Nick is fighting for a 48th Ward where people are valued over profits. Learn more about his priorities for the ward here.

Ward Services

Every resident deserves robust, compassionate, and efficient constituent services. Every resident deserves to live in a ward where the trash is picked up on time, zoning decisions are made with the input of the community, and city services are simple and easy to access. Above all, every resident deserves an alderman who is accountable, accessible, and transparent. 

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Proactively address infrastructure and streets and sanitation issues in the ward, such as clearing storm drains to prevent flooding and placing more trash cans around the ward
• Work with unions, community organizations, block clubs, and mutual aid groups to conduct outreach, especially to constituent groups like seniors, immigrants, and homeless residents who can be harder to reach
• Establish transparent and accessible community processes to listen to constituents and ensure ward decisions are made democratically, such as participatory budgeting and zoning
• Hire a ward office staff that reflects the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the 48th Ward
• Work with arts organizations, community groups, and local businesses to maintain and expand our thriving cultural and small business scene

Education

We need to take a holistic approach to preserving our public schools as neighborhood hubs dedicated to community well-being. We need schools that are fully staffed with nurses, social workers, librarians, restorative justice practitioners, janitors, crossing guards, and arts teachers. We need schools where students are allowed to learn, play, and create.

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Fight to provide sufficient and stable school staffing and work to fund schools based on their needs, not enrollment levels
• Work with 48th Ward public school educators, students, families, administrators, and community members to increase language access and improve infrastructure at local schools, including new playgrounds at Goudy, Swift, and Peirce and a new roof at Senn 
• Support the teachers, Chicago Teachers Union, other union school workers, and school administrators in their fights for fair contracts that grant both the workers and our shared communities the dignity and respect they deserve
• Support the removal of police from our public schools and replace them with social workers

Housing

I believe that housing is a human right and that everyone should have access to an affordable, safe, quality, stable living environment. I believe that homelessness, the eviction crisis, and a lack of affordable housing are the results of policy choices that prioritize the interests of developers and the real estate industry over those of our residents. 

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Fight for affordability for all 48th Ward renters, owners, families, and seniors and hold property managers accountable for maintenance and safety of buildings
• Support the Just Cause Eviction ordinance, which would strengthen protections for renters, and require landlords to pay relocation assistance when evicting tenants without just cause
• Support legislation that preserves housing for low-income renters and provides permanent affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness, like Bring Chicago Home 
• Build affordable, multi-bedroom housing for families to help combat enrollment loss in local CPS schools, close the housing gap, and prevent families from leaving the city altogether

Environmental Justice

The effects of our climate disaster are seen year-round in Chicago. In Edgewater, lakefront erosion has led to emergency shoreline work at Berger Park. But climate change rarely adheres to ward boundaries. I believe we can combat environmental injustice by canceling contracts with polluters, investing in climate resilient and carbon neutral infrastructure, and refusing to give public space to corporations.

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Support expanding the lead pipe replacement program and increasing funding to the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
• Proactively work with federal, state, and city agencies to build flood prevention infrastructure to protect residences, businesses, and other buildings in the ward from flooding, lakefront erosion, and other effects of climate change
• Fight to retrofit our school buildings with carbon-neutral and climate resilient technology and install proper ventilation and other necessary COVID protections

• Enforce a strong citywide climate action plan and fight for a citywide energy plan for a cleaner, more sustainable future
• Reopen the Chicago Department of the Environment

Public Safety

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. I believe that housing, the ability to provide for yourself and your family, access to arts and athletics, mental health and social service resources, accessible streets, and more make people safe. Chicago’s leaders have long favored a punitive approach to safety that criminalizes peoples’ personal crises, leads to more violence, and makes neighborhoods more fearful. It’s time to try care-based strategies that get to the roots of violence in our communities and connect people with resources they desperately need rather than asking police officers to solve all of society’s problems.

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Fight to allocate funds towards community-led violence prevention, substance abuse, and domestic violence programs
• Support Treatment Not Trauma, which would create a non-police crisis response system for mental health related emergencies to better serve our neighbors and reduce their exposure to the criminal justice system 
• Fight to reopen and expand the services of Chicago’s public mental health clinics, providing hundreds of union jobs in healthcare and servicing hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans with trauma-informed responses to personal crises
• Work with newly-elected district council members, community organizations, district commanders, and 48th Ward residents to increase police accountability and public safety in our neighborhood
• Continue and expand community events like movies in the park, street festivals, and night markets that bring people together in cultural community while enriching public safety

Labor and Economic Justice

I believe in a workers’ right to unionize and demand workplace safety, adequate compensation, and dignity. I believe that our city should be one where working people receive the fruits of our labor. We deserve a ward and a Chicago that everyone, regardless of income level, can call home. 

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Expand public sector unions by supporting legislation that adds stable, union jobs in healthcare, the public service sector, and public schools 
• Introduce an ordinance to eliminate the tipped minimum wage in Chicago, ensuring that all tipped employees receive the same hourly wage guaranteed to all Chicagoans, which will especially assist low-wage restaurant workers
• Invest in 48th Ward commercial corridors, like Bryn Mawr, to encourage small business growth and development of public spaces without displacing long-time residents 
• Oppose property tax increases and shift to progressive revenue sources 
• Create a participatory budgeting process where ward residents direct how money is invested in our community 

Public Infrastructure

I believe we have to invest in robust public transportation and infrastructure that makes walking, biking, scootering, and taking public transit viable options for everyone. We must invest in public spaces in our ward by creating pedestrian-friendly plazas and walkable thoroughfares to make our streets safer and more accessible for all.

As Alderman of the 48th Ward I will:

• Fight for more transit throughout the city, increase train service frequency, and increase bus service on busy streets, like Clark Street and Sheridan Road
• Build high-quality biking and pedestrian infrastructure, such as bump-outs and protected bike lanes that prioritize cyclists, and a shared streets program that increases pedestrian safety
• Work with state and city agencies to increase pedestrian safety on high car traffic streets, like Ridge and Broadway
• Work to municipalize snow removal so that sidewalks, bus stops, and crosswalks are accessible for everyone after a snow storm
• Work to implement car-free pedestrian zones in the areas of our ward with the highest foot traffic, such as on Clark Street north of Foster