Local and state legislators and the area’s congressman should put their heads together to help the 29th Ward solve its issues, says Thomas E. Simmons.
“A lot of community groups are resourceful but don’t have the money to get things done. Every elected official in the district should sit down once a month and talk about how to help them and what the community needs. They have to work together for the betterment of the community.”
Getting more sit-down restaurants and shopping options would help recharge Austin, but ridding Austin’s streets of drugs and crime would have to be addressed first, said Simmons, founder of Citizens for a Better Westside, a political and community assistance organization.
“(Prospective) businesspeople who want to put a business here see folks hanging out (in front of storefronts), and they’re not going to put businesses there,” said Simmons, who moved to Austin in 1970.
“They don’t think their business will make it. Let’s straighten the place out before (doing) economic development or beautifying (the) neighborhood. People care about this, and if you show them you care, you can get the community behind you.”
He said if all the area’s officials worked together, Austin could even get a new high school, something that would help restore the area’s pride. But a new facility would have to include the kind of vocational education programs that would help young people learn automotive mechanics and other trades that can help them stay interested in school and help them get good jobs, said Simmons, a former physical education teacher at Orr Academy High School.
Other 29th Ward Candidates
- Jill R. Bush (story published Sunday)
- Mary Russell Gardner (story published Monday)
- Deborah L. Graham (story published Tuesday)
- C B Johnson (story published Wednesday)
- Oddis “O.J.” Johnson (story published Thursday)
- Roman Morrow (story published Feb. 11)
- Beverly D. Rogers (declined to be interviewed)
Businesses could also work with students to find apprenticeships. “A young person could help tear down or fix up walls and this could spark an interest in carpentry,” he said. “This could get them working in the community, and this would make Austin a better community.”
This is Simmons’ first run for public office. He is married with three daughters.
Simmons attended Ericson Elementary Scholastic Academy and Manley Upper Grade Center. He’s a graduate of John Marshall Metro High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University.
Simmons received about $23,000 in campaign contributions for the period ending Dec. 31, 2010, according to the report he filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections. That includes $5,000 from the Citizens to Elect Committeeman William JP Banks, a former alderman. Simmons reported spending about $22,000, including nearly $10,000 for billboards.
Campaign headquarters: 5900 W. North Ave.
Telephone number: 773-745-8380
Candidate questionnaire for AustinTalks
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