Tio Hardiman, a native Chicagoian, has thrown his name in the mix in running for Illinois Governor. Hardiman mentioned in a conference that he plans to provide more resources to schools, bring an end to corruption, create stricter laws for illegal gun trafficking in the state and reduce employment. Tio said in a conference, “I just want to let everybody in Illinois know that I’m dead serious about running for governor.” Tio believes we need fresh leadership, a Governor with a fundamentally different vision, the unquestioned integrity to lead Illinois toward shared prosperity, and equal opportunities in all parts of the state (Tio Hardiman for Illinois, 2014).
Tio’s plans include the following:
* Make affordable housing truly affordable for all income levels
* Fund more programs for adult literacy and job readiness
* Reduce poverty by creating good jobs with a living wage and paid sick leave
* Help small businesses prosper
* Put the public voice back into the public education
* Improve government services like the DHS and DCFS
* Reduce gun violence
* Raise the minimum wage
* Reduce wasteful government spending
In an interview, Hardiman stated, “I didn’t make this decision overnight. There’s a lot of good work that I’ve done as a community activist” and that “I’m running for Governor because I’m tired of seeing people so tired. I’m a pure champion for the people. It’s time for the voices of the people to be heard”. Analysts believe that Hardiman has no chance in campaigning against Pat Quinn. Tio thinks otherwise. He has a campaign literature, a website outperforming everyone else’s, and a campaign office with a receptionist who answers the phone. Of course Rauner has poured more than $6 million into his campaign, which has propelled him to the front of the polls and Tio has loaned about $23,000 to his campaign. Hardiman does not want to stress that, as a progressive Democrat, his politics couldn’t be more different from Rauner’s. "Check it out—Rauner said he wanted to reduce the minimum wage, and then he backed down. He's a flip-flop artist! If he's successful-but he won't be successful. Once we win the primary, the Democrats will put $20 million into my campaign. Rauner will not survive our debate. Trust me—he'll walk away from me. I'm an outspoken guy. When people talk about Tio, they say I'm a champion for the people. I'm like the Nelson Mandela of Illinois" (Dumke, 2014).
Hardiman knows that he has the credentials that are needed to lead Illinois. Him having the experience as a state director of Ceasefire, he’s managed tens of millions of dollars in grants, oversaw the hiring of hundreds of ex-offenders, and has worked with both police and gang members to improve public safety. However, two years ago, his wife accused him of domestic battery. Later, she dropped the charges, but he lost his job with Ceasefire. Tio is not running to rehabilitate his name or to raise his profile to get another job. He said that he intends to win the election. Hardiman wants to head for the governor’s mansion and never really considered running for a lower-level position. Tio stated, “Governor Quinn would not survive a debate with me. Trust me. Pat Quinn is one of the least-liked governors in the United States. Governor Quinn needs to go.” Tio Hardiman also believes in making Illinois a state that works for all, not just a few. After two decades of egregious financial mismanagement have plunged the once-thriving economy of Illinois into financial ruin, the state’s job-creation rate ranks dead last in the U.S., with an unemployment rate of 8.6%. In 2011, Governor Quinn passed the largest tax hikes in Illinois history—raising personal income taxes by 67% and corporate taxes by 46%. The result, many businesses fled the state, an even greater number threatened to leave and to date, Illinois pension plans remained the worst-funded in the nation (Dumke, 2014).
Tio Hardiman was also the Executive Director for CeaseFire Violence Interrupters, INC. He was very dedicated to his career and the community for peace and social change. CeaseFire is an award-winning public health model that has been scientifically proven to reduce shootings and killings. He was also responsible for the Violence Interrupters in 2004. This program received funding from the State of Illinois to expand from 5 to 15 communities and from 20 to 130 Outreach workers and Violence interrupters. The Violence Interrupters are a unit who work to mediate conflict. This program has a great influence in the community and provides a wide variety of resources. As a testament, to the success of this program, in Chicago homicides have declined by 25 percent in 2010, to a total of 436. Since 1965 this was the fewest number of homicides in the city. This model has been replicated in 15 communities in Chicago, 7 cities in Illinois, 15 cities nationwide, like England, Iraq, and South Africa. More than 30 cities and nations are interested in learning about this program because they are, too, concerned about their own levels of shootings and killings. Tio Hardiman has worked with the media on the issues of Chicago violence and gang conflict. He’s appeared on the local affiliate of every major television network, as well as CNN and the BBC. Mr. Hardiman has also been interviewed for numerous National Public Radio stories and has been covered by the New York Times Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Red Eye, Jet Magazine, The Chicago Sun Times, and numerous others. The Interrupters Documentary based on Tio’s work has won film festivals across the nation. Growing up in Chicago’s notorious Henry Horner Housing Projects, Mr. Hardiman witnessed firsthand the devastating affect the violence epidemic has on a community. From that early exposure, he committed himself to ending violence in Chicago. Before joining CeaseFire, Mr. Hardiman organized more than 100 block clubs to strategize community plans for public safety on behalf of the Chicago Alliance for Neighborhood Safety and held leadership positions for Bethel New Life and Chicago’s CAPS Program. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Northeastern University and a Master’s Degree in Inner City Studies. (The Huffington Post, 2014).
On March 20, 2014, Tio left a personal message for all of his supporters and it reads, “I would I would like to personally “Thank” each and every one of the voters that cast their votes for Attorney Brunell Donald and me. We actually won 30 counties in Illinois and over 120,000 people voted for change in Illinois. I will be forever grateful for your support and dedication.
We made a strong showing during the Democratic Primary and now the people’s voices will be heard. Additionally, I plan to organize several Town Hall Meetings in the upcoming months to hear from the voters. We take every vote seriously and the people of Illinois deserve strong representation from the Governor’s Office. This is my commitment to the voters (Tio Hardiman for Illinois, 2014).
References
Dumke, M. (2014, March 4). Democrat Tio Hardiman wants you to know that he and his campaign for governor still exist. Retrieved March 2014, from The Reader: http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/03/04/democrat-tio-hardiman-wants-you-to-know-that-he-and-his-campaign-for-governor-still-exist
Hardiman for Illinois Campaigning in Peoria, IL. (2014, January 1). Peoria, Illinois, U.S. Retrieved March 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooGvgZ3eHTs
POLITICO.com. (2014, April 22). Illinois Election Results. Retrieved from Politico: http://www.politico.com/2014-election/results/illinois/#.U18L1ahdWSo
The Huffington Post. (2014). Retrieved 2014, from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tio-hardiman/
Tio "Mr. Ceasefire" Hardman. (2014). Retrieved March 2014, from http://www.tiohardiman.com/
Tio Hardiman for Illinois. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.hardimanforillinois.com/
