Issues

Housing is foundational to the stability for working families. Affordable, safe housing strengthens the health and wellbeing of a community.

Renters are facing skyrocketing rents, placing a heavy burden on those living paycheck to paycheck. Putting the most vulnerable populations at risk. Plainfield’s Ward 1 is majority renter. Landlords must provide quality safe living space for tenants.

Let’s finally win rent control in Plainfield. We can:

• Establish rent control for 3 or more unit dwellings.

• Cap rent increases at CPI%

• Establish clear penalties for repeat housing violations.

• Protect tenants from retaliation when reporting unsafe conditions.

Housing stability reinforces stronger neighborhoods. Rent control and enforcement are tools to ensure residents have housing that is affordable, safe, and dignified.

In Plainfield, conscientious development is important. This includes increasing access to fresh food. Our city’s food deserts undermine community stability. We can support improvement through redevelopment coordination, making neighborhoods more equitable.

Connecting our communities is vital to increasing equity. Public transit should be accessible, reliable, safe, and functional — bringing people where they need to go. Council is in a position to advocate for constituents when negotiating transit access, prioritizing infrastructure, accessibility, and coordination among stakeholders.

We need growth that puts people first, added housing development, improving access to food, and strengthening connections to job and labor hubs. We must build a community supported by the infrastructure prioritizing longtime residents while creating opportunity for newcomers.

What this means practically is:

• Support redevelopment that increases access to fresh food in underserved neighborhoods. I will advocate for a municipally owned grocery store to make sure all esidents of equal access to nutrition.
• Advocate for improved public transit access connecting residents to jobs, schools, and services.
• Prioritize infrastructure that supports safe pedestrian and transit access. Including a city wide busing program to connect these communities.
• Protect funding for parks and ensure new development includes accessible public green space.
• Encourage development that strengthens neighborhood infrastructure while adding housing.

Our local government exists to provide basic services to residents. These services — including public transit, infrastructure maintenance, and public green space — are not luxuries; they are foundational to the health of a city. When basic services are absent, quality of life declines.

From inconsistent waste removal in public spaces to persistent potholes in our roads, residents lack a clear line of communication to ensure issues are handled in a timely manner. As taxpayers, we have a say in how public services operate. This begins with defined and transparent service standards, including clear timelines for delivery. Services must be delivered proactively, with coordination through strong communication between stakeholders and residents.

Together we will improve consistency in services like waste disposal and prioritize long-term infrastructure planning. We will establish clear timelines for repairs and increase transparency around service requests. Equitability requires these resources to be distributed evenly across all neighborhoods.

What is needed:

• Active public reporting dashboard

• Clear mechanism for tracking service requests

• Publicly available updates

• Measurable benchmarks for visibility

• Provide residents with a designated department to voice concerns and seek guidance.

Reliable services are the baseline responsibility of any city. Plainfield residents deserve fairness, consistency, and efficiency.

Sanctuary means safety, clarity, and trust between residents and local government. that stand with their immigrant residents, that are included in the heart of and community of Plainfield such as the more than one dozen neighboring municipalities. Plainfield needs to officially declare itself as a sanctuary city, a city where immigrant communities are protected and supported.

When federal authority is exerted in our community, neighbors are often left uncertain about what protections they can expect. Residents live in fear, trust in local authority weakens, and public safety erodes.

We have the power to support this relationship through transparency, and accountability. This means:

• Publishing and clearly disseminating policies outlining our sanctuary status and what residents can expect.

• Holding open forums addressing public safety, and sanctuary policy with the community.

• Reviewing policies to ensure civil rights protections are maintained.

• Focusing local resources on serious crime rather than aligning local duties with federal enforcement.
  

It is our responsibility to remind our community what sanctuary means. Sanctuary is a commitment to trust, clarity, and the safety of our residents.

Barriers to care must be removed so even the most vulnerable populations are supported. At-risk groups often experience higher rates of transmission, mental health challenges, substance abuse, as well as stigma and discrimination.

Using evidence-based harm reduction techniques can help improve community health and create a solid foundation to minimize the scale and impact of health risks from disease prevention, to improve mental healthcare, through community outreach.

Let’s strengthen access to health services citywide through:

• Harm reduction programs grounded in evidence.

• Inclusive and affirming city services.

• Partnerships with LGBTQ+ community organizations to expand outreach.

• Improved visibility of available services.

With a strong public health program, we can better protect all residents and ensure safe, affordable care is accessible to everyone.

Ensuring residents are able to participate in governance improves policy outcomes. If residents cannot engage, the inner workings of local government become less transparent over time. Increasing visibility of public meetings, especially where city budgeting is concerned, will build trust.

Unclear scheduling practices and surprise agenda amendments make meetings harder to access, and informational materials are too often absent.

When budget meetings are clearly scheduled and defined, public comment becomes meaningful and residents are able to exercise their rights. At minimum, agendas and updates must be clearly posted in a timely manner, online access improved, and virtual participation restored to publicly accessible meetings, protect the public’s right to comment so residents can fully participate in the process.

Residents deserve a transparent and accountable City Hall — public comment is where transparency begins.

What this means:

• Clear and consistent posting of meeting agendas and materials.
• Timely notice of agenda changes and meeting updates.
• Plain-language summaries of proposals and resolutions.
• Improved online access to meeting materials and city documents.
• Restoration of virtual participation options for public meetings.
• Expanded communication channels so residents can stay informed and participate.