Dianne Daleiden
Dianne Daleiden ran for election to the Chicago City Council to represent Ward 40 in Illinois. She lost in the general election on February 26, 2019.
Daleiden completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Daleiden 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:
"The city should spend money equally in all neighborhoods of the city. Often we see displacement happening where residents have been marginalized. We should focus on schools and school funding, job creation and programs that provide relief and support for homeowners so that they can afford to remain in their homes."
Click here to read more of Daleiden's responses.
Biography
Dianne Daleiden earned a bachelor's degree in social work from California State University Long Beach and a master's of education from Depaul University. Her career experience includes working as a National Board Certified Chicago public school teacher. She has served as a board member of West Andersonville Neighbors Together; as an elected member of a local school council; and as a volunteer with St. Gregory Parish.[1]
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 40
André Vasquez defeated incumbent Patrick O'Connor in the general runoff election for Chicago City Council Ward 40 on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | André Vasquez (Nonpartisan)  | 53.9 | 7,509 |
 | Patrick O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | 46.1 | 6,431 | |
| Total votes: 13,940 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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General election
General election for Chicago City Council Ward 40
Incumbent Patrick O'Connor and André Vasquez advanced to a runoff. They defeated Dianne Daleiden, Maggie O'Keefe, and Ugo Okere in the general election for Chicago City Council Ward 40 on February 26, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick O'Connor (Nonpartisan) | 33.3 | 4,446 |
| ✔ | | André Vasquez (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 2,683 |
 | Dianne Daleiden (Nonpartisan) | 17.2 | 2,296 | |
 | Maggie O'Keefe (Nonpartisan) | 15.4 | 2,058 | |
| Ugo Okere (Nonpartisan) | 14.0 | 1,870 | ||
| Total votes: 13,353 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2015
The city of Chicago, Illinois, held elections for city council on February 24, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was November 24, 2014.[2] In the general election for Ward 40, incumbent Patrick J. O'Connor defeated Dianne Daleiden.[3][4]
| Chicago City Council, Ward 40, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Patrick J. O'Connor Incumbent |
58.4% | 5,601 | |
| Dianne Daleiden | 41.6% | 3,989 | |
| Total Votes | 9,590 | ||
| Source: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed July 9, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Chicago 2019 Candidate Survey
Dianne Daleiden completed Ballotpedia's Chicago candidates survey for 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Daleiden'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?
Schools face challenges in funding around the city. Because of the per pupil budget process schools with lower enrollments are faced with getting less funding. Therefore classrooms remain crowded in order to insure enough funds for libraries, music, art, and other subjects deemed “specials”. It is ridiculous and inequitable to leave the fate of extra programs and services in public schools to the ability of parents to fundraise and write grants. This only serves to grow the achievement gap by insuring that schools do not have the same amount of money with which to provide programs and services. Challenges to our schools include not having enough funding to fully address the needs of diverse communities and learners. Every child in the city deserves a fully funded school with all wrap around services; nurses, librarians, social services, and so on. I have been involved in stopping the proliferation of charter schools in CPS. We need to insure that all charter schools in CPS are accountable to taxpayers and families. I am now involved in unionizing charter schools as a way of making sure that communities have a voice in these corporate schools. Charters should have to account for all public monies and meet achievement standards just as the public school must. Charter schools should have a parent participation component like and LSC. I am against the creation of new charter schools and the expansion of existing charter school groups.
How would you address inequality within and between schools?
As a teacher, Local School Council member and former social worker I understand that equity and equality are not the same thing. Equity means that people and communities should receive the tools and services that they need to reach a common goal or to achieve as others do. Some communities need more funding and services to achieve equality. I fully support this and will fight for affordable housing, smaller class sizes, adequate and affordable public transportation, access to affordable health services in all communities, job creation and the elimination of food deserts.
How can public schools better support their teachers and work more productively with the teachers’ union, parents, and the community?
The Local School Council members should reach out to the community and to the faculty within buildings to involve more people in the decision making. This would increase awareness and build common ground so that issues can be resolved more easily and with positive outcomes for the students, families and faculty.
What do you believe are the greatest needs of kids in school today? How would you prioritize these needs and address them?
There is no one "greatest need". School funding is under attack across the country by Education "Reformers" who want to allow profit in education. Public services such as charters or other forms of privatization need to be closely monitored so that the public (children and families) get what they need with our public money. Poverty, homelessness, unemployment, hunger, crime, violence, etc. lead to more and more marginalized groups of people who end up underserved by schools.
What are your proposals for supporting children before and after school? What would be your ideal afterschool programs?
Our district needs fully funded, all day preschool and kindergarten. We also need to provide after school support programs for children of all ages.
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 have a culture of corruption whereby we enable and allow it as being "normal". These are just a few obvious ways that we could curtail corruption. But we have a council of alderman who are beholding to the mayor, downtown corporations, developers and other politicians.. We need to elect representative who put our communities, our neighborhoods first. I would move quickly towards creating transparency in ALL city contracts and projects. Information from and about the city should be easily accessible and transparent. It should be just a click of a button to access information about the budget, lists of all privatized services and the contract awards, TIF income and awards, line items, school funding and expenses and so on. A strong independent and progressive caucus in city council would serve to minimize Mayoral prerogative which would in turn minimize the deal cutting that goes on with our pubic money. I would move to strengthen oversight of all committees in the council, of all privatization contracts and of all income sources that Alderman and their families have whether or not they involve city money, contracts and hires.
How would you make the city’s policies more responsive to community input instead of donors or special interests?
Our Alderman is our first line of representation in government. We are entitled to this representation and when the elected officials no longer feel it necessary to respond to or represent their voters we need to replace them. Voter turnout would be higher if people were engaged in their communities and felt that their vote matters.
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?
Discrimination should not be tolerated in any capacity, in any city department. We need oversight of our police department much the same as we need public oversight of our public schools. Our culture of enabling corruption had also enabled the code of silence. I support GAPA’s proposed community oversight of the CPD. I feel we have a moral obligation to end systemic violence and all forms of institutional racism in our city. We live in a city where Mayoral prerogative and oversight have proven to be ineffective at combating the code of silence that surrounds accountability of basically any city department. We need to abandon our militarized police force and engage and empower communities through identifying and implementing best practices to rebuild trust.
What sort of proposals would help reduce police shootings and fatalities?
Our police need to be fully trained, fully rested, fully engaged in community police tactics so as to avoid using deadly force as a first option. This requires cooperation between the community and police department and citizen oversight of some procedures and policies.
What ideas do you have to reduce the availability of illegal or unregistered guns in Chicago?
We can enforce existing gun laws and strengthen others. This would reduce the sale of hand guns and weapons by way of waiting periods, blocking out of state sales, etc.
How will you help to rebuild trust in the police department and to encourage the community to work with police?
Rebuilding trust between the police and the communities will take leadership and transparency. We need to take our militarized police force off the streets and rebuild community relationships with community based, fully trained officers.
How would you address criminal justice issues such as prison reform and the reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons into city life?
Fully funded programs in prison with community components for pre-releasees. We need to NOT privatize the running of any prisons or programs within.
How would you address the displacement of people of color and long-term residents from their neighborhoods?
The city should spend money equally in all neighborhoods of the city. Often we see displacement happening where residents have been marginalized. We should focus on schools and school funding, job creation and programs that provide relief and support for homeowners so that they can afford to remain in their homes.
How would you care for the most vulnerable Chicagoans?
Public monies should be spent on services in communities where the most vulnerable live. Medical and mental health facilities, job creation, affordable housing, affordable and accessible public transportation and elimination of food deserts.
How would you ensure that development benefits residents in their neighborhoods and not solely the developers and other interests?
Community residents need to be involved in zoning and rezoning issues. Aldermen need to work with residents/stakeholders for ALL projects. Centralizing these decisions downtown would only serve to favor developers. Our zoning codes have provisions for resident voice. We need to enforce this in all neighborhoods.
How would you distribute revenue fairly between neighborhoods?
Revenue can be described many ways. I believe that ward menu budgets are not aligned with community needs. We need to get rid of the corruption and deal cutting that takes place in city council which allows money to be used for development and profit by contract awards. Some neighborhoods need more money to establish services, clinics, extra school programs, etc. These neighborhoods should receive that money.
How do you propose to resolve the city’s underfunded pension plan for city employees?
I would use TIF reserves and earmark future TIF monies to pay down city debt including the pension debt. According to the Chicago Sun Times (August 2018) our individual share of Chicago’s debt is $126,000 and growing. Our city debt largely has accrued as a result of mayoral prerogative in moving money around to put out “fires” in meeting our budget needs. Years of skipping pension payments have resulted in debt that is now crushing our ability to invest in schools, infrastructure and other public amenities. Healthy cities borrow money to build or maintain infrastructure. Chicago borrows money in a “Rob Peter to Pay Paul” lifestyle scheme. Our biggest challenge is figuring out how to end the tradition of kicking the can down the road that forces future generations of Chicagoans to own this debt. Debt management for Chicago usually includes various methods of sale of debt to investors (where we pay high interest and fees) or the sale / privatization of assets to raise quick cash..ie the parking meters and we all know how that went. ….or more taxes. As a council member I would work for reforming our property tax and income tax systems. I support a progressive income tax. I will stand against further privatization efforts that send income sources to private investors such as the parking meter deal. Our meters were sold for a period of 75 years for about a billion dollars. In the 12 or 13 years since, the investor has already made their initial investment back. That is a billion dollars in only 13 years. Now they can look forward to 62 years of profit!!!!! That should be our money. I would also abolish TIF. These hundreds of millions of dollars should be allocated in budget lines to provide the services, schools, parks, health facilities and infrastructure that Chicago neighborhoods deserve. I would also work toward the decriminalization of and taxation of Marijuana.
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?
Abolish TIF. I would return all money to the city budget where it would be more evenly distributed throughout the city rather than it being used for deal cutting in city council. TIF should not be directed to downtown overdevelopment or tourism. It should be allocated where it is needed in providing neighborhood services and schools.
How would you assess the city's finances, and if your proposals would require new spending, how would you pay for them?
Chicago city council has misguided spending priorities. As Karen Lewis said "We are Broke on Purpose". In other words the powerful, the connected, the corrupted sway spending towards profit of insiders. Cost overruns, no bid contracts, privatization, etc. have all robbed working families in the city of much needed services and infrastructure repair. I would also end privatization of income/revenue sources.
Would you be in favor of freezing property taxes, at least for low-income households, so that people can stay where they are living?
Property taxes need to be addressed as an entire county and city. Freezing taxes for some would only serve to create higher, more regressive taxes on others. We need to change revenue sources so that taxes are progressive and we are not reliant on getting money off the backs of homeowners, working people and small businesses. I would immediately change the reassessment process for property owners (that is IF there really is a process.)
How would you increase access to quality food and urgent care in all parts of the city?
Food co-ops, city farms, small business development with tax breaks, so many ways to increase availability of foods and eliminate food deserts. I would not rely on big box stores or chain stores to come into neighborhoods with by tax breaks.
How will you address public health concerns such as contaminated drinking water, rat infestation, and lead poisoning?
In May of 2018 I started a city wide petition drive to get a non-binding referendum on the November ballot that called for the City to hold Public Hearings on the lead in our drinking water. This referendum was on the ballot in many precincts and wards and was voted on favorably by the public. As a teacher I know that the students I teach cannot afford expensive water filtration systems. I also know that most of my students live in older buildings where the owners will never replace lead pipes unless forced to do so. Our parents' generation eliminated lead paint and not just in our own neighborhoods. Lead paint was eliminated on a national basis. Lead is a poison and is proven harmful to brain, nervous system and over development in children. Our students and families in Chicago deserve better. We should never privatize our water system and we should use our tax dollars to benefit the people of Chicago at all levels. We were successful in calling attention to the issue and I was invited to participate in the the Middle West Film Festival at the Davis Theater. At this event (where Michael Moore was also screening his film about the Flint Lead /Water crisis) I was able to speak with people about our efforts to stop the privatization and cover ups here in Chicago that could eventually mirror the plight of Flint.
How would you make Chicago a cleaner city with less waste and pollution?
Green energy policies need to be incorporated into all zoning decisions and building codes. We could also use public money to create city farms in areas where there are empty parcels of land.
What would be your first steps for improving the transit system in terms of affordability, accessibility, and safety?
Invest in neighborhoods. We have the money. We need to have affordable, accessible and safe public transportation in all communities. I would not privatize nor would I make cuts.
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.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
When I ran for Alderman four years ago, political insiders said it was crazy to run against such a powerful entrenched insider such as Pat O’Connor. Longtime machine politicians have tried to convince us that their power was good for the Ward – and good for us. I’m skeptical that was ever the case, but certainly very few people accept that today. Every day we turn on the news or check the headlines, we see another revelation about another disgraced politician. As a teacher, I see every day the cross-section of our challenges in the faces of my students whose lives are profoundly impacted by our successes, and our failures. We all agree on so much: the need to strengthen our public schools, address affordability so our neighbors can afford to stay in their homes, restore vital medical and mental health services, address public safety by dealing with root causes of crime and restoring trust between our police and the communities they serve, and build an economy that helps our neighborhoods-- and not just downtown. With a new Mayor and a new City Council, we have a real opportunity to change the culture of our politics in City Hall and address our shared concerns. I’ve been actively involved in the Ward for decades--not only in political activities but also serving on neighborhood boards, as a Scout leader, as President of my Parish Council, and in many other roles. That foundation, along with wonderful volunteers and supporters from across the ward, great institutional support, and a clear, urgent need for change--make me more confident than ever that we are on track for success to bring new leadership to the Ward and begin addressing our challenges locally, and in City Council. If you share our vision for accountable, transparent leadership that always puts our community’s concerns first, then I want to earn your vote. On February 26, we have an opportunity to change the way Chicago city government works. Is there anything you would like to add? I have lived most of my life in the 40th Ward of Chicago. I have a personal, first hand understanding of how our system of regressive taxes, fines, and fees go hand in hand with privatization to drain money from the public which should be invested in neighborhood residents and services. Over the past decade I have seen our hard-working families, friends and neighbors become profit centers for the downtown corporate and tourism trade. For decades, our City Council has transferred our neighborhoods’ wealth to downtown. Then cynically, through privatization and tax breaks City Hall transfers more wealth to the very corporations who outsource our jobs and receive TIF money that is skimmed from our schools, parks, health clinics and libraries. This must stop. As a CPS math teacher and the only union member in this race I also know how unemployment, cuts in benefits, health insurance and retirement benefits affect families and children. I will fight for equal pay and equity in all sectors of the job market and in all city and state funded contracts and social programs that affect our communities. As a teacher, Local School Council member and former social worker I understand that equity and equality are not the same thing. Equity means that people and communities should receive the tools and services that they need to reach a common goal or to achieve as others do. Some communities need more funding and services to achieve equality. I fully support this and will fight for affordable housing, smaller class sizes, adequate and affordable public transportation, access to affordable health services in all communities, job creation and the elimination of food deserts. I will continue to bring my passion, experience, problem solving skills and voice to City Council to represent neighborhoods, families and working people in Chicago.[5] |
” |
| —Dianne Daleiden[1] | ||
See also
2019 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Chicago Board of Election Commissioners - General Election Candidate List
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on February 12, 2019
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed August 21, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Unofficial Election Results," accessed February 24, 2015
- ↑ Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, "General Election Candidate List," accessed December 3, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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