What types of transportation do you use during an average week, and how has this shaped your view of transportation policy?

For the better part of the last decade, I’ve commuted downtown for work via the Metra and walked to most other locations with my family because we live near downtown Evanston. I have used a car for short distances to visit family in the area and run errands with my children. The exception has been going back and forth to Springfield, when necessary, for the state policy advocacy work I’ve led over the years. I typically have driven those trips, although I have taken the Amtrak occasionally. I feel incredibly privileged to live in a community that is extremely walkable and has immediate access - within blocks - to the L, the Metra, Pace bus service, and CTA bus service. We also have good and safe bicycle lanes. I recognize that there is almost no other community like ours in Illinois and I hope to be a leader who helps bring well-rounded, accessible, and safe public transit options to other communities, especially those that have been historically disinvested.

What are some transportation challenges in your district?

The 9th State Senate District has urban and suburban areas. In our urban areas, the ongoing challenges with the Chicago Transit Authority come to mind - specifically around funding, safety, and reliability. There will always be opportunities to expand our L lines, specifically with the yellow line in the district. Plus, investing in more protected bicycle lanes would be beneficial across the board, especially on routes that cross municipalities. In our suburban areas, there are areas without public transit access that could be receiving it, especially around our school and library institutions. Plus, there are lots of opportunities to expand and leverage coordination between our public transit systems, meaning more places where there are coordinated fares and schedules for train and bus access. For example, the Pulse Dempster bus line, which goes from the Evanston Davis L/Metra stop to O’Hare Airport and runs every 15 minutes for $2, has been an absolute game changer for our area.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (“IDOT”) plays a significant role in transportation throughout the state, in Chicago, and Cook County. What is your opinion on their role with the Chicago Department of Transportation, Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, local communities, and the impact that has?

IDOT is an important agency that services areas not covered by the other jurisdictions mentioned, including some of our state highways and bridges, and has responsibilities related to related capital investments and state budget issues, as well. The agency can act as connective tissue between the other jurisdictional entities. When I was at the Cook County Office of the President, I partnered with the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways. We had a significant role in working across agencies and with advocacy organizations to plant seeds around the most recent transit reform bill. These agencies are looking out for their constituencies and ideally partnering across the board to advance improvements, efficiencies, and holistic approaches to transportation.

How do you view the Illinois General Assembly’s role in setting IDOT’s priorities for public transit, passenger rail, and strengthening accessibility in transportation?

I believe that the General Assembly’s role in state agency operations can mostly be advanced through the state budget process. If we believe that budgets are moral documents (which I certainly do), then we should view every investment as an opportunity to prioritize our communities’ values. The communities of the 9th State Senate District absolutely value public transit, passenger rail, and accessibility, and I look forward to the opportunity to be our district’s representative and champion for those values.

States like Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia have passed legislation that has shifted their transportation infrastructure spending towards projects that prioritize safety, transit and cycling, and greenhouse gas mitigation. What’s your position on Illinois’ current transportation infrastructure spending, and if you could change anything, what would it be?

I will always be a leader who brings together all stakeholders in considering how we are making major investments to our current transportation infrastructure. As an advocate myself for the last 20 years, I have heard and felt - time and time again - how frustrating the government bureaucracy and length of time can be for bold and transformative investments and projects to come to fruition. I look forward to the opportunity to work with our state agencies to streamline operations when and where we can, while continuing to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, workers’ rights, and the environment. At Cook County, we were able to do some of this with dollars from the CARES Act and ARPA (American Rescue Plan) - spending that we wanted to happen in an urgent and impactful way - and there are certainly lessons that could be explored at the state level.

This fall, the Illinois General Assembly passed a historic investment in transit operations – as well as significant governance reforms in the establishment of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority. How do you view the Assembly’s role in ensuring both the short- and long-term success of this legislation?

As a public policy advocate for many years, I understand that implementation is just as important as the original ideation and passage of a policy. When I was at Cook County, I worked with the team that partnered with Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to turn the research on our upcoming transit fiscal cliff and governance challenges into actionable policy recommendations. This later formed a coalition that included Active Transportation Alliance, environmental advocates, labor unions, and others, which then became the driving force behind the NITA Act. (As you all well know because you were a part of this amazing group!) Those same leaders will be able to let the General Assembly know whether the new legislation can be implemented with fidelity; we may need technical amendments or changes that can be addressed with reporting, monitoring by a taskforce, budgetary allocations, or other follow-up actions. Most laypeople don’t understand that when a bill passes, it’s not really done but, rather, just beginning!

What is your position on investing to expand passenger rail service in Illinois, including the development of high-speed rail?

I will always be open to opportunities to make our communities more connected and bring economic opportunity to our state. Illinois is a national and international leader in so many ways, and our residents and visitors deserve fast, safe, and affordable transportation options as well.

Federal funding for Illinois transportation projects – such as the Red Line Extension and Red-Purple Modernization projects – has come under threat from the Trump administration. How can legislators shore up funding for critical infrastructure projects under a hostile federal climate?

Our communities in the district along the Red and Purple Lines expect safe, reliable, and accessible stations and I will advocate for continued investment on those projects. So many federal funding streams - across issue areas - are at risk or have already been cut; we are just beginning to see the fallout from those decisions at the federal level. This is a manufactured crisis that pushes states in a fight over scarcity of resources. We cannot accept being pushed into approaching the state budget process that way. First, we should use every tool in our toolbox, including working with our Attorney General’s office on litigation strategies and going after funding streams that are contractual obligations. Second, our state budgets have always been layered on top of federal investment and - for the first time in history - Illinois will have to consider how to build and advance a budget that centers our communities’ values. This may include needing to urgently add new revenue streams and further prioritize what we can do.