Negocios Now

NegociosNow NegociosNow www.negociosnow.com 4 Diciembre 2008 4 Abril-Mayo 2017 What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation. Negocios Now: What is your vision for city clerk and where do you want to go? Anna: Our vision right now is being that link between commu- nity and government. Govern- ment can be an overwhelming process to navigate through. I was the first in my family to go to college. So when I was loo- king at colleges I didn't know where to start, how to look for resources or even how to get into college. I didn't even know government could be an option as a career because I didn't see women, or women of color, in positions like this. So, right now I really want to focus on how do we make it more accessible for people to get more involved in government and how do we open those doors of opportuni- ty? And on the operations side, how do we bring those resour- ces to the community and meet people where they are so it's more convenient? Negocios Now: How are you working to connect people in the community with the government? Anna: The last few months we've been doing roundtable and listening tours called 'Your City, Your Clerk.' We walk through the city operation — how we sell stickers, people don't realize we have discounts for seniors, vete- rans or our locations. We talk about where you can watch city council online or how we have a record keeper. People just want to be heard. They want to feel listened to. They want to feel part of the policy. Even throug- hout my tenure as city clerk I plan to be very accessible in the community and keep meeting people at these roundtables. I tell people this is the first time you're seeing me, but it won't be the last time. So I think that kee- ONE-ON-ONE ANNA VALENCIA WITH CHICAGO CITY CLERK A nna Valencia, a longtime public servant, was appointed to fill the Chicago City Clerk vacancy when Susana Mendoza became Illinois comptroller. The Office of the City Clerk oversees the sale of vehicle stickers and residential zone parking permits; collects and stores city records; and administers the city's KIDS ID, Medical ID and Dog Registration programs, among other functions. To keep her position, Valencia will have to run for election in 2019. ping that dialogue happening and going out constantly in the community, and then also, brin- ging the services there. Negocios Now: Can you tell us about the Municipal ID? Anna: The Municipal ID is going to be a valid government ID, and it's going to be secu- re. Security was our number 1 priority when thinking through the Municipal ID because we'd heard from a lot of immigrant advocate groups that they were concerned about the securi- ty piece. The data will be pro- tected. Just like the Secretary of State, when people come in with their documents, they don't retain copies. They authenticate them and then give them back. That's the same model we will be using. What we collect in our system will be first name, last name, date of birth, and unique ID number. Negocios Now: So this is important. It doesn't matter if you are an undocumented immigrant? Anna: No, anyone can apply for the city ID card. There are many populations that will benefit from that, but we also want this to be an ID card for everyone, for all Chicagoans. We're working on different bene- fits. We hope it could be like a discount card for pharmacies, or museums, sporting events, local chambers, small busines- ses. Currently we are working out all those partnerships. Negocios Now is a Latino business newspaper. How can Latino businesses connect with the city clerk? Anna: We have our three loca- tions but you can connect with Kate or anyone on my staff. Espe- cially for the Municipal ID card. We can partner to even highlight some of the restaurants or shops that we're working with that will accept the ID for a discount. We can ask people to support these local businesses. Negocios Now: What else will you focus on as city clerk? Anna: Being more transpa- rent in our city council and how it works. Streaming online, or streaming from mobile devices so you can watch city council wherever you're at. Or being able to understand what bills or ordi- nances have passed in the city or being able to get access to infor- mation. That is the goal in the city clerk's office — to be acces- sible in the community, and also to be transparent and open so that everyone can watch gover- nment and see how government works, and how it works for you. So really making government work better for all Chicagoans is what leads me and drives me.

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