John Walker, DeKalb’s newest alderman, cuts to the chase on city crime, development, potholes

DeKALB – John Walker sat under Lyndon Gay’s watchful clippers in Roc’s Barber Shop on East Hillcrest Drive. A month into his first elected role representing DeKalb’s 7th Ward residents, he said he wakes up the mornings of a DeKalb City Council meeting as excited as a kid on a basketball game day.

Walker, a UPS driver and former DeKalb Citizens Police Review Board member, topped Thomas Boken to replace longtime alderman Tony Faivre, who decided not to seek reelection in the April 4 election.

Walker was sworn in at a City Council meeting last month. As a founder of a youth development foundation called the Youth Pride Foundation, with a mission to mentor area youth athletes, he’s keeping busy.

Between meetings with Northern Illinois University leadership and city of DeKalb staff, Walker sat down with the Daily Chronicle at the local barbershop to reflect on how his experience as an alderman is going.

“I would say it’s going [like] everything I expected – just getting to meet with people, talk with people,” Walker said. “To finally be an alderman and have people call me ‘Alderman Walker’ has a little bit of a ring to it, but I enjoy serving the people.”

Now that Walker has a city email address in place, he said he’s had residents reaching out to him with questions, comments and concerns.

Walker said he’s not surprised by how active and engaged residents appear to be.

“They’re telling me basically what they need and what they want, and [want to] see if I can deliver,” he said.

Walker said residents of the city’s 7th Ward appear to be most concerned with roadway infrastructure and car break-ins.

“They have a big issue with potholes in the roads, so I address those through the township and the city,” Walker said. “We had a few break-ins in cars. They reached out to me. I have a good relationship with the DeKalb police, and they definitely stepped up to the plate and helped me out with that. They know I’m working hard for them. I’m here for them. That’s what they elected me to do.”

I would say it’s going about everything I expected – just getting to meet with people, talk with people. To finally be an alderman and people call me, ‘Alderman Walker’, has a little bit of a ring to it, but I enjoy serving the people.”

—  John Walker, DeKalb 7th Ward alderman

Walker is joining Bertrand Simpson, Karega Harris and Monica O’Leary as the only Black alderpersons to sit on the City Council in DeKalb’s history.

Walker said he believes racial problems do exist in town and are not exclusive to DeKalb. He said he views those issues as a moral issue facing the world.

“DeKalb is like a microcosm of the world basically is how I look at it,” Walker said. “I experience race issues all through[out] my life. [There’s] no difference here in DeKalb. Unfortunately, it just is what it is. ... The kind of Black man I am is I treat everybody with respect. I treat you how you treat me.”

Walker said he sometimes receives racial criticism, which he said he thinks is unfair.

“I get it from both sides now from people who know me,” Walker said. “They see a light-skinned man, Italian wife, light-skinned kids, whatever the case may be. I’m proud of myself because I’ve done well in life. I’ve got good cars, got good houses, have properties. People see me as, ‘You’re not Black enough’. So, I get pushback from a certain group of people. But on the other side, people think that it’s because I’m doing that [well,] that I can’t take care of my community. ... My whole life I’ve always given back to the ‘hood. I’m always going to give back to where I came from.”

Maurice McDavid, a DeKalb resident and Citizens Police Review Board member, said Walker is deserving of the opportunity to serve as alderman. He said he’s known Walker for almost 10 years.

“John brought a lot of good things to the police review board, for sure,” McDavid said. “He tried to always maintain balance. I think he was always very self-aware with regards to any biases he was bringing to the conversation. I think we need that type of level-headedness in government from the local level all the way up. So, I think that’s really exciting. I think it is also an exciting moment where we have a Black male who is sitting on City Council and hoping to be a part of making some important decisions that affect our community.”

Some hot topics facing the City Council include the parental fine ordinance and development of the Annie Glidden North neighborhood.

Walker wanted to set the record straight about why he initially voted in opposition to the parental fine ordinance. He was one of three vocal critics who decided to vote in opposition to the city’s proposed plan aimed at addressing youth disorderly conduct demonstrated over this past month. Walker said he was able to get the clarity he needed on this matter.

“Some people started comparing stabbings and shootings to the ordinance and that didn’t make sense to me,” Walker said. “When it comes to stabbings and shootings, that’s something that you don’t need an ordinance for. You go straight to jail, I would think. I just wanted more clarity on what [residents] were thinking, on what they were saying because I wanted the DeKalb people to understand what the ordinance for and what actual going to jail should be about.”

According to city documents, fighting in May at DeKalb High School carried into the Annie Glidden North neighborhood and yards of homes on Russell Road before circulating around Kimberly, West Hillcrest and Pappas drives and North Annie Glidden Road. The crowd of more than 50 grew concentrated in the 700 block of North Annie Glidden, city staff wrote. Another fight incident was reported at the DeKalb Park District’s Haish Gym, 303 S. Ninth St.

The youth unrest came just days after the brutal killing of DeKalb High School freshman Gracie Sasso-Cleveland, 15, found dead by police in a dumpster May 7, and one day before a fatal shooting May 11 of 2022 DHS graduate Marlon King Jr., 19.

Timothy M. Doll, 29, a registered sex offender of the 500 block of College Avenue in DeKalb, faces first-degree murder charges in Sasso-Cleveland’s May 4 death. Jayden C. Hernandez, 19, of the 500 block of Russell Road and Carreon S. Scott, 20, of the 800 block of West Taylor Street in DeKalb both face first-degree murder charges in King’s death.

A more recent fight reported at Hopkins Pool in DeKalb May 31 led DeKalb police to arrest one adult and two minors for misconduct. Willie Montgomery, 41, of DeKalb is charged with misdemeanor obstructing justice according to DeKalb Police Department records. The two juveniles, one male and one female, were both charged with disorderly conduct, DeKalb Police Chief David Byrd said. The fight also prompted the DeKalb Park District to amend its rules for pool entry.

Walker said he plans to support the parental fine ordinance which went in front of the City Council for a final vote Monday.

“If there’s anything to support and help out the police department, I’m all for it as a parent before a City Council person, for sure,” Walker said.

Another hot topic headed to the City Council for review in the coming weeks is the development of the long-vacant, city-owned lots at the intersection of Blackhawk Road and Hillcrest Drive, which form an L shape.

The city received two proposals to develop the site, one from NIU to build a Greek Life Center, and another from DeKalb County Community Gardens to construct the Community Health Education and Food (CHEF) Center.

Walker said he has garnered some sense of how he’ll vote when it comes to the development of the Annie Glidden North neighborhood, but he’s awaiting more details as there still are some moving parts to account for.

“I’m 100% right now for NIU being on the corner for the L,” he said. “They’re still going back and forth. We’ll see how that goes. … I’m definitely there supporting [DeKalb County Community Gardens] in some capacity, but having a mega center like they want, I just don’t know.”

Walker said he is interested in seeing collaboration between DCCG and NIU in whatever happens with the development of the lot.

One such thing, Walker said, he’s learning about his new role as alderman is how much he’s enjoying it.

“It’s everything and more, and I want more,” he said. “I’m excited. I can tell you that.”