Interview with City Council Nominee, Dawn DiPrince

City Council nominee Dawn DiPrince is running for Council Seat #4 in Pueblo, Colorado, which is soon to be vacated by longtime Councilman Ray Aguilera. I like Dawn. I like her politics. I like that she is a mother of young children like me. So, I thought I'd interview Ms. DiPrince and learn a little bit more about her. Here is part 1 of my interview. Look for Part 2 to be posted in a few days.

Ms. DiPrince, I know you have deep roots in Pueblo. Can you tell us about yourself and your family. Have you always lived in Pueblo?

Family history is one of the reasons that I am compelled to run for City Council – especially District 4. Much of my family history and my current family life center around the neighborhoods of District 4. Toni Morrison reminds us that our present and our future must be connected with our past, “It has to be done; otherwise we are dead. If you kill the ancestors, you’ve just killed everything.”

So, much of my community work has reminded me of this important connection. And, it is also why I am proud to be a mother and, at the same time, give daily thanks to my risk-taking ancestors who sacrificed to provide opportunities for their descendents (like me). Every day I think of Bettina Trapaglia, my dad’s grandmother, who came to this country in 1915 to wed a stranger. She, alone, boarded a ship in Naples, Italy, and told officials that her destination was: Elm Street, Pueblo, Colorado. She gave birth to five daughters, and worked at a lime quarry just south of Pueblo. While she never was allowed to become an American citizen because she couldn’t read or write in English, she gave birth to several generations of teachers. She pulled weeds, so that my dad and uncle could do their homework instead of their chores. It was this act of love that taught them the value of education—my familial inheritance.

Thus, whenever I think about my own life as a mother, worker, community member, I offer gratitude to the memory of my ancestors. I recognize that I have the opportunity to run for political office because my great-grandmother – and so many other women before me – worked hard and sacrificed so much.

As for me, I was born in Pueblo and grew up in La Junta. I also lived in Fort Collins and Wyoming before deciding I needed to move back to where my history is rooted. I moved back to Pueblo to be close to my two grandmothers.

I am the mother of three children: Max, 11; Sophia, 10; and Mario, 4. And, I am married to Chris Markuson.


Can you tell us about your job experience?

My first career experience was in educational publishing. At the age of 17, I started working at a publishing company in the proverbial mail room, and worked my way up to being a lead editor and the production manager. Through this work, I have written several books about writing, including UnJournaling and Twisting Arms.
I also have another career path that has focused on leadership. My experience comes from a unique leadership tradition that is based on collaboration, consensus building, and creative problem solving. Some of my past and current leadership experience includes:
• Associate Director, Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center
• Executive Director, Frontier Pathways National Scenic & Historic Byway
• Chair, Board of Directors, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Pueblo
• President, League of Women Voters of Pueblo
• Executive Committee, Destination Pueblo
• Chair, Southern Colorado Rhetoric Symposium
• Editorial Team, Pueblo P.U.L.P.
• Project Grant Manager, Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Pueblo School for Arts & Sciences
• Coordinator, Teen Voter Education Pizza Party
• Member, CSU-Pueblo Presidential Search Committee
• Volunteer, St. Mary-Corwin Health Foundation’s Breast Center of Excellence campaign
• Board Member, Colorado Humanities
• Member, All Pueblo Reads Committee
• Member, Song of Pueblo Community Committee
• And more . . .

Currently, I still actively volunteer in the community, and I teach composition and rhetoric at CSU-Pueblo.

Do you think being a mother gives you a unique or different perspective to be on city council and if so, how?

I absolutely believe that being a mother with young children at home gives me a unique perspective – one that has been totally unrepresented – on City Council. For example, the issue of access to quality child care is very important to me. Several years ago, I did an informal study with statistical help from the City. I learned that in Pueblo, we only have licensed child care spots for 6% of children under the age of 2. This lack of access to child care disenfranchises an entire segment of our workforce.. And, while many grandmothers take on the role of child care of Pueblo families, we must recognize that this is unpaid labor for these women.

Child care is not just a woman’s issue. It is an economic development issue. When companies look to relocate in Pueblo, they often examine child care and school options for their employees. Thriving American communities ensure access to quality child care. Child care is also a sector of our local economy – an industry that mostly employees women, supports local entrepreneurs, and is struggling. City Council has a responsibility to understand the needs of this industry, so it can be an important piece of our economic development strategies.

Look for Part 2 in the coming days.

Mark your calendar. Elections are November 1, 2011.