William "Dock" Walls, Candidate for Chicago Mayor

Candidate Full Name: William "Dock" Walls

Office: Chicago Mayor

Web Site: http://wallsformayor.com/

Survey Questions (Character limit of 2,000 per response)

1. It's the next Mayor of Chicago that will deal with the full consequences of the financial decisions being made today. What strategies will you use to make headway with the budget difficulties?

As Mayor, I will cut the Procurement Department red tape, unbundle government contracts, allow bidders to lease equipment (subject to transparency requirements), provide wrap up bonding and insurance, and establish a City Start-up Capital loan for equipment and payroll, to enable more contractors, vendors and suppliers to respond to Requests For Proposals and offer competitive bids. This is likely to reduce procurement costs by as much as ten percent (10 percent).

I will cut City of Chicago's government utility costs by using modern efficiencies and technology to heat, cool, light and regulate lobbies, offices, and conference rooms throughout all City of Chicago facilities. This may reduce costs by as much as four million dollars ($4,000,000).

I will cut the flow of administrative paperwork by fifty percent (50 percent). This will reduce purchasing, handling and storage costs by twenty percent (20 percent). I will reduce the City of Chicago debt service by transitioning Chicago from the current "Debt to Fund Services" revenue and expenditure system into a "Pay As You Go" revenue and expenditure system.

Additionally, as Mayor, I will offer city employees the option of a ten hour a day, four day a week, forty hour work week. This would reduce daily start-up costs as well as reduce personal and public energy consumption. This would allow the city to avoid city employee furlough days.

2. Will you raise property taxes?

I would only support a property tax increase to fund the pension systems after all other options were exhausted. That includes an internal overhaul of the administration of the various pension systems. If a property tax is necessary, I will make certain that it is levied against those property owners who can actually afford to bear that additional burden, ie owners of property with an assessed value of $400,000 or more.

3. How do you feel about privatizing city assets?

I don't like privatization. When a municipality Privatizes city services that body relinquishes control and oversight over the work practices. Additionally, the cost of performance increases, as the company awarded the contract expects to receive a profit. Employees of those contract companies aren't necessarily assured that they will receive a fair or living wage.

4. How will you improve the Chicago School System?

I would mandate "Educational Intensive Care." We would implement policies, practices and procedures designed to ensure Chicago students have at least an 80 percent chance of completing their education, Pre-K through 12th grade.

As mayor, consistent with my commitment to decentralize city government, I will reopen the 50 schools Rahm recklessly closed. Those buildings will be "education first facilities" with a "mixed use" component. Those sound structures will be refurbished and restored to their primary use as neighborhood schools. However, to make this economically feasible, and reduce the burden on taxpayers, we will modify each building to also accommodate, a Police Sub Station; A Regional or Local CPS office; A WIC office; A Neighborhood DHS office, and a student therapy facility. Given the proper design, these several essential community service providers can safely and efficiently co-exist in the same structure.

There are 102 Illinois counties. Of them, 101 fund education with a proper mix of Property taxes and State Income Taxes. Unlike the other counties, Cook County relies primarily upon Property taxes to fund education. In fact, over 50 percent of Cook County property taxes goes to fund education.

Funding Solution: As Mayor of Chicago, central to my downstate legislative agenda will be a change in the Funding formula for schools in Chicago and Cook County.

5. How would you work the Chicago Police Department and community members to make residents feel safe in their neighborhoods?

To immediately reduce the number of violent crimes, I would declare a State of Emergency. I would institute a series of specific actions to quickly alleviate the root causes of increased crime and violence, and thereby reduce the unacceptable level of danger.

Pursuant to that meaningful declaration, as Mayor I would direct the Superintendent of Police to Conduct high visibility Outdoor Roll Calls in and around high crime areas: Conduct Outdoor Police Academy Recruit Training sessions in and around high crime areas: Stop all police Parking Ticket writing activities: Limit Police Traffic Court appearances to those involving personal injury, auto damage, DUI, drugs or weapons: Station police cars near parks, schools and libraries until they are dispatched to respond to calls, upon completion of that call, they will return to their assigned spot; Implement flex districts which would allow beat officers from low risk beats (relatively safe beats) to provide support in high risk beats; Replace the vast majority of sworn officers presently assigned to office and desk duty with civilians and reassign those officers to street beat patrol (foot, bike, and horseback). Police officers will be outfitted with Body Cams which will be synchronized with Dashboard cams. To reduce police overtime, Police Department clerks will review footage and document police encounters and arrests. The involved officer(s) will sign off on the clerk generated police reports.

6. Do you support or oppose the vote to increase the minimum wage in several steps to $13 an hour by 2019? Why?

Yes. We want to make certain that families can sustain themselves and ultimately realize the American dream.

7. Are you in favor of Chicago's Red Light Camera program? Why?

No I am not in favor of Chicago's Red Light Camera program. I do not favor the use of mechanical devices as the primary means for the enforcement of minor traffic infractions. Instead, I favor highly visible devices which broadcast or reflect a rivers speed, or warn of a possible violation. The city's objective should be to ensure compliance and adherence to the law. Thus, minimally intrusive warnings should be sufficient to accomplish that objective. If further enforcement is deemed necessary, it should be done by law enforcement officers.

I would eliminate the, so called, red light cameras. "Yellow has become the new red" at known camera enforced intersections. Drivers are programmed to obey with reckless abandon. Consequently, drivers slam on their brakes early to avoid possibly getting ticketed. Recent city of Chicago statistics indicate an increase in the number of rear end collisions at intersections known to be enforced by Red Light Cameras.

As Mayor, I will return the ill gotten $7.7 million due to drivers unfairly ensnared by Rahm Emanuel's policy of shortened yellow lights at camera enforced intersections. My administration will eliminate ticketing for Speed Zone violations, based solely upon the camera footage.

William "Dock" Walls