Ebony Lucas
Ebony Lucas ran for election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 4 in Illinois. She lost in the general election on February 28, 2023.
Lucas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Lucas was a 2017 candidate for the same seat.
Biography
Ebony Lucas was born in Detroit, Michigan. She earned a high school diploma from Mercy High School, a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Michigan in 1997, a graduate degree from Case Western University in 1999, and a law degree from the University of Michigan in 2004. Her career experience includes working as an attorney specializing in real estate law and as a business owner.[1]
Lucas has been affiliated with the following organizations:[2]
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Theta Omega, executive board
- Jack and Jill of America
- South Side Community Investors Association, secretary
- Neighborhood Building Owner's Alliance, board member
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2023)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 4
Lamont Robinson Jr. defeated Prentice Butler in the general runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 4 on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lamont Robinson Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 66.3 | 8,861 | |
| Prentice Butler (Nonpartisan) | 33.7 | 4,499 | ||
| Total votes: 13,360 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 4
The following candidates ran in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 4 on February 28, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Lamont Robinson Jr. (Nonpartisan) | 46.3 | 5,789 | |
| ✔ | Prentice Butler (Nonpartisan) | 15.2 | 1,906 | |
| Ebony Lucas (Nonpartisan) | 14.4 | 1,802 | ||
| Matthew Humphries (Nonpartisan) | 9.4 | 1,175 | ||
| Tracey Y. Bey (Nonpartisan) | 9.2 | 1,145 | ||
| Helen West (Nonpartisan) | 5.5 | 692 | ||
| Total votes: 12,509 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Paul Pearson (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
To view Lucas's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lucas in this election.
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 4
Incumbent Sophia King defeated Ebony Lucas in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 4 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sophia King (Nonpartisan) | 66.1 | 9,178 | |
| Ebony Lucas (Nonpartisan) | 33.9 | 4,708 | ||
| Total votes: 13,886 | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
Incumbent Sophia King defeated Ebony Lucas, Gregory Livingston, Marcellus Moore Jr., and Gerald McCarthy in the special election for the Ward 4 seat on the Chicago City Council.[3]
| Chicago City Council, Ward 4 Special Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Sophia King Incumbent |
63.77% | 4,286 |
| Ebony Lucas | 17.54% | 1,179 |
| Gregory Livingston | 6.55% | 440 |
| Marcellus Moore Jr. | 6.10% | 410 |
| Gerald McCarthy | 6.04% | 406 |
| Total Votes | 6,721 | |
| Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Election Results," accessed February 28, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2023
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released Jan 19, 2023 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ebony Lucas completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lucas' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
Prior response
- Prior response
- Prior Response
- Prior response
I look up to and follow the example of my parents. Both were the first generation in their families to grow up in the North. Despite obstacles, they were both the first in their families to attend college. They worked hard, remained politically involved, and continue to volunteer and give back to the Black community.
Caste- Isabel Wilkerson
Integrity
Active listening
Collaborative
Solution Oriented
Ability to compromise in the best interest of the community
Compassionate
I am a resourceful solution oriented listener. I think outside of the box, compromise, collaborate, and create solutions that are in the best terest of those who I represent.
1. Ensure equitable services for education, streets, sanitation, and parks.
2. Improve quality of life in the ward through intentional development of vacant lots and commercial corridors.
3. Collaborate witih City Council, state representatives, county, and other local officials to efficiently budget and manage city services.
Racial inequities have created health and wealth gaps in the Black community. My legacy will be that I worked to close both of them.
The first historical event that I remember was when the wall came down in Germany. I was 14 and I remember watching the people on the news tearing down the wall and crying.
My very first job was babysitting. I babysat my neighbors children from 7th grade through high school. Around the same time, The Babysitter's Club book series was released. My friends and I started a club and made flyers to expand our babysitting services.
Assata- It is a story about dedication to a cause and resilience.
Ain't No Need to Worry- Anita Baker and the Winans
Work life balance
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
Ebony Lucas completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lucas' responses.
Low-income families do not have the same choices, options, or alternatives when it comes to public school. How can this be addressed?
As 4th Ward Alderman, I will be a voice for prioritizing public school funding. The TIF program causes the schools to miss out on millions of dollars of funding. I am a proponent for TIF reform. I also plan to create opportunities for more strategic partnerships in the ward between the museums, libraries, park districts, and community based organizations to bring additional resources and access to opportunities to the schools in the ward.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
I will meet with the principals and LSC chairs quarterly to understand the needs of each school and provide additional funding and resources to bring equity to school funding in the ward.
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
I am a proponent for an elected school board, and, as alderman, I will work with state legislators to ensure that this moves forward. The schools will be able to communicate more effectively with parents and the community and work more productively to address the needs of students when there is a dedicated, accountable, elected body that can focus on the public schools.
What do you believe are the greatest needs of kids in school today? How would you prioritize these needs and address them?
The needs of kids varies by neighborhood and school. It is important to understand the unique needs of students in each school and determine the funding, programming and resources based upon need.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
Children need exposure to the world around them so that they can determine their strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Before and after school programs at the libraries, zoo, museums, park district, union apprenticeships, and other community based organizations need to be funded in every neighborhood. The after school matters program needs to be more accessible and user friendly. The 4th ward aldermanic office will have computers for youth to come in and apply for One Summer Chicago and After School Matters to increase their opportunities for success.
Do you believe that there is corruption in Chicago politics, such as pay-to-play practices when the city awards bids? If so, how would you address it?
To avoid corruption and a pay to play system, city contractors and developers should not be able to donate to political campaigns within one year before or after submission of a request. In addition, aldermanic prerogative should be replaced with community- based development plans that are recorded and provide the departments planning and zoning with guidance about what should be built in neighborhoods.
How would you handle the “recurrence of unaddressed racially discriminatory conduct by officers” identified in the U.S. Justice Department’s investigative report of the Chicago PD published in 2017?
The police department, not residents of Chicago, should be accountable for police misconduct. In renegotiating the collective bargaining agreement, a key change is to require that the department/ union/ department held insurance pay for misconduct claims and settlements. I support a civilian elected police accountability board that will review misconduct. Finally, we need a system of accountability that discourages the code of silence by requiring officers to immediately provide a statement after incidents occur and to immediately report any dash or body cam issues.
What sort of proposals would help reduce police shootings and fatalities?
Proper police training, use of restorative justice and community policing methods, and police accountability for misconduct will help to reduce the number of police shootings.
What ideas do you have to reduce the availability of illegal or unregistered guns in Chicago?
Stricter laws related to transport of guns across state lines and investment to bring high quality schools and job training in every neighborhood will help to reduce the illegal guns.
How will you help to rebuild trust in the police department and to encourage the community to work with police?
As Alderman, I will work directly with community based policing model that will bring officers out of cars and walking and on bikes. I also want to encourage youth participation in CAPS meetings and ensure that issues are followed up on and addressed between meetings.
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
Displacement of residents in the community is largely due to lack of affordable housing. I want to ensure that city council is addressing budgetary waste and avoiding property tax increases. I also want to amend the city of Chicago building code to make it easier to rehab existing housing and provide access and information for city programs that assist with home ownership.
How would you care for the most vulnerable Chicagoans?
As alderman, I will advocate for decisions that focus on neighborhood development, including access to housing and quality education, mental health and medical services, and job training programs.
How would you ensure that development benefits residents in their neighborhoods and not solely the developers and other interests?
I plan to work with urban planners and community members to create a community based development plan for the entire ward. This plan will be based upon safety, schools, infrastructure, diverse housing options, and access to shopping and healthy foods. This plan will then be used to determine whether new developments fit within the needs of the community so that we will ensure that the developments satisfy the needs of residents.
How would you distribute revenue fairly between neighborhoods?
In order to distribute resources fairly, a full review must be done to determine the needs of neighborhoods. This requires the aldermen to work directly with the residents, schools, and public service departments, perform a needs assessment, and then funds should be distributed based up on the needs assessments, with needs such as quality public education, access to healthy foods, mental health and medical services being a priority.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
Underfunded pensions in Chicago is a serious issue that must be addressed. People who worked and were promised pensions must be paid. As alderman, I will be a proponent of additional streams of income such as the financial transaction tax so that corporations are paying their fair share and low to middle income earners are not disproportionately taxed.
What’s your opinion on tax increment financing (a program that funds development using any additional property tax revenue that results from an increase in appraised property values)? What, if any, changes would you make to the use of TIF?
The TIF program is currently being abused. It is not used in blighted communities as intended and needs serious reform.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
The city of Chicago has failed to prioritize the needs of the residents in the city, including, but not limited to mental health services, schools, and housing. As alderman, I will review the budget, ask questions, and try to significantly reduce the budgetary waste that prevents the city from providing necessary services.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
I am a proponent for property tax stabilization for long term residents and property tax incentives for new home buyers who are at or below the area median income to provide affordable opportunities for home ownership.
How would you increase access to quality food and urgent care in all parts of the city?
I want to encourage gardening and urban farming to increase access to healthy foods. I also want to ensure that as we are planning for development, we are bringing healthy food options throughout the ward. Finally, I plan to build strategic partnerships with the schools and organizations such as the Farmer's Bureau which provides free education about healthy eating.
How will you address public health concerns such as contaminated drinking water, rat infestation, and lead poisoning?
To address Chicago's very serious issue with lead in the water, proper testing needs to be completed in schools and homes where the issue is most pervasive and water filters should be distributed. The city council needs to prioritize the larger infrastructure issue in the budget.
How would you make Chicago a cleaner city with less waste and pollution?
We can significant reduce waste and pollution in the city by making it easier for individuals to travel by bike and public transportation. In addition, large scale developments should be required to use clean energy and energy efficient appliances and furnaces.
What would be your first steps for improving the transit system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and safety?
The first step for reviewing the transit system in the 4th ward is to meet with the residents to determine the needs. I have heard many complaints about the times of bus routes. Once the needs of the residents are determined, we will take the information to CTA to determine the changes that should be made. In addition, I want to address accessibility and safety by repairing side walks, installing benches, cross walks, and lights near bus stops.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2017
Lucas' campaign website listed the following themes for 2017:
| “ |
As Alderman, I will:
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” |
| —Ebony Lucas (2017) | ||
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ebony Lucas for Alderman of the 4th Ward, "About," accessed February 16, 2017
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 19, 2023
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Candidate Filings for the February 28, 2017 Municipal Election," January 3, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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