Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong: Vision and Plan for the City of Kankakee, Illinois
Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong: Vision and Plan for the
City of Kankakee , Illinois
Interviewed
and written by Aaron Robinson (Editor) and Tocarra Eldridge
Photos: David Volden
On May 1st, 2017, hundreds of people filled the
City Hall Chamber in Kankakee ,
IL
Prior to Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong’s oath, she has
served as Alderwoman in the 5th Ward of Kankakee, worked for Kankakee School District Kankakee
Community College , and a Bachelor’s
and Master’s Degree from Governors
State University
Consciousness Magazine had the privilege to interview Mayor
Chasity Wells-Armstrong, a woman filled with love, joy and happiness and who has
a genuine passion for making significant changes in the City where she grew up.
Here is what she has to share about her vision and plan for the City of Kankakee .
Aaron Robinson: Thank you for taking out the time
to pursue this interview with us. We truly appreciate it!
Mayor Chasity
Wells-Armstrong:
No thank you. It’s my pleasure!
Aaron Robinson: What is the gratification like
being the first African-American Mayor of Kankakee , Illinois
Mayor Chasity: Well, I know that it is a huge
milestone for this community. One thing that has been gratifying is seeing how
children are engaged. They are excited! My husband and I were talking about how
when we were children, we weren’t on the radar with politics the way children
are now. I have ten year olds that are excited about me being the Mayor, and
they have an understanding of what that is. That lets me know that they are
watching and paying attention, and I have an opportunity to help mold them. I’m
very excited about that, and that’s gratifying for me.
Aaron: When did you realize running for Mayor
was something that you wanted to pursue?
Mayor Chasity: I served on City Council for two
years, and I’m a person that really tries to build relationships with people.
As things continued to occur throughout the community, I felt like there
weren’t appropriate responses to those things from leadership. At that point I
felt like I needed to do something. I don’t believe in just being a complainer,
and not being a problem solver. So, that was the point when I started thinking
that someone else is going to have to step up.
Tocarra Eldridge: What is your vision for the City
of Kankakee ? More so in regards to
making Kankakee an active City,
healthy City and engaged City?
Mayor Chasity: In terms of my vision, I want to
create an environment where people dream, grow and thrive here. I want children
to stop growing up here and leaving and not coming back. I want them to have
opportunity; I want it to be an inclusive community. I’m seeing as I’m
navigating the current structure of the City – people have had their hands on
the horns for a very long time – and there are other talented people in the
community who do not get an opportunity. I want to open up that circle. I want
our community to be a place where people can grow no matter where they come
from, no matter what they look like, and no matter their income.
Tocarra: We are aware that it
takes an entire community to help build a City. Can you elaborate on how
citizens of Kankakee can help with the
initiative to make your dreams and visions of the City come to reality so that
everyone can enjoy a decent and equal quality of life?
Mayor Chasity: Absolutely! I encourage people to
stay engaged. I need people to stay engaged in the process, to be committed to
be educated about issues, and to also be committed to building relationships
with leaders. I’m a very participatory leader, so I’m very engaged throughout
the community. I want people to ask questions. I’m going to create forums where
people can ask questions and get information. If everybody does a little bit it
will make the community better. We have to shift the mindset of the “Jesus
complex” (laughs); I’m not a savior. (laughs) It takes all of us together to
bring about the changes that we want. People are saying that to me, so that’s
been helpful for me to hear that as I move forward.
Tocarra: Good governance at any level
requires the strong support of citizens. To retain support of the citizens,
briefly, what values, policies and virtues do you espouse in the City?
Mayor Chasity: I’m a social worker; I value all
people. I believe all people have value. Sometimes I hear particularly in our
community, the African-American community, that some of us are so critical of
people in our community. I really believe that there are very few people in the
world who are all bad. I believe that everybody has something to offer.
Everyone has value. That is something that I will put forth. Hearing the
perspectives of people that are different from me is important in regards to
policy making. I believe in being equitable in terms of resources. I also
believe in social justice – making sure the people have access and support towards
what they need so that they can thrive.
Tocarra: Concerning your administration, what
is the biggest challenge that you foresee yourself facing?
Mayor Chasity: I’m in the transition point. One
of the things that is challenging now is figuring out the structure of the City.
I’ve discovered that we really have no human resources department, which is
disturbing. Some of those functions have been assigned to various people
throughout the City. I really need to get a grasp of what are all the
positions, what are all the functions, and what makes sense for us moving
forward as a City. There are some changes that I see that I already want to
make. Some people have two and three jobs. You can’t expect someone to be their
best self in their role if they’re stressed like that. That is something that
is really a focus of mines right now, and also making sure that I am aware of
everything that is going on as this transition occurs, and of course the
budget.
Aaron: In regards to minority owned
businesses in the City, although there is a small percentage of minority owned
businesses, in these challenging times, what can the City do to help
entrepreneurs build their businesses and what effective steps can your
administration do to help build minority businesses?
Mayor Chasity: One of the things that I think is
needed is education. When I grew up as a kid my parents worked at one place for
30 years and then they retired. Young people don’t want to work like that and
we have a lot of people in our community who are creative, and I believe we need
to foster that creativity. With that being said, to say that you want to be a
business owner and open your own business sounds glamorous, but there is a lot
that goes into that if you’re going to be a sustainable business. I’m already
having conversations with local banks and the Chamber of Commerce about
bringing education to that issue. We currently have a program called Enterprise
You that is ran thru the Chamber, and that program is a program to help people
who want to start a business. They help them develop a business plan. They talk
with them about credit. If your credit is not good enough there are banks there
to tell you this is what we’re looking for when we loan to a business loaner.
They discuss who is your base, as well as the market for your idea. I think a
lot of people jump in without considering a long term plan. They max out their
credit cards and then do not have anything coming in to sustain. I believe
education is very very important. I’m a proponent of education no matter what
the issue is. There is also programs through our small business administration,
minority programs for businesses, veterans and women. There are resources out
there that I am aware of from working at the Federal level, and I will leverage
those relationships that I have with members of congress to get those resources
to the community.
Tocarra: Many college graduates who are
natives of Kankakee do not return to
the City due to the lack of employment and the high unemployment rate. What
plans do you intend to implement to combat this issue? Also, if possible, can
you elaborate on a few of the likely job positions that may become available
under your administration?
Mayor Chasity: In terms of creating an
environment where young people will come back, that is going to take some work
in terms of economic development. I’m planning to have our community assessed
through an organization that I talked about during the forums with the prior Mayor
in Economic Development Administration. They are a Federal agency; they come in
and access your community. We have a lot of resources in Kankakee ,
and they can tell us what would make sense in terms of us expanding and what
would make sense in terms of us bringing something here. For example, we have
two hospitals and we have certain industries here. Is Valspar importing
something into the community that they need to run their business? Is that
something that we can make here in Kankakee ?
We need to develop a strategic plan for economic development. We currently do
not have a strategic plan. In my second term I plan to start a youth mentorship
program. I want to partner with the City Departments and Workforce Investments,
placing our youth throughout the City to expose them to different jobs in the City.
For example, when I was preparing to run for Mayor, I shadowed the Department
of Public Works and rode in the truck for two hours to talk to them about their
work, what they do and to get a perspective of their work. I had no idea what
an Arborist was. They take care of trees. (laughs) So, for a young person that
says I don’t want to go to college Mayor, I want a job working outside, I want
to work with my hands – I want to create a program in the City for our youth
where they can be placed throughout different departments…clerical, etc. Our
Waste Water Treatment Plant entry level positions are $70,000 per year. They
don’t require college, but people don’t know that. We don’t do a very good job
in communicating. My thing is, if you aren’t exposed to it and you can’t see
it, you don’t know that you can do it. I really want to open that up to our
youth. Then the partnership piece comes in soft skills. A lot of our employers
complain that our youth don’t have soft skills…they’re late, they dress
inappropriately, they’re doing things on the weekend that impact their ability
to perform on Monday. I want to make sure they understand a work ethic and what
a good work ethic looks like.
You asked about job openings in the City, right now I’m
accessing that. I know we need an HR Department. (laughs)
Tocarra: In the past, there seemed to be
fewer leaders in the community having a great concern for our youth and young
adults. There are many parks, several community centers and recreational
places; however the young people seem to be less interested. Are there any
plans being implemented for the youth and young adults encouraging them to stay
active and remain out of trouble so that they can feel connected and remain
rooted to the City?
Mayor Chasity: One of the things will be the
mentorship program that I’ve talked about. Our Park District is in disarray. I
don’t have particular jurisdiction over the park district. A lot of people don’t
understand that. We certainly impact each other and work hand in hand, but I
can’t fire people in the Park district. They are a separate body of government.
They levy their own taxes. We own the Martin Luther
King Park
Aaron: Crime has been consistently
mentioned throughout the City as one of the biggest problems. What can your
administration do to help and repair the problem, as well as improve the City’s
public perception?
Mayor Chasity: You probably already know the Chief
of police resigned the day after the election. I think a critical piece for me
is getting the right people in the right positions. We need a police chief that
is going to reflect things that I value in my administration like respect and being
culturally sensitive. People of color are raised very different than Anglo
people. I’m seeing some disturbing
things and I’ve had conversations with our States Attorney about it. The way I
was disciplined as a child can now be a criminal offense. (laughs) Parents are
struggling with that. In terms of crime I think it’s getting the right police
chief, because the Mayor is the ambassador of the City and the Mayor is going
to set the tone for the City and the police chief is going to set the tone and
culture for our police department. If our chief is engaged, compassionate and
respectful of the community, building relationships with our community – I
believe in community policing – I believe that is going to improve our
relationships. We have to partner in fighting crime, because if we don’t the
issue is not going to go away. Right now my understanding is there is a
disconnection between the police and the community. That’s very problematic,
because when crime happens people don’t talk to the police. What I have found
out, which is very disturbing to me, is that we can’t event have this
conversation with the police because nobody wants to acknowledge that there has
been this history and this dynamic between communities of color and the police.
They almost get offended when we bring it up and start telling us about an accreditation
they have. I explain to them, my husband and I are upstanding citizens and if
we get pulled over we don’t have drugs or weapons in our car, but we still get
nervous about it because there has been a dynamic. We don’t think when we get
pulled over oh the City of Kankakee has an accreditation. That’s not what’s
going through a person of color’s mind. We should be having regular
conversations with the police. We should not just see police when there is a
tragedy or when something traumatic has happened.
Tocarra: The prior administration was not
very helpful to all ethnicities, however more so invested interest in
particular individuals. What are your thoughts on the outlook, inspiration and
shift of power for the individuals who did not have support from the prior
administration?
Mayor Chasity: I’m inclusive and I’m going to
give people an opportunity. I know there is a segment of the community that is
very upset because when you benefit from a system and a structure you don’t
want it to change. People naturally fear change. I am going to work very hard
to be fair. I’m opening that circle up to the community. I believe that, and
that is how I will run my administration.
Aaron: In the past, the Kankakee City
Mayor Chasity: I’ve heard people complain about
it, but the reality is that it’s not going to be eliminated right away. My goal
would be, as we build our economic base by recruiting businesses, getting homes
again, that we would be able to decrease that. I can’t go in day one and say
we’re not going to have a sticker. It generates approximately $475,000 of
revenue, so I’m already looking at coming in and adding positions to hire
people that need to be hired. I am not going to lie and say that it’s going to
be eliminated. I will work very hard to incrementally reduce that, but
unfortunately right now we are in a position where we need the revenue. Also, we
need to be responsible as residents because we all know it’s coming up in June.
(laughs) Just like Christmas comes every 25th of December (laughs), and
Mother’s Day comes every May. (laughs) So we need to quit acting like we’re
surprised and be personally responsible and budget our $35 for our vehicle. I’m
a keep it real Mayor.
Tocarra: In the past there have been
several prime time talk shows that have stated a multitude of negative comments
concerning the City of Kankakee . What
plans do you have economically, socially and politically to reverse that stigma
and potentially make Kankakee
outstanding?
Mayor Chasity: I think this election alone has
brought a lot of positive press to Kankakee .
The other thing that we don’t have for the City is someone that does
PR/Communications for the City. One of the things that I talked about during
the forums against the other Mayor was our website. It’s embarrassing; it’s
ridiculous. It does not highlight any of the resources we have. It does not
reflect who we are. It doesn’t market our resources, our industries or our
strengths. We have to take responsibility for telling our stories. We have a
lot of wonderful people in Kankakee
with good things going on and you only hear about the negative things. We have
to take responsibility in putting that information out. We need someone who is
going to be able to do PR and Communications. Just with the election alone
we’ve gotten so much positive press for me being the first African-American. It
was in the Huffington Post, and our race was mentioned. You guys are now doing
an interview and there are some other things in the pipelines. Tyjuan Hagler
has his basketball tournament in Kankakee .
He grew up here and he played pro football. We have to do a better job and take
responsibility for that and see that it is a valuable piece of government of
telling our stories.
Aaron: For those elders who stay at home
and feel as though there is nothing in public for them to come out to and
participate in, will there be any plans implemented for them to come out and
use there knowledge and wisdom to give back to the community?
Mayor Chasity: I think a lot of people have a
misconception that there is nothing to do. There are a lot of things to do in Kankakee . I think the problem is that we don’t always
communicate that well. Certain sections of government and even organizations
operate in silos. One of the things that I’m hoping to do is streamline that
once we revise our website so people know what’s going on, have a community
calendar, etc. I believe in engaging all generations and as many stakeholders
as I can so I’ll be forming some advisory committees to the Mayor – for youth,
business owners and for elders. I always seek the wisdom of people who have
served before me. I don’t want people to feel irrelevant and forgotten because
they’ve gotten older. I visit the churches regularly and I will continue to do
that. I want them to know that they are valuable and to stay engaged.
Aaron: You now uphold a stronger position
being a role-model and inspiration to many. Do you have any inspiration or
words-of-encouragement for young females and males also going through trying times,
however having challenging times remaining focused, positive, and believing in
themselves?
Mayor Chasity: I talked about this a little bit
during the campaign. A lot of people look at me now and don’t know – I don’t
look like what I’ve been thru. My dad is a Vietnam
veteran and went into the service at 17 years old and had a lot of trauma…grew
up in poverty. I’m the oldest of 5 children, and there was some impacts from
that. My senior year in high school I stopped going to school. I dropped out.
However, I was still able to graduate on time, because I’m a nerd. (laughs) I really like to learn, so I had
taken all these early and late bird classes. I love school. School was an
escape for me; being in the books was an escape for me. A lot of people don’t
know that. They don’t know I dropped out of school, that I got pregnant at 18,
was homeless – I never talked about that – was once living in a car at one
point before I met my husband. You can overcome anything. I think for most
people it’s having some source of faith, whatever they believe that is for
themselves. Reach out to someone that you trust, someone that you can talk to
about things that are troubling you and they can give you some guidance. I’ve
had people in this community that have done that for me. I met Alderman Brown being
a runaway, and I set behind him on the City Council [as an Alderwoman]. Now, my
life has just come full circle with that. Pastor Tyler Prude at Second Baptist
Church
Aaron: Mayor Chasity, before we end the
interview, would you like to add anything in closing?
Mayor Chasity: I just want to thank you guys for
interviewing me! It’s an honor for people to be interested in your story, and
want to hear your story and share your story. I want to encourage you guys to
stay engaged. I want to encourage our community. I want them to be hopeful. I
think that’s one of the greatest things that I’m seeing right now, people have
hope, especially young Black men. I’ve had barbers and other young Black men
that are reaching out to me now because they feel like number one, I understand
their struggle, which I do, but not to the point to what they have went through
because I’m not a Black man, but I understand the struggle; and number two,
they know that I’m somebody who cares and is going to work hard and is
committed to making opportunities for everyone. I do need everybody to do their
part. If we all just do something, as parents we have to go to our parent
teacher’s conferences, we have to watch what we’re doing around our kids.
Whatever you’re passionate about, I encourage everyone to get involved in the
community in some way. I’m going to be promoting opportunities for that as well
out of the Mayor’s office. Thank you guys!
All images Copyright David Volden
Order your print edition of Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong featured in Consciousness Magazine.
Here is link: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1308920
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Thanks for sharing very nice post.
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