For nearly 25 years, Martin A. Sandoval’s life in public service has spanned the federal, county and state levels. His appointments include the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Now serving his second term as an Illinois State Senator, Sandoval believes the time he spent as a community leader fighting to better utilize a dilapidated space was when he truly made his mark.
As president of his Southwest side local park advisory council, Sandoval led a grassroots movement to turn an abandoned railroad yard that lay at the doorstep of his home into $28 million school-park campus. It not only quadrupled green space, it also provided 200 elementary students a school in their own neighborhood. The school was named after his late sister, Socorro Sandoval, a neighborhood school teacher who was killed in a tragic car accident. Today, the Sandoval school-park campus is one of the most vibrant facilities in Chicago.
As a member of the Illinois General Assembly, Sandoval has continued his commitment to alleviating the crises of classroom overcrowding. No where is the problem more evident than in the schools of Chicago’s Southwest side, where students are packed into cafeterias and closets and more than 2,700 students are bussed to schools outside of their neighborhood. To combat this problem, Sandoval created a new grant program specifically for new school construction for areas with severe overcrowding.
And although Sandoval’s legislation has been aimed at championing veterans, women and the hard working people of Cicero, Berwyn, Stickney and the Southwest side, he is largely focused on crime prevention and consumer protection.
Sandoval has proposed and passed several initiatives to deter crime throughout his legislative career. These have included the implementation of the “Safe Passage” program, in which Sandoval secured $5 million in state funding for the installation of surveillance cameras at opposite street corners on each block around a school to create a safety zone for students on their way to and from class. He also successfully amended the Illinois criminal code to remove the requirement of property owners to testify during the prosecution of criminals for graffiti or destruction of property. This is to ensure that people can report crimes without fear of retribution.
Vandalism, however, is far from the only thing property owners are concerned about these days. Nationwide, the rate of foreclosure has skyrocketed and thousands have been forced from their homes because they are the victims of predatory mortgage brokers who knowingly offer high-interest loans to those who cannot afford a home loan. For years, Sandoval has advocated reigning in this irresponsible industry. He worked tirelessly to push through legislation like SB 1167 and HB 4050, which have led to further regulation of the mortgage broker industry in order to protect consumers and our neighborhoods.
Sandoval is currently Chairman of the Transportation Committee of the Illinois Senate and member of the Appropriations II, Licensed Activities and Energy committees.
He resides in the Southwest side neighborhood of Gage Park with his wife, Marina, their twins Angie and Marty Jr. and their youngest daughter, Jenny. |
