For the past 20 years, many of you have worked with me to find creative resolutions to community conflicts and to find innovative solutions to community problems. This has been a great privilege. We now have some unique opportunities over the next four years to use innovation and technology to continue to improve the quality of life for ward and city residents while remaining true to our principles of fairness, diversity, and reform.

A Principle of Governance

It has always been my philosophy that the best way to resolve conflicts and to find solutions to problems is to bring together all people affected, to listen to all voices, and then to create a vision that encompasses all perspectives—starting from the perspective of those most affected by the issue at hand.

Resolving Conflicts

There are plenty of examples of how this has worked here in the 46th Ward. There are development examples such as the process involving the developers of the New York or the process that resulted in the Wilson Yard TIF. There are also parking examples, such as the creation of buffer zones, the Lake View Parking Task Force, and the creative use of private parking lots for public use.

Creative Solutions

There are other examples. This principle of governance is evident throughout the various sections of this website that detail our successes over the last 20 years. More importantly, this principle has put this ward and this city on the precipice of some exciting and innovative programs that will be developing over the next few years.

Two and a half years ago, I had a series of meetings with City personnel to discuss creating the “new utility” by making Chicago the first major wireless city. During the next term, Chicago should become one big wireless hotspot. The 46th Ward is also a site of the city’s pilot program for multi-unit building recycling. A decade after the implementation of the blue bag program, the City has given our ward the go ahead to be innovative in creating an effective high rise recycling program.

Innovative Programs

The innovative developments over the next few years include areas beyond environment and technology. The Uplift Community School—a school envisioned by Chicago Public School teachers who grew up in Uptown and attended Uptown public schools—had its first full year last year. The test results were amazing. The school’s 6th, 7th, and 8th graders scored higher than almost all other open enrollment schools in the city, and higher than nearly half of the exclusive enrollment schools in the city.

A Challenge and Honor

It has been both a challenge and an honor to serve this Ward’s residents for the last 20 years. I look forward to that challenge and honor for the next four years.

Sincerely,

Helen Shiller