美国国家公共电台 NPR--2 Democratic candidates are competing in April runoff to be mayor of Chicago

2 Democratic candidates are competing in April runoff to be mayor of Chicago

Transcript²

Mayor Lori Lightfoot lost her reelection bid. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Cook County Commissioner³ Brandon Johnson, who faces former Chicago public schools chief Paul Vallas in next month's runoff.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The Chicago mayor's race is down to two candidates. Incumbent⁴ Mayor Lori Lightfoot is out. Two challengers made it into the next round. Paul Vallas is one, and the other is on the line. Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, welcome to the program, sir.

BRANDON JOHNSON: Hey, good morning. Thank you for having me.

INSKEEP: And congratulations. We have been told that this race is down to a choice for, effectively, the Democratic Party, Democrats⁵ being the majority in Chicago. You've got a centrist candidate, and you're a progressive candidate. Do you see it that way?

JOHNSON: Well, it certainly is a little bit more dramatic than that. In fact, you know, my opponent has self-identified as more of a Republican. In fact, he made that very distinction clear right after we elected the first Black president, President Barack Obama - someone who said that he fundamentally opposes, you know, abortion⁶, reproductive rights. And he is supported by leadership that is in - very much in complete support of the January 6 insurrection. So this is really about not just a progressive Democrat¹ - that's, you know, who I am and the wing of the party that I reflect - but someone who is aligned⁷ with the most extreme radical⁸ end of the Republican Party.

INSKEEP: I think that he's going to paint you as extreme, particularly on questions like how to handle crime, which people are concerned about in Chicago.

JOHNSON: Well, I live in a community on the West Side of Chicago. It's a neighborhood. It's called Austin, and it is a very beautiful, dynamic community. But it certainly is one of the more violent neighborhoods. And my wife and I, we're raising three children here. And we certainly have a tremendous incentive⁹ to make sure that our communities are safe. And so what I call for is a very sweeping¹⁰ public safety plan that gets at the root causes of violence, but we also did with the immediacy of the violence in the city of Chicago.

So we're promoting 200 more detectives within the rank and file. We're spending to make sure that we implement¹¹ the consent decree with all expediency¹². But we're also going to hire young people, and we're going to make those positions year-round because there's a direct correlation¹³ between hiring young people and violence reduction. Opening up our mental health clinics and making sure that our first responders, our social workers and EMTs - because nearly 40% of the 911 calls that come through are mental health crises. So we're attacking the root causes, but we're also dealing¹⁴ with the immediate¹⁵ crisis - public safety.

INSKEEP: I want to make sure that I understand something you're telling me, because Paul Vallas is supported by police unions and has said he wants to increase funding on police. You're described as not committing to increased funding police, but you just told me you want 200 more detectives. Is it correct that you want to increase some parts of the police department while cutting the budget for others? Is that your stance?

JOHNSON: So basically, we're doing what works, right? Safe American cities all over the country have one thing in common, and what that is is they actually invest in people. So, of course, we've heard, you know, feedback from rank-and-file members who want to make sure that we have, you know, a national averages of supervisors¹⁶ and rank-and-file members, which the national average is around 10 to 1. We're incredibly bloated. We can make sure that those services are deployed¹⁷ in an equitable¹⁸ way, but more importantly, that we do it in a smart way.

If we're going to have a safe city, we do what safe American cities do around the country, and that's invest in people - so promoting detectives within the rank and file, making sure we're spending to make sure that the consent decree is actually enacted¹⁹. But again, our mental health centers have to be reopened. We need to have front responders that can respond to the 911 calls that are mental health crises. These are all dynamics²⁰ and presentations that are sweeping. And this is what, you know, the city of Chicago has called for, and I'm glad to be in a position to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago.

INSKEEP: On the - in the few seconds we have left, are we discussing the right issue here? Is it correct that crime is the thing that is on a lot of people's minds in Chicago and the thing the next mayor must address?

JOHNSON: Well, it's definitely a serious problem. As I said, you know, my wife and I, we're experiencing it every single day right outside our front door, raising our three children. So, you know, absolutely. But our campaign has caught fire. We're going to make history - elect a teacher to the fifth floor. And I'm looking forward to leading a better, stronger, safer Chicago. And if folks want to join that fight, they can go to brandonforchicago.com.

INSKEEP: Fifth floor - of course, that's Chicago City Hall, the office where Mayor Richard Daley once ruled, if that's the right word. Brandon Johnson, thanks so much.

JOHNSON: Oh, thank you so much.

INSKEEP: Good to talk with you.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

4 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

7 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

8 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

9 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

10 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

11 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

12 expediency   

n.适宜；方便；合算；利己

参考例句：

• The government is torn between principle and expediency. 政府在原则与权宜之间难于抉择。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was difficult to strike the right balance between justice and expediency. 在公正与私利之间很难两全。 来自辞典例句

13 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

16 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

17 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

18 equitable   

adj.公平的；公正的

参考例句：

• This is an equitable solution to the dispute. 这是对该项争议的公正解决。
• Paying a person what he has earned is equitable. 酬其应得,乃公平之事。

19 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

20 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。