Bobby Burns: Candidate For 5th Ward Alderman

EVANSTON, IL — Ahead of Evanston's upcoming municipal elections, Evanston Patch provided candidate questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot. Candidate responses are published verbatim in the order they are received.

The April 6 ballot will contain competitive races in eight wards, as well as two candidates for city clerk, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office.

Incumbent aldermen are seeking to hold on to seats in four wards after two sitting City Council members failed to make the runoff after coming in third place in last month's primary. One incumbent is running unopposed.

Bobby Burns

Age (as of Election Day)
35

Town/City of Residence
Evanston, IL

Office Sought
5th Ward Alderman

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
My mother, Martha Burns, served as a school board member for both District 65 and District 202 for 12 years including positions as the President and Vice President. She currently serves as a Trustee for Oakton Community College.

Education
Project management, strategic planning, fundraising, grassroots outreach, campaign management, digital marketing, qualitative research, and proficient in customer relationship management software & community engagement technology.

Occupation
President of Powering Campaigns - political consulting management since 2015.

Campaign website
burnsfor5.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
Served as interim Evanston Deputy City Clerk

The single most pressing issue facing the Evanston's city government is equitable delivery of public services, and this is what I intend to do about it.

We must transform the way Evanston meets its budget and financial challenges to ensure that the diversity of community voices are heard and public services are delivered equitably. Policies are too often written without the guidance of the people they impact the most: For housing policies we need to consult our housing insecure; for policing issues, we need to hear from our young black men who have been policed; for elderly care we need to bring in seniors.

Prioritizing residents based primarily on 311 calls and survey responses has led to the inequitable delivery of public services in Evanston. A recent article by the Daily Northwestern revealed how Evanston’s lead testing locations over the last two decades were concentrated in NW and NE Evanston, with less than 1% in the 5th ward. This means that over the last decade we haven’t been keeping adequate track of the lead levels in the 5th ward. The city should work to identify and end all current systems and practices that are causing harm and perpetuating the inequitable delivery of public services throughout Evanston. Other public service concerns: Enforcing property standards; Complying with environmental regulations; Prioritizing urban planning in the 5th Ward; Increasing affordable housing opportunities; Meeting the need for translation services; Addressing pedestrian safety; and Improving garbage pickup.

Imagine what else we will learn by centering the voices of people who are directly affected by the issues discussed on council. I will bring in those voices through engagement and intentional recruitment. By working to change the City’s board/ commission application process to include not just education as a prerequisite, but lived experience, we can include stakeholders in the crucial decision making process.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

I can’t speak to everyone’s experiences, but I can say that unique to many politicians, running for a political office is not something I ever thought I would be doing. As a political campaign consultant with my own company, my goal for the last 7 years has been to bring other candidates’ visions, policies, and platforms to life – never thinking that I could one day be on the other side of the table. Every organization I have founded, march I coordinated, panel I sat on, or policy I fought to bring needed change where done to improve people’s lives. These actions have served as meticulous stepping stones towards my next chapter, running for 5th Ward Alderman. I am more than just an advocate for diversifying community voices – as a young, black man running for political office, I am a diverse voice as well. I am passionate about listening to residents and delivering policy that makes sure Evanston works for you.

What do you consider the official duties and powers of the City Council as a whole? How about individual aldermen?

The City Council is responsible for representing the needs of all the community through the establishment of public and administrative policies, ordinances, and resolutions as well as through the financial management of the city’s budget.

An alderman’s role is to go out into the community to speak with/ hear the residents within their ward, to encourage/ promote local discussion and dialogue, to identify needs for change and opportunities within the neighborhoods, and to bring those voices and needs back to the Council to advocate for permanent resolution.

What steps would you take to address the city's budget challenges?

My primary focus is to ensure the dollars spent within our city’s budget go towards enriching the lives of our residents, and moreover are indicative and representative of the diversity within our community. It is imperative that we begin to measure a program or outreach effort not solely by its financial impact to the budget, but by the value added to the community. Historically those programs focused on the underserved within our city, have traditionally been the most vulnerable to cuts during the budget process. My job is to bring more awareness to those programs so that they may have a seat at the table, and an opportunity to best serve the needs of the residents they were developed to help.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Diversifying Community Voices

Policies are too often developed without guidance from the people these measures will impact the most. I’ve begun to identify solutions to our housing affordability issue by simply asking 5th Ward residents to describe the details around the home they were able to purchase, or rent they were able to afford. I’ve discovered the tipping points are $180,000 for most residents seeking to purchase a home and $1,000 a month for tenants looking to rent a 2 bedroom unit

I intend to continue to address the economic disparities within the 5th Ward through my support of home rehabs, business district revitalization, and job creation. The 5th Ward was historically the home of manufacturing. Those jobs and industries have vanished, but we have the infrastructure and opportunity to create green tech and industrial jobs. Environmental justice starts in our own Ward, where we need to make sure businesses comply with environmental health and safety regulations.

I am committed to ensuring that our: Communities of color—Black, Asian & Latinx— are supported; LGBTQ neighbors are respected; Disabled people are accommodated; Fireman's Park & Smith Park Neighbors are heard; Formerly incarcerated residents have their rights of citizenship restored; Generational families are repaired; and Refugees are provided with a safe haven.

As the 5th Ward Alderman, I will continue to engage with the community, listen to residents and encourage participation as policies are debated that affect and impact Evanstonians.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I grew up in Evanston in a family that taught me to give back. I’ve helped organize our community to influence decision makers, push for fair budgets and repair the fabric of underserved communities. We worked to stop the violence, promote affordable housing, revitalize our local businesses and improve our schools.

I’ll use my experience engaging with and empowering our community to make sure our City works for everyone. Some of my experience includes:

· Working with 5th Ward businesses to navigate the City’s storefront modernization program aimed at revitalizing curbside aesthetic.

· Collaborating to build support for a campaign finance ordinance in Evanston focused on empowering voices within the community.

· Currently serving as Board member of Open Communities which advocates for fair and affordable housing in 17 suburbs north of Chicago.

In addition, below is a sampling of relevant experience since 2009:

2009—Organized the We Want to Live March at E.T.H.S. to bring community members together to respond to increases in community violence.

2012—Served as a 5th Ward School Advocate managing field operations for Citizens for a Better Evanston to support building a public school in the 5th Ward.

2013—Developed a program that encouraged young adults in the 5th Ward to attend a Youth Job Center orientation.

2014— Organized efforts to revitalize public spaces including plans to develop Boocoo into a thriving community asset.

Worked with Dear Evanston and Citizens for a Greener Evanston to hold the 5th Ward Festival and bring the community together for fun and a good cause.

2016— Brought together Evanston Food Exchange, Edible Evanston & Zero Waste to explore ways to limit food waste, a cause that helps feed the food insecure and reduce our carbon footprint.

2017—Served as interim Deputy City Clerk.

2017—Present— Helped found Evanston Collective which created a collaborative working relationship with city staff and elected officials on issues including local hiring, police complaints, Police Chief hiring, fair budgets, campaign finance and equity of public resources including the Evanston Public Library.

2017—Present— Launched a partnership between African-American, Black and Caribbean (ABC) Family Group & District 65 to formalize a process to address equity and inclusion issues.

2019—Co-authored a memorandum that served as the basis for Alderman Rue-Simmons’ innovative, acclaimed and first in the nation Reparations program for African-Americans.

Why should voters trust you?

For the last 12 years, I have worked tirelessly as a community organizer dedicated to improving the lives of Evanston’s most vulnerable people. My history of effective collaborative community organizing work means meeting with people and LISTENING. I am proud of earning a rich diversity of endorsements including former 5th Ward Alderman Delores Holmes and current Alderman Robin Rue-Simmons and Evanston Fight for Black Lives, OPAL and Firefighters Local 742. My years of hard work has earned the trust and endorsements of many leading community members, small business owners, organizations and elected officials. My word means something.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

First and foremost, I will prioritize CONSTITUENT SERVICES. I have spent the winter knocking on doors and listening to residents and heard concerns including affordable housing, pedestrian safety, snow removal, parking, poorly draining alleys, garbage service, abandoned homes, air pollution, environmental compliance and COVID. Addressing these concerns and prioritizing constituent services will directly improve our quality of life.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

Amongst the City’s greatest challenges is identifying revenue to maintain the public services Evanston residents need and have come to expect, while meeting our debt service and unfunded pension obligation. Although property taxes are a reliable source of revenue for the city, continuing to increase the levy will lead to further instability among our working families and the continued displacement of longtime residents.

To bring in additional revenue, we should enter into a Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement with nonprofits with property valued over an agreed upon threshold. These agreements will help offset losses on property taxes due to the existence of nontaxable lands within our city. To find opportunities to cut or restructure existing programs, the city should commit to a zero based budgeting process that requires each city department to justify its program funding based on measurable outcomes.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

I have dedicated my life in Evanston working for racial equity and justice. The Black Lives Matter movement has played a key role in achieving these goals. In 2009, I decided to follow in my mother’s footsteps and organized an anti-violence march around ETHS. I think in both the unfortunate instances of George Floyd and Jacob Blake the calls are the same: we must work to stop violence and the killing of unarmed black men, and increase spending on programs that foster peace and strengthen families.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

One constant in our country’s history is the long arc of racial injustice has left a path of destruction that require a concerted effort from the federal to the local level. I commend Evanston’s city council for passing the first program in our nation to address reparations. I was proud to co-draft an initial memorandum that served as the basis for Alderman Rue-Simmons historic reparations measure. Is Evanston’s reparations program enough? No. Is it a significant start? Yes. I look forward to finding ways to expand the reparations housing program beyond the initial $400,000 for 16 families.

My professional career has been dedicated to organizing the community for racial justice and equality. My focus has centered on establishing programs and using mentors and intervention to help end violence, engage our youth and provide job training opportunities. As the 5th Ward Alderman, I will continue to pursue opportunities to provide these needed programs.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate? / What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

We have made tremendous progress in the fight to beat the virus, but it is too early to drop what has brought us this far.

Medical professionals working in the previous administration in Washington now admit that the Administration’s actions failed to slow down the spread of the coronavirus which resulted in hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths. The one bright spot was that the Administration got out of the way and let researchers and pharmaceutical companies test and produce vaccines.

The Biden Administration has been able to fast track the roll out of vaccines and make adjustments on how best to distribute the vaccines. Cook County has mass vaccination sites including one in Forest Park.

Federal, state and local health officials are finding that people want more local distribution of vaccines such as pharmacies, neighborhood clinics and community centers. We need to expand these local options in Evanston.

The statistics in getting vaccines into the arms of Evanston’s prioritized residents has been promising. On March 18, The Patch reported: 88% Of Evanston Seniors Have Received At Least One Vaccine Dose.

Still, we need to ensure that Black and Brown Evanstonians have equitable access to Covid vaccines. We do not yet have enough vaccines to meet the demand. Soon the supply will outpace the demand and the challenge will be to get people resistant to the vaccine to become vaccinated—especially our communities of color.

Mask mandates and social distancing measures need to continue. If science dictates, we can slowly and responsibly ease restrictions on businesses including indoor/outdoor dining.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

I believe as a city we should urgently look for access to available vaccine and roll out mass spaces for a vast number of participants. We can do a mass vaccine event right in one of our 5th Ward churches.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

If elected I am committed to serving my term, and I intend to be a 24/7 on-call Alderman. Over the years I’ve arranged my life to ensure my work schedule was flexible enough to take on demanding volunteer roles within the community. I will continue to host monthly ward meetings, support our block clubs, and work to expand festivals.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Finding something relatable and decent in every person I meet.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have dedicated my career to improve people’s lives and I will do it as the 5th Ward Alderman. I work tirelessly and my motto is “Dream Big * Act Accordingly.”