I’m co-hosting a fundraiser for John Bauters when he visits Chicago in two weeks on Monday, July 22. You can donate now or keep reading to learn why it’s important to support candidates like John.
John is formerly the mayor of Emeryville, California, and is running for Alameda County Supervisor in a runoff election on November 5, 2024. After finding out that he was coming to Chicago (for a work conference), I talked to some other Chicagoans and quickly put together an idea for a “meet and greet” event.
I was really just excited that I could meet John because I wasn’t able to meet him when he was here in August 2022 and rode in the monthly Critical Mass bike ride. John is well known online as “America’s Bike Mayor” because of how he rides around Emeryville, a city of 13,000 people, posting photos and videos of new sustainable transportation infrastructure and housing in the city, sometimes with his dog, Reyna.
Because of the successes in reducing traffic crashes there and increasing the number of affordable homes and housing for the homeless that John has shepherded as a council member and as mayor, John is known around the United States as a progressive leader.
On Monday, July 22, I’ll be co-hosting a fundraiser for John in Chicago, alongside Nate Hutcheson, Ben Wolfenstein, Michelle Stenzel, Tim Shambrook, and Brendan Kevenides (an attorney with FK Law Illinois). We’ll start the bike ride in Lincoln Square, ride through the 40th and 47th Wards making a couple stops along the way to showcase good and bad urbanism, and end the ride on the lakefront for a community discussion followed by a happy hour.
We’re asking people to donate to John’s campaign (for Alameda County Supervisor, where he’s in a runoff) to get the details for the ride. We’re also looking for additional people to join the host committee (contact me if you’re interested). You can donate as little as $20 to join this ride and you’re adding your voice to a call for more active transportation leadership nationally.
So here’s the question I think a lot of people are wondering: why should Chicagoans donate to someone running for office in another state?
Michelle Stenzel, founder of Bike Walk Lincoln Park, said, “It’s important for city planners to have examples from the United States of successful balanced street designs. Former Emeryville Mayor John Bauters was an agent for making the roads less car-centric. I’m supporting John in running for a new position that will allow him to broaden his influence even further, which will benefit everyone who cares about livable streets.”
Brendan Kevenides, an attorney who represents many injured cyclists in Chicago, said, “FK Law is proud to support John Bauters because he’s the kind of bicycle advocate, the sort of pragmatic leader that cities and towns throughout the United States need more of. He puts in the work necessary to bring about change in transportation policy that saves lives and improves living.”
Molly Fleck, a bicycle and ADU advocate, said, “John’s work in Emeryville on affordable housing and people-oriented transportation serves as a model of what’s possible for cities that want to do things differently. I am donating because John’s leadership resonates far beyond Alameda County.”
Daniel Comeaux, a transportation planner, said, “John is an inspiring leader who is at the forefront of the national movement to build cities for people and not just cars. I’m donating because I am excited to see that work continue, as a model for communities nationwide.”
About John
John’s work has been trendsetting from the Bay Area. Under his leadership, Emeryville has been transformed as a community. Examples of sustainable urban policies they’ve led on:
- One of the first cities to eliminate parking minimums and reduce maximums.
- Removing on-street parking in favor of separated, protected bike lanes and dedicated transit-only lanes.
- Developed “Sustainable Streetscapes” program that requires implementation of the bike/ped plan when streets are repaved.
- Designated a “Pro-Housing City” by Governor Newsom for the abundance and affordability of housing the city is producing
John also championed Alameda County’s 400-mile Countywide Bikeways Plan and also initiated the County Transportation Commission’s Race & Equity Action Plan. (Note that Alameda County covers most of the East Bay communities, including Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville.) In 2022, the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club gave John their inaugural Visionary Award for his work to build safe, sustainable, and environmentally-forward communities through climate action and leadership.
Eric Rogers, a prolific photographer who bikes for transportation and fun and took one of the photos above, said, “Mayor Bauters has been an inspirational leader in encouraging cities to adopt people-centric mobility policies that make us all healthier and safer. We need to give him a bigger platform to bring these ideas to more people. Plus, he’s a friendly guy with deep roots in Chicago and the Midwest, and we have to support our own!”
John is an accessible politician and holds “mobile office hours” talking to constituents on walks and bike rides. He’ll spend some time speaking to us about safe streets advocacy after the ride but would also welcome a chance to talk about supporting broader causes, helping elect women and urbanists, and protecting vulnerable community members. Please chip in and come join us for a solidarity ride with an elected official who is modeling what we want to see here in Chicago.