Cook County Campaign for Liberty and Chicago Tax Day Tea Party

2011 Chicago Municipal Candidate Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete our 2011 Chicago Municipal Candidate Survey. The survey
has four sections; Liberty Issues, Tax Increment Financing, Budget and Education. Each section will be
weighted evenly for scoring purposes (25% per section) and we will feature the results on our website
for the benefit of our members and the general public.

Liberty Issues

1. Red Light Cameras: A 2010 UIC study concluded that accidents have actually increased at Red
Light Camera intersections in Chicago since they were installed. Do you support eliminating
Chicago’s Red Light Camera Program?
a. Yes
b. No
2. TSA: Should public officials (Mayor, Aldermen, Congressmen, etc.) be allowed to bypass Airport
Security at Chicago’s airports?
a. Yes
b. No
3. Second Amendment: Do you support reforming Chicago’s hand gun permitting process to make
it less cumbersome and less expensive for law abiding citizens to obtain a permit?
a. Yes
b. No

Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

4. Would you vote to completely eliminate Chicago’s TIF districts?

a. Yes
b. No

Assuming Chicago’s TIF’s cannot be eliminated, please give your opinion of the following reforms:

5. Should the City Council create a TIF review board made up of Alderman with responsibility for
reviewing proposals, listening to public comments and approving projects that request TIF
funds?
a. Yes
b. No
6. Should property taxes collected within a specific TIF district ONLY be spent on projects within
the boundaries of that district?
a. Yes
b. No
 7. Would you support posting financial details of all approved TIF projects online?
a. Yes
b. No
8. Should the portion of TIF funds redirected from a homeowner’s property taxes be printed on
their property tax bills?
a. Yes
b. No
9. Should the balance of Chicago’s TIF fund be publicly disclosed?
a. Yes
b. No

Budget
10. If elected, would you support the creation of a Citizens Budget Review Board within your ward
to review annual budgets and make recommendations? This board would be made up of
volunteers from within your ward. No public employees or elected officials would be permitted
to serve on this board.
a. Yes
b. No
11. Would you support eliminating public subsidies for local chambers of commerce?
a. Yes
b. No
12. Would you support transitioning garbage collection from a Ward based system to a grid system
to save money?
a. Yes
b. No
13. The Sovereign Wealth Fund of Abu Dahbi owns 25% of Chicago Parking Meters LLC. Are you in
favor of selling or leasing public assets such as the Water Department or Chicago’s airports to
corporate and other outside interests?
a. Yes
b. No

Education

14. Would you support changing the Chicago Public School board to a board of elected members
rather than appointed?
a. Yes
b. No
15. Would you support expanding school choice through parental choice, a voucher program,
expansion of charter schools or other means?
a. Yes
b. No