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David Herrera (Chicago, Illinois, candidate)
David Herrera ran for election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 36 in Illinois. He lost in the general election on February 28, 2023.
Biography
Herrera's professional experience includes working as an entrepreneur. He earned a degree in economics and finance from Loyola University in 2005.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2023)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 36
Incumbent Gilbert Villegas defeated Leonor Torres Whitt in the general runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 36 on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Gilbert Villegas (Nonpartisan) | 57.3 | 5,934 |
| Leonor Torres Whitt (Nonpartisan) | 42.7 | 4,421 | ||
| Total votes: 10,355 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 36
Incumbent Gilbert Villegas and Leonor Torres Whitt advanced to a runoff. They defeated David Herrera and Jacqueline Baez in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 36 on February 28, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Gilbert Villegas (Nonpartisan) | 46.5 | 4,240 |
| ✔ | Leonor Torres Whitt (Nonpartisan) | 30.1 | 2,741 | |
 | David Herrera (Nonpartisan) | 16.1 | 1,466 | |
| Jacqueline Baez (Nonpartisan) | 7.4 | 673 | ||
| Total votes: 9,120 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 26
Incumbent Roberto Maldonado defeated Theresa Siaw and David Herrera in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 26 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Roberto Maldonado (Nonpartisan) | 50.5 | 4,431 |
| Theresa Siaw (Nonpartisan) | 28.1 | 2,467 | ||
| David Herrera (Nonpartisan) | 21.3 | 1,866 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 5 | ||
| Total votes: 8,769 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Angee Gonzalez Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)
- Mirko Zaplatic Jr. (Nonpartisan)
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David Herrera did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
"To empower my community and city through the following: job creation via the creation of economic empowerment zones, quality after school programs through STEAM, infrastructure improvements include a dog park at Humboldt Park and creating a new train hub at North avenue and Hamlin, transparency via town hall meetings and participatory budgeting." Is there anything you would like to add? "Create Chicago's first Technology Park at Humboldt Park by adding additional solar and wind technology and provide free wifi access."[2] |
” |
| —David Herrera[1] | ||
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
David Herrera completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Herrera'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?
We need good schools within our communities that lead to higher education or skills based training that lead to job placement. In addition, we need quality after-school programs via athletics, arts, technology, etc... These programs will ensure to keep our children productive and off the streets. I personally benefited from quality after-school programs growing-up in the 26th Ward.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
We should means test for program costs and fees. Acceptance into the Chicago Public School High Schools should be weighted based on several variables: 1) Respective school district residency 2) number of years student has attended CPS elementary school (greater weighting per additional year) 3) Merit 4) Means tested based on household income
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
We need stronger School councils that incentive teacher, parent and the unions participation. I would suggest quarterly town hall meetings by each School District to seek the buy-in of the local school councils. The school councils themselves can have a hybrid-board comprised of teachers and parents. This will make the process a bit more participatory in nature; allowing the public to have greater involvement.
What do you believe are the greatest needs of kids in school today? How would you prioritize these needs and address them?
I believe the greatest need our kids face are quality pre-school, after-school and summer programs. Many communities lack the resources and do not have these programs available. I will work to prioritize funding for all of these programs via TIF allocations or creation of new revenue streams. I myself had access to pre-school, after-school and summer programs growing-up in Chicago. These programs were an integral part in my development into adulthood.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
As detailed above, many communities lack the resources and do not have before and after school programs available. One of the programs I brought to Humboldt Park is B-Tec's (https://www.btec312.com) eSTEAM program: Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math. For more information visit: https://www.btec312.com https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBTEC/
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?
Yes, we need more community input and participation. By creating community groups or a board at the Ward level and have them shadow vote on policy would mitigate some if not a lot of the pay-for-play.
How would you make the city’s policies more responsive to community input instead of donors or special interests?
We should have more referendums on the ballot as opposed to aldermanic privilege/ city council resolutions. We should also seek community input at the Ward level. This could go as far as creating a community board/group for each Ward where community input is solicited, voted on and passed on to the Alderman. An example would be perhaps this Community group would vote on what referendums appear on the ballot.
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
I propose a long-term resident tax discount, caping the rate of tax increase, and/or an all out tax freeze. Long term residents are the very fabric of our communities. We need to incentivize long-term residency through tax discounts or tax credit for renters. We also need to create additional affordable housing units along with market rate units within our communities. This is a mixed policy approach that creates opportunity, sustainability and diversity within our communities.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
We need a mixed-policy approach to tackle our current pension fund liabilities. We need to increase revenues by expanding the tax base via: Chicago Casino, Legalization of recreational marijuana, creating jobs through economic empowerment zones in old manufacturing areas. We also need to mitigate pension liabilities over the longer-term. For retired and/or currently vested employees, I would suggest offering a buyout of vested benefits to-date. Some retirees or vested employees may prefer the upfront cash payment from a buyout versus the cash-flow revenue stream the pension promises to provide. Other benefit holders might feel they can outperform the 3% COLA with greater returns in the investment marketplace, while others might take a partial buyout (i.e. 50%). Having a buyout provision would shrink our longer term pension liabilities. We can fund pension buyouts through the issuance of pensions bonds versus exposing pension bond proceeds to stock and bond market fluctuations (i.e. greater risk). For new employees, we should establish an entirely new retirement program that is more sustainable over the longer term. Moving retirement plans to a 401K style plan can save the city billions while also potentially providing greater returns for its employees. Additionally, we need to revisit the definition and formula of the existing COLA and peg COLA’s to actual inflation.
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?
The current TIF program needs reforming because it has serious flaws. Currently, 100% of the increase in tax revenues generated in TIF districts go to the TIF Fund. This policy is unsustainable. A portion (e.g. 50%) of those revenues should go back to the city general revenue fund to finance schools and other city services. Secondly, the current TIF is being used to subsidize development in already developed and affluent communities. This goes against the very spirit and intent of why the TIF districts were actually created. I would propose an immediate audit of all TIF funds over the last 4 years and an immediate 50% draining of the TIF fund with 10% of the funds diverted to tackle homelessness by providing housing. The remaining 40% should be diverted to improve infrastructure, existing educational facilities and develop new affordable housing throughout the city. I propose the following reforms to TIF: 1. TIF proceeds should not be invested in wealthy communities for private development. 2. TIF proceeds can only be reinvested in underdeveloped communities for both infrastructure and vertical brick and mortar improvements. 3. If TIF proceeds are needed in a developed or stable part of town (e.g. West Loop) the proceeds can only be used for infrastructure improvements: new sewer lines, new or existing road improvement, new or existing park improvements, new or existing sidewalks or cosmetic improvements as detailed herein. But cannot and should not subsidize the vertical development of those projects. If there is vertical development subsidy it should be in exchange for an equity interest in said vertical project with a clause to re-pay TIF funds at exist/sale of the property by its current owner (secured by a lien position on the property). 4. I would like to propose a TIF recycling program - where if the investor is looking to exist/divest a TIF funded property - the city would recoup 50% of TIF provided toward the vertical development of that asset.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
We need TIF reform as I detailed above. Also, the methodology of how real estate property taxes are calculated needs to be redone. There's a $2.2BN calculation error with how the previous tax accessor was calculating residential real estate taxes. The calculations need to be revised to offset the current inequality occurring. Additionally, there's an inherit property tax rate discount on commercial real estate when compared to residential residential real estate. These rates need to be revised and recalculated.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
I propose a long-term resident tax discount, caping the rate of tax increase, and/or an all out tax freeze. Long term residents are the very fabric of our communities. We need to incentivize long-term residency through tax discounts or tax credit for renters.
How would you make Chicago a cleaner city with less waste and pollution?
We need to expand Chicago's recycling program. I support a recycling tax on disposable plastic usage from high volume retailers/consumers and/or implementing a metered recycling rebate pilot program to incentivize greater recycling at the commercial level.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
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Candidate Chicago City Council Ward 36 |
Footnotes
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