Dear Editor:

I am Dr. Helen Y. West, candidate for alderman of the 4th Ward. As a concerned resident of the Bronzeville community, I have discovered information about the forthcoming election that is very disturbing and could possibly affect the outcome of the election.

It is my observation that the Cook County Democratic Committee is overstepping its boundaries by endorsing a candidate for the vacant aldermanic seat who was recently elected as the Ward’s State Representative. On November 8, 2022, voters of the 4th Ward spoke loudly with their nearly 24,000 votes when they re-elected the incumbent State Representative Lamont Robinson.

I am cautioning voters in the 4th Ward to not allow the power of the Cook County Democratic Committee to undermine and silence their voice or to rescind their choice for State Representative. Representative Robinson is currently running for a seat on the City Council and if he wins that seat, the voters of the 4th Ward will be left with a vacancy in the State House. That vacancy will then be filled by an appointed State Representative that 4th Ward voters will have no voice in selecting. Unfortunately, this action becomes a selection, not an election!

These are the facts: Lamont Robinson was uncontested and had the option to withdraw from the general election for State Representative if he did not want the job. Voters in the 4th Ward could have mobilized in favor of a write-in candidate. But that did not happen! Instead, he continued to campaign for State Representative with the support of the Democratic Committee. In other words, Robinson intentionally and deliberately mitigated his risk by assuring he would have a job if he lost the Aldermanic race. It is time for the voters in the 4th Ward to show Representative Robinson it was a smart bet by letting him do the job he campaigned for and was elected to do. I feel the voters should send him back to his self-made security blanket in Springfield. There are qualified candidates for the 4th Ward aldermanic seat in Chicago.

As a member of the Bronzeville community for 27 years, I have a distinguished history of service and entrepreneurship in the 4th Ward. I took early retirement from Lucent Technologies after 21 years as a corporate executive in sales, marketing, strategic planning, and product management. After retirement, I followed my passion for the arts by becoming an entrepreneur and the sole proprietor of Neleh Galleries located in Bronzeville’s Lake Meadows Shopping Center. Subsequent to closing my art gallery, I enrolled in and completed graduate programs earning two master’s degrees and a Doctor of Education degree. A lifelong learner, I am dedicated to education and believe in high-quality educational experiences for all. I have held classroom and administrative positions with the Chicago Public Schools, University of Chicago Charter High School, and the City Colleges of Chicago. Now a retired educator, I am totally focused on the needs of my beloved 4th Ward.

If elected alderman, I promise to make certain that all residents’ voices are heard at every table in every room. The time is now, prior to the February 28, 2023 election, to begin fulfillment of that promise. The 4th Ward voters need responsible, accountable, and honest representation in the Chicago City Council. That includes not being afraid to speak ‘Truth to Power.’

As an enlightened candidate, it is my obligation to keep the voters in the 4th Ward informed. The voters have already given Lamont Robinson a job to do. Let’s make him do it and hold him responsible and accountable for the State Representative job he asked for.

I acknowledge that more work needs to be done in Springfield and that Representative Robinson has done the job well to date. I know Lamont personally and I am eager to collaborate with him to represent the people in the 4th Ward on a local level. Together, Lamont Robinson and I can work toward a better Chicago and a better Illinois.

In conclusion, I feel it is in the best interest of the voters to insist that their voices not be silenced and that their representatives in government not be appointed. That process diminishes the role of voters and disrupts the democratic process.