Peter DiCianni: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: ElmhurstWebsite: www.peteforcongress.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 8th Congressional District Age: 50Family: Grandson of Italian Irish Immigrants who came here to give their families a better life.Oldest of 7 ChildrenMarried 22 years to Rose DiCianni a Cardiovascular Intensive Care Nurse, Loyola University3 Children, Natalie 20, Peter 18, and Brianna 13. All attend Elmhurst Public Schools and local Community Colleges.Occupation: President/CEO founder DiCianni Graphics Inc.Education: Elmhurst College Center for Business EconomicsBS Business Management '88University of Illinois at ChampaignSchool of Leadership in Government '13Lifelong resident of 8th District County, Graduate of York High School, ElmhurstCivic involvement: Ray Graham People for DisabilitiesWalk Co-Chairperson to raise money for people with developmental disabilities (2009-present)DuPage Senior Citizen Council-Supporter/Volunteer Meals on Wheels" (2009-present)Providing thousands of DuPage Area seniors low cost to free healthy meals along with vital well being checks.Elmhurst Children's Assistance Foundation, President/Director 1996-2006Raised over $1 million to help local area children.Metropolitan Family Services of DuPage, Director 2006-presentLargest Social Service Agency in the County providing Cradle to Grave Counseling.The Center for Speech Language Disorders (CSLD), Director 2006-presentRaised over $250 thousand with Talkie Trot (former Brianna Walk to Talk) 2007-presentElected offices held: Member of DuPage County Board of Commissioners2nd District 2012-presentEconomic Development Vice Chairman 2012-presentEnvironmental Chairman 2012-2014Helped bring home millions from FEMA after 2013 flood, most of any districtIllinois Autism Task Force 2012-present, ChairmanMayor City of Elmhurst, Illinois 2009-2012Attained a record $1 billion in Economic Growth amidst a great recessionOversaw the Rebuilding of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital retaining and providing over 4000 jobsResponsible for development of Mariano's Food Store, 1st in DuPage County, creating over 450 jobsRestored dangerously low city fund balances to safe levels and AAA credit ratingQuestions Answers How will you work to make Congress more productive and effective? What actions are needed to produce a healthy federal budget? Specifically, what changes do you advocate regarding how revenue is produced or what our spending priorities are? In particular, what effect does current policy have on your district and what changes, if any, are needed?PEOPLE Not Politics is the message I follow as a public servant. When partisanship gets in the way of People, that is a problem. We must pass good policy that enables and incentivizes business big and small. We need to reduce the over-regulation in banking which has killed many of our Community Banks and also has stifled growth due to limited access to capital. We must also pass pro-business tax policies like making accelerated 179 depreciation permanent and increasing the amount to $1 million annually which will drive growth and development. This will give entrepreneurs a clear path as to invest or reinvest in their business, drive job creation, and create new revenues like sales tax, which is so critical to local governments to help them lessen the burden on property taxes.In addition we must support good policy that gives our young people access to career and technical education at a young age to inspire and give them direction in the area of highly compensated vocations and sought-after career paths. The 8th District is home to some of our biggest industrial and business parks that are in need of highly skilled workers.Proof of my leadership was the passage a bi-partisan Health Insurance Law that Insured Autism in Illinois. Brianna's Law represents a significant bi-partisan accomplishment with 133 bi-partisan sponsors in 2008. Today, Brianna's Law is law in 44 states and has been used as a national model.What immigration policies do you support? Where, if at all, do you see room for compromise to produce an effective policy on immigration? How will these policies affect your district?First of all I fully support legal immigration. We, as Americans, have two challenges in this area. The first issue has potentially a two-fold approach, including the need to better secure our borders and determine a plan for the millions of illegal immigrants that are currently in the U.S. For those undocumented who are already in the U.S., I would like to offer a pathway to stay legally to those who do not have a criminal record, have a steady job and are willing to be a contributing member to our country by paying taxes as citizens do. In addition, if they or their children have attended our public schools, a pathway to citizenship should be available rather than making them return to their native country, providing they are willing to obey our laws and freedoms.I feel my stance on immigration will positively impact the District. Our communities include some of the State's top industrial parks including: Elk Grove, Addison, Lombard, Itasca, Wood Dale, Bensenville and many other communities with industrial and commercial base businesses. Hard-working, blue-collar labor is critical to commerce and industry. I believe in giving immigrant workers the ability to contribute legally and become productive members of American society so they can exist here legally versus living in the shadows will best serve the businesses of the 8th Congressional District and immigrant families who are good people looking to give their family a better life.What should be the top priorities in Congress related to the Affordable Care Act? If you want changes, what specifically do you recommend? If you want the act entirely eliminated, please address these questions: Is that politically feasible? If it proves infeasible, where do you see the potential for compromise? If it is eliminated, what would you replace it with, if anything?I feel we must have a bi-partisan solution for fixing or replacing Obamacare. I am all for keeping the good qualities of mandatory coverage for pre-existing conditions known as Guaranteed Issue, and coverage for Mental Illness, but after those qualities, the law falls very short in enforcing participation since less than half of the targeted audience have followed the law. With poor risk pool coverage and mandatory expensive plan features, including no lifetime maximums, maternity coverage for all and dental coverage for newborns with no teeth, we have seen ACA nearly implode with costs rising annually 25-70 percent. In order for a successful 100 percent mandate to work to insure all people, we must have a better tool or incentive so that young, healthy, people join, which will help reduce premiums with a better balance of young healthy folks paying in to offset the elder population who may experience higher claims. We need more paying into the pool.There needs to be a "Light Version" with an HSA option which is less rich of a plan, including bringing back life-time caps to reduce premiums especially for single moms and self employed who are struggling with these mortgage-level premiums. There needs to be more skin in the game for people who lead poor health lifestyles compared to folks who take good care of themselves. Included in this would be a separate deductible for pharmaceutical coverage. Any solution must insure mandatory coverage for all developmental disabilities.What military or diplomatic roles should the United States play to promote peace and stability in the Mideast? Under what circumstances should we have military forces actively operating?America is a great country but not everybody has or desires the same freedoms that America has. We need to do a better job of listening and understanding while protecting American interests. All this while being mindful of rebuilding relationships with our allies, many of which have been strained by poor foreign policy decisions by the current administration.Putting American soldiers on the ground is something that we should only do when there is clear mission and a clear exit strategy. I fully subscribe to the Weinberger Doctrine.Will you uphold the international climate change treaty? If not, what alternative steps would you advocate? If so, what steps will you take to meet U.S. obligations under the accord?Yes I would uphold the international climate change treaty, which is intended to reduce global warming around the world. As the Chairman of Environment for DuPage County, I championed issues to reduce the carbon footprint of the County. Simple things like better timing of street lights which creates less idling cars in traffic, the push for flex fuel, hybrid and EV vehicles were all things that I championed as a policy maker. Food Composting is another very viable option that we have spearheaded to show both consumers and businesses how they can throw out less and compost more. This will remove food from our landfills, which eventually release methane, which is a green house gas that contributes to global warming. By partnering with schools, churches and businesses, we can be better stewards of the environment while saving money on refuse costs.The use of renewable energy including wind and solar sources must be a part of our future to reduce our carbon footprint. I personally have driven a hybrid vehicle since my daughter's diagnosis of Autism, as there is a huge environmental link with today's diseases including Autism, Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, cancer and many others. Pushing for viable replacements for petroleum and solvents like alcohol, which were often used in manufacturing such as printing, are now being replaced with environmentally friendly products like soy and alcohol substitutes, which have a less VOC factor and thus reduce our burden on the environment.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Reviving the American Dream* Eliminate excessive government regulation crippling American business.* Increase access to capital by reviving Community Banking.* Increase opportunities for Companies to Invest Reinvest in their businesses. Make America Safer, Stronger, more Secure* Support our military and law enforcement by providing the tools necessary to best protect Americans including manpower and the latest in technology.* Partner with allies to end ISIS and suppress local cells by giving our Federal Agencies the tools to surveil properly and communicate between agencies to keep Americans safe. Build a Better Nation* Bring home vital infrastructure dollars to our communities specific to road, transportation, and storm-water.* Fight for education dollars such as Perkins to help fund our local schools, and provide needed equipment, and hire and maintain good, experienced teachers.People not Politics* Protect Social Security and Medicare while enhancing benefits for our veterans.* Reduce the financial burden of College Education by making college tax deductible while offering better access to free or reduced community colleges.* Advocate for women's issues including equal pay, access to free or reduced public health, and free community college with childcare for single mothers who dedicate themselves to pursue viable career paths.* Amend or replace Obamacare with a better, lower cost, bi-partisan solution to address healthcare that includes guaranteed issue, mental health and coverage for autism and all developmental disabilities, all while being mindful of the poor and underserved.For complete detailed issues visit www.peteforcongress.comPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.I look up to Pope Francis who has shown while we may have our differences we must embrace unity and be more inclusive.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?As the oldest of 7, I needed to set an example for my 4 sisters and 2 brothers and that leadership and responsibility was important.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Asking my wife out the first time I met her instead of waiting 3 years later when we met again after my dad became ill.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?It was a tie between my business and graphic arts classes but both allowed me to be an entrepreneur with a mission and a vocation.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Make a friend with someone who has special needs so you can better understand other peoples' challenges.