>> Chicago is already air field hat mayoral field has a new entrant former Chicago alderman and current Cook County Board of Review Commissioner George Cardenas has just announced his bid over more than 2 decades in elected office.

Cardenas has been an ally to former mayor's daily Emanuel and Lightfoot before resigning from the city council after his election to the Board of review.

Now the former auditor and management consultant says he wants to bring his experience to the 5th floor of City Hall.

Joining us now with more is George Cardenas, commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review and no candidate for mayor.

Thank you for joining us.

Welcome back.

Thanks for the invite.

So as we mentioned already sort of a crowded field.

Several candidates are running having made formal announcements.

Several others that we've heard of are expected to jump in.

Why did you decide to get into this race?

Lynch's for say?

I think it's welcoming people want to talk about the future Chicago.

>> let's have really thorough and strong debate about what that looks like.

Nobody should be in the plans in in debate.

I'm in and let's get the best ideas in their implement them and the city what it should be.

My reason it was was simple.

If it was a transition in my mind that when I was doing some analysis when it comes to property taxes, I want to understand little differences was driving not just assessments, but the cost and increase cost on taxpayers over and over again year after year without kind of plan cut a controller.

So I decided to kind of look at not just the financials and assessments in Cook County, but also the financials with the city.

And I launched exploratory committee just because of that.

And what a finals.

no serious issues in spending in particular spending groove 54% from 2019 to 2026. just put it in very a basic math.

10.7 billion dollars was budget in 2019 and the budget in 2026.

Was 16.6 billion dollars.

If you come for inflation just score, does not include food and energy.

You're talking about 27%, which is about 3 billion dollars or so.

So you're now looking at.

The difference 3 billion dollars not including pensions also dead, which is about 1.5 billion dollars.

The difference is 1.5 billion over spending because does nothing to account for that.

So you've been on the border view because, you talk about a lot of things here since 2022.

Before that, you're a member of Chicago's City Council 2003 And as you just said, you are running on a campaign of fiscal discipline.

Government efficiency.

>> What those terms mean to you?

>> teaches you gotta manage better.

And this is not about cutting anything.

This is about management.

This is about contracts to see they're performing or they're doing the things to do what they're supposed to be doing.

Are you paying for the service you're getting?

And that's just kind of going to a progression of things that any any account in any someone was some sort financial.

You I come in, would really get to we'll do it in our families.

You know, go through this with my daughters.

You know, someone's got Hulu and they got Netflix and they got prime.

And got all these other apps and unlike do movies have the same thing.

What do you need?

All of do need all of those and he's very basics on the city's first simple.

>> You got 20 different procurement systems in the old by the silo products that we all use in the city.

And I think we bring that a and Moore managed a programmatic temple decision.

do you think by making, you know, tweak here and a tweak their in, for example, procurement in other ways is is that going to save the time that the city really needs.

A I minus as was.

>> Just on health care alone.

If you really put pen to paper about one in 45 million dollars contracts.

If I go to any departments were there say the usual issues and sand, I can definitely get to reduction of 10% just on going to a contract reformation and just going have anything, not even cutting anything, not at all.

Events also did a an analysis also what we spend into the nonprofit nonprofit look for not-for-profit sector.

what I found was really disparate systems.

all doing work.

But there's nothing really inches pay a cohesive strategy to solve the problems Chicagoans are facing.

And I think the team really caught my eye my attention.

So I came up with something, but I thought could be useful for Chicago, which is a teen takeover problem.

And I'm going to put something that is parenting matters.

More a pound, a shuttle, you plan to support families.

You know, in report way up, a participation structured engagement.

You know, 2 generation strategy to connect youth with the caregiver.

And we need to bring that in spend the money wisely because his teens need our help, OK?

And yes, we just heard from our deputy mayor for community safety on this very issue.

>> In your announcement, you talked about moving Chicago as an immigrant and struggling commuting to school on the southwest side.

You said that your struggles.

phase that daily, yes, yes.

you said that, you know, your your struggle reflects that of many average Chicagoans.

Tell us more about that struggle correct me when I was young.

I mean, I obviously went to Lincoln High School not far from here.

And I did take 2 buses, brutal winters, which is Chicago at that time.

You even more the now.

But also as a teen facing in some of the neighborhoods, really the toughest environments talking about Little Village and Pilsen in those years.

You know, the gang culture was was very intense and headed navigate through all of that.

And this is why decided to join the military just to get away from it.

All and then come back strong and go get my my future, which is go to school, get a degree in, you know, join the workforce, which I did very successfully.

So I'm proud of that.

initial call was face that not all of them get to make that in those decisions.

And I want to be able to bring that into into folks and say, you know, why do we more in analysis what's going on in some Disney would and help young men looked like I did at the time, which we don't do enough.

also made public safety a top issue, the city's crime rate is at historically low levels.

Again, as we just discussed, why is through may want to You know, there's a thing people don't feel safe to be honest with you.

>> And have these conversations in downtown and in the neighborhoods somehow the perceptions of Appeals said.

>> still don't feel safe.

Crime has gone down.

And I don't know if that's just metrics.

The people getting or not getting.

We're not reporting any more.

So I don't believe I really don't know.

But I know that people don't feel safe especially downtown people are not coming as they used Tourism is down.

to me, without safety, you miss a lot of things.

People leave then was leave investments lows.

And you see shrinks, as I said, that's something I want to provide a one.

The city grow.

whole thing is the city has to grow to keep up with just the necessities and services that we provide on a daily basis in Chicago.

>> The city voters elected Brandon Johnson in 2023, of course, a member of the Democratic Party, Democratic Party's more progressive wing or Lightfoot before him.

Do you think Chicago is prepared to think Chicagoans want to elect more moderate Democrat?

look, I think Chicago is ready for someone to govern.

I think trouble when someone who knows the numbers.

>> Who can bring some sense.

And so all of the spending that happening into the governance structure of it all to someone take charge.

He's gonna make decisions is going to good decisions and contracts in a services and how to rein in spending, how to slow down the wage growth.

That going to you know, lot of pain in pension, precious later on That has to has to be someone who is competent enough to understand the whole ecosystem something about it.

I talked about, you know, the grid system, how they promised us to save more world sanitation problems, spending more about 25% more in then they did in 2019.

Now.

And how's that happening?

We're supposed to be saving money.

remain Mt.

Superintendents reporting to empty buildings.

you know, we have recycling rate of 3%.

You know, why is that in his his management?

We got to manage this.

This this whole ecosystem make it better.

>> Recent property taxes at assessment.

Of course, they've driven up tax bills for Chicago, homeowners.

Some of the largest increases falling on the south and West side communities, as you know, write your member of the Board of of which is responsible for ensuring fair property valuations, correct.

What do you think should be done to reduce the burden on homeowners?

Well, definitely better assessments.

Of course.

But Lauren, the cost of government looks at end of the day.

>> You know, government goes to the well over and over again, which is property taxes.

This is more most, you know, the most.

revenue source that there is that's what they rely and that's where they go to.

think that needs to stop.

I mean, that the trend line for increase in property tax is just not sustainable.

Weathers CPS, is the park district with the City of Chicago or CA County which is not their taxes and they're lovely.

But other entities have.

>> Okay.

That's where we'll have to leave George Cardenas,