My name is Amanda Yu Dieterich, and I am running for alderman in Chicago’s 35th Ward. The ward includes parts of five neighborhoods — Hermosa, Logan Square, Avondale, Irving Park, and Albany Park.
She Votes Illinois has given me the opportunity to share a little bit about myself and my platform, and I am pleased to share my responses to their questionnaire here.
1) Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Taiwan in the time of martial law. My father was a judge, and we weren’t allowed to discuss politics in our home because the house and our phones were bugged. When I was nine years old, I immigrated to America, not knowing a word of English. It was my parents’ dream to raise their children in an environment that fostered education and creativity, and to raise their daughter in a society where her voice mattered.
I worked my way through college, waiting tables and selling clothes. I graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a degree in Architecture and got my Masters in Design at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Ten years ago, my husband and I were looking to put down roots and start our family. It was important to us to raise our kids in a culturally rich environment. It was important to us that they know that it is okay to be bilingual and bicultural, and to know other immigrant families just like their mom. And so we chose Logan Square, where the vibrancy and life of the neighborhood reminded me of my native Taipei.
To be honest, I hadn’t considered running for office until about a year ago. I believe that belonging, the feeling that we all belong, is the foundation of an inclusive community. When our elected officials aren’t present, when they don’t respond to emails or phone calls, they are telling us that we do not belong and that undermines our community. After seeing the incumbent alderman neglect parts of our ward, ignore constituents, and cut his office’s availability over the last four years, I decided to look into running myself.
I attended candidate training sessions from PCCC and NDFA, and it was at these trainings that I made my decision. I was inspired not only by the speakers, but also by those who attended with me. They all shared the same values I do - that community is worth working for, and that our elected officials must be present, engaged, accountable, and responsive.
2. Tell us about the women in your life.
I was raised by a group of strong women. My mother was the first in her family to go to college on full scholarship. She obtained a college degree while helping raise her 6 other younger siblings so her parents could focus on caring for her older sister, who was ill. When my mother emigrated to the US with my older brothers, I stayed behind. My four aunts and grandmother helped to take care of me until I left Taiwan at age 9. In a society where sons are preferred, I was raised to believe that women can do anything thanks to the strong women in my life.
My grandmother was the most influential person in my life. She not only raised 8 kids but also took care of my grandfather’s disabled brother, all while running their own small dry cleaning business. She kept her family and her business together during the Japanese occupation, one of the most difficult times in the history of Taiwan. After she retired, she continued to care for all of her grandkids. She raised us on the values of compassion and service.
As a first time candidate running for office, I am channeling the strength of the village of women who raised me. Running as a progressive, I didn’t think there would be much sexism from those identified as progressives—I was wrong. Throughout social media, his campaign communications, and in public meetings, my opponent and his team refer to me only as “the budget director’s wife,” implying that I could not possibly have a mind of my own. This kind of false feminism is pervasive in my opponent’s circles, and it was disappointing to see a so-called progressive embracing toxic sexism to win an election.
As I met with residents, supporters, reporters, and other people running for office, who were interested in knowing more about my race, I was often asked how I was able to balance life of a mother with three young kids, being away from my family, and running for office at the same time. I was also asked if I would be capable in doing my job if my child gets sick and needs me to take them home from school. I have asked male candidates I’ve met if they get the same questions, and I was not surprised to hear that they do not. This kind of questioning is reserved only for female candidates, it seems - which just proves how badly we need more women in office at all levels of government. Representation matters.
Often, I explain to people that what makes mothers extraordinary leaders is the fact that we have learned what it takes to be efficient in our lives to get things done. Our children keep us humble and we become experts at the art of negotiation. I believe in leading by example and hope to show my sons and daughter that their mother is capable of doing anything she sets her mind to and that if we want to build a strong community around us, we must help others to rise.
3. Tell us about your ward.
The 35th Ward is comprised of parts of five neighborhoods: Hermosa, Logan Square, Avondale, Irving Park, and Albany Park. When I moved to the ward ten years ago, I loved the energy and vibrancy - especially the street vendors.
Over the last four years, the ward has suffered under an alderman who is unable to form working relationships with anyone outside of his immediate circle. This means that small businesses have difficulty opening as he has not worked with neighboring aldermen on a responsible, equitable economic development plan. It means that our roads have fallen into disrepair as he cannot work effectively with city departments to keep infrastructure maintained. And it means that families have been displaced at a faster and faster rate as he refuses to work with anyone to bring new affordable housing into the ward, or manage what affordable housing currently exists.
This is why we need an alderman who values doing the work the job demands, and the people deserve.
4. Platform Questions:
A. Schools: Chicago’s school population is declining. This means there are fewer students to educate, but the population shifts are not equally distributed. How will you ensure that students in all parts of the city have access to quality and safe education while taking into consideration changing population and the impact of that?
I support an elected school board, and I want to change the CPS funding model from the current per-pupil model to a needs-based model that will equitably provide resources to each school according to need. This is the nature of equity, rather than equality - putting our resources where they are needed most. We also need to pursue the community schools model that is currently in a pilot program here. This program makes schools a resource for the families of our students, not just students.
My opponent cheers declining school enrollment, recently telling the Chicago Tribune that he sees declining enrollment as an opportunity for smaller class sizes. I believe that to achieve smaller class sizes we must add teachers, not get rid of children. In order to do so, we must first change the funding model.
B. Environment: Chicago faces a crisis of water infrastructure and service. Chicago has more lead lines than any other city in the United States and city testing of Chicago homes with water meters has found nearly 1 in 5 have lead in their tap water. In 2015, City Hall considered privatizing the water system after an unsolicited pitch from investment firm Goldman Sachs. Research has shown that privatization of water utilities often see rate increases, workforce reductions, and a backlog of maintenance issues. In Illinois, a typical household with Lake Michigan water pays more than twice for water service using a privatized utility service than from using a public municipality. Additionally, in 2016, 6,351 households had their water shut off, with the shutoffs affecting over 16,000 individuals. What is your plan to address the challenges that Chicago’s water infrastructure system faces? How will you work towards providing safe, accessible, and affordable water service to Chicago residents? (Community Collaborator: Food and Water Action)
We have a responsibility to ensure that the water we provide is safe and clean. The city needs to ensure that the water entering one’s home is free of lead. We need to begin by identifying where lead exists at unsafe levels and find the resources to fund the replacement pipes. Testing for lead in the water must be done on a citywide scale, in a transparent manner. We should not have to rely on residents to go through the process of requesting test kits themselves. We must invest in our crumbling infrastructure by replacing old water pipes and providing tax incentives for homeowners to update the pipes from the box to their homes.
C. Women-Owned Businesses: As showcased by the numerous reports by the City’s Inspector General over the years, there is a perception by many contractors that the lists of women and minority owned businesses are inaccurate and include many businesses that aren’t truly women and/or minority owned. This reputation discourages voluntary use of the list and also may mean that true women and minority owned businesses are not receiving the benefits of the list. What are your thoughts on continuing the use of the list and, if you believe it should continue to be used, should there be changes to how the list is kept and are there ways the City of Chicago can increase confidence in the accuracy of the list?
As a minority woman who owns a small business myself, I am sensitive to this issue. I believe that, as with many issues facing our city, our approach must be rooted in transparency. For this list to be trustworthy, the criteria for inclusion must be clear to everyone, and each member business should disclose their leadership structure.
D. Community Safety: Community safety is critical for residents and visitors in any ward in the City of Chicago. Recently, the city entered into a consent decree to address policies, training, practices and accountability of the Chicago Police Department in an attempt to ensure police reform. While our homicide rate is not the highest in the US and gun violence in Chicago has been declining in recent years, it continues to garner national attention and some neighborhoods have actually seen an increase in murders over the past year. Youth are among the highest at risk for violence and women often bear the burden of keeping children in their families and community safe. Recognizing that the issues surrounding safety are complex and multi-pronged, what is your highest priority with relating to safety of your ward’s residents and who are you receiving advice from to address that priority?
We should start by acknowledging the root cause of crime is a lack of opportunity. We must 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 pre-arrest diversion programs, which then also creates new careers in healthcare in the very communities that need investment the most. When people have the opportunity to succeed in their communities with expanded services and options, we are creating a safer community for everyone.
I am in favor of implementing the consent decree, and I support community oversight of police. We must prioritize bias awareness training and de-escalation techniques in our police training programs, and I would also support a more robust screening process for new applicants to CPD.
5. Closing comments
In the 35th Ward, the incumbent has spent four years talking about doing work, but not actually doing it. He has a terrible attendance record at City Council (he was even kicked out of the Latino Caucus for failing to show up and participate). He misses important votes, like last month’s votes on a citywide affordable housing plan and a raise for some 5,000 unionized city workers. He cuts his office hours, and eliminated weekly Ward Nights.
He requires residents to go through a cumbersome multi-step process to request even routine services like street repaving, alley repair, and street lights - a requirement that alienates working families who don’t have time to whip votes to get their street fixed, as well as immigrant communities who are reluctant to sign a piece of paper asking the government for service in our current political climate. Rather than serving us, he spent 2018 trying to run for other offices, first for Lieutenant Governor and then for Congress against Chuy Garcia. We can’t afford four more years of an empty chair at City Council - we deserve an alderman who will show up and do the job we elected them to do.
Now more than ever, it is important to know that we belong. For too long, marginalized and minority communities have been shut out of the decision-making process. This not only harms these communities, but our society at large. It is necessary for immigrants to have a seat at the table. It is necessary for women, and women of color, to have a seat at the table. It is necessary for moms to have a seat at the table.
And it is necessary to have an elected representative who will show up and do their job.