About Miguel Del Valle - Mayor

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  Speed Round: Will you be an advocate for balanced, community-sensitive programming being aired on publicly owned television and radio signals?

  0 0 Definitely Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Is increasing the number of charter schools the best way to address the deficiencies found within the Chicago Public School System?

  0 0 As a parent, I understand the need for academic options for one’s children. However, I believe our priority needs to be ensuring that neighborhood public schools at all levels are quality schools. While still allowing for choice through selective enrollment schools and charter schools, we must not set up two parallel school systems. We need to invest public resources in a way that ensures that every neighborhood school is a quality school. Additionally, we need changes in how we fund CPS and utilize existing resources. All schools must have the proper resources to get the job done. Administrative reductions must be made, except school personnel that work with students directly, but there must be a search for additional public and private funding. We must become more competitive for federal funding for our schools and school-based programs, and we must recapture funds from Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts that are currently diverted from CPS’s revenue stream. Finally, we must work toward comprehensive reform of state school funding. I have a long track record of supporting comprehensive school funding reform to reduce the reliance on property taxes to fund public schools and the spending disparity between rich and poor districts. During my tenure as a state senator, in 2005 I took the lead on this issue, introducing a bill that called for a restructuring of the state income tax structure in a way that raised income tax on wealthy households but did not increase the burden on low-income families. It also called for an expansion of the sales tax base. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to identify resources that can support culturally relevant, neighborhood-based youth programs and initiatives?

  0 0 Definitely As a former staff member at the Barreto Boys and Girls Club and the former executive director of the Association House social service agency, I am thoroughly convinced of the value of programs for youth—whether they revolve around sports, arts, tutoring, job development, etc. I have seen such programs help youth to find their passions and get prepared for further schooling and work. My vision and passion also includes ensuring that all children receive arts education as a regular part of their school curriculum. This would provide for a more well-rounded education for youth, help them experience greater success in school and/or identify healthy extra-curricular activities to keep them positively engaged, and open up pathways for arts-related career opportunities. My 25-year old son, of whom I am very proud, is an artist. He has a Master of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. His artistic pursuits are multi-faceted, including video, music, sketching, and oil painting. He also participates in poetry slams. My son was first exposed to the arts through arts and crafts activities like the ones we provided to neighborhood youth at Association House and at the Barreto Boys and Girls Club where I once worked. My son has won awards, and he recently exhibited at Art Chicago at the Merchandise Mart. His journeys in the arts have taken him all over the world, including places I’ve never seen. In addition to arts education initiatives in schools, I believe that the city should invest in the arts in a balanced way that showcases fresh, energizing creativity; draws people to both downtown and neighborhood areas; and promotes access to the arts for Chicagoans of all income levels. The city should take a very active role in promoting the availability of free arts education and activities in community centers and parks by encouraging corporate and philanthropic investments in the sector. The arts help youth build self-esteem. I have watched youth who had been set aside flourish because of their participation in mural activities and other cultural programming. My own early fond memories are connected to my 5th grade participation in the musical “Oklahoma,” during which my teacher treated me as if I were an essential part of the production. Greater youth participation in the arts enhances our pipeline of local residents who grow up to participate in and enrich Chicago’s arts and culture community, as has happened with my son. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 20 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Would you support moving city elections to a warmer month so that more people would be likely to participate?

  0 0 Definitely As Mayor I will take leadership to move Chicago away from the politics of the past which has sought to control and limit civic participation. I will encourage any and all mechanisms that seek to engage greater numbers and a diverse array of Chicagoans in the electoral process and in dialogue about the issues so that we may have a much more robust democracy. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to develop special commissions to address the problems of violence, education, housing, employment, drug use, etc?

  0 0 Definitely Just as I served under Mayor Harold Washington as chair of his Mayor’s Advisory Council on Latino Affairs, I will create structures that actively solicit input and feedback (both positive and negative) from Chicago residents about my administration’s relationship with and service to their communities. As mayor, I will engage and empower organized groups of Chicagoans through various means, including block clubs and/or formalized civic groups and nonprofits, to collaborate to bring new, creative solutions to some of our great city’s biggest challenges and to take advantage of huge opportunities. I will create an environment in which city Delegate Agencies as well as other community groups and residents, businesses, and other stakeholders in general do not need to fear retribution for offering critiques or ideas alternative to those put forth by the City. I will make every endeavor to transform “The City that Works” into “The City that Works Together.” Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to continue Chicago’s rich history of neighborhood festivals?

  0 0 Definitely I will seek ways to catalyze, limit barriers to, and publicize locally-based performances and exhibits. I am a big fan of neighborhood festivals. I will do everything possible to retain them across the city in the face of rising Park District fees and the cost of police security and city services that have been threatening the financial feasibility of these festivals. Few cities in the nation have such a legacy of world class museums, theaters, and cultural institutions – Chicagoans since the Palmer family have had the opportunity to engage with global society from their front door. Our city is a beacon in the Midwestern region and is often a cultural destination for our neighbors, both suburban and nationwide; therefore, our greatest contribution to the arts and culture is our ability to make these accessible to diverse groups of people. This spirit is preserved by cultivating the pallet for arts and culture within our youth and educational system. Additionally, our unique, close-knit, neighborhood communities are incubators of original ethnic and cultural expression. Chicagoans have the potential to deepen leadership in contemporary arts such as Architecture and Graphic Design while strengthening our local pipeline of influential fine artists and expanding this industry in the city. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 18 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to locate a casino in downtown Chicago?

  0 0 I would prefer to generate revenue for the City through other means rather than a casino or other gambling. If I were to consider casino gambling, there would have to be very strict parameters established to gain my support for it in the city. As a global city, I believe that we potentially could offer casino gambling as a very small feature among many options for our visitors, and limit it to high traffic tourist areas—particularly McCormick Place. There are already discussions about a new hotel there to accommodate convention-goers; I envision such a hotel being an appropriate place to consider casino gambling, as it would be much more oriented toward serving tourists rather than Chicagoans. I would only support it in a very restricted way and in consultation with our residents. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 17 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to create 21st century job training programs for all Chicago residents, especially for youth and young adults?

  0 0 Definitely As part of my initiative to re-enroll high school dropouts, I will ask that the private sector contribute to a new Chicago Youth Corps jobs program that will fund and offer part-time jobs to the re-enrolled students. I want students to finish their education and develop and experience work-related skills. We must also support initiatives for young and displaced workers, which is why I have announced education proposals to make higher education more accessible with special emphasis on access to the City Colleges of Chicago, where many young people get their start at college and many adults return to equip themselves for new jobs in the new economy. Access to higher education means access to jobs. This must include a particular focus on career preparation programs in areas of high job growth and maintaining and improving the quality of adult education and developmental courses for people who need to build their skills before moving into college-level work. Until every high school student graduates secure in the basics of reading, writing, and math, we must offer second chances through the City College system. The New Pathways to Affordable Higher Education pilot program will make higher education more affordable and accessible to students and their families. The initiative is a three-point plan that includes measures to: 1. Expand the Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment Program: The New Pathways initiative will expand the dual credit and dual enrollment program between the Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago to allow high school students to get ahead academically, saving costs later in college. Dual credit provides many advantages: (1) it allows academically qualified high school students to earn credits that count toward a high school diploma and a college degree; (2) it can help students make the transition from high school to college; (3) it saves students and families money; and (4) it has the potential to shorten the time to a college degree or certificate. Students can save approximately $2,610 (one years’ tuition at a City College of Chicago). 2. Adopt the State’s 2+2 MAP Plan Proposed by the State’s Monetary Award Program: The New Pathways 2+2 Initiative would establish the partnership between the City Colleges and Chicago’s public universities through a 2+2 Plan. Through 2+2, students can complete two years in a City College before finishing a degree at a four-year university. Students who attend two years at a City College of Chicago and finish their final two years at UIC can save approximately $18,300. 3. Create a New Pilot 3+1 Program: New Pathways also includes the proposal to create a 3+1 Plan for students in a high-demand major. 3+1 would enable students to complete three years of coursework at a City College of Chicago before finishing a degree at a public university in their fourth year. Students who attend three years at a City College and finish their final year at UIC can save approximately $27,450. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Will you work to reverse the city’s parking meter deal?

  1 0 Definitely Under the parking meter agreement, we have sold our rights and our future away. Chicago Parking Meters, LLC, a private investment firm owned primarily by Morgan Stanley, was able to buy these rights from the city for pennies on the dollar. This is a great loss of potential income for the city. Possibly worse than that, the contract requires compensation from the city when the government creates new bus and bicycle lanes and removes parking meters. This deters the city from addressing issues like public transportation, safety, and air pollution, and damages Chicago’s stature as an evolving, world-class city. As mayor, I will do everything in my power to end this damaging arrangement. It is not enough, however, to say that we have to get out of the deal—we need a clear mechanism to do it. That is why I have publicly stated my support for an existing lawsuit filed over a year ago by the Independent Voters of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) and Aviva Pratt challenging the constitutionality of the parking meter contract. As mayor, I will add my administration’s name as a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 19 more answers »

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  Speed Round: Please identify the TOP FIVE community issues you would address right away:

  0 0 Violence, Jobs/Unemployment, Quality Schools, Programs for Youth, Loans for Small Businesses Miguel Del Valle - Mayor answered in Questions for Candidates about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 21 more answers »

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