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André Vasquez
André Vasquez is a member of the Chicago City Council in Illinois, representing Ward 40. He assumed office on May 20, 2019. His current term ends on May 17, 2027.
Vasquez ran for re-election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 40 in Illinois. He won in the general election on February 28, 2023.
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2023)
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 40
Incumbent André Vasquez defeated Christian Blume and Jane Lucius in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 40 on February 28, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | André Vasquez (Nonpartisan) | 78.9 | 10,594 |
 | Christian Blume (Nonpartisan)  | 14.5 | 1,945 | |
| Jane Lucius (Nonpartisan) | 6.6 | 887 | ||
| Total votes: 13,426 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Eddien Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 40
André Vasquez defeated incumbent Patrick O'Connor in the general runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 40 on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | André Vasquez (Nonpartisan) | 53.9 | 7,509 |
 | Patrick O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | 46.1 | 6,431 | |
| Total votes: 13,940 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 40
Incumbent Patrick O'Connor and André Vasquez advanced to a runoff. They defeated Dianne Daleiden, Maggie O'Keefe, and Ugo Okere in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 40 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | 33.3 | 4,446 |
| ✔ | | André Vasquez (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 2,683 |
 | Dianne Daleiden (Nonpartisan) | 17.2 | 2,296 | |
 | Maggie O'Keefe (Nonpartisan) | 15.4 | 2,058 | |
| Ugo Okere (Nonpartisan) | 14.0 | 1,870 | ||
| Total votes: 13,353 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
André Vasquez did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
André Vasquez completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Vasquez's responses.
Low-income families do not have the same choices, options, or alternatives when it comes to public school. How can this be addressed?
I believe we must solve these problems by investing heavily in all public schools, especially neighborhood schools. I just sent my first child to elementary school, and it was a stressful and painful process to decide where she should go. My wife and I live in a good neighborhood with good neighborhood schools, we are not impoverished, and we’re both familiar with the public schools from our own experiences attending them, and my mother-in-law’s experience working in them. I personally went to 4 different public schools growing up as a result of being gentrified out of different neighborhoods, so I have a very personal experience that fuels my value set. We need to invest in schools equitably and fiercely advocate for an elected school board. The goal is for every neighborhood school to have the best world class education possible, regardless of what zip code it resides in.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
The number one solution to inequality between and within schools is investment. We need to make huge investments in all of our schools, and in all of the children. We know there are massive funding disparities between schools in Chicago--between schools in wealthy or white communities and schools in poorer communities or communities of color. It is in the best interest of our city, for schools to be funded equitably so that the schools that need the most support, get the most.
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
I think this question is fundamentally about investment in schools. The number one way we can better support teachers is to ensure they have the resources they need to effectively teach. That means books, materials, and basic classroom supplies. No teacher should have to pay out of pocket for or fundraise from parents to afford something like paper towels or hand sanitizer. I also believe that PTAs are vital to the health of our schools. A robust program that keeps parents involved in the day-to-day function of the school will build stronger relationships between teachers, parents, and the broader community. I also believe that schools offer a unique opportunity to be utilized as community centers when school is out for childcare, skills training, community meetings, and to be more of a neighborhood hub for those neighbors who don’t have kids who attend. We also need a fully elected school board with educators at the helm, guiding where our education system should go, instead of having CEOs, who view things from a profit based model.
What do you believe are the greatest needs of kids in school today? How would you prioritize these needs and address them?
I think we need to ensure our education system is treating kids like whole people. We need to look at schooling holistically. This means schools should focus not just on test scores, but also on the development of students in the arts, interpersonal skills, and other necessary life skills. We should have curriculum that prepares them not just to be good workers, but to be great thinkers, artists, and members of society. We need LGBT History and Women’s studies at grade school levels so that our future generations have a greater understanding of the sacrifices and struggles of so many of our people. I also believe we need to ensure all of our schools are fully staffed. Every school should have a nurse, counselor, and librarian available every day.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
I think we ought to provide a range of after school programs based on the needs of different students and schools. We need to provide for students’ physical health with sports and fitness programs, nourish their intellectual interests outside of class, and provide spaces for students who may not feel safe at home. After school programs in general are also important to make sure all students are safe. Growing up in a neighborhood with Latin Kings on the block, my parents made me stay home after school all the time. Programs that provide a safe place to be and let kids get out of the house both keep kids safe and help keep them out of the influence of gangs. Programs that teach kids, how to save, invest, start a business, interview for careers - there is so much we can offer to help our future generations.
Do you believe that there is corruption in Chicago politics, such as pay-to-play practices when the city awards bids? If so, how would you address it?
Yes. I would support council rules that curtail aldermanic prerogative. I would also support stronger ethics ordinances that provide the inspector general with the tools needed to investigate and enforce existing rules. I believe the Aldermanic role should be a full time position so as to limit potential conflicts of interests that could occur. We need more transparency and accountability at all levels.
How would you make the city’s policies more responsive to community input instead of donors or special interests?
I think this has to start in the ward office. I will make deliberate effort to create advisory boards and decision-making bodies that will guide my decision making legislatively and executively in terms of development. I am for community-driven zoning as well as participatory budget meetings with neighbors so that they are involved in the decision making process for future projects. I also support and will work to pass a fair elections ordinance that would establish a small-donor matching program to increase the power of everyday people in financing elections, so that candidates for office don’t have to depend on corporations or personal wealth to run and so voters can determine which candidates are truly independent, as well as which ones have been bought and paid for by corporations or developers.
How would you handle the “recurrence of unaddressed racially discriminatory conduct by officers” identified in the U.S. Justice Department’s investigative report of the Chicago PD published in 2017?
I think we need to implement meaningful civilian accountability and transparency practices. We need to make interventions in the police department that make it clear that this kind of behavior is not acceptable. I am for the CPAC (Civilian Police Accountability Council), which would bring true oversight and accountability to our police department. I think the consent decree issued by the Department of Justice is a beginning to a conversation, not a permanent fix.
What sort of proposals would help reduce police shootings and fatalities?
I think number one is meaningful police accountability, aimed at stopping officers who are likely to use lethal force before they get to that level of misconduct. Furthermore, I think we need to invest heavily in communities that are most impacted by violence between residents and violence at the hands of police instead of just investing in our current broken policy of ever-increasing police presence. We have to provide people with an alternative to engagement in gangs, and we need to bring people back into neighborhoods they left. Neighborhoods where every other lot is empty or holds a vacant building cannot be safe. There is no social network present on the ground to provide for safety, and we try to replace it with police officers. That does not work, and just results in more police shootings. Officers do need and want more training, which I believe needs to be provided, but it must be coupled with a true solution that includes real accountability to restore faith in a system that is racist and corrupt.
What ideas do you have to reduce the availability of illegal or unregistered guns in Chicago?
We need to work with our federal representatives to change the law at the national level. We also need to push our neighboring states with laxer gun laws through any means possible to stem the flow. We also have to address “bad apple” gun dealers and make sure businesses aren’t making money flooding our city with guns. I would actively lobby members of congress to support and advance legislation to this end.
How will you help to rebuild trust in the police department and to encourage the community to work with police?
Police accountability measures and criminal justice reforms are crucial to restoring trust. This is the first step to encouraging the community to work with the police. People need to know that they can trust the police with all matters, and that calling the police won’t result in harm to them or someone they love, or incarceration far out of proportion to the crime. I have also served as a CAPS beat meeting facilitator. I have experience directly working to connect my community and the police officers who work in my community. I will continue to serve in that role as alderman--facilitating the direct interaction between officers who work in the ward and the residents they serve. There are many officers who are for more accountability, but their role prevents them from speaking publicly about it. It is an extremely difficult job that requires support, mental health services, adequate time to rest, so that our officers can be in the best position to do their roles, but all of this requires a system of accountability that would allow us to address the other issues.
How would you address criminal justice issues such as prison reform and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons into city life?
I believe we must do what we can to decrease our prison population, including by implementing diversion programs where possible. Our goal should be to reorient our justice system to focus truly on rehabilitation and decreasing recidivism, and not on punishing people for minor crimes. We can make change in this area as a city by setting policy for the police department. We need substantial investment in services for formerly incarcerated persons. We should not exclude them from public benefits programs, and should make sure that housing programs, job search programs, and other necessary services are fully funded. As City Council, we can make these investments at the city level to start, and lobby for changes to state and federal programs where necessary.
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
I support both new investment in affordable and public housing and enacting rent control in Chicago when it is made legal at the state level. We also need a city vision plan when it comes to providing equitable affordable housing that serves to end the segregation we have had in Chicago for decades. By implementing a strong Affordable Requirements Ordinance that requires 30% affordable units where the city has provided any subsidies and removing the opt out or off site building loopholes, we can provide more opportunities for people to live wherever they choose to in the city, while also adding the density needed to sustain local businesses.
How would you care for the most vulnerable Chicagoans?
By providing accessible civic education, engaging them through organizing, and ensuring that they have a seat at the table when it comes to community decision making. As a someone who grew up in an immigrant family, I understand what it feels like to feel outside of a community and not understanding how things work or are pushed forward. By not only advocating for people, but also including them in the space and conversations that determine their environment and future, we all benefit together as a city.
How would you ensure that development benefits residents in their neighborhoods and not solely the developers and other interests?
I will involve residents in discussions about development from the very early stages. This means proactive outreach from my ward office and from developers, and a ward-based community zoning board that will hold me accountable in representing the ward on zoning and development matters in City Council. I am also for CBA, or community benefit agreements, that I believe help provide a framework for how to balance developer interest with community interests, which should be regarded as paramount.
How would you distribute revenue fairly between neighborhoods?
In my ward, I would implement a participatory budgeting plan to involve ward residents in the allocation of resources -- including regulations designed in cooperation with ward residents to ensure resources are distributed across the ward. I would also work to organize, as I currently do, to bring in stakeholders that typically aren’t politically involved, so that their needs are met as well.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
First and foremost, I believe that we cannot, in any way, reduce or eliminate retirement benefits to solve the underfunding problem. Pensions are a promise today, and they were a promise when the council and mayor tried to reduce them in the unconstitutional ordinance recently struck down. I believe that we have to address the underfunding problem through progressive revenue solutions. We know that the money is here. The city of Chicago as a bigger GDP than many countries. We know who we need to tax to be able to fully fund our pensions and other city programs. We must raise taxes on the very rich and on large corporations that make huge profits by running their business in Chicago. From my perspective, this ought to include a Real Estate Transfer Tax, a financial transactions tax, and other measures designed to raise revenue in a progressive way. We all benefit when the city is on firm financial footing. Our communities are safer for all of us, more whole, and better cared for when city service programs are fully funded. We need to design revenue measures that make sure that is the case, and that do not nickel and dime middle class and working people to pay for it.
What’s your opinion on tax increment financing (a program that funds development using any additional property tax revenue that results from an increase in appraised property values)? What, if any, changes would you make to the use of TIF?
I think we need to reevaluate every TIF district. As a development tool, TIFs are being used to give tax breaks to mega-developments and wealthy corporations, not for their intended purpose of increasing investment in “blighted” areas. Furthermore, the tax funds from TIF districts being used to enrich the already wealthy are being taken from schools and other vital services. We should reevaluate the use of TIFs and reinvest money in our key services and in our schools. We should eliminate downtown TIFs and those that aren’t blighted or don’t pass the ‘but/for’ test.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
I think the city has potential to be on secure financial footing. I think that, right now, it is facing a massive financial crisis caused by mismanagement over decades. As I wrote above, I think the city must do everything it can to raise progressive revenue to pay for new spending AND to resolve the massive fiscal crisis that long-time incumbent aldermen and previous administrations have caused. I think we have to look hard at what current spending is working and is not working. For example, I oppose the construction of a new $95 million dollar police academy, and I would oppose blank-check increases to police budgets. The key to this discussion is transparency. Currently the city council is given the budget with limited time to look over it. We need to open up the budget so that the public can see it and has a true understanding of the crisis we are in. There will be a lot of difficult decisions to be made, and the council would need to articulate its reasoning as to what steps it decides to take in light of that. That can help us determine where mismanagement is stemming from and how we can best invest to support the working families and neighbors across the city first.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
I would not rule it out. I would have to see specific language to ensure we’re not shifting tax burden onto working-class people. Specifically, I would not support a tax freeze that stops taxes from going up on million-dollar properties and offsets the cost of that freeze by raising sales taxes or city fines and fees. I believe that the concern neighbors have isn’t so much rising property taxes as it is the lack of return on that investment. When our tax money is being given to developers and corporations, such as the Lincoln Yards project, that is a slap in the face to neighbors who continue to pay more into our system through taxes.
How would you increase access to quality food and urgent care in all parts of the city?
I believe the city ought to invest directly in these issues where corporations have proven they will not. If neighborhoods have been chronically without quality food or adequate healthcare, the city should step in directly. I would support investment in sliding-scale or totally free food banks in neighborhoods with chronic lack of food security. I would also support investment from the city, county, or state in urgent care centers where there is a severe lack of healthcare options. I think communities would be better served by public health facilities that are part of existing health networks, but would not rule out the city stepping up if other government bodies cannot or will not.
How will you address public health concerns such as contaminated drinking water, rat infestation, and lead poisoning?
We must implement a city program to fully replace all lead service lines in Chicago. Chicago is one of the few cities to have required service lines to be made of lead for decades, and it is the city’s responsibility to replace those service lines where homeowners or renters cannot afford it. Other cities have done it nationwide, and we ought to learn from their experiences. The neighborhood I live in is directly affected by rat infestation. We need more investment in rat abatement. I also support a program that I learned about at the doors talking to a voter: TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) where feral cats are capture and neutered, which curbs their population. They are then provided food regularly in the neighborhood so they stay around and help curb the rat population Granted, not everyone is up for that job, but I think organizing those folks who are would be helpful.
How would you make Chicago a cleaner city with less waste and pollution?
First and foremost, I believe that Chicago needs a plan to justly transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030. This will mean development of green jobs, hiring people most directly impacted by the environmental crisis and people living in low-income areas first. This will require a serious retrofitting program across the city, including not just City-owned buildings, but all buildings. New York has good examples for this type of program. I also support the broader Sierra Club Environmental Platform for Chicago.
What would be your first steps for improving the transit system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and safety?
First and foremost, we need to evaluate our transit system’s objectives. We need comprehensive plans to be sure that people can get to and from the places they need to go, no matter what part of the city they live in. Our infrastructure is crumbling and in the city’s history, the transportation systems have at times served to segregate our city rather than to connect them. That needs to change as our city will benefit by bringing all of us together in efficient, accessible, and safe ways. In terms of affordability, it is time that we implement a comprehensive sliding pay scale. It is wrong that in 2019, too many individuals have to decide if they are going to renew their CTA pass or pay for heat. Transportation is a necessity, not a luxury. Safety consideration and planning must be taken into account when discussing and implementing long term plans. It is appalling that there are multiple bus stops on the south and west side that don’t have street lights nearby. Considering how brutal Chicago winters can be, it is shameful the number of riders that we expect to be exposed to the elements when they don’t even know when the bus will be arriving. Similar to what I have said throughout this questionnaire, the issue is lack of equitable investment has put us in a precarious situation.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Officeholder Chicago City Council Ward 40 |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
Chicago City Council Ward 40 2019-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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State of Illinois Springfield (capital) |
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