It’s difficult to find a place for coffee open at 5 in the afternoon on a Monday in Springfield; Starbucks had to do.
But on the walk to meet Ward 6 Alderwoman Jennifer Notariano downtown at E Adams Street, the journey was brisk with a breeze that vascilated between kind and aggressive; it was warm beneath the beaming sun all the same, however.
On our way to enjoy the discussion and drinks, we noticed flowers in bloom – a beauty bush – and simply had to indulge in ourselves for a moment.
To put it all another way, it was a lovely, sunny Monday when we eventually made our way into that Starbucks in Downtown Springfield just prior to 5; Alderwoman Notariano would walk in just minutes later, and the only thing seperating us from our interview was the coffee line.
When, after waiting in line and for the drinks in turn, we finally got coffee and the new Alderwoman sat down with WMAY for a chat about those first few weeks of her tenure as Ward 6’s chief elected offical, we found that there were so many things to discuss, and not nearly enough time to do so.
And the converstaion we had simply developed and moved across all of the topics we ran into with such ease and fluidity; but we needed to get to know her as a person better before jumping into her work and professional ambitions and objectives.
While the Alderwoman was not born in Mr. Lincoln’s hometown, she has a very strong affinity for the ward, city and overarching community.
“I’ve lived in central IL since 2011. I moved here from New Orleans after finishing coursework for my Ph.D. in Political Science. I planned to teach at a university, and there are more options in IL.
I worked at Millikin University in Decatur before switching careers and moving to Springfield. I handle bidding and contracts for the State’s construction agency; Capital Development Board.
I’ve been active in Democratic politics since moving to Springfield. Also, I enjoy running and cycling in my spare time. I have a husband and a chocolate lab, Addy.”
She notes also that her communication with her ward’s constiuents is absolutely of the utmost importance as it concerns the obligations of her position; that is, after all, a major reason why she wanted to represent her community in the first instance.
“I wanted to run for Alderwoman because I know how important it is to have responsive and capable local officials. With Alderwoman DiCenso leaving, I wanted to ensure we kept a strong, progressive female voice on the council.
So whenever I get an email, I always try to respond back – regardless of whether there’s a solution or not – just to thank them for sending me this – whatever this may be – and to try to connect with them in some way.
Then you’ve got to go and make it your business if you’re not already aware of it. So that you can honestly say ‘I’m familiar with this issue,’ or ‘I walked by it,’ or – you know – just let them know that you see them and see and hear their problem or problems.
And then, also, you let them know that I’m going to forward it to the appropriate people. And then when I hear back, they’ll hear back. So that’s my standard and the standard I hold myself to.”
Below you can find the rest of the chat that we had over coffee. Organizing the city and its wards more efficiently came up, the recently concluded election cycle did too. The new Springfield City Council, and discussions concerning various ordinances – tabled, considered, and not yet conceived – were had, red lights and the roads were also addressed; and that’s not all either!
WMAY: Let’s talk about this just-finished election cycle. How did it feel to come out victorious in the election that just ended? Surely, with the amount of harshness that often permeated the race, you are happy to have won and to put it behind you?
Alderwoman JN: “I really enjoyed this campaign. It was nice to have a relatively small area to cover and the opportunity to talk with folks about issues that really to them. Local government touches our lives most, and we can have the greatest impact at this level, so people were excited about working together to get good things done in the community. My race stayed civil. We both did a good job of sticking to the issues. Winning was surreal. It was a shared victory with volunteers, supporters, and my family. It felt like a team win because it was.”
WMAY: What are some of the ideas and ambitions you are looking to bring to the city and to your ward for this term of your alderwomanship?
Alderwoman JN: “My first priority is to push for creative solutions to deal with speeding on neighborhood streets. It was a nearly universal concern of the folks I canvassed.
The first thing I’d like to see is data on average speeds in residential areas and the rationale for having a citywide 30 mph limit. Let’s also look at where other cities of similar size and age set their speeds.
The current speed limit hurts our walkability and bikeability, and those are important factors for folks who live in the ward and across the entire city.
5th and 6th streets are good examples. Essentially, we built a highway right in front of people’s houses. It is so easy not to realize you’re driving faster than the 35 mph speed limit that you’re going through. I don’t really know how anyone would expect folks to know or consider it intuitively if they’re not from here, or if they’re not familiar driving in this area.
No, intuitively, this is not a 35 mph zone, because it doesn’t look like that, and it doesn’t drive like that either. So we sort of have to get the design of the road aligned with how we would like the people to drive on them.
We can build islands, and put greenery in the areas where you want to slow people down. There are a lot of different design tactics that are out there. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you know? But there are solutions even beyond the speed bumps in the speed tables and things like that. Like – literally – the shape of the road and what is next to the road impacts how people behave on the road as well.
Making our streets safer isn’t just a campaign slogan for me.”
WMAY: How can the city of Springfield take better care of all of its neighborhoods – no matter what side or part of the city they are in?
Alderwoman JN: “We are in desperate need of a city planner (and possibly manager) who is a professional, is not appointed, and who has the technical knowledge to make Springfield a more cohesive, equitable city.
The only way we move closer to that is by having someone in place whose job is to accomplish these goals – having someone who doesn’t get to stay in the position for a minimum of 4 years even if they aren’t moving us in the right direction. Right now, there’s no one to enforce and move us closer to the Comprehensive Plan.”
WMAY: Where do you stand on the tabled ordinances at the start of the new City Council session that initially caused a bit of a stir amongst the various alderpeople? Surely, measures concerning governmental transparency where interests and money are both involved must be considered as positive innovations no matter if they are judged as “retaliatory” or not?
Alderwoman JN: “Those issues were proposed by a different council and sponsored by folks who never approached me for support. All unfinished business of that nature should’ve been wiped from the agenda.
We have rules in place to monitor conflicts of interest; filing a Statement of Economic Interests when we declare candidacy. I would hope that there is a review of potential conflicts of interest that all of our procurement and ordinances go through.
If not, that’s something I’d be happy to work on or sign on to; hopefully, we get the opportunity to rewrite our rules and include useful provisions that promote open transparency.”
WMAY: What can you say regarding the replacement of Summer Griffith and the Lincoln Library of Springfield with Kathryn Harris – who herself is held in very high esteem by many around the community.
Alderwoman JN: “A lot of folks reached out to me when they heard about the decision, because they were concerned and worried about what was going on; they were happy with the direction the library was going. But the intimate details on the matter are not mine to discuss.
However, I am always going to work in support of the best interests of the library, and the library patrons. That’s what I’m going to keep in the front of my mind when I make any decisions. And I told people, that I firmly believe that this similar aim and desire was also the driving force behind this particular decision made by the new mayor.
In otherwords, I can tell you that I think people were looking out for the library, employees and the best interests of the library.”
WMAY: We’ve asked this question to others and will ask it of you too; would you brag upon your ward for a moment? Tell everyone what can be enjoyed and observed across Ward 6 if you would!
Alderwoman JN: “Ward 6 has a lot to offer; shopping, a wide variety of restaurants, parks, and lovely older homes. The best thing about this ward is location, location, location. It’s the heart of the city and convenient to everything you need and the various business centers around town.
We also have charming older housing stock that has been lovingly maintained by longtime owners. This area is a first-time homebuyer’s dream. That’s why I live here.”
WMAY: How can the city make sure that it is fighting its issues proactively and at the root causes instead of simply trying to eliminate the effects and not the causes of issues such as crime, violence, economic inequality, and other forms that blight individuals across the city, state and surely beyond?
Alderwoman JN: “The only way we tackle these quality-of-life issues is by investing in our education system and expanding support to disadvantaged young families.
Research shows that inexpensive, positive interventions for parents of young children improve these families’ outcomes by keeping the kids in school, helping them stay healthy, and ultimately increasing the chances for employment when they grow up. It’s so hard to raise a child in the best of circumstances. That’s why it’s imperative to support parents who need and welcome this type of help.
The Council can’t do much about our schools, but we can, and should, support our young families.”
Our thanks to Ward 6 Alderwoman Notariano for their thoughtful answers, transparency and time.