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Full Name: Jazmin Martinez
What office are you seeking? Will County Board District 6, PC person for Joliet Precinct 27
What offices, if any, have you previously held? This will be my first time running for office! I’m very excited about my future and the opportunity to learn and grow.
City: Joliet
Occupation: Retail
Education: Current JJC Student
Campaign Website: jazmin4will.com
The Will County Board has established broad parameters for how it should spend more than $133 million in federal pandemic aid including infrastructure, health purposes and economic development. What specific causes should the board focus on when spending that money?
Supporting economic development means creating more jobs and bringing our county back to its economic state pre- pandemic. This should be a priority, as so many of our citizens are struggling to pick themselves up after the economic hardship of the pandemic. Also, there should be a focus on making Will County a more sustainable county, like improving public transportation to reduce energy consumption.
The Will County Board has yet to decide on how to spend new revenue from its recreational marijuana sales tax. How should that revenue be allocated?
Ask any Joliet citizen, as I did a lot of the last few weeks, what they believe needs to be worked on in their city. Their most common response: infrastructure. Our crumbling, pothole-ridden roads and bridges are in need of urgent care. By allocating some of these funds towards this, there will hopefully be an improvement. I also believe reparations need to be made to those most affected by the criminalization of marijuana. The war-on-drugs campaign has negatively targeted people of color, and legalization does not equal atonement.
The board has been discussing what to do with the old county courthouse property. While it’s limited to using it for public purposes, what do you think should happen to the former courthouse building and the land on which it sits?
The former courthouse property would be best put to use by making it into a community recreation center. By making it into an urban communal space, the courthouse would be giving back to the community by providing it with a much- needed space for socializing and enjoying life. Also, the property should include green spaces because they provide a break from distress, anxiety, and depression. Green spaces in urban areas correlate to better well-being and health, and I could not imagine a better way for the courthouse to serve its people in a positive way.
Do you think Will County should maintain the county executive form of government? Please explain.
I have not yet had the opportunity to serve in local government, and therefore do not have much experience in this matter. However, if elected, I will get to experience this form of government firsthand. This, as well as my experience as a Will County citizen, will give me the knowledge I need to take an educated stance on this.
The county is conducting a diversity and inclusion study of its operations. While the study is ongoing, what do you think county government should do to ensure diversity and inclusion in its hiring and contracting processes?
First and foremost, there must be an understanding of systemic racism and how it affects minorities and the underrepresented. Second, the diversity of our county must be taken into account- is the current process doing enough to represent the commonly underserved and underrepresented, or do these citizens continue to be left out? Lastly is recognizing the importance of ensuring diversity and inclusion and how the processes of our county government would benefit from the experiences of a more diverse group of people.
The annual salaries of countywide- elected officials in Will County tend to trail their counterparts in neighboring suburban counties. Do you support raising salaries of countywide elected officials in Will County?
There are few reasons I can think of that would necessitate a need for a countywide raise in the salary of elected officials. If the working citizen’s wages are not rising, there is absolutely no reason for elected officials’ salaries to do so. If elected officials truly serve their constituents, they will accept a salary comparable to the work they do, and not without considering if it reflects the rise (or stagnation) of citizens’ wages.
The county has seen an increase in opioid overdose deaths during the past year. Its substance use initiatives office has worked to combat the epidemic. What more do you think the county should do to prevent such incidents?
There should be more emphasis on educating citizens on this matter. The people of the communities most affected are on the frontlines of the epidemic- they see its effects as they are happening within their community. With a more educated public, quicker responses can be made, and deaths can be combated.
How would you encourage economic and employment growth within Will County?
By supporting a public broadband option, every citizen has the opportunity to find and keep a job, as most jobs now operate mainly online for their hiring processes. Also, local businesses would benefit from this option, cutting operational costs that can be used to build those small businesses up.
Do you think there is a local crime problem? If so, what needs to be done about it?
In my area, the St. Pats area, there has been a neighborhood- wide notice of the increase of local crime. Just recently, a few doors down from my apartment, a teenager was targeted in a drive-by shooting. After consulting a few neighbors, people believe having more areas of surveillance (such as having cameras at stop signs and crime-heavy intersections) will help authorities pinpoint repeat perpetrators. Also, more can be done about the crime in the youth community. Paying attention to the socioeconomic factors of our community can give us an understanding of where our youth are failed. At-risk youth should have more places to turn to when their home lives become too rough to handle. More extracurriculars and attention to after- school programs that encourage activity and socialness in a safe space may combat the crime that happens when students are not in the protected environment schools provide.
What local road and bridge projects should be a priority to get done in the county?
Priority should be given to heavily traveled roads most at need for repair. Succeeding those roads should be neighborhood streets. My neighborhood specifically is in desperate need of repair. My neighbors are tired of the damage these streets do to our cars season after season. These streets are meant to bring us to our homes, pave our communities, and connect us to our neighbors and family. Dilapidated streets in our neighborhoods also add a negative image to them and bring prosperity down with it.
Do you support decreasing local property taxes? If so, how would the county make up the difference?
Keeping property taxes low I believe will bring the financial well-being of citizens up. By using marijuana tax revenue and the possible revenue from a public broadband option, the difference will be made up, and property taxes kept down.
Do you support stronger county government ethics laws? What measures do you support?
I support stronger county government ethics laws. Officials should be held accountable in every aspect of their job as public servants. I specifically will support measures that limit abuses of power and the unethical acceptance of gifts from people with corrupt agendas.
What are your thoughts on the Illinois Freedom of Information Act?
I fully support the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. If I believe in holding elected officials accountable, then I must also encourage transparency within local government. I will always encourage my neighbors to be a proactive step in keeping corruption out of our county. Supporting FOIA means supporting accountability and transparency.
Please state your plan to maintain government transparency.
Referring to my thoughts on the Freedom of Information Act, encouraging citizens to exercise their right to information will promote a more transparent government. Also, supporting a public broadband option to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to the internet. Allowing everyone access to the Internet will help citizens participate in politics, understand policies, receive info for public meetings and hearings, and help them get in touch with their representatives. Keeping people informed gives them the opportunity to be proactive in maintaining their local government’s transparency.
What would you push for as a member of county government to boost local businesses?
Discouraging the building of more giant business parks will encourage citizens to participate in their local economy and keep their money in our cities and county. I will also encourage the development of Small Business Offices in cities that will provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to successfully open and maintain small businesses.
Should government employees and officials be allowed to sign non- disclosure agreements with private businesses?
Government employees should not be allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements. These agreements usually only serve these private businesses and obstruct transparency. Also, should government employees be allowed, who is to say they are not accepting monetary gifts in exchange? This only facilitates corruption and secrecy where it should not be allowed to exist.
Would you push for or against government officials and employees being allowed to sign non-disclosure agreements with private businesses?
Referring to my answer to the previous question, I would push against for the same reasons I have stated: transparency, accountability, and the discouragement of corruption.