Alderman, 17th Ward: David Moore
Jan 11, 2011
David H.Moore
Updated: April 1, 2011 11:47PM
Birth date: 02-21-1966
Political affiliation: Democrat
Neighborhood: Auburn-Gresham
Occupation/Firm name: Assistant to Commissioner/Cook County Board of Review
Marital status: Single
Campaign HQ address: 739 W 79th Strret, Chicago, IL 60620
Campaign website: WWW.CITIZENSFORMOORE.COM
What is your campaign budget?
$125,000
What are your top priorities for the City of Chicago?
1) Improve our education system
2) Increase minority contract participation
3) Increase Transparency in City Government
What are your top priorities for your ward?
1) Communicate and share information with every area in the 17th Ward
2) Collectively bring together the residents, civic, business, and religious community to form a strategic plan that will improve and preserve the educational, physical, social, and economic health of our community.
3)I want to see our community as a self sufficient community with residents living in the community who own businesses that employ other residents. This will create a community where our children and residents can socialize, play, and enjoy the activities and resources that are absent in our community.
The city is in serious financial trouble and can’t afford the level of service it currently provides. For 2011, Mayor Daley, with City Council backing, balanced the budget without raising taxes or fees, relying instead on some cost-saving measures and one-time fixes, including using proceeds from leasing the city’s parking meters. Do you support this approach? What should be done differently going forward?
Please be specific about your plans to reshape government: what services and departments would you scale back or cut? Can you identify new revenue sources? How can the City reduce personnel costs? What kind of concessions should the City seek from the unions?
We cannot continue to balance the budget in this fashion for long-term sustainability. We must make tough decisions including the following: We should roll-back Mayoral and Aldermanic salaries to pre-2007 levels. We should seriously look at eliminating the some of the unproductive and un-needed middle management/ multiple deputy positions. We should look at combining and or eliminating certain City Council Committees. The Illinois General Assembly has already legislated reduced benefits for new hires. The Unions should consider similar concessions for new hires only. We have to become creative in creating revenue and do sme things that are different. We have so many city buildings in which thousands of people visit on an annual basis. We need to have advertising kiosks or spaces that we sell. People are flipping through commercials and by-passing pop-ups on the computer and they are busier than ever. We get most of our advertising information today when we are stationary or at a place where we do business. This has the potential of bringing in millions of dollars.
The city’s four employee pension funds have been called a “ticking time bomb,” with Mayor Daley’s pension commission predicting that the four funds will run out of money in 20 years. “There is no low- or no-cost solution to this problem,” the commission wrote in a report earlier this year. “Deferring action is not a viable option.” What is your plan for bringing the pension funds to solvency?
The Illinois General Assembly has already legislated reduced benefits for new hires and I support this for the City of Chicago. I support strengthening the deifined benefit pension system with a dedicated revenue stream to meet the funding need.
Does Chicago need 50 aldermen? If not, what’s a better number? What City Council committees could be combined? What other ways can the City Council save money?
I have not had the opportunity to disect each ward block-by-block. However, if each ward as at least 60 precincts and each precinct has an average of 6 blocks, then yes I support having 50 Alderman. If not, then I would evaluate whether or not we need 50 Alderman. I suggest that we combine: Traffic Control and Safety with Transportation and Public Way, Housing and Real Estate with Historical Landmark Preservation, and Health with Human Relations. The City Council can save money by rolling back the Mayor and Aldermanic Salaries to pre-2007 levels.
Chicago was designed as a weak mayor, strong council form of government yet Mayor Daley wields considerable power over the City Council. What measures would you recommend to strengthen the council? On which issues should the mayor lead? On which should the council lead?
First and foremost, the power is and should be with the people. We are there to serve for the benefits of the residents in the City of Chicago. I know that we can work in an environment with both a strong Mayor and a strong City Council. We can strengthen the coincil be electing independent minded individuals who are thre for the residents and not their personal and self interests. Both the Mayor and the Council should work in concert as much as possible.
The city’s tax-increment financing program has been criticized on several fronts, including the proliferation of districts, how money is diverted from schools and other basic city services, how TIF funding decisions are made and for an overall lack of transparency. How would you improve the TIF program? Does the TIF law need to be changed in any way?
Yes, the TIF law needs to be changed. First and foremost, no TIF should be used or created in a area that is not blighted, and downtown and Rush Presbyterian are not blighted areas. I would also vote to terminate a TIF if the objectives of the TIF plan has been accomplished before the 23 year period has ended. TIF information should be included in some form on the property tax bill for transparency. The Illinois General Assembly should reform its TIF legislation to protect local governments from the affects of inflation.
Mayor Daley has focused on privatizing city assets. Are there any other assets the City Council should consider privatizing? If so, would you make any changes to the way privatization deals are negotiated and passed through the City Council?
I do not support or believe in privatizing city services or assets. We have to learn to better manage our resources.
The Chicago Police Department is understaffed, with no lasting budget solution in sight. Given the current staffing levels, what changes would you recommend to use resources more efficiently? Do you support realigning beats in a way that moves police from lower crime areas to higher crime neighborhoods? What should happen to the diminished CAPS program?
I would ensure that all current personnel are being utilized properly in the areas where crime is highest. I would then ensure that adequate coverage is given (including new hires) to meet the appropriate levels. The CAPS program is useful and it works when we hold Commanders, supervisors, beat officers and the CAPS liason accountable and ensuring effective meetings with measuarble goals and results. If we move forward with eliminating beat meetings and creating sector meetings, then the CAPS program will truly fail and I believe that there is a purposeful intent to do just that in Chicago.
The next mayor will choose a new CEO for the Chicago Public Schools. Do you think the CEO needs to have education experience? Should the new mayor continue the Renaissance 2010 program of shutting down failing schools and creating new ones? Should the new mayor continue Ron Huberman’s “culture of calm” effort, which aims to improve the culture of the toughest schools and provides mentors and extra support for kids at greatest risk of being shot? What should CPS do to improve neighborhood schools that are struggling to educate the large numbers of students left behind, the students that don’t make it into test-based, charters or other specialized schools?
I do not think that the head of CPS should be a CEO, but rather a superintendant with an educational background such as a superintendant certificate or school-based employment history. Renaissance 2010 has had a few success stories, but overall there is little evidence that it has yielded dramatic results. I believe classrooms should be assigned highly qualified, state certified teachers. I also believe more emphasis should be placed on solving problems of existing schools and not creating new ones or reconstituting schools. We have to stop cherry picking the best and the brightest students and provide equal opportunities across schools. Stop publicly labeling schools as probationary and poor performing -- this labeling trickles down to the students who are very aware of what it means. Ensure schools given such labels are staffed with full time site based social service personnel, counselors, and school nurses. Ensure that every school has a full-time librarian.
Do you support one or more casinos for Chicago? If so, where would you like to see casinos located?
Currently I do not support casinos for Chicago.
Aldermen have considerable influence over TIF, zoning and other decisions, both large and small, related to development and services in their ward. Do aldermen have too much influence?
I do not believe Alderman have enough influence. Alderman are the frontline to the residents in the City of Chicago. In other cities, the State Representative, State Senator or Congressman are the frontline to their communities and have much more influence.
If elected alderman, do you plan to maintain an outside job? Would you pledge not to hold any job that represents a conflict of interest, including those that involve spending public dollars?
Serving as Alderman in my community should be a full-time job because there a plethora of needs in our community that has to be addressed and people have to be involved. An Alderman in the 17th ward shouldn’t have time for a second job, if they do, then they are not doing the best job for the community. I pledge not to hold any other job other than committeman of the 17th ward if elected.
Would you accept campaign contributions or gifts from your employees? Would you pledge not to hire relatives on your staff?
I would not accept campaign contributions from my employees. I have in the pass purchased a case of water for my boss as a Christmas gift or a jar of peanut butter for his birthday. I found gifts such as this as acceptable if employees want to do something for their boss. However, I would not accept extravagant gifts that gives any unacceptable appearance. I would pledge not to hire immediate relatives. I have distant cousins that are qualified for many positions, but barely know me as some of my closest friends. Should I noy hire them? I don’t think the goal is about relatives, but rather corruption. If that’s the case, you should ask whether or not I would hire friends, then where do we go from there. The goal is eliminating corruption which I’m totally in agreement with eliminating.
Does the City need to change the way it hands out contracts? Should aldermen reclaim oversight of City contracts? If so, contracts above what dollar amount?
Yes the City should change the way it hands out contracts and Alderman should reclaim oversight of City contracts of $100,000 and more.
Do you support an inspector general just for the City Council? Would you support giving the city’s existing inspector general power to investigate aldermen and their staffs, including subpoena power?
I do not support an inspector general just for the City Council. It’s an unnecessary level of bureaucracy and cost the City can do without. However, I strongly support giving the existing inspector general position (as long as it’s an independent individual not beholding to anyone) the power to investigate alderman and their staffs. I would have to have futher dialogue before I agree or disagree to include subpoena power.
Should there be new limits on who can lobby City Hall officials, including aldermen? Should former City Hall employees be prohibited from doing business with the city after their departure? If so, for how long?
I don’t think there should be new limits on who can lobby City Hall officials, we just have to make sure that we follow fully exercise the current rules and procedures that are in place. Former city hall employees should be prohibited from doing direct business with the city after their departure for at least two years.
What’s the best book ever written about Chicago? Why?
The best book I’ve read is BOSS by Mike Royko. He gives you a clear insight not only into the politics of Chicago, but he also gives you an understanding and apprecitation of our neighborhoods and the people in them. Growing up in the projects and the Englewood community, and not getting the opprtunity to see this great City, Mike Royko gave me that with this book. It helped me to apprecaite people and respect our differences and it help to shape some of my political views.
Please list your educational background
Loyola University Chicago: Masters of Arts- Chicago Studies(Emphasis in Urban Government) Loyola University Chicago: Project Management Certification(Loyola Executive Education Program)
Harold Washington College: City of Chicago Intergovernmental Executive Development Program (Certification Completed)
Western Illinois University: Bachelor of Business - Dual Major: Accounting and Operations Management
Please list civic, professional, fraternal or other organizations to which you belong
National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA)
People United to Serve Humainity (Rainbow PUSH)
Have you held elective or appointive political office or been employed by any branch of government?
I have never held elective or appointive political office. Yes, I have been employed by government.
Please list jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government
City of Chicago, Department of Aviation - Assistant Accounting Manager
Chicago Housing Authority - Development Manager and Senior Advisor,Operations
Cook County Board of Review - Assistant to the Commissioner
Name your five biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed
Marion Wallace - $1,400 (In-kind contribution)
Kim McCoy - $1,000
Curtis Ikeuchi - $750
Sharron McCoy - $500
May Canady - $500
Please paste a brief biography here
David Moore was born in Chicago at Michael Reese Hospital on February21, 1966 to David and Elizabeth Moore. David attended Coleman Elementary School and resided in the Robert Taylor Homes for the first eleven years of his life. At age eleven, David and his family moved to the 17th Ward Community where he has resided for the last 33 years.
David attended Hinton Elementary School where he graduated from the sixth grade before attending Lawless Upper Grade Center, both located in the Englewood community. Upon receiving his elementary school diploma from Lawless in 1980, David was accepted into Simeon Vocational High School where he completed four successful years as an Accounting student.
David continued his Accounting studies at Western Illinois University and successfully graduated in 1989 with a dual major in Accounting and Operations Management. David completed his Masters Degree in 2007 from Loyola University Chicago, with an emphasis in Government Studies.
David had a successful 10-year accounting career working for Fortune 500 companies including Ralston Purina, Avery Dennison, and The Clorox Company. David began his professional public career as an Accountant for the City of Chicago in the Department of Aviation. However, his public service began at age eleven in the Englewood community where he helped his uncle, an assistant precinct captain, pass out campaign literature in the 17th Ward for then Alderman, William “Bill” Shannon.
Over the years, David worked as a Deputy Registrar to register new voters throughout
Chicago, including the 17th Ward. David is also an active member in Operation PUSH, where he worked campaigns to successfully elect trailblazers such as former Senator Carol Moseley Braun, Secretary of State, Jesse White, and former Senate President, Emil Jones. In addition, as a campaign volunteer for the United Democrats of Illinois, David successfully assisted in the campaign which helped to elect former President Bill Clinton and Senator Dick Durbin.
As a political leader in the 17th Ward, David lead victories for many elected officials,
including: current President, Barak Obama, State Senator, Jacqui Collins, and former Alderman, Terry Peterson, just to name a few.
David worked tirelessly to recruit new community volunteers, establish block clubs, and encourage Illinois residents to exercise their right to vote. As a public servant. David attends CAPS meetings and has volunteered to speak at schools throughout the Chicago area encouraging the children and youth to stay in school. David has served the senior citizens in his community by providing many with transportation to the hospital, grocery store, and election polls; and providing value-added information resources. He has successfully sat and talked with both drug users and drug dealers directing them to better lives.
David is a life long member and Deacon of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. The
same church where his role model, mentor, and spiritual father Dr. Rev. Clay Evans is Founder, and his friend, Rev. Charles Jenkins is Pastor. David is the proud father of Alexandria Moore.
