.
RODERICK SAWYER PREVENTED THE
ETHICS PACKAGE FROM MOVING
FORWARD AND HE TOLD ME HE HAD
QUESTIONS WHAT WAS IN THAT
PROPOSAL.
MICHELLE SMITH THE CHAIRMAN OF
THE ETHICS COMMITTEE WOULD WORK
WITH HIM TO ADVANCE THE
PROPOSAL.
ALSO BLOCKED WAS THE MAYOR'S
WATER METER INSTALLATION RESTART
BLOCKED BY PROGRESSIVE MEMBERS
OF THE CITY COUNCIL LIKE
ALDERMAN RODRIGUEZ SANCHEZ WHO
IS FRUSTRATED THAT MEASURE
INCLUDED AN END TO WATER
SHUTOFFS WHEN SEVERAL MEMBERS OF
THE COUNCIL HAVE BEEN WORKING ON
PLANS TO ADDRESS THAT THAT WOULD
BE SHORT CIRCUITED BY THE
MAYOR'S EFFORT.
>> AETHICS RULES WOULD INCREASE
FINES FROM 5,000 TO 20,000.
MAYBE THEY ARE HESITANT FOR THAT
TO GO THROUGH JUST RIGHT THIS
MOMENT.
HEATHER, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND
WE'LL SEE YOU LATER IN THE
PROGRAM.