Miguel del Valle is the city clerk of Chicago—and that experience, among other things, is the reason he feels he should be the city's next mayor.
Windy City Times recently talked with del Valle about his qualifications, immigration, various LGBT issues and being "too liberal."
Windy City Times: Why do you feel you're the best candidate for mayor?
Miguel del Valle: Because of my experience, because of my lifelong commitment to the city of Chicago. I worked in neighborhoods in the city since my high school days, when I first got involved in community organizing as a high school junior. My experience includes 20 years as a legislator, representing a legislative district in the Near West Side of Chicago. I rose up through the ranks in the Illinois Senate to become the assistant majority leader. I went on to become the city clerk, and I've been in that position for four years; I've worked closely with the city council.
One of my lifelong passions has been education; it's the reason I ran for office—the first time back in 1986, when I was nominated and then began to serve 20 years. I want to be mayor because I think the mayor's office is the best place for me to be able to make the kinds of changes in our educational system that I've been working on.
WCT: You've talked about experience. At least a couple of your opponents are also very experienced, so what gives you an edge?
Miguel del Valle: Well, I'm the only one who's running for office who has been elected citywide, so that distinguishes me from the others. And I've been in the [Illinois] General Assembly, so I've been an elected official for 24 years. During the 20 years in the General Assembly, I voted on 20 budgets—all much larger than Chicago's, so I have experience dealing with fiscal matters and legislative matters.
While others have also been elected to office, I have those years of experience to show.
WCT: I want to talk about the DREAM [Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors] Act. It recently failed to pass the U.S. Senate, as you know. What are your feelings about that?
Miguel del Valle: [Sighs] Well, what I would prefer to see is a comprehensive immigration bill passed by Congress. The DREAM Act is just one part of it—[a part] that we've been working on for 10 years; it was very disappointing to see senators who had previously supported the act—particularly on the Republican side of the aisle—decided not to do this time.
It's important that we recognize, as a country, that these individuals came over at a very young age. They did not make the decision to come to this country; the decision was made by adults. These are individuals who are now adults, who were educated here and who are good people. They're willing to serve in the military or go on to college, and the DREAM Act would've allowed them to do that. I think it's really sad that Congress failed to take action on this, especially given the strong support that we had from the president of the United States.
WCT: On a related note, it was reported that you criticized [mayoral candidate] Rahm Emanuel on the issue of immigration. However, his campaign responded that he had voted the same way as [congressman and immigration-rights activist] Luis Gutierrez.
Miguel del Valle: Don't forget that I served in the General Assembly. [Laughs] I know that a politician can put his name on any bill and say he supports the bill but, behind the scenes, not work for the bill. That's what Rahm Emanuel has done over the years.
As a congressman, he supported and put his name on immigration bills. When he was heading up the [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee], he was advising his colleagues not to take up immigration reform because he thought it was the "third rail" of American politics at the time and he thought it would cost the party, politically. Then, once he became the president's chief of staff—even though President Obama promised that, in his first year, he would take up immigration reform—he didn't.
Rahm Emanuel was fearful that [the issue] would have an adverse impact on the Democratic Party. Well, the fact of the matter is that, even though they didn't take up immigration reform, the Democratic Party suffered plenty in the [November 2010] elections and lost a lot of seats. So I consider Rahm Emanuel to be one of the individuals most responsible for the failure of Congress to advance immigration reform, even though the record will show that he supported immigration measures.
It's one thing to put your name on legislation and vote for it; it's another thing to, in a leadership role, work to get it done—and he went in an opposite direction. He worked to make sure it didn't get done.
WCT: You mentioned politicians just attaching their names to measures. However, this is something you've never done, correct?
Miguel del Valle: Everyone puts their names on bills. You're either lead sponsor or co-sponsor, and some bills you don't work on because they belong to other people, but the record shows that you're a supporter in some way.
But I'm talking about the politics of this. You have a lot of Democrats and some Republicans who say support immigration reform, but what do [some of them] say? "I'll support it but first we have to secure our borders." Well, how much do you really support immigration reform if you're laying that out as a condition? So the question is, "What leadership are you providing?"
WCT: What do you consider to be your most important accomplishment while you were in the state Senate?
Miguel del Valle: Well, there are several. As a freshman senator, I participated in the crafting of the 1988 Chicago school-reform bill that created the local school councils—and I was the only freshman who participated. I have, over the years, worked on a number of education measures. I was responsible for raising the compulsory attendance age in Illinois from 16 to 17; I'm proud of that because it reduced the dropout rate in the state. I've sponsored legislation to re-enroll students who have left school up until the age of 19. I've sponsored legislation that helped create the statutory goal for universal preschool in the state of Illinois, putting the state at the top in terms of commitment to early childhood education. I've sponsored several measures that would create greater access and opportunities for higher education.
One of my proudest moments was teaming up with then-Rep. Tommy Young and Sen. Paul Williams to create the traditional subcircuit in Cook County. That led to the elections of more women, Latinos, African Americans, gays and Asians to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Also, another area where we created the first of its kind in the country [involved] protection of day laborers from exploitation by agencies.
WCT: You've mentioned education. As you may know, a Pride Campus—a school specifically for LGBT students—was proposed a couple years ago. What are your thoughts about such a school?
Miguel del Valle: Well, I believe in people being together, but I also believe in academic options. I believe in integration and making sure that there's inclusion. I don't believe in segregation, not on a racial level or sexual preference or any other kind of level.
WCT: So you would do something to promote safety.
Miguel del Valle: Absolutely. You know, I was asked this before and I told this story about how I, as a Chicago Public Schools student, suffered at the hands of bullies. At that time, the bullying was based on race, but bullying is bullying—and if it's because of a person's sexual orientation, that's wrong. And I think we have to have clear policies in place and we have to [send] a message with incidents that take place—immediately. Bullying cannot be tolerated in our schools.
WCT: And you are for marriage equality, correct?
Miguel del Valle: Yes—I support civil unions and I support marriage equality.
WCT: What led you to support marriage equality? Did you support it from the start?
Miguel del Valle: No, no. My thought process on that has evolved, and today I support marriage equality.
WCT: What do you think is the biggest problem facing the LGBT community?
Miguel del Valle: [Pauses] I can't tell you that I see a "biggest" problem. I can say that it's important for folks to be educated. I'm sure that there are segments of our society that for reasons, religious [and otherwise], do not accept individuals with a different sexual orientation. But I feel that we have moved in the right direction and the progress that has been made, as a result of advocacy efforts, on issues like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" [DADT] ... I think that finally, finally, people have come to the realization that [DADT] was the wrong policy to have. Sexual orientation has absolutely nothing to do with a person's motivation, ability or right to serve this country.
We've made tremendous progress but I'm sure there are elements of our society who don't see if that way. When you ask me what the biggest challenge is, I guess it will be making sure more people's attitudes and views change regarding the gay and lesbian community.
WCT: On a more general level, what do you think is the city's biggest problem?
Miguel del Valle: The biggest problem is the growing disparity and the growing inequities that we see. A downtown/central business sector is progressing [while] parts of the city are being described as "food deserts." How do you have a "food desert" in an international city—a world-class city, one of the most powerful cities?
Until we're really able to make a significant dent, we're not going to see progress in a lot of arenas, particularly in the economic arena. We're going to continue to see high levels of unemployment in certain communities, high dropout rates. We're going to see public safety affected for all residents, no matter where you live. I believe in balance and equity; I believe we need to ensure that neighborhood schools are strong—to change from low-performing to high-performing—and that schools are anchors of their neighborhoods. That is not happening in many parts of the city. As a mayor, I want to tackle those issues. The mayor will be the first to tell you that we have a long way to go.
I believe in people. I believe we can make significant improvements in the neighborhoods—and, then, the entire city benefits.
WCT: I talked with [mayoral candidate] Carol Moseley Braun recently, and one of the things we discussed was this search for a "consensus Black candidate." I mentioned that I found the process "curious."
Miguel del Valle: Believe me, I understand the effort and I respect it. It is about political empowerment, and I understand all that. On the other hand, this is the first time in many, many decades that Chicagoans will have an opportunity to select a mayor to fill an open seat.
It is a wonderful opportunity to engage the entire city in a conversation about the future, and I think we need to, as candidates, find ways to bring neighborhoods together and not ways of isolating neighborhoods. I really don't think the next mayor can govern effectively if the mayor is perceived is seen as being put into office by a segment of the electorate.
WCT: I noticed a blog calling you "the liberal's liberal."
Miguel del Valle: [Laughs] I consider myself a progressive. I want to see change, and I feel that government can be used to effect positive social change. I am for fairness, equity and balance, and I believe that public policy and the process of shaping public policy should be used for the public good.
See www.delvalleformayor.com .
