Andres Tapia: Candidate For Highland Park City Council

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Highland Park Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Six candidates are seeking three available seats on the Highland Park City Council. Only one of the three incumbents with an expiring term in office is running for re-election.

Highland Park Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim and in the order they have been received.

Andrés Tapia

Age (as of Election Day)
60

Town/City of Residence
Highland Park

Office Sought
City council

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Education
BA, History with emphasis in journalism and political science - Northwestern University

Occupation
Senior Partner and Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist at Korn Ferry

Campaign website
andrestapiacitycouncil.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office
Housing Commissioner (current)

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

PANDEMIC RECOVERY. Covid-19 has disrupted so much of our City life. Our retail sector was hit hard affecting sales tax revenues that create challenges to meeting the City’s obligations from the State while having enough funding to meet the wants and needs of our community during a most challenging time. Among these needs are the City's ability to fully fund infrastructure improvements, care for our most vulnerable residents, enhance public safety, protect the environment, and provide community events and amenities — all elements that are part of making for a welcoming and thriving Highland Park.

While I would lean into the variety of efforts the City is already doing to support local businesses as it also seeks to serve our most vulnerable, I would also seek to partner with the entire community to reimage a post-Covid future where we challenge some outdated economic and social service models.

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?

The Black Lives Matter movement is about peaceful demonstrations on behalf of racial justice and the protection of Black lives and therefore I fully support this purpose.

In addition to being at the Black Lives Matter march in Highland Park on August 29, 2020 every day in my corporate job at Korn Ferry I work with our clients toward more racially just workplaces. In this capacity I was one of the core architects and visionaries for a Black Lives Matter series of webinars in the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s murder that attracted a cumulative 100,000 participants from companies around the world. In the non-profits that I serve I was a key shaper of those organization’s messages in support of the fact that Black Lives do Matter and in determining the actionable commitments those organizations made in response.

It’s going to require multiracial collaboration among and between residents and government agencies to continue to stand up again racial injustice.

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

As far as strongly worded statements, the City of Highland Park's Statement Against Hate is an unequivocal stance against all forms of discrimination and harassment. This is backed up by other statements made against racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, and also in favor of those who are DACA eligible.

The City of Highland Park’s Police Department has adopted the Shared Principles of Public Safety, which were developed jointly by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois NAACP State Conference. This includes “valuing the life of every person, treating every person with dignity and respect and rejecting discrimination" among other related commitments. This is a very strong foundation on which to keep building on.

The ultimate goal is simple: we must do all we can to ensure that in Highland Park everyone — regardless of their skin color or ethnicity – feels equally respected and safe. This requires openness and holding ourselves accountable to this. I would very much look forward to being part of addressing the findings from the equity audit the City is about to embark on and working with sister governments on a holistic approach to increase our effectiveness at racial equality.

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?

While the national response has been disastrous throughout 2020, Highland Park's has been good. City Hall has been in very good alignment and collaboration with the State as well as the County which has been essential to keeping the virus from spreading exponentially. As the national response and strategies become more coherent, I believe we will have even more clarity about the best way forward.

However, as long as the virus spread is not fully under control (and one marker of this is if it's above certain levels of community transmission as determined by the CDC and other local circumstances), yes, I favor limiting operation of non-essential businesses and limiting indoor dining by using scientifically based criteria to determine the best safety protocols.

Since the city does not have a health center, we must rely on public health officials in their decisions. I do favor mitigation measures based on science. I also favor a local mask mandate until we are past the community transmission thresholds, and until at least 80% of us are vaccinated. Ultimately, I am supportive of the dual track of let's open business and schools as soon as the risks of uncontrollable outbreaks have been brought down to CDC-specified guidelines.

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?

The city does not have its own health department so we must rely on Lake County, the State of Illinois, and the Federal Government for direction and assistance. Since one of the core priorities for the City is public safety, with this in mind, it is critical for the city to work collaboratively with these other various bodies as more vaccines become available and more testing and vaccination centers are set up and, in the process, ensure our residents have the information they need to take advantage of the services as they are set up.

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

My over 25-years as a business leader with strategic planning experience, and my deep knowledge of what it takes to create diverse, inclusive, and equitable communities provides me with a fresh and differentiated perspective — yet, this perspective is grounded in Highland Park realities having lived and raised my family here for 30 years. Further, I am a results-oriented business leader, with the ability to put strategic planning into action to move our businesses, our neighborhoods, and our residents forward post-pandemic. I will be able to bring my experience as a collaborative professional who has a deep understanding and commitment to building a more diverse community that is equitable and inclusive for all.

I am a visionary leader ready to help balance the wants and needs of all residents guided by the priorities of fiscal stability, public safety, infrastructure investment, and community vibrancy.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

I am pleased to be running to fill one of three City Council positions. The City of Highland Park currently has four core priorities (fiscal stability, public safety, infrastructure investment, and community vibrancy) based on resident input and therefore they mirror mine. I believe I have experiences and insights to help the City address those priorities in both pragmatic as well as innovative ways. My views are informed by research and knowledge of emerging trends nationwide on community revitalization on how to best respond to the decline of traditional retail.

I also have experience and bring a fresh perspective in helping organizations shape new futures in response to emerging trends such as demographic changes or disruptive realities such as what we are experiencing with Covid and economic dislocations due to technology.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

In addition to the prioritization on the pandemic recovery, I would provide continuity as well as a new ideas to the current City priorities of fiscal stability, public safety, infrastructure investment, and community vibrancy.

Further, with a fresh perspective I would seek to enhance the approach to these opportunities with a vision for an even more welcoming and thriving Highland Park.

"Welcoming" is about more fully celebrating, addressing, and growing our diversity through even more inclusive practices and policies and ensuring we are equitable in access to resources and programs and, ultimately, in our outcomes. Everyone who lives, works, and visits Highland Park should feel like they belong.

"Thriving" is about proactively and vigorously accelerating the addressing of our economic vulnerabilities by first restoring (where salvageable) what was hit by the pandemic and then reimagining a new economic model that addresses the changing nature of retail, the permanent reality of more remote working, and the hunger of people for memorable in-person experiences.

We must also seize on the unexpected opportunity caused by the pandemic where we have had quite an influx of new home buyers (over a 50% increase compared to 2019) as they seek alternatives to city life. We must seize this moment to attract even more families — and, just as importantly – make it a priority to retain them 3-5 years from now when new options for them will emerge.

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

In my corporate life for the past twenty-five years, I have helped large multinationals, as well as prominent and small non-profits become more diverse, inclusive, and equitable and, in the process, better able to achieve their broader business and mission objectives.

As a City of Highland Park Housing Commissioner, along with my Commissioner peers, I have been focused on ensuring we abide by the Housing Commission’s charter and mission that 20% of new housing development is set aside for affordable housing (via a combination of actual dwellings or cash-in-lieu to invest in other affordable housing). This position has given me important and practical city government experience where I have developed a deeper understanding of the City’s processes and policies and also of the needs and objectives of various different stakeholders as we increase ways to care for the most vulnerable.

In 1995 I was part of the group of parents and educators who successfully proposed the Dual Language Program, now in its 25th year of existence through which thousands of High Park students have gone through.

Further, I have been an active board member on various non-profits such as Ravinia Festival, and have been a collaborative leader in each one of them in shaping a new vision to meet changing conditions while always honoring the organizations’ legacies. I have been single-mindedly focused in those organizations on optimizing their priorities for taking care of the most vulnerable.

Through these projects I have come to a deep understanding that intergovernmental collaboration is essential in a well-run city. For example, while the schools are a separate government, their decisions have an impact on the greater community. Therefore, dialogue to seek alignment of interests for the comprehensive well-being of the City is vital. The academic and operational reputation of our schools have a direct impact on property values and to the attractiveness of Highland Park to young families which is essential for the continual community renewal.

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

Given that my top priority is pandemic recovery (which is affecting finances, resident health, business viability, and a vibrant residential life), being part of a collective effort to ensure we recovered and thrived post pandemic would be a major success.

Why should voters trust you?

I am a collaborative and transparent leader with a proven track record of working with others to find optimal solutions. As a results-oriented business leader, I know how to put strategic planning into action to move our business community forward post-pandemic. I am an experienced professional with a deep understanding and commitment to building a more diverse community that is equitable and inclusive for all.

I am a neighbor — a long-time resident who loves Highland Park. With my wife, Lori we brought up our daughter, Marisela, in Highland Park and I was very much involved with school life, AYSO soccer, Ravinia Festival and now as a City of Highland Park Housing Commissioner.

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

One of the City’s core priorities is fiscal responsibility. This begins with a balanced budget where revenues and expenses are in sync and where monies set aside for specific strategies are protected; but it must also be about addressing the imperative to find more ways to increase sales tax revenues through a revitalized and diversified business sector.

Part of being a responsive and responsible City Councilman is to be a faithful and good steward of what the residents have declared is a priority. In Highland Park it's fiscal responsibility, public safety, infrastructure, and having a vibrant city. It is also about ensuring all residents, workers, and visitors feel they are valued, are cared for, and feel they belong.

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

No.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Se hace el camino al andar — you make your path as you walk it.

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

On the personal side, I have lived in Highland Park for 30 years, but I grew up in a multicultural home in Lima, Peru as the son of a Peruvian Dad and an American Mom.

In terms of a closing message: This is not a time for timidity or incremental steps. It is a time to together imagine the kind city we want to be as we enter a post-Covid era and then take bold and innovative action that is financially sound, research-based, and inspiring.