Page 34 - October 2018 FOP Magazine

34 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2018
This is 40
This is 40
Four decades of street-level appreciation has created mutual respect and admiration between Reboyras and the police
■ BY JOSHUA SIGMUND
Ariel Reboyras never intended to run for office, let alone serve 16 years as alderman in Chicago’s 30th ward.
Rather, his 40-year Chicago civic career began as a sub- stitute teacher, before working his way through jobs in six municipal departments ranging from trash collection to snow removal and water management. The experience gave Reboyras a deep understanding of the nitty-gritty it takes to get things done in the City.
His street-by-street intimacy developed while working on the road as a truck driver, then moving up the ladder to become equipment dispatcher, equipment coordinator for the water department and finally, Deputy Commissioner for the Department of General Services. And it all led Re- boyras to a place where he could become a grassroots rep- resentative of the public service workers who make the City go.
In 2002, when then-Alderman Mike Wojcik’s seat opened up, he recognized Reboyras’ accomplishments and ded- ication to working 10-12-hour days with a smile. And he pushed him to run.
“I was just following orders,” Reboyras jokes. “But I truly enjoy public service, doing things for constituents – that’s where my heart lies.”
Throughout four terms, Reboyras’ accomplishments in- clude Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects to clean up commercial areas, enticing new business development, creating reinvestment in the community, increasing infra- structure and bringing a new pre-K-8 school into the ward. And he’s currently working on some major projects such as a soon-to-be-unveiled, 98-unit senior citizen apartment building, the first in the 30th ward.
So as Wojcik predicted – and Chicago law enforcement officers quickly learned – Reboyras was indeed the right man for the job.
“We still have unfinished business, especially in the De- partment with the Committee on Public Safety,” announc- es Reboyras, who chairs that committee in the city council. “That’s why I chose to run one more time...I don’t want to stop.”
And come February, Chicago Lodge 7 members need to support Reboyras as he fights for his fifth term.
After all, when he became chair of the Committee on Pub- lic Safety, Reboyras’ first directive to his staff was straight- forward: “Police matters first; all else comes second.”
Such sentiment has been supported by action. Reboyras was heavily involved in filling the roles of superintendent, chief administrator, Deputy Inspector of Public Safety and members of the police board. He communicates openly
with Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham, and has a longstand- ing relationship with FOP Recording Secretary Greg Bella. He attends all CompStat meetings to understand how vari- ous districts are doing with reduction of crime, as well as all police academy graduations to welcome the new recruits.
“It makes a world of difference,” he states. “It does to me at least.”
Of course, not all encounters between the police and elected officials are immediately positive, especially in Chi- cago’s current climate of public demand for law enforce- ment oversight. But that is one area in which Reboyras has made a significant impact by compelling the city council to due diligence in making decisions about civilian oversight.
“I decided to do community hearings about police ac- countability, and it was rough. Some meetings were really difficult,” Reboyras recalls about navigating the emotional landscape that includes both the law enforcement commu- nity as well as organizations such as the Police Accountabil- ity Project and Grassroots for Police Accountability. “I don’t mind that the community gets involved on a district level, but for them to have powers to hire and fire the police su- perintendent and the police board, that’s my biggest prob- lem right now.”
For Reboyras, whose daughter is an officer in the 25th District, a deep empathy and understanding of the plight of law enforcement pervades his approach to the dynamic situation.
“My wife and I pray for them – all of them – every day,” he emotes. “My concern is that with this consent decree, how many more eyes and ears do we need to put on our police officers? Yes, I want some accountability, but do we have them answer to four different organizations? It’s a tough enough job, and I feel we’re tying them up. They need to do