Susana Mendoza | Mendoza Plan


THE MENDOZA PLAN
City Sticker Advertising Revenue Policy Proposal Creative Solutions in Difficult Times "You do not have to be running for mayor to care about how many police we have on the street." – Susana Mendoza, Campaign Kickoff Announcement In the midst of a historic economic downturn, the City of Chicago's finances are in dire straits – with neither the state nor federal government in a position to help. It is clear difficult choices must be made to cut spending without sacrificing essential city services. But what does a City Clerk do? In Chicago...the City Clerk is the second highest ranking city official. More importantly, it is the most visited office in City Hall. There are approximately 100 hard working men and women that help keep the day-to-day operations of the City Clerk's office running seamlessly. The Chicago City Clerk's office is responsible for: Recording, tracking and managing all official city government records accurately and efficiently, including City Council legislation - this is its primary function Distributing 1.3 million vehicle stickers Issuing business and automatic amusement device licenses Managing the city's dog registration program Passing policy, when necessary Susana Mendoza believes these difficult times call for more than sacrifice – they call for bold, innovative ideas. Every idea and solution is worth exploring. Susana Mendoza will make the Clerk's office the most technologically modern office in the country and is focused on finding new non-taxpayer funded revenue sources to help re-instate a summer jobs program and put 100 new police officers on the street. Download the Mendoza Plan (PDF) VISION FOR CITY CLERK'S OFFICE - THE MENDOZA PLAN Currently the back of the city sticker is used to advertise the City Clerk and Mayor of Chicago, including their signature and logo. Susana Mendoza believes that this is valuable real estate that should benefit the taxpayer and not provide free advertising for the Clerk and Mayor. As Clerk of the City of Chicago, Susana Mendoza will work to find non-taxpayer funded revenue sources by offering private corporations the opportunity to sponsor the city sticker and advertise on the back of the sticker itself. For example, sponsorships of 1.3 million city stickers could be sold for $12 per sticker. The total revenue raised from this example would be $15,600,000 (see footnotes). Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing the city sticker would also be sponsored by the advertiser. This could potentially result in an immediate savings to taxpayers of approximately $170,000. Read the Chicago Sun-Times article about her policy proposal to fund revenue sources and put 100 new police officers on the street. The Mendoza Plan allocates these funds in the following three ways: Summer Jobs – Studies show youths are most prone to become involved in or fall victim to criminal behavior during the summer months when they're out of school. This is compounded by a lack of jobs in the most at-risk communities. Susana Mendoza will reinstate the much clamored-for summer jobs program for high school children from low-income areas. Potential employers will include the City of Chicago, community-based organizations and corporations who participate in the city sticker sponsoring program. This will give real-life experience, ambition for the future and help keep kids off the streets. Revenue Stream: $170,000 savings from no longer having to pay for the cost of manufacturing the city sticker. Cutting Cost of Sticker – Families throughout Chicago are struggling through record-high unemployment. Susana Mendoza will use a portion of the revenue earned from sponsorship to decrease the cost of the city sticker. She believes that taxpayers are entitled to directly benefit from these new revenues. Using the above cost projections, the sticker could be reduced by as much as $5. This will allow the City Clerk's office to not only hold the line on feared increases, but actually help put a small amount back in Chicagoans' wallets. More than a small gesture to help struggling Chicagoans, a reduced fee can help increase compliance, potentially bringing in more revenue. Revenue Stream: $6 million from the approximately $15 million in new revenue. More Police – An understaffed police department puts officers and citizens at an increased risk. An alarming number of Chicago Police officers have been killed in the line of duty in recent months as gangs and criminals grow bolder and more aggressive in their attacks. A top priority of city government must be restoring our Police Department to authorized strength. That means putting 2,000 additional police officers on the streets everyday. Revenue Stream: $9 million from the approximately $15 million in new revenue. Susana Mendoza proposes allocating the remaining $9 million to the City's General Revenue Fund to be used to hire an additional 100 new police officers. Download the Mendoza Plan (PDF) Footnotes: 1. For purposes of keeping this example simple, this reflects an ad cost of $1 per/car per/month per/year. 2. An actual price per sponsorship will be determined to maximize the impact of the program. 3. Sponsorships would be limited to responsible corporate partners and guided by reasonable and responsible parameters.