D65 Meet the Candidate: Dan Lyonsmith

Post 5/11 in a 10 day series on District 65 Candidates for Office

This is a post in a series that will run from March 7 to March 17th where I’ve given District 65 Board Candidates the option to post whatever they want on the blog. I gave them no limitations, except to follow the standard comment section rules and I do no editing, beyond formatting.

If you have questions for the candidates, please also follow the rules on the comment section.

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"On both sides of the Atlantic, our citizens are confronted by yet another danger… the steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people."

-Donald J. Trump

I wholeheartedly disagree.

Public service doesn’t diminish but instead adds wealth and vitality to our nation and its people.

For more background on why I am running for D65 school board you can visit my campaign website (lyonsmithford65.org) or follow this link to my bio.

I want to do something different with this chance to communicate. Instead of hammering my campaign points more, I want to offer you personal context as to why I’m here and why this moment is important.

Whether its helping citizens obtain housing or food for the month or helping to find that new job that pays a living wage…People in government are critically important.

So called “bureaucrats” make or break services for people by caring intensely about their jobs and having integrity in their work. Their actions can improve the quality and experience of those who benefit from public programs. Alternatively, if government employees approach their work with apathy and indifference, they can create a futile experience for people who are already struggling for opportunities or hope.

I work at US Department of Labor, and I have a front row seat on how leaders are attempting to roll back the social safety net that so many have worked to build.

Early in my career I worked as a lobbyist for and with people with disabilities and later worked at the Chicago Jobs Council. We advocated for a workforce system that would better serve low-income adults and youth. If you weren’t prepared to secure a job after passing through our educational system, then the workforce system provided a second chance to attempt to backfill the skills that you would need to be successful in the competitive job market. I worked mostly at the state level attempting to pass bills in Springfield. I worked with administrative agencies, at the State and in the City of Chicago, to influence funding priorities and rules that would improve services. Where we were fortunate to work with highly motivated people within the system, public service did pay huge dividends in terms of advancing the public good. We relied on these people in government to help make change and improve the systems impacting the most vulnerable in our society.

I was then recruited for a position with the State of Illinois to expand and develop employment and training programs for people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps). We built on Obama era federal matching funds that allowed states to design and structure their programs to better serve people with the most barriers to employment. I learned the challenges and opportunities firsthand. I was stretched to be responsive in the face of a sometimes chaotic workplace with institutional drag. We made a difference by improving and growing the programs that truly invested in people. Bureaucrats don’t “drain the wealth and vitality of the people”, they break cycles of generational poverty and limited opportunities.

I grew up here. I am an alum of D65 (attending Orrington and Haven) and ETHS. I have kids in D65 now and will continue to for the next 5 years. My daughters go to Washington and Nichols; and my oldest attends ETHS. I have a deep familiarity with our district and community over many years, and I want our local education system to work well and deliver for all kids; black, white or brown, inclusive of all household incomes, types of ability and gender identity. I am passionate for this place and for this work.

(This is an image of my youngest daughter holding the sign with the message she asked that we write on her sign when our family attended a anti-gun violence rally together in 2018.)

Why this moment is important

We are living through uncertain times in our nation’s history. We have to act locally, where we have the most influence to change things and secure what matters. We need to be informed. We can’t be sold on quick and easy solutions to complex problems.

Our schools are our investment in our children and in our community’s future. We will rise to the challenge of this time and navigate through it as a community that has more shared interests than divergent ones.

I have worked in dysfunctional systems, and I have seen them improve. As we engage bravely with each other through the challenges facing our district, I believe we will come out of this better than before.

Every Child, Every Day, Whatever It Takes.

Thank you FOIA Gras readers, for your time and the care and concern that you bring to Evanston, our kids and our community.

Thank you Tom for creating this opportunity and to the FOIA readers for your time and valuable attention.

-Dan Lyonsmith