WMAY’s exclusive post-election sit-down with Ward 5 Alderwoman LaKeisha Purchase

https://www.wmay.com/2023/05/04/wmays-exclusive-post-election-sit-down-with-ward-5-alderwoman-lakeisha-purchase-at-resource-one-in-downtown-springfield/ 

The sun was shining on that Friday. It was a nice day for a walk in Downtown Springfield, with a slight breeze and a cool blue sky above. There are so many shops and interesting little sites as you walk up Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth streets, that it seems a new discovery might be made each time one goes by.

We were on our way on this day, to speak with the recently victorious incumbent alderperson of Springfield’s Ward 5 – still fresh off of her early April victory – but we were not going to an office space.

No, no studio or politically professional setting would be housing this particular interview; instead, we would be enjoying our time chatting at the Resource One showroom in Downtown Springfield – across the way from The Whimsy Tea Company.

And, when we finally walked into the lovely showroom at 321 E Adams St., it did not take us very long to find the Alderwoman – patiently and enthusiastically waiting – in a lovely midcentury modern chair, in jeans, a t-shirt, and her seemingly-trademarked winged and bejeweled glasses.

Ms. Purchase is serious and ambitious as a politician, and as a person with a position and obligation toward others; she is, however, a person first and foremost – a human being just like those she does her best to serve.

It had been some time since last we saw one another, and her eyes lit up as she saw us walk into the showroom; she gleefully noted her triumph only days prior as we found seats to get comfortable in.

“I am thrilled to have had such a huge showing of support from the voters. That really speaks to the close connection I work to maintain with my constituents….That connection is something I enjoy not just during election season, but throughout each year.”

Humans, however, have many, many other sides to them – as well as stories and histories – which are all but mere parts of their greater whole.

“My father is a Letter Carrier for the Post Office and remains very active in the community on behalf of the union. I often joined him in various activities such as food giveaways. But, it’s also no secret that my godmother is the Senate Majority Leader, Kimberly Lightford.

I lived with my god mom all throughout high school, and I used to go to all of her women’s meetings – I used to be the kid that would hand the candy out and run up to the door. So my major ended up being political science with a minor in speech communications. And after seeing my godmother do the work that she did in the community and the money she would bring back home to her community, it was kind of like in my blood. And she [Kimberly Lightford] was just like, you can do this yourself!

As a competitive runner, much of my early college experience revolved around sports. After tearing my hamstring and my inability to bounce back, I turned my attention to activism and public service. I organized a student lobby to fight the elimination of MAP grants, with buses from Carbondale and SIU-Edwardsville to Springfield, as well as a mail & phone campaign to fight for this much-needed student financial support. I worked for the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and was subsequently a Vince Demuzio Intern, which led to my current position with IDOT.

When Majority Leader Lightford moved up – at the time – to assistant Majority Leader, I thought, ‘maybe I could run for park board.’ And now, who was our State Senator at that time? Doris Turner, and she was like, ‘Well, no, I want you to try Capitol Township,’ I said, ‘what is that?’ And she goes, ‘We’re gonna learn what it is.’

So prior to my role as Alderwoman, I served as Capital Township trustee. I was proud of my work to educate the public about the role of township government and to connect citizens to the vital resources available to them. That work helped lessen the burden of the pandemic by partnering with agencies that provided resources to residents.

And, in my short time as Alderwoman, I have voted to pass a historic budget to give necessary funding to improve the City and my ward, particularly focused on providing more resources to our police and fire departments and other first responders.”

But what, in her experience, is it like to be the Alderwoman of Ward 5 in Springfield? As she heads into a full term in the position, she reflected upon what her life has thus far consisted of in the position – both in the good and bad – as well as what her mindset was during the recent, heated election campaign, and what it is when she speaks to colleagues and discusses ordinances and the like.

“Let’s talk about what Ward 5 looks like – that was one of your questions. Yes, absolutely. It’s a very mixed-use ward. I have my neighborhood associations, primarily Vinegar Hill. Enos Park, Linkin Park, and right behind Springfield High School. That area going up to MacArthur is considered part of the historic West Side neighborhood association.

Then you have the Medical District. I’m over both hospitals – Memorial and St. John’s. And then you have – what I call – the economic engine of the city of Springfield: our downtown. We have so many gems in Ward 5 when it comes to the Presidential Museum and Library, the Oak Ridge cemetery too; plus, we have our state employees here. We also have the Old State Capitol with its own, lovely history as well.

Every night, 80% of my job is responding to emails, phone calls, and text messages…I feel like it’s my obligation – as your representative – to tell you what’s going on and keep you in the loop for the sake of transparency…I think the biggest concern in Ward 5 was that people didn’t feel a part of the process; they weren’t educated concerning what the process of getting a pothole filled entails.

So, I do a lot of emails, and I CC my constituents on the emails that go to all of the departments – the respective departments – and I say ‘Hey, can we put in a ticket order,’ then at the end, I always mention that an updated status would be greatly appreciated. So then they [the department or departments in question] can tell me when they put it [the work order] in, and when they’re expected to go out. So I think people have just really appreciated being a part of the process.

I believe in building bridges, making no permanent enemies, and they say permanent friends, but I feel like we’re a family up there. I respect everybody. I may have raised my energy a little bit higher. A few times here and there, but I always have tried my best to respect people…They [those individuals who ran against Alderwoman Purchase] both said negative things about me during the election – or their camps said negative things about me, and I’m human. So some of it was hurtful.

But at the end of the day, if I’m preaching to the next generation to stay above the fray, I have to practice what I’m preaching; I need to be an example. So I took that very seriously too. And it taught me – during this process – a lot of patience. That is, self-reflection, and figuring out the things that I can do to keep my nerves calm – no matter what.”

Throughout our time together, Alderwoman Purchase keeps a thoughtful, kind, and open perspective. We chatted about the importance of groups like ICON and other community and neighborhood collectives, about what the people of the communities really care about; individuals quietly walked in and out of the Resource One showroom all the while, as the sun set a marvelous scene outside as two in the afternoon neared three.

Alderwoman Purchase – looking out towards Springfield’s May 5 inauguration – then discussed her focuses in Ward 5, across the entirety of Springfield, plus the City Council, how it must operate, and why functioning in a certain manner is so critical for the city of Springfield moving forward – as much as anything else.

“I focus my work as Alderwoman on four priorities: economic vitality, public safety, infrastructure improvements, and quality neighborhoods. They are all interwoven. My commitment is to ensure the fundamental rights to personal safety, quality housing, and a job that can support a family. Those principles serve as the guide to my decision-making.

It is a question of balance in the allocation of resources. I am fiercely devoted to the needs of Ward 5. A little experience as Alderwoman has taught me to balance resources not only across Ward 5 but across Springfield as a whole. We are only as healthy as our neediest area. I look forward to working with the new mayor and the new city council to make sure all areas’ needs are met.

But [concerning civility on the City Council], if you see the City Council arguing and treating one another poorly, then how can I expect you to bring it to us in a professional manner yourself – if you watch us disrespect each other all the time? So I just want people to take accountability for their actions; we can agree to disagree, but we have to have some type of decorum up here.”

As our time together became ever more fleeting, and each party was thanking the other for the time, thoughtful questions, and answers, Alderwoman Purchase noted her enthusiasm for the work that she has ahead of her with the City Council members – new and old.

My commitment is to ensure the fundamental rights to personal safety, quality housing, and a job that can support a family; those principles serve as the guide to my decision-making each and every day…I’m excited to work with [the] new Council members and the new Mayor to hear the new ideas they wish to bring forth. As for things I plan to work on, I’m very excited about increasing UIS’ presence downtown.”

LaKeisha smiled further, and as we all left Resource One on our way onward on such a lovely Friday afternoon in Springfield, one sentence, in particular, rang in our ears across the rest of the day.

“Sometimes you have to take a gamble or risk in the present in order for more positive actions and accomplishments to be possible moving forward.”

Our thanks to Alderwoman Purchase, her staff, as well as the entire staff of Resource One for their time, thoughtfulness, and hard work.

The Lofts on Madison gets go-ahead; city council adds labor agreement amendment

The Lofts on Madison gets go-ahead; city council adds labor agreement amendment

https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/local/2022/12/21/springfield-city-council-gives-ok-to-new-medical-district-development/69739794007/

The full Springfield City Council Tuesday gave its approval to a $28.3 million proposed development by a New York company at Fifth and Madison streets, but not before adding an amendment ensuring that a Project Labor Agreement has to be negotiated in the future.

The unanimous vote signals the go-ahead for Adirondack Community Development to move forward with its lenders on The Lofts on Madison project.

There was an initial motion to hold the ordinance for two weeks after some council members pointed out that they only received the developer’s agreement at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

An amendment was added about the PLA, but Victor Salerno, the chief executive officer of Adirondack, said he has already had “a number of discussions” with the Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council and “we’ve given verbal commitments that we would enter into a PLA.”

“(I was) a little surprised it got added into the legislation, but at the end of the day we were going to enter into one anyway,” Salerno said afterward the meeting. “We’re happy about it. We’re excited to move forward.”

Under a PLA, terms and conditions of employment for specific building projects are negotiated between the developer and unions, including percentages of the local workforce, women, and minorities on the project.

The project would bring 136 “market rate apartments” to downtown Springfield and the Mid-Illinois Medical District.

The landing spot for the complex, 301 N. Fifth St.– the north side of Madison Street between Fourth and Fifth streets — has been a vacant lot for at least the last 50 years, city officials said.

It includes 87 one-bedroom, 30 two-bedroom and 19 three-bedroom units on the upper five floors. Rent would range from $1,100 to $1,450m monthly.

There would be retail space on the first floor and Salerno said again Tuesday “he would love to see a Trader Joe’s” or some other market go into the spot.

The project is unique because the 1.1-acre site will be its own TIF district. Details of the TIF will need to go back to city council for approval.

“This is a self-financed project in the sense that you’re only going to get money from that TIF if the assessed value of that vacant parking lot somehow becomes so much valuable with (a 136-unit development),” pointed out Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin.

School District 186 board member Bill Ringer said Monday that D186 personnel wasn’t contacted about the property going into “a targeted TIF.”

“It’s important to us that we’re going to possibly be giving up a future revenue stream for a very long time,” Ringer said after Monday’s school board meeting. “We educate our kids using property tax money.”

Salerno said lenders are looking closely at interest rates.

The approval moves the project, Salerno said, from “pie in the sky to an actual working path.”

“We’ve been telling them that there’s going to be a TIF and there’s going to be expansion of the enterprise zone, but until there’s legislation passed that says the city is going to do this, there wasn’t much further we could go (with lenders).

“We would like to go lock in our financing as quickly as possible. This is still a very rate-sensitive environment, and all our numbers are predicated on rates not going up that much more.”

Adirondack would put in about $3 million in private equity and independent financing of about $21 million.

The Lofts on Madison would create 40 full-time retail and commercial jobs and 10 full-time employees working on the property side as leasing agents, maintenance supervisors and a community manager.

Mayor Jim Langfelder said he wasn’t surprised about the PLA because it has come up as a talking point with other projects, like Poplar Place.

“What I appreciate now with the city council,” Langfelder said, “is they had the foresight to move forward with the project instead of delaying it because the developer is taking the risk and it’s important that he does get his financing in place before the end of the year.

“Everybody is in agreement that it is going to be a great project of rejuvenation for downtown and the medical district. This was an important step.”

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

Springfield Alderwoman Reads to Local Kids, Shares Inclusive Message

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A Springfield alderwoman has been sharing an inclusive message when reading to local kids.

Lakeisha Purchase, who represents Ward 5 in Springfield, has been reading to kids in February as part of Black History Month. Over the weekend of Feb. 12-13, Purchase read books to kids at two different places.

One book she read is called “Skin Like Mine.”

“(It gave a) message that we need to be comfortable in our skin and our skin does not matter when we’re together as well,” Purchase said. “So it talked about being comfortable and it talked about us being united and it talked about us not picking on each other.”

Purchase said it’s important to share a message of unity for kids and to teach them it’s OK to be different from each other. She said people should be proud of their differences.

https://www.wandtv.com/news/springfield-alderwoman-reads-to-local-kids-shares-inclusive-message/article_908c78ac-8e1e-11ec-ba67-2b51ace8a1bd.html

Great House BBQ Opens Downtown

Fans of Great House BBQ can get their fill once again. The restaurant closed its west-side location last summer and originally hoped to be open downtown by August. However, the issue of whether or not the existing hood and exhaust system had to be replaced – at significant expense – caused delays in getting the new location at Fifth and Adams streets open.

“Our Public Works department is really understaffed. There was a lot of back-and-forth, but we got it worked out so they could open up at the first of the year with a modified menu,” said Ward 5 Alderwoman Lakeisha Purchase, who has been assisting owner Renatta Frazier in coordinating with the city’s building and zoning department.

Frazier owns the business along with three of her four children: Kurtis Mitchell, Dianna Mitchell and Benjamin “BJ” Frazier. Another son, Kourtney Mitchell, is a silent partner. The family originally opened Great House BBQ in October 2019 at 4233 W. Wabash in the former Tasty City Seafood & Trio space. In June, Frazier told SBJ about plans to open at 11 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, which most recently housed The Incubator, a café, bar and co-working space that closed during the early days of the pandemic.

In addition, Frazier said several other businesses are in the works that will be operated by various family members. She is also leasing space at 9 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, which formerly housed The Remedy Bar & Drinkery, and plans to open a bar and nightclub called The Cave. “My son, BJ, will be overseeing the day-to-day operations for that,” Frazier said, while her daughter, Dianna, plans to open a bakery called Tyler D’s Café and Cakes in the space at 5 W. Old State Capitol Plaza where Long Nine Junction was previously located. A gaming café is already operating in the small space adjacent to the restaurant, and Frazier said Adams Street Convenience Store will soon open in the space at 441 E. Adams that used to be a tattoo parlor. “We had thought about doing a fitness center, but we feel like a convenience store is needed downtown,” she said.

Since The Remedy previously had a liquor license, Frazier said she doesn’t anticipate any delays in getting the new bar open, and Purchase confirmed she is supportive of the application. “I’ve known Renatta since she moved back here. She’s always shown professionalism and I feel very good about her establishment being added to the downtown Adams family businesses,” Puchase said.

According to Frazier, ‘”We’re pretty confident that we’ll have it done by the end of the month, or at least by Valentine’s Day.”

In the meantime, Great House BBQ is now open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 a.m. and Sunday 12-5 p.m.

Delays in opening Springfield overflow shelter

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — The overflow shelter at the Salvation Army building will not open on Friday, Oct. 1 despite officials hoping that it would.

So when can we expect the doors to fully open?

The Heartland Continuum of Care and the Salvation Army, which are in charge of opening and operating the shelter, say there is no exact date but that it all depends on when they can hire and train staff.

Captain Jeff Eddy with the Salvation Army says they will need to hire 12 employees but no one has been hired yet.

The applications aren’t even available and Eddy says he doesn’t know when they will be.

Newschannel 20 and Fox Illinois asked Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder what the backup plan is if they can’t find any staff.

“I will leave it up to the experts, the Heartland Continuum of Care, the Salvation Army,” Mayor Langfelder said.

So that’s what we did. We contacted the Heartland Continuum of Care asking the same question. This was the coordinator’s response.

“I can’t staff, I don’t staff, that’s not my role. Certainly, we will do everything possible to get it done as quickly as possible, that’s what we’re looking to do,” Josh Sabo said.

This has led us to ask Captain Eddy with the Salvation Army if they will have enough time to hire and train workers to open the shelter before it gets cold outside.

In a text, Eddy said, “In previous years, the conversation didn’t start until right now and we got it accomplished.”

Newschannel 20 and Fox Illinois spoke with Ward 5 Alderwoman Lakeisha Purchase.

Purchase says she’s confident the city and these other agencies we’ve been speaking with will be able to open the shelter before it gets cold outside.

The overflow shelter is part of the immediate needs section of the city’s plan to end homelessness.

Source: https://newschannel20.com/news/local/delays-in-opening-springfield-overflow-shelter

History made in Springfield, City Council the most diverse it’s ever been

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — History is being made in the City of Springfield.

For the first time, three African-Americans and three women are serving on the City Council.

“We have the most diverse City Council that we’ve ever had in the City of Springfield,” Frank McNeil, former alderperson said.

This moment is long overdue according to McNeil who served as one of the first African-American aldermen in 1988.

Allan Woodson also served as the other African American alderman during that time.

McNeil played a huge role in the Voting Rights Act lawsuit against the city in 1985 which changed the way government operates.

“Under section two of the Voting Rights Act, we didn’t feel African-Americans were fairly represented in the City of Springfield,” McNeil said. “In 1985 we filed a lawsuit against the City of Springfield to change the form of government.”

It’s a change that has finally paved the way for others.

“The whole point of filing the lawsuit is to give minorities or women an opportunity to serve and represent constituents of their community,” McNeil explained.

The first woman of color to serve on Springfield City Council was alderwoman Gail Simpson from 2007 to 2015 and then again in 2019.

Thereafter was former alderwoman Doris Turner and now it’s Lakeisha Purchase, who currently represents Ward five.

It’s a point in history that is particularly hitting home for those in the Springfield chapter of the NAACP.

“To have people on the city council who look like me, who understand the impact it has on the community from an equity lens is important,” the president of NAACP Teresa Haley said. “When you have 9 to 10 aldermen and two of them are black that’s not enough, but when you look at three blacks and three women, that shows a little improvement in terms of diversity.”

It’s an improvement that McNeil hopes will give minorities and women an opportunity to serve and represent constituents of their community.

“You have to look forward and be hopeful that one day an African-American can lead the city as the mayor of the City of Springfield,” said McNeil.

“Under section two of the Voting Rights Act, we didn’t feel African-Americans were fairly represented in the City of Springfield,” McNeil said. “In 1985 we filed a lawsuit against the City of Springfield to change the form of government.”

It’s a change that has finally paved the way for others.

“The whole point of filing the lawsuit is to give minorities or women an opportunity to serve and represent constituents of their community,” McNeil explained.

The first woman of color to serve on Springfield City Council was alderwoman Gail Simpson from 2007 to 2015 and then again in 2019.

Thereafter was former alderwoman Doris Turner and now it’s Lakeisha Purchase, who currently represents Ward five.

It’s a point in history that is particularly hitting home for those in the Springfield chapter of the NAACP.

“To have people on the city council who look like me, who understand the impact it has on the community from an equity lens is important,” the president of NAACP Teresa Haley said. “When you have 9 to 10 aldermen and two of them are black that’s not enough, but when you look at three blacks and three women, that shows a little improvement in terms of diversity.”

It’s an improvement that McNeil hopes will give minorities and women an opportunity to serve and represent constituents of their community.

“You have to look forward and be hopeful that one day an African-American can lead the city as the mayor of the City of Springfield,” said McNeil.

Source: newschannel20.com

Love for Lakeisha

Lakeisha Purchase was the unanimous choice of Springfield aldermen to succeed Andrew Proctor as the Ward 5 representative on the city council. Proctor moved to the Chicago area.

“I wanted to do public service, and so I got active on the east side of Springfield with Ald. (Roy) Williams and Ald. (Shawn) Gregory and One in a Million and hit the ground running,” she told aldermen Tuesday just before the vote.

“Ward 5 is the economic engine for the city of Springfield,” Purchase continued, describing the area that includes part of downtown and north of there. “Not only is it centralized, but we have the two hospitals, the school of medicine, a lot of the state working bulidings, and a lot of older neighborhoods.”

There was some friction when the council was considering Williams for Ward 3, because, contrary to what some described as a “gentlemen’s agreement,” he would not commit not to run for a full term. Purchase says “we’ve moved past that” in her winning unanimous support despite declaring she will run as an incumbent in 2023.

The appointment brings the number of alderwoman on the council back to three and for the first time puts three Blacks on the council.

Source: wtax.com

Lakeisha Purchase to fill Ward 5 Aldermanic vacancy

Mayor Jim Langfelder has recently announced that Lakeisha Purchase will fill the Ward 5 aldermanic vacancy.

Ward 5 is a place that Purchase calls home. Actually, she’s been involved in helping rebuild the neighborhood, as well as being apart of the Enos Park Neighborhood Association. She is no stranger to the work that it takes to empower and rebuild a community.

In the press release, Langfelder states, “I believe she will be a strong voice for the residents of Ward 5 and will keep the best interest of the community in mind. That is why I’m proud to nominate her to fulfill the Ward 5 aldermanic seat on the Springfield City Council.”

Purchase’s nomination went in front of City Council on Sept. 7th, for emergency passage.

Source & full article: www.wqlz.com

Capital Township Trustee Lakeisha Purchase nominated by Springfield mayor to Ward 5 seat

All signs point to Lakeisha Purchase becoming Ward 5’s new representative on the city council.

Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder on Thursday announced he is nominating Purchase, a Capital Township trustee who previously ran to be Ward 5’s representative in 2019, to fill the vacant seat on the council. Purchase, if confirmed at Tuesday’s council meeting, would be the third woman to currently serve on the council and the first Black woman to serve since state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, relinquished her Ward 3 seat in February.

“I believe she will be a strong voice for the residents of Ward 5 and will keep the best interest of the community in mind,” Langfelder said in a news release Thursday. “That is why I’m proud to nominate her to fulfill the Ward 5 aldermanic seat on the Springfield City Council.”

Source & full article: www.sj-r.com