The League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia—www.lwvdc.org. The guide will include responses from the candidates on the September 9th ballot.
1) Please provide the following biographical information:
Age, 64
Occupation, Professor, Howard University
Education, B.S. City College of N.Y., M.S., PhD, Brown University
Qualifications for the office you seek.
My qualifications include these civic activities since I became a resident of D.C. in 1976:
Participant in Nuclear freeze and Bottle Bill initiatives, Justice for Janitors and Local 25 campaigns, Coalition for Lead Control; Fair Taxes for DC, Coordinator; Tax & Budget and Legislative Agenda Coordinator, DC Statehood Green Party; Metro DC Science for the People, Steering Committee member. Fair Budget Coalition and Poverty Reduction Coalition, member. I have testified at DC City Council Hearings and other venues on behalf of the DC Statehood Green Party many times in the last ten years (8 times since September). Testimony can be found at: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony.
2) The District or Columbia has many good paying jobs, but far too few of them are held by District residents. In June, 2008 the Brookings Institute proposed the creation of a community college in the District of Columbia to prepare a pool of workers qualified for "middle skill" jobs, those that require less than a four-year baccalaureate degree but more than a high school diploma. Do you support creating a DC Community College? If not, why not?
Yes, but one that complements, not replaces the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).
If so, which of the three options do you favor: (1) Create a community college within the University of the District of Columbia (UDC); (2)Create a freestanding community college from an incubator institution; or (3) Create a community college network that strengthens and ties together undergraduate offerings at UDC and other institutions in the city and suburbs?
I favor option (3). UDC needs to be fully funded and supported. This institution has long been neglected by the District government. The decaying infrastructure speaks for itself. A strengthened UDC and creation of a community college network should be integrated with a comprehensive apprenticeship program for green collar jobs in our public schools. This approach will go far in realizing the potential of the District's Green Collar Jobs Initiative and The Clean and Affordable Energy Act of 2008.
3) DC's need for affordable housing increases every year. Yet both federal and local public funds available to meet this need are decreasing. Where should our government turn for affordable housing resources? A one-time fee paid by large commercial developments? Affordable set-asides for housing built on land formerly owned or controlled by the District of Columbia? Other sources?
Local public funding should be increased to insure affordable housing for all in need. State of the art green public housing should be constructed on land owned by the District government. We can generate the needed revenue with tax fairness, by making our present regressive District tax structure progressive by reducing the tax rate for the working class majority, raising it for DC millionaires, as well as raising the commercial property tax rate and open up tax assessments to public review (Initiative 51 was passed by voters over a decade ago, but never implemented by the Council). I support immediate implementation of inclusionary zoning requiring fully enforced employment of DC residents coupled with greatly expanded locally funded tenants assistance program and vigorous enforcement of anti-discrimination policies based on race, gender and income status.
4) Do you think the District of Columbia should establish a universal health care program. If not, why not? If so, what are the first things the DC Council should do in order to establish the program?
Yes, a single-payer, universal health care program should be established. Maryland Legislature Universal Health Care bills HB 441 and HB 1510, introduced in FY 2006-7, are models for this effort. The first steps should include the immediate creation of a representative advisory board charged with producing a state of the art plan to be presented for Council Hearings for implementation in FY 2008-9.
