From time to time, an old photograph resurfaces online:  A picture from the cover of LIFE Magazine in the mid-1950s showing a thoroughfare crowded with cars and illuminated by bright lights.  Unless the caption said otherwise, you might not recognize this photo for Court Street. 

Let me say frankly and clearly that Kankakee will never again look like it did in the 1950s.

It will be different.  

And that is okay.  

Because it can be better.

For instance, we re-illuminated our Downtown in 2019 with new lights—clean, energy-efficient ones that span Schuyler Avenue over modern amenities and new businesses, only blocks away from the site of an eclectic, vibrant music festival that has become a signature event of the region.

I ran for alderman because our City is at a pivotal moment.  We face a moment of systemic change across the country, where the economy is shifting beneath us and our communities are clamoring for justice.  Now we must decide whether we want to hold tight to a notion of what Kankakee used to look like or embrace change to create a better, brighter, more inclusive City.  It’s time to choose whether we will fall further behind in our pension and bonding debt or harness our diverse assets to grow our economy and create opportunities for all Kankakeeans.