45th Ward Candidate Susanna Ernst Interview

The Chicago Aldermanic Elections are taking place on February 28, and the campaigning is reaching its climax. One of the Wright College Community’s wards, the 45th, has a particularly competitive six-candidate race.

The Wright Times had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the candidates, Susanna Ernst, to discuss her platform. This is the first of a series of interviews with 45th ward candidates and subsequent articles will be published online.

A founding member of two principal community groups, the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association and Jefferson Park Forward, Ernst is a longtime resident of the 45th and has been an active member of the community for over 20 years.

What got you involved with politics and community activism?

“I figure that the best way to impact my surroundings is to get engaged. From day one, ever since I moved into the 45th, I started getting involved with the community. I met some folks from the neighborhood who said they felt like they didn’t have a voice with local leaders and politicians, and we decided to form a group. That collective grouping was actually how the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association got started. The root of everything is that I want to be involved in my community because it makes my life better, and the lives of everyone else around me better. It wasn’t until the past few months when I’d actually step onto the political scene.”

Why did you decide to run for alderperson?

“I feel like we’re at a crossroads in the city. Our neighborhood demographics are changing and the city demographics are changing ... Current leadership has not allowed everybody to come to the table in the 45th and help move our area forward. I think I can be a leader that provides opportunity for everyone who wants to make our communities better, and we’re not getting that right now.”

What are the three core tenets of your campaign?

“Public and street safety, economic development, and collaboration.”

What do you have to offer that your opponents do not?

“I can easily separate myself from the rest through my long-term involvement in the community by doing a myriad of things that are about community leadership and engagement. I co-founded four non-profit civics groups, and I have been working within the context of the ward for over 20 years. I have experience with the city departments, citywide organizations, bringing activities for the arts and investment in entertainment to the northwest side, etc. I was involved in participatory budgeting within the 45th so I understand how the city mechanism works and the city budgeting works. The experience I have with the community and with the City of Chicago, among all my other opponents, is unparalleled.”