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Amanda Yu Dieterich
Amanda Yu Dieterich ran for election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 35 in Illinois. She lost in the general election on February 26, 2019.
Dieterich completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Yu Dieterich responded to Ballotpedia's unique candidate survey for 2019 Chicago candidates. The survey questions were developed with input from more than 100 Chicagoans in the months preceding the 2019 election. Here is one selected response:
"I support universal quality childcare and education programs, starting with pre-K and going through high school. After school programs should provide enrichment for students throughout their school careers, building on what they’re learning in the classroom and teaching them how to apply it to their lives."
Click here to read more of Yu Dieterich's responses.
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 35
Incumbent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa defeated Amanda Yu Dieterich in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 35 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (Nonpartisan) | 59.4 | 4,700 |
 | Amanda Yu Dieterich (Nonpartisan)  | 40.6 | 3,208 | |
| Total votes: 7,908 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Walter Zarnecki (Nonpartisan)
- Mayra Gonzalez (Nonpartisan)
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
Amanda Yu Dieterich completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dieterich's responses.
Low-income families do not have the same choices, options, or alternatives when it comes to public school. How can this be addressed?
I strongly believe that all Chicago children deserve high quality neighborhood schools, and I will work to ensure that every neighborhood school is one that parents can be confident will provide a high quality education. Currently, Chicago Public Schools determines funding on a per-pupil basis. I support changing this to an equitable model, under which need is a factor in funding determinations. I also support an elected school board, which would be more responsive to the needs of our schools and communities rather than to any given mayoral agenda.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
Schools need to consider the impact of policies on different racial and ethnic groups, using tools like the racial equity impact assessment suggested by Chicago United for Equity (CUE). To address inequality between schools I support changing CPS’s funding model from a per-pupil structure to an equitable funding model based on the needs of individual schools and communities. To address inequities within schools, I fully advocate for our schools to partake in CUE’s Inclusive Schools Project where we identify where inequities happen in our schools. I support a fully elected school board in order to make school funding decisions transparent and hold decision makers accountable.
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
I was part of the Chicago Community Trust Collaboratory initiative on Parent Engagement in Neighborhood Schools, working with community groups and experts in education to explore ways to involve parents and community in our schools. I believe that we need to encourage parents to get involved in their schools before their kids are old enough to attend, because we need the community as a whole to support our schools, so that our schools are anchors of our communities. Our community needs to acknowledge the importance of our neighborhood schools. We can begin to shift that awareness by encouraging collaborative involvement between our schools and neighborhood organizations through support programs such as ESL for adults and preventive healthcare in our schools for both students and families. We need to support our teachers by providing them the resources they need to create an inclusive teaching environment. In order to do so, we need change how we fund our schools and advocate for a more equitable funding formula.
What do you believe are the greatest needs of kids in school today? How would you prioritize these needs and address them?
Well rounded children become well rounded adults. We need schools that support the needs of the whole child, not just focused on teaching to get the best scores on a standardized test. Children need quality academic instruction in STEM, but they also need exposure to arts and athletics, history and culture, and all the classical elements of education that are essential for adulthood. Lastly, our children need encouragement to pursue their passions, but they also need the basic support to know that they have value and are valued. I would address these needs by first, de-emphasizing standardized testing, and second, by reassessing resources to ensure all schools have what they need to support educating the whole child.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
I support universal quality childcare and education programs, starting with pre-K and going through high school. After school programs should provide enrichment for students throughout their school careers, building on what they’re learning in the classroom and teaching them how to apply it to their lives.
Do you believe that there is corruption in Chicago politics, such as pay-to-play practices when the city awards bids? If so, how would you address it?
Chicago certainly has a reputation for corrupt pay-to-play practices and our incumbent is not immune to it. Elected officials at all levels have a responsibility to rebuild trust with the public - whether those officials have engaged in this kind of arrangement or not, there is a trust deficit currently. I support a transparent bidding process, with a firm ban on accepting donations from bidders for 2 years following the bid to not only the elected official’s campaign but also any PACs affiliated with the official, and public disclosure of such contributions made both before the bidding process begins and once that time elapses. When there is only one bidder being considered, the City should publish a justification for that situation. Good government requires that we select the best bidder for a job, but also that we explain the rationale behind our decisions in an open, honest, transparent way.
How would you make the city’s policies more responsive to community input instead of donors or special interests?
When we are talking about community input, we must do the work to proactively reach out to all stakeholders rather than just listening to the loudest and best organized members of the community. This includes specific efforts to engage working families and the immigrant community. I support public financing of elections to remove donor influence over our elections. I support transparent, evidence-based decision-making, and am in favor of live-streaming all City Hall committee meetings so that aldermen are held accountable for showing up to meetings and doing their jobs representing the interests of their constituents.
How would you handle the “recurrence of unaddressed racially discriminatory conduct by officers” identified in the U.S. Justice Department’s investigative report of the Chicago PD published in 2017?
Chicago must be an accountable city. I support enacting the Consent Decree, as well as community-based oversight of police. I also support expanding training for police in bias awareness and de-escalation techniques, as well as community policing that focuses on officers forming a relationship with the community they are working in.
What sort of proposals would help reduce police shootings and fatalities?
We must ensure CPD is providing officers with comprehensive, effective training in bias awareness and de-escalation techniques and that we are using more stringent criteria when screening new applicants. In addition to enacting the Consent Decree, I am in favor of requiring CPD to implement pre-arrest diversion policies, requiring officers to bring people suffering from addiction or mental illness to a treatment center instead of to jail.
What ideas do you have to reduce the availability of illegal or unregistered guns in Chicago?
We must reduce the demand for illegal guns in our city by addressing the root causes of violence. We have to make direct investments in our communities, including increasing funding for neighborhood schools and instituting a moratorium on school closings especially on the south and west sides, rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, ensuring access to quality healthcare including mental health services, and making child care and after school programs accessible to working parents. We need to end the school-to-prison pipeline by requiring CPD to fully implement preventive diversion programs, which then also creates new careers in healthcare in the very communities that need investment the most. When we provide people with the opportunity to succeed in their community by expanding services and options, we are creating a safer community for all.
How will you help to rebuild trust in the police department and to encourage the community to work with police?
In the 35th Ward, I will dedicate a position in my office to be a liaison between police and residents, with a special emphasis on the immigrant community, so that crimes can be reported without fear. I believe in community policing, building strong relationships between our communities and the officers who serve in our communities. We must also work to restore accountability for our public officials, and so I support community oversight of police.
How would you address criminal justice issues such as prison reform and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons into city life?
We know that when incarcerated individuals are connected to the services they need - like treatment for addiction or mental illness, mental health counseling, and educational and occupational training- the likelihood that they’ll be reincarcerated drops dramatically. These services should be fully funded to fulfill the promise of a corrections system focused on rehabilitation over punishment. I will work to end pretrial detention simply for non-payment of bond and will work to implement assessments to help judges safely determine how best to release individuals awaiting trial. In addition, I will work with the city’s Department of Family and Support Services to expand our transitional job programs and strengthen partnerships with local organizations that offer live-work programs to assist with reintegration.
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
Housing is a human right, and I will fight to ensure that affordable housing, including housing large enough for families, is available in the 35th Ward and across the city. I support responsible, mid-density, equitable Transit Oriented Development, building near public transit so that residents can access the rest of the city. I am excited to work on bringing limited-equity co-ops to the ward, giving families a chance to put down roots. I support legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units such as coach houses, which would increase housing stock while providing homeowners a new source of income to help offset property taxes. I would work with neighboring aldermen to build and maintain a database of landlords who offer affordable housing, allowing us to manage existing housing so that when a building is closed for repairs, we can help affected residents find new housing in the community. Undocumented immigrants, one of the most vulnerable populations in our communities, are not eligible for any affordable housing built with federal funding. My office will have a liaison position to assist in connecting immigrants with affordable housing opportunities.
How would you care for the most vulnerable Chicagoans?
Chicago has many vulnerable populations, from seniors, to those experiencing homelessness, to undocumented residents, to children and families experiencing food insecurity. Each has needs, and I would work to meet them where they’re at. As an immigrant myself, I understand firsthand some of what my neighbors are experiencing. I would work to ensure they have the support in their communities and that the city is providing adequate services to give them a hand up and feel they are a part of our community.
How would you ensure that development benefits residents in their neighborhoods and not solely the developers and other interests?
Responsible development seeks to build the community around it, because without the community there would be no market for new housing, shops, or services. I will work to proactively get input from all stakeholders in the community, not just the loudest, to develop a long-term, responsible economic development plan for our neighborhoods. This includes working across ward boundaries with neighboring aldermen so that we are supporting everyone who lives and works in our neighborhoods. Any zoning change requests would be vetted through a transparent community-driven process. I would require developers to provide affordable housing units, including units large enough for families, in the ward rather than buy their way out of it. I would require that the architectural and historic character of our neighborhoods are maintained.
How would you distribute revenue fairly between neighborhoods?
Currently each ward receives the same amount of “menu money” each year to be used primarily for infrastructure improvements in the ward. However, this is only one small part of the total investments made in the city’s infrastructure. I support working with the various city departments to ensure that the long-term planning around infrastructure investments is open for all to see. I believe as Justice Brandeis did, that sunlight is one of the best disinfectants. On a neighborhood level, the 35th Ward consists of portions of five different neighborhoods and there is a great deal of inequity as far as how the incumbent allocates menu money to them.The approach our incumbent alderman takes to participatory budgeting leaves out many residents. When residents need basics, like street resurfacing, they are faced with the pressure to get on the ballot and to get people on their block and neighboring blocks to vote for their street. In order to get an infrastructure need on the ballot often requires volunteering to be part of the committee to ensure their project is included, a commitment often not available to working families. This is a cumbersome process that disenfranchises residents. Working families don’t have time to go out and get others to vote on their much needed street repair, and the immigrant community is generally reluctant to be involved given the current political climate. When these votes finally take place, they see dismal participation - some 400-700 votes cast out of 55,000 residents. The ward is drawn in such a way that certain neighborhoods have far more voting power than others, and the incumbent doesn’t address inequity in how the resources are distributed in this gerrymandered ward. I reject this approach. With our neighborhoods divided up among several aldermen, I would work with neighboring aldermen, community groups, and our neighborhood residents in looking at what our neighborhoods need in terms of resources, and advocate for funding taking all these perspectives into account. Furthermore, I would ensure that our infrastructure is taken care of equitably throughout the ward by ensuring the menu money that aldermen control is used to maximize other infrastructure investments being made by city departments through long-term planning. Most importantly, I would bring our residents into the process and communicate with them throughout the planning and construction processes.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
Pensions are a promise, and in my family we keep our promises. The pension crisis came about because lawmakers acted irresponsibly by not paying into the funds. We must make the actuarially responsible payments to keep the funds solvent moving forward. Finding the funding for pensions will require partnering with the State to identify revenue, including a progressive income tax, the legalization and taxation of recreational marijuana, and taxation of luxury services.
What’s your opinion on tax increment financing (a program that funds development using any additional property tax revenue that results from an increase in appraised property values)? What, if any, changes would you make to the use of TIF?
When we look at TIF districts, we need to ask some important questions. How will the TIF benefit the broader community? Does the community support the projects the TIF is being created to fund? Will the investments be accessible to the entire community, or only a select few? What are the potential negative consequences? And, can we achieve the desired outcome without the TIF? We must guard against TIFs being used as handouts that only benefit private businesses, while doing little to help the community. One way I would address this is to ensure that we have transparent community-driven decision making when considering TIF projects so that they benefit the entire community and not a select few.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
A budget is a policy document that represents your priorities. As we assess what our priorities are, we need to allocate funds that align with the priorities. In some cases, it may mean making access to funding easier as in the case of neighborhood opportunity fund. In others, it may mean shifting funding from lesser priorities to greater priorities. In a $10 billion annual budget, there are a lot of opportunities to allocating funding to match priorities.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
We need to make Chicago an affordable city. To stem population loss, we need to ensure that people have the ability to stay in their homes and are not priced out with higher and higher property taxes. The Hermosa neighborhood, part of which is in our ward, is reportedly the third most over-assessed neighborhood in Chicago, meaning that they are bearing an unfair tax burden. This is due directly to the corrupt practices of former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios, who my opponent supports and was supported by. We must first work with the new Assessor to re-assess values in Hermosa and across the city, to ensure that working families are not bearing an unfair tax burden. We must help residents move through the tax appeals process, and assist them in applying for exemptions like the homeowner and senior citizen exemption.
How would you increase access to quality food and urgent care in all parts of the city?
We can decrease food deserts in our city by implementing mobile markets with fresh produce at bus stops and senior centers, food and nutrition education programs through our public schools with working community garden, advocacy for urban farming, and food co-ops that offer cooking and nutrition classes to educate the public about making healthy food choices. Healthcare is a basic human right. We need to provide access in all of our communities by partnering with current healthcare providers in creating more equitably distributed satellite locations.
How will you address public health concerns such as contaminated drinking water, rat infestation, and lead poisoning?
Every public health concern needs to be addressed appropriately and proactively. For water quality, we first need to get a complete understanding of the extent to the problem. In cases where the City bears responsibility, as in the case of lead service lines, the City must develop a plan to mitigate the contamination. In some cases this may mean partnering with property owners, but in other cases it may mean taking on sole responsibility where property owners are unable to financially assist with mitigation. I would take this same approach in any issue concerning public health. First, assess the urgency of the issue. That determines how much time we can spend developing our response. In cases where the issue is urgent, we must go on the best available evidence at the time. In cases less urgent, we must identify the scope of the issue, identify potential solutions, and finally choose the best solution.
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See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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