When Dorothy Brown announced her candidacy for Mayor of the city of Chicago this April, she wasn’t offering the residents of the city politics as usual. Rather, she vowed to be the mayor for all of Chicago. She spoke of the need for all of the city’s 228 square miles, 200 neighborhoods, and 77 communities to be world class in order for Chicago to be a world-class city. One of the ways Brown is seeking to connect to the citizens of Chicago is through a series of forums to get input from all of Chicago’s communities to inform her platform for Mayor. On Tuesday, June 19, Brown will kick off her “Listening Tour” on the Mid South Side of Chicago at the Project Hood Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center, 6330 South King Drive from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Prior to that, beginning at 3:00 p.m., there will be a press conference about the “Listening Tour” and other campaign updates, followed by a community walk where the candidate will meet and greet members of the community and invite them to the meeting.
This inaugural tour will encompass the communities of Kenwood (Kenwood, South Kenwood); Washington Park; South Hyde Park; Woodlawn (West Woodlawn); North South Shore (Jackson Park Highlands); Greater Grand Crossings (Grand Crossing, Parkway Gardens, Park Manor); and East Fuller Park.
The tours are driven by Candidate Brown’s belief in the democratic process, and her advocacy for all Chicagoans to exercise civic responsibility. “I believe strongly in servant leadership,” says Brown. “When leaders are informed and motivated by the needs and wishes of their constituents they are the most effective.” The subject of reforms in the wake of several CPS scandals, are expected to be a large part of the conversation that evening.
Since the launch, Brown has visited numerous corners of the city meeting and talking with residents. However, the “Listening Tour” will have a more formal structure, allowing residents to interact with the candidate, have their feedback captured, and in turn that feedback will be incorporated into the policy positions for the candidate. Participants may also register to vote at all of the “Listening Tour” sites. A list of all the community listening tours is forthcoming and will also be posted on her website www.dorothyformayor.com.
Brown, a CPA, attorney and MBA, first became Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2000 and has been elected five times by overwhelming margins, most recently in 2016, by a margin of more than 14%. She has brought revolutionary changes to the operations of the office through her focus on technology and providing effective and efficient customer focused services. She has implemented a host of innovative programs, which have streamlined processes, saving millions of dollars for taxpayers. Through her leadership more than 220 million court digital images are now accessible by court users.
For more information on Dorothy Brown’s campaign, visit her website at www.dorothyformayor.com. Follow the campaign on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, @dorothyformayor. Join the conversation using #Hope4AllChicago, #ListeningTour. To contribute to the campaign use Text2Give – ChicagoHope to 444999.
