Chicago Decides: Tina Hone faces Desmon Yancy in 5th Ward alderman race
CHICAGO (CBS) – Voters will decide not only the next mayor of Chicago on April 4, but 14 races for City Council on the ballot after no candidates won a majority in the first round in February.
In the 5th ward on the South Side, Martina "Tina" Hone faces Desmon Yancy in the runoff.
They're competing to represent the ward and replace incumbent Leslie Hairston who is retiring at the end of her term.
CBS 2's Marie Saavedra spoke to both candidates about their views and pitches to voters in the ward which includes parts of Hyde Park, Woodlawn, South Shore and Grand Crossing neighborhoods.
Hone touted her diverse personal background and professional experience working on a range of policy issues in Washington, D.C. over 20 years. She also worked in City Hall during outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration.
Yancy said his family's roots in the South Shore neighborhood go back 50 years. The senior director of organizing and advocacy for the Inner-City Muslim Action Network said he's watched the ward "slip" to become a "victim of disinvestment," something he said he wants to play a role in reversing.
Both candidates said the biggest issue for voters in the 5th Ward is public safety.
"People don't feel safe in the fifth ward and we need to do something about that," Hone said. "The solutions though, are not simple."
Hone added the city needs "adequate police" that is "fair, just and transparent." She added the city also has to deal with the root causes of violence, specifically dealing with "untreated trauma" and providing more jobs.
Yancy said it was imperative to include residents in the different communities which comprise the ward in establishing public safety and addressing the causes of the violence.
"Each community has slightly different needs, and by digging into the voices that are on the ground and the people who are most affected are going to be where we find solutions," he said.
You can watch the full interviews with both candidates above.
