As a Calumet City alderwoman, Monet Wilson has almost nothing to do with Chicago’s legislation, policies or politics, but she is concerned about the Windy City’s traffic ticketing policy.

The city of Chicago issues more than 3 million tickets each year for a wide range of parking, vehicle compliance, and automated traffic camera violations, according to a 2018 ProPublica Illinois investigation.

As a result, Chicagoans are increasingly losing their driving licenses due to unpaid ticket fines and subsequently have been unable to pay the debt back.

“That is something I would encourage the leaders of Chicago to look at because we should all be focused on the sustainability of households and when we have anything that interrupts sources of income, that's problematic,” Wilson told the Southland Marquee.

Elected in April 2021, Wilson is chair of the Health, Education and Welfare Committee, and is a member of the Public Utilities Committee and the Ordinances and Resolutions Committee.

“If it's happening to Uber drivers, it's also happening to our delivery drivers and other transporters of goods and services that our communities need,” she said. “Is it happening to bus drivers? That is something that needs to be addressed."

Wilson also sits on a nonviolence panel in the city of Chicago on 95th Street.

“I’ve had people ask why I’m on the nonviolent panel for the city of Chicago, when I’m a leader in the suburbs,” she said in an interview. “It's because what happens in our neighboring communities affects what happens in our own cities, and if we turn a blind eye to things like violence and red-light camera tickets, then we also are neglecting our duty to govern the residents that we are elected to govern.”

Wilson was the first African-American woman elected as vice president of the AFSCME Union Local 1753 for the Joliet Treatment Center, while working at the Illinois Department of Corrections. She said she often uses Uber or Lyft.

“Sometimes I can get a ride out of Calumet City but I can't get a ride back into Calumet City, depending on the time and where I'm going for different business functions,” she said. “There is that hesitancy because of violence that happens on the roadways.”

As the director of program development for the Tomorrows Youth Foundation Inc (TYF), Wilson advocates for strong families within strong communities in Roseland, the city of Chicago, Hammond, Indiana, as well as other suburban communities.

“TYF has a tablet program where they're providing free tablets with internet and hotspots," she said. "All of their tablets will be loaded with academic resources for pre-K through college students as well as adults who may need affordable access to the internet for work or school. That information can be found on my website under the education tab."

The ProPublica Illinois investigation also found ticketing enforcement is affecting Black and Brown communities more often than others.

Chicago pastor Bobby Lewis, son of famous jazz pianist Ramsay Lewis, previously told the Southland Marquee that Chicago's aggressive ticketing policies and fines are "weapons."

"People of color, and also immigrants, have always been the target of oppressive laws,” he said. “This is nothing new to Chicago, the Midwest, the United States, or the world for that matter."

Another Chicago pastor, Rev. Tyrone McGowan, called it a "regressive policy."

Wilson said she is open to addressing the issue with the assistance of Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore, who hosts "Saturday Sessions with Stan."

“If that is something that he wants to address on the Cook County level, being that part of his district is the City of Chicago, and he would speak on it and invite other local leaders, we certainly can work in partnership with each other to address it,” Wilson said.

The average cost for the tickets ranges from $25 for broken headlights to $250 for parking in a disabled zone, but the city of Chicago has increased the cost of ticket fines, license suspensions and expanded its traffic camera program since 2007.

Wilson said she wants to see Uber do something about it, too.

“I would encourage Uber drivers to push Uber because sometimes you have to push who you work for to be your voice and if they know that this is adversely affecting a good percentage of their drivers, Uber should be their voice,” she said. “Uber and Lyft have programs where you can rent vehicles from them to create your own business. So, I would hope that they go one step further to challenge this policy and legislation in the city of Chicago that is adversely affecting minority drivers and drivers as a whole.”

In 2007, ProPublica Illinois also found that some 1,000 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings were made due to unpaid tickets, with the average debt to the city being $1,500. Last year, there were more than 10,000 Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings with an average debt of around $3,900.

“I want African-Americans who are elected to govern, to do so at all times with people in mind,” Wilson said. “It's time for people over politics, and when we govern in reverse, the people fall through the cracks almost. I'm looking at all of the neighborhoods in which African-Americans govern and there's room for improvement in every single one – from the city of Chicago to the southern, farthest suburb. If we're going to lead and represent people that look like us, we should be doing our best, and that's not always the case.”

Chicago motorists currently owe $1.45 billion in ticket debt dating to September 1990, according to ProPublica Illinois. The city sends multiple notices to vehicle owners to give them time to pay or contest tickets before fines double, get sent to collections or cause a vehicle to be booted, but there is no statute of limitations for unpaid tickets in the state so once debt accumulates, it can last indefinitely. 

In other major cities with statutes of limitations, ticket debt is much lower. For example, in Los Angeles, where the statute of limitations is five years, ticket debt totals $21 million, and in New York City, with a statute of limitations of eight years, it is around $238 million.

Cook County in Illinois has a city code that allows a city to revoke a business license if an individual does not pay or is unable to pay issued tickets. This is outlined in Sec. 54-391 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances, which states that a license may be suspended by the Department of Revenue if an individual has failed to pay a fine, assessment of costs or other sums of money owed to the county. The suspension will remain in place until the fine is fully paid. If a license is denied, suspended or revoked, the business is immediately closed, but the applicant may appeal the decision. 

If the appeal is successful, the business license will be reinstated. Otherwise, the decision will be upheld and the Department of Revenue can file an appeal with Circuit Court.