FIRST OFF TONIGHT, FOR ASPIRING ALDERPEOPLE, THE NEXT CITY ELECTION PRESENTS WIDE OPEN COUNTRY WITH A THIRD OF CITY COUNCIL TURNING OVER IN 2023 POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE LINING UP CANDIDATES TO DUKE IT OUT AND STAKE THEIR CLAIM ON CITY COUNCIL TO HELP DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF CHICAGO.

JOINING US NOW AS PART OF A SPECIAL CROSSOVER WITH "CHICAGO TONIGHT: LATINO VOICES" ARE, JUAN MORANDO, JR. WITH THE ILLINOIS LATINO AGENDA 2.0.

JAMIE NESBITT GOLDEN, OF BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO.

CHAUNDRA VAN DYK WITH CHANGE ILLINOIS.

AND GREG ABBOTT WITH THE "CHICAGO TRIBUNE".

WELCOME BACK ALL OF YOU.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

CHAUNDRA VAN DYK LET'S START WITH YOU, PLEASE, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS IN SEEING A HIGH PROPORTION OF FRESHMEN ALDERPEOPLE?

>> YEAH, SO SOME OF THE BENEFITS WE THINK OF HAVING A NEW SLATE OF COUNCILMEMBERS IS THE IDEA OF NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL.

THERE IS THIS POSSIBILITY OF REFORMING THE WAY THAT THE CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL HAS DONE BUSINESS TRADITIONALLY SO FAR.

THERE'S ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF COMMUNITIES HAVING FAIR REPRESENTATION WHICH ALLOWS RESIDENTS TO PUSH FOR SOMEONE THAT THEY FEEL THAT BEST REPRESENTS THE INTEREST IN OF THEIR COMMUNITY AND ACT ON THAT.

THERE IS A NEW PERSPECTIVE IN THE WAY THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE AND WHAT WE CAN LOOK TO SEE FROM THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING ABLE TO CHANGE AND REAL ENGAGEMENT FROM THE PEOPLE OF CITY OF CHICAGO.

FOR THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDES OF CHICAGO WE ARE LOOKING FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE THAT PRIORITIZES THE VOICES OF THE RESIDENTS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES.

>> JUAN MORANDO, JR. DO YOU SEE DRAWBACKS IN HAVING 20% OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEING NEW TO THAT BODY?

>> IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK.

I WOULD SAY THERE WILL BE SOME DRAWBACKS.

THERE'S SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE.

AND AT THE SAME TIME PEOPLE DON'T THINK THE THINGS ARE OPERATING WELCOME THAT LOSS OF INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE.

CAMPAIGN SOMETHING MUCH DIFFERENT THAN GOVERNING.

WE WILL HAVE FOLKS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS MAKING A LOT OF CLAIMS AND PROMISES AND WHEN IT GETS TO BEING IN CITY COUNCIL AND WRITING THE ORDINANCES AND GARNER THE VOTES IT WILL BE MUCH DIFFERENT AND COULD BE DIFFICULT FOR SOMEBODY WHO DOESN'T HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.

>> JAMIE NESBITT GOLDEN WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM THE INSTITUTIONS AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY ABOUT THE TURNOVER?

>> I AM AHE NOT SEEING A LOT OF WORRY FROM THEM.

SINCE A LOT OF ALDERMEN THEY HAVE DEPARTMENT WITH THAT ARE BUSINESS FRIENDLY I THINK THE IDEA OF THAT WILL CONTINUE EVEN WHEN NEW ALDERMEN COME ON TO THE COUNCIL.

AND TO JUAN'S POINT, I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS ARE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW BLOOD.

AND WHEN I THINK OF RECENT ALDERMEN APPOINTED TO THE POST I'M THINKING OF NICOLE LEE SHE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW FOLKS SEE HER ON THE STREET.

I'VE NEVER SEEN MY ALDERMAN BEFORE.

FOLKS ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT HAVING ALDERPEOPLE WHO ARE ACCESSIBLE AND RELIABLE.

>> HAVEN'T SEEN AN ALDERMAN IN THE WILD, SOME WOULD SAY CITY COUNCIL IS THE WILD.

GREG ABBOTT WHAT ABOUT YOU IS THERE A SENSE OF CONCERN OF INSTABILITY.

>> I AGREE WITH CITY COUNCIL IS THE WILD.

THE INSTABILITY IS A REAL CONCERN FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT YOU DON'T WANT TO GO TOO FAR IN THE OTHER CONTRADICTION AND THROW OUT THE ALDERMEN WITH THE BATH WATER.

YOU DON'T WANT A SITUATION WHERE YOU'RE REPLACING WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT TRADITIONS.

A LOT OF IDEAS ARE NOT NEW THEY ARE RECYCLED AND YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THIS DIDN'T WORK THE LAST TIME OR TURNED DOWN THE OTHER TIME.

THERE'S SOME CONSERVATIVE INSTITUTIONS LIKE FOUNDATIONS LIKE BIG BUSINESSES THAT ARE LIKE OH, ALL THESE CRAZY KIDS ARE COMING IN.

AND THOSE PEOPLE THEY ARE NOT FREAKING OUT BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT TODAY'S YOUNG REFORMERS AND ALL THAT, THEY ARE TOMORROW'S OLD GUARDS.

I THINK THERE'S CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM BUT THERE'S ALSO A CAUTIOUS PESSIMISM.

BUT IT IS A WAIT-AND-SEE.

>> CHAUNDRA VAN DYK WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ALDERPEOPLE VOTING ON THAT VERY CONTENTIOUS REMAP PROCESS WE SAW AND ANNOUNCING THEY WILL LEAVE.

HOW IS THAT GOING TO AFFECT HOW CITY COUNCIL LOOKS LATER ON?

>> I THINK THAT MANY OF US ORGANIZATIONS COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK AROUND THE REMAP PROJECT THERE IS A SENSE OF DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE A LOT OF ALDERS KNEW THEY WERE GOING TO LEAVE BUT THEY VOTED TO PASS A GERRYMANDERED WARD MAP.

AND THE NEW BLOOD AND 0 THE CITY COUNCIL WILL ALLOW US FOR US TO SEE A CHANGE HOW CITY COUNCIL HAS DONE THE WAY IT DOES BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.

WE'RE HOPING FOR REAL GOOD CHANGE AND HOPING TO SEE MORE TRANSPARENCY AND EFFICIENCY IN GOVERNMENT AND ALSO TO SEE COUNCILMEMBERS WHO WILL FOLLOW WHAT THE CONSTITUENTS WANT TO SEE COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT THE CITY COUNCIL.

>> JUAN, YOU MENTIONED THAT RUNNING THE GOVERNMENT AND PASSING ORDINANCES AND GETTING THINGS DONE IS DIFFERENT FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE VIEWERS WHAT LEARNING CURVE NOT VIEWERS BUT VOTERS WHAT LEARNING CURVE ARE VOTERS GOING TO GIVE THE NEW FOLKS ELECTED?

>> I THINK IN GENERAL SOME OF THAT EXCITEMENT ABOUT HAVING A NEW REPRESENTATIVE, THOSE WILL HAVE A NEW ALDER THERE WILL BE LEEWAY.

IT IS A HONEYMOON PERIOD AND IT CAN GO FROM THREE TO THREE MONTHS TO A YEAR.

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING IN THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS ONCE THEY ARE SEATED.

ONE CONTENTIOUS ISSUE LOCALLY OR CITYWIDE CAN TAKE ALL THAT GOODWILL AND THROW IT OUT THE DOOR.

IT WILL BE INCUMBENT UPON THOSE TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE SETTING THEIR AGENDAS UP LEARNING THE ROPES AND GETTING THE ORDINANCES FILED AS QUICKLY AS THEY CAN AND TRYING TO GARNER THE SUPPORT FROM SOME OF THE GROUPS IN THE CITY LOOKING FOR SOME CHANGE.

>> JUAN, WHAT WOULD BE AN INDICATION THAT THE CITY IS MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN THE NEXT ELECTION?

>> FOR ME, I THINK IT WOULD BE JUST PIGGY BACKING OVER WHAT CHAUNDRA WAS SAYING THERE WAS DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY ABOUT NOT BEING 15 MAJORITY WARDS BUT THAT IS WHAT ELECTIONS ARE FOR.

MY HOPE IS WE SEE A MOBILIZATION IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND THERE ARE GOING TO BE 15 LATINOS ELECTED TO ALDERMANIC SEATS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF CHICAGO.

THAT WOULD BE A GREAT SIGN OF PROGRESS TO SEE THE NEW BRIDGEPORT OR 11TH WARD TO CONTINUE TO BE REPRESENTED BY SOMEONE FROM THE ASIAN COMMUNITY WOULD BE A CONTINUED SIGN OF THAT PROGRESS.

AND MAYBE HAVING LEGISLATION THAT IS FOCUSED ON DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS I THINK THAT ARE ON PEOPLE'S MINDS RIGHT NOW.

YOU CERTAINLY HAVE THE RUN OF THE MILL ISSUES CRIME AND EDUCATION.

BUT WE ARE GOING TO BE GOING THROUGH A HEIGHT CHANGE WITH AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD AND THINGS WILL START TO GET EXCITING IN THE CITY IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN POLITICS THAT IS FOR SURE.

>> FOR SURE.

DO ALL THE OPEN SEATS DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE VOTER TURNOUT?

>> I WOULD HOPE SO.

I WAS GOING TO ADD WHAT JUAN WAS SAYING PART OF WHAT WE HOPE TO SEE ONE IS THIS NEW ROOKIE HEAVY CITY COUNCIL WOULD REFORM SOME OF THE TRUST -- RESTORE SOME OF THE TRUST AND ALLOW PEOPLE FEEL THEY CAN ENGAGE.

MORE COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS WE WANT TO SEE THE REPRESENTATION HAPPEN IN COMMUNITIES AND ALSO COMMUNITIES TO PUSH FOR INDIVIDUALS THAT THEY FEEL WHO WILL REPRESENT THE VOICE OF THOSE COMMUNITIES.

AND SO WE HOPE TO SEE A GREAT VOTER TURNOUT AND WE HOPE TO SEE MORE COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS WHERE PEOPLE AND RESIDENTS FEEL THAT THEY CAN REPRESENT THEIR COMMUNITIES AND GET OUT AND ACTUALLY COMPETE FOR THE ABILITY TO HOLD THE OFFICES.

>> DO YOU THINK THE NEXT ELECTION COULD SIGNAL THE DEATH OF MACHINE POLITICS IN CHICAGO?

>> I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HOPE SO.

I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING THIS IS THE MOST PROGRESSIVE THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN IN RECENT YEARS.

WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A DECADE AGO ABOUT POLICE REFORM AND EDUCATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO AND AS FAR AS CANDIDATES GO, LIKE I'M SEEING A LOT OF FOLKS WHO KIND OF GO LEAN LEFT OF CENTER ENTER THE CONTEST T WILL BE KIND OF INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE MAKEUP OF THE COUNCIL GOES WITH THIS UP COMING ELECTION.

BECAUSE I THINK I DO THIS MORE PROGRESSIVES WILL BE BECOME PART OF THE COUPLE.

BUT -- COUNCIL.

BUT THEY HAVE TO CONTEND WITH CENTER LIGHTFOOT IF SHE WINS REELECTION.

>> CONVERSATION WE WILL HAVE AGAIN IN FEBRUARY AFTER THE ELECTION WHEN WE SEE HOW IT SHAKES OUT.

FOR THIS SPECIAL CROSSOVER CONVERSATION WITH LATINO VOICES,