- Al Podgorski / Sun-Times Media
- Challenger Amy Crawford says the 46th Ward needs more police.
During his campaigns for alderman in 2007 and 2011, James Cappleman vowed to crack down on crime, saying gang activity and public drinking were discouraging new businesses from coming into the 46th Ward. His solution: more police, which he promised to fund by targeting wasteful spending.
Since then, Cappleman has claimed to clamp down on crime while also attacking affordable housing that he considers problematic. Two years ago he fought to close the Chateau Hotel, a single-resident-occupancy hotel in Lakeview that activists call one of the last independent housing options for low-income residents on the north side.
But instead of campaigning in the left-of-center mode of the former alderman, Crawford has attacked Cappleman whenever possible on what she says are increased crime levels within the ward.
And Crawford says less gangs doesn’t equal reduced crime.
