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The CurrenT Wednesday, June 8, 2016 V1

Robert White

At-large D.C. Council candidate Robert White is an attorney who has served as community outreach director for D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, general counsel for D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and a clerk in the Montgomery County District Court. He is also president of the Brightwood Park Citizens Association in Ward 4. If elected to the D.C. Council, White told The Current he would concentrate on improving schools, creating more affordable housing and creating more jobs. On education, White believes the city needs “a solid turnaround strategy for each underper-forming school” including multi-year budgeting. He favors more investment in early childhood develop-ment, improved nutrition for low-income children and a better program of job retention for good teachers by including them in decision-making pro-cesses. White is particularly concerned about improving education for low-income minority children, whom he feels have not really benefited from the school system’s progress. He agrees with the mayor’s plan to rebuild the District’s older school build-ings on a complete basis rather than just fixing up dilapidated parts of buildings. Because many rebuilding projects are significantly over budget, White said he wants the council to hold oversight hearings on school modernization at least every quarter. Regarding affordable housing, White said the government should purchase affordable apartment buildings if they go on the market to prevent their con-version into condos or higher-priced rental units. These buildings should be subject to “a permanent covenant limit-ing rent on a share of the units, adjust-ing for inflation once they go back on the market,” he said. Such a strategy would be a less cost-ly affordable housing approach than building new units, White said. He also wants the city to work with commercial building owners to convert under-uti-lized office structures into apartments with a large percentage of affordable

Vincent Orange

Incumbent Vincent Orange is seek-ing re-election to the at-large D.C. Council seat he has held since winning an April 2011 special election. He chairs the council’s Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. A certified public accountant and an attorney, Orange previously served as the Ward 5 council member. He also has been chief financial officer of the National Children’s Center and a Pepco vice president. He has run unsuccess-fully for mayor and council chairman. If re-elected, Orange said in an inter-view that he would focus most on edu-cation, transportation safety, and jobs and economic development. He hopes to serve on the council’s Education Committee, where he would push to ensure that the chancellor has a goal that 80 percent of third-graders can read inde-pendently, add, sub-tract, mul-tiply and divide before they enter fourth grade. Orange called these abilities a foundation for middle and high school success and for being able to apply to college. He said that 60 percent of today’s D.C. third-graders cannot inde-pendently read. He also wants the chancellor to strive to achieve an 85 percent high school graduation rate, and to ensure that 75 percent of high school students apply to college. He favors eliminating tuition at the University of the District of Columbia’s Community College to ease the path for residents to obtain associate degrees. Orange said he hopes he will be allowed to serve on four committees, instead of his current three, so he will not have to give up one of them to join the Education Committee. Regarding transportation, Orange said he would support his council col-league Jack Evans, also chair of the Metro board of directors, in the effort to improve the safety and maintenance of the local subway system and to push for more federal funding. He also would like the system to prohibit knives, guns and other weapons on its buses and trains, and is generally supportive of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s plans to

David Garber

At-large D.C. Council candidate David Garber is a former two-term Ward 6 advisory neighborhood com-missioner who has worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for the Urban Land Institute, as a sub-stitute teacher and as a U.S. Senate intern. He also served as co-chair of the Historic Anacostia Design Review Committee. If elected, Garber said, the three areas he would most emphasize are neighborhood safety, education and inclusive citywide growth. “We must make sure we have enough officers on the streets every day,” Garber said in an interview. “Right now, we have a def-icit across the city that leads to forced overtime and less ability to handle crime.” He wants to “bring back localized street crime enforcement units, which were centralized last year. Officers need to have on-the-ground knowledge of the communities.” Garber said the city must address systemic poverty so there are economic opportunities for kids “other than crime,” in part by bolstering vocational training in D.C. schools. Garber spent 2 1/2 years as a substi-tute teacher in the public school system. Regarding education, he said that a pri-ority must be closing “the opportunity gap for kids who do not come from strong backgrounds” in after-school activities. Schools in high-income areas fre-quently receive private funding from parents for sports and arts programs, funding that low-income areas do not receive, he said. He called on the District to use part of its surplus to fund these activities across the city “so the wealthy no longer feel they need to con-tribute.” The biggest need is for better middle and high schools, he said, which is “why we have such a robust charter school program. … Elementary schools have made improvements across the District.” He would like more language immersion programs throughout D.C. Regarding the need for more inclu-sive growth, Garber pointed to his

See Garber/Page V4 See Orange/Page V4 See White/Page V4

About the Voters Guide The Current’s Voters Guide for the June 14 primary election appears in The Current and The Washington Informer. It is also

available online at issuu.com/currentnewspapers. The Current’s staff interviewed the three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for a D.C. Council at-large seat, as well as the four Democratic candidates seeking their party’s nomination for the Ward 4 D.C. Council seat. Jack Evans, the incumbent Ward 2 D.C. Council member, does not have a challenger in the Democratic primary and is therefore not included; the same is true for D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and shadow U.S. Rep. Franklin Garcia. The Democratic ballot will also include three U.S. presidential candidates: Hillary Clinton, “Rocky” Roque De La Fuente and Bernie Sanders. There are no contested races in the Republican or D.C. Statehood Green parties. At-large D.C. Council candidate Carolina Celnik is the only name on the GOP ballot other than those seeking positions with the local party; in the D.C. Statehood Green Party, G. Lee Aiken is running for an at-large D.C. Council seat and Natale (Lino) Stracuzzi is seeking the party’s nomination for D.C. delegate to the House of Representatives.

About the election The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 14. To vote on Election Day, you must go to your assigned polling place; if you have moved and have not updated your address with the Board of Elections, you should go to the polling location serving your old address. Absentee ballots must be received by 8 p.m. June 14 to be counted. Early voting began May 31 at One Judiciary Square, 441 4th St. NW, and will continue daily from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through June 11. Satellite early-voting loca-tions — including the Chevy Chase, Columbia Heights and Takoma community centers — are open June 4 through 11. Election Day will mark the first time D.C. voters will use a new voting system featuring an optical scan machine that tabu-lates ballots marked either by hand or by the accessible ExpressVote Ballot Marking Device. For details, visit dcboee.org or call 202-727-2525.

AT-lARGE SEATD.C. COunCilDemocratic primary

David Garber Vincent Orange Robert White

The CurrenT VoTers GuideJunE 14, 2016 ■ PRIMARY electIon

V2 Wednesday, June 8, 2016 The CurrenT



Should you be elected or re-elected to the D.c. council, what are the three areas upon which you would concentrate the most?

Neighborhood safety; great education options; an inclusive equitable citywide growth policy.

Ensuring third-graders can read independently and can add, subtract, multiply and divide; public safety in transportation, especially Metro; improving business opportunities in D.C. and making the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs more effective.

Improving schools; creating and protecting affordable housing; creating jobs for local residents.

How would you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

I’m the only candidate unassociated with other officeholders. I have more community-level experience and will emphasize a community focus.

I’m running on a record of achievement and providing results. I have a committee chairmanship, which they would not have for at least two years.

Strong character, I believe highly in transparency, and I have a significant policy background.

Should firms that do business with the city be allowed to make political contributions? How about their owners, spouses and employees?

Yes, but I also support public financing of elections.

Yes, as long as it’s transparent and the Office of Campaign Finance can track all contributions.

No. They should play no role in fundraising.

Would you support some form of public financing of campaigns? if yes, what form?

Yes. If a candidate has raised a certain amount of money, individual contributions should be matched by the city up to a limit.

No. Public funds should be spent on safety-net needs such as free mobile shower buses for the homeless and free hygiene products for homeless women.

Yes. I would support a contribution match. I’d look for successful arrangements nationally.

Should we raise the minimum wage in the manner urged by mayor muriel Bowser?

We should raise it, but ensure small businesses have an opportunity for success. I support a lower minimum for tipped employees.

Yes, as the public will do it by a referendum this November. The mayor’s legislation is $15 and $7.50 for tip wage. The ballot issue is a straight $15.

Yes, but use the savings from social services to help small businesses. They could apply based on need.

Virginia’s minimum wage is currently several dollars an hour less than ours. Will the recent minimum wage legislation attract qualified low-paid workers from Virginia that will reduce D.c. residents’ job opportunities?

I don’t believe it will have a meaningful effect. Ours will be coordinated with Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. There is no evidence we’re losing jobs to Virginia.

Not if we implement a local hiring incentive. I would like to see a profit tax rebate for local hires

Should the D.c. council pass the proposed paid family leave bill? Would it put some employers at risk? Do employees need its benefits?

People wouldn’t be paid as much as when they are on the job full time, so I don’t think it would be a major problem. I support its being all paid for by the employer.

Not in its current form, as it can’t pass the economic impact or fiscal impact thresholds.

We should pass a version with 12 instead of 16 weeks. New York has one that is employee-paid. Would be open to having it partially employee-paid, but uncertain as I have not studied the economic model for it.

in looking over the upcoming budget, what spending areas, if any, would you like increased? Which decreased?

Less toward major sports facilities; more going to economic development in neighborhoods that need it and for school building improvements and operating costs.

It is a very good budget. Education dollars should be more goal-oriented and focus more on early childhood education. Tuition-free community college. No cuts.

Increase funding for schools, affordable housing and job training. Can save a lot of money by looking at contracts such as the DC Trust’s.

Some say that although D.c. receives little tax revenue from the high-tech sector, the city could recruit firms as the District is very attractive to potential employees. Would you support lowering D.c. profits taxes for this kind of firm to attract them from Virginia and maryland? How about capital gains taxes for local owners?

I support the city investing in startups that agree to stay in the District, like Maryland and Virginia do. Would expand high-tech franchise tax relief from five years to 10.

In the past, we needed to. The NoMa area is attracting them as we have high disposable income and a high influx of residents.

We should have a separate capital gains tax, and a separate profits tax if it will beef up the businesses here.

Should the sales tax include services such as gym memberships?

No. No. We should encourage a fit D.C. (especially since I’ve lost 65 pounds!).

Yes.

What steps do you think the council should take to improve public education?

Encourage diversity such as language immersion across the District. Continue to invest in facilities improvements. Better funding of sports, arts and other extracurricular activities, especially in neighborhoods with fewer resources.

The chancellor must be given realistic goals: Eighty percent of our children should be able to read, add, subtract, multiply and divide before they enter fourth grade. The District should have a minimum 85 percent high school graduation rate, and 75 percent of our children should apply for college.

Invest more on early childhood development and nutrition for low-income kids, and do a better job retaining good teachers by including them in decision-making. Develop turnaround plans for low-performing schools including multi-year budgeting, expand vocational education, and improve collaboration between public and charter schools.

Given the fact that many recent school modernizations are significantly over budget, are you concerned that the District might be overpaying or otherwise spending its money inefficiently? if so, what would you do about it?

Yes. I would work with Education Committee members to look at how we spend more money on facilities than private and charter institutions do.

I’m concerned. I support the re-examination of these projects to ensure that we’re getting what we desire in an efficient manner.

We’re definitely overspending and spending inefficiently. We need an at-large council member who will do a better job of oversight.

Some say recent improvements in test scores indicate the present system, while still having a long way to go, is making real progress. Should the council pass laws that the mayor might think would interfere with her ability to run the system?

The council should always act in our best interests, especially if we think it would have a greater impact than what is now being done.

The progress is marginal. We need to put higher expectations on the system and on the chancellor. At a minimum, we should be equal to the national results.

I don’t think we’ve made real progress for low-income minority students. I would support any actions that would help our kids.

Some Ward 4 residents have said their children’s education quality will sharply decline when they lose their in-boundary status to attend Deal middle School and Wilson High. Do you agree? if you do, what specifically should be done about it? if you don’t, how would you answer the residents who claim it will?

Redistricting always has a big impact. People do move to communities based on in-boundary schools. Still, redistricting should take place and it will lead to a stronger citywide system.

If new boundaries produce less than desirable schooling options, extra funding should help improve results for schools where students are reassigned.

I agree. I would work to develop specific turnaround plans for the Ward 4 schools, working with Deal and Wilson leadership.

Some charter school advocates claim the city government ignores existing laws by not giving charters first crack at all closed school buildings. Do you agree? if so, what if anything should be done about it?

All closed school buildings should be reserved for educational use.

I agree. Charters should have first dibs. I’d enforce the law. I’d call for hearings and if necessary a lawsuit.

Do you support allowing a neighborhood preference for charter schools?

Yes. Yes. Yes, but not requiring it.


Perhaps the greatest right that we

all have as United States citizens

is the right to vote!

Being an informed voter is important and we urge you to take the time to

review the positions candidates take on the myriad of issues that can help

to improve our region both at the local and the federal level. As a

long-standing corporate citizen of the metropolitan Washington area,

we hope you will indeed become informed and then exercise your right

to vote in the upcoming elections.

Giant is commited to continuing our long-standing

tradition of being an involved corporate citizen of this

community. Please join us in becoming involved too!

See you at the polls!

Perhaps the greatest right that we all have as United States citizens

is the right to vote! Being an informed voter is important and we urge you to take the time to review the positions candidates take on the myriad of issues that can help to improve our region both at the local and the federal level. As a long-standing corporate citizen of the metropolitan Washington area, we hope you will indeed become informed and then exercise your right to vote in the upcoming elections.

Giant is commited to continuing our long-standing tradition of being an involved corporate citizen of this community. Please join us in becoming involved too!

See you at the polls!



as long as republicans control the House or the Senate, getting statehood is likely to prove difficult, as they do not want more Democratic senators. also, maryland and Virginia fear their residents working here would have to pay D.c. income taxes. Should D.c. try to get more home rule or should statehood remain the priority?

We should continue to push for statehood. Nothing is hopeless.

We should move forward with statehood and follow the mayor’s plan.

It depends on the makeup of Congress. Should the Democrats control, we should push for statehood. With a Republican Congress, we have to take incremental steps.

Should the District seek territorial status under which residents and businesses would not pay federal taxes?

No. It’s worthy of consideration. No. It would be a backward step.

What would you as a D.c. council member do to improve metro’s subway system?

Work with partners to increase long-term funding and prioritize maintenance.

Call for Jack Evans, our representative on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, to push for a strong maintenance fund and a safety program prohibiting guns and knives and other weapons on the system. I support Evans’ call for a $300 million infusion from Congress.

I’d use my federal connections to push for increased federal funding.

Should there be a special tax that D.c. and the Virginia and maryland counties served by metro pay to support it? if yes, what should the tax be?

No. Everything should be considered. There are more than three parties. The federal government is also a party.

No, I don’t think we’ve justified the need as yet for a tax.

Should the District expand the streetcar network beyond H Street Ne?

Yes, if we learn how to do it better and more efficiently.

Yes. Only if it can be done in a partnership with the private sector.

Do you support the bus-only lanes planned for 16th Street NW?

Yes. Not in its current fashion, as 16th Street is too narrow now.

Yes.

Do you support efforts to get the D.c. public Service commission to reverse its decision to approve the pepco-exelon merger?

No. I believe it’s too late. The commission has the sole authority according to our charter.

Yes.

Would you have supported mayor Bowser’s proposed terms for a settlement agreement?

I’m supportive of the final proposal. I have no position. No.

Would you support public funding for a new football stadium at the site of rFK?

No. Residents surrounding that site would prefer mixed residential, recreational and commercial development.

I support the process put in place by Events DC and want first to see its recommendations to be better informed.

No.

Would you support public spending for a new hockey/basketball arena to replace the aging Verizon center downtown?

No. I support Verizon Center’s contributions to the city. Events DC has proposed possibly moving it to the RFK footprint, and I would first want to see its proposal.

Only if it were located in an economically depressed area of the city.


observations from living in Anacostia, Shaw and the Navy Yard area. “Seeing how important it is to have folks who work for their communities was my inspiration to get involved politically,”

he said. “Nobody was doing anything to cause positive change to neighborhoods that have been ignored.” Garber said there’s a surplus of city-owned vacant property east of the Anacostia River. “If we offered that for free or at low cost to local retailers and manufacturing, we could help boost neighborhoods,” he said.

He also called for providing affordable housing in affluent neighborhoods, as get-ting wealthier people to the poorer neigh-borhoods “will happen on its own.” Garber also says there is a need to pro-tect residents of poorer neighborhoods from being pushed out through property taxes as homes and apartment buildings increase in value, and that helping older

residents to age in place is essential. Garber, 32, was born in Colorado Springs, Colo., grew up in Northern Virginia and attended Alexandria’s St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School and then Michigan’s Calvin College, where he majored in political science, geography and business. He also studied in London and Beijing. Garber is single and lives in Shaw.

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units. On jobs issues, White said the District should actively recruit restaurants and gro-cery stores to neighborhoods that need them to create more entry-level positions.

To do so, White would use low- or no-interest loan programs, as well as tax incen-tives. He favors investigating a profits tax rebate for firms hiring local residents and wants employment training programs on large infrastructure projects, such as bury-ing power lines. White also favors raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and offering profits

tax rebates to businesses that make local hires to protect D.C. residents from Virginians seeking the jobs rather than lower-paid positions in their own state. White, 34, is married to an attorney with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and they have a daughter due in July. He resigned from his job in the attorney general’s office to run for the

council seat. White, a fifth-generation Washingtonian, is the only college graduate in his family. His mother died when he was 8, and he was brought up by his father. White gradu-ated from Archbishop Carroll High School; St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he majored in philosophy and political sci-ence; and American University’s

WHiTEFrom page V1

increase fines for disobeying traf-fic laws. Regarding jobs and the econo-my, Orange wants the city to cre-

ate a profile of its unemployed and underemployed residents and then connect them to jobs the city knows are coming. His proposed free community college would help prepare city residents for jobs, he added. Furthermore, Orange said, city

contractors would then have no excuses for avoiding the city law that requires a percentage of their employees live in the District — a regulation he favors being enforced more vigorously. Orange, 59, grew up in California and won a scholarship

to attend Colorado’s Fountain Valley School. He earned degrees in business administration and communications from California’s University of the Pacific, a law degree from Howard University and a Master of Laws in taxation from Georgetown University. He

has earned two certificates from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Orange is married to a recent retiree from the public school system and has three children and a daughter-in-law. He lives in the Ward 5 com-munity of Brookland.

ORAnGEFrom page V1



charter school advocates also claim charters do not receive as much per pupil as does the public school system, as most have to fund their own buildings. Do you agree? if yes, what if anything should be done about it?

I agree. I would look into city funding for capital costs for buildings.

There should be uniform funding. We should provide the available resources for the charters to be successful.

I agree with them. The council has the power of the purse, so we must make sure the funding is equitable.

Would you support undergrounding the city’s electric wiring beyond the amount that is now being done, which would be very expensive? if yes, how should it be paid for and what areas should be undergrounded?

Yes, especially in main streets and commercial districts, paid for by utilities during overhaul of street infrastructure.

Yes, but first complete the $1 billion project on the table. Once it’s completed, we can look at other areas, paid for by both Pepco and the District.

Yes, over time we should underground all of our wires, but pair it with other infrastructure needs like improving sewer and water lines. It should be used as a training program for resident workers.

the D.c. office of planning favors mandating fewer parking places in new apartment buildings. Supporters say underground parking is expensive to build and forces increased rents. opponents say it forces more cars on the street, depriving adjacent single-family homeowners of parking. Where do you stand?

The current compromises have been reasonable. If you build, you should build with appropriate parking. There should be at least one spot for every unit.

The compromises have generally been adequate, but we should encourage co-located parking for residential and commercial uses. When residents are gone, the business folks could park there.

Should bicycle riders be ticketed when they go through red lights or stop signs?

Yes, and that also applies for autos. First issue warnings; then on the third issuance, they should receive tickets.

Yes.

Do you support mayor Bowser’s plan for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024? are there elements of the plan that should be changed, such as the proposed very high fines for some traffic offenses?

Yes, I support the plan, but not the trap measures of some speed cameras on roads designed for higher speeds.

I support her plan in concept. Some of the fines should be revisited.

I do support the goal. All fines must include a deterrence factor.

Do you approve of the city’s allowing recreational marijuana sales or possession in the face of opposition from congress

Yes. We cannot violate federal law. Yes.

Do you approve of mayor Bowser’s plans to locate new family homeless shelters in seven of the eight wards?

I support facilities in all eight wards, but the city should own them in locations accessible to public transportation and with access to jobs.

I agree with the concept. Some locations and the financing need to be revisited.

Yes. There should be shelters in every ward.

Some have criticized the cost of the mayor’s shelter plan. What are your thoughts?

The city must own the facilities, where we can better control costs and get the homeless into humane living conditions as quickly as possible.

The financing had to be revisited. It was too costly.

The costs were not justified.

the Washington post reported that many of mayor Bowser’s proposed shelter locations would benefit her campaign contributors. What are your thoughts?

Any real estate deal involving taxpayer money should be scrutinized to make sure we are getting the most possible and increase public trust along the way.

The developers own most of the land. I’m more concerned about the cost.

It creates an appearance of pay-to-play and may potentially sink this very important effort.

What could you as a council member do in response to charges that the Department of consumer and regulatory affairs has made it difficult to view construction permit information online despite city law?

There is a lot that needs to be done to make the agency more transparent and efficient. We should increase oversight that is supposed to be done by Mr. Orange as chair of the Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

The agency must follow the law. I’m having an oversight hearing of DCRA operations and to ascertain if it is too big and needs to be broken up.

Get rid of Vincent Orange on the council, who has oversight of DCRA.

How can we improve job training in low-income areas of the city?

Incorporate vocational training in our public schools and at the University of the District of Columbia.

By creating a profile of the unemployed and under-employed, we can connect them to jobs we know are coming, as we did with Costco and the Marriott Marquis.

Ensure that programs get people into jobs and not just prepare a certificate.



Ron Austin

Ward 4 D.C. Council candidate Ron Austin, a native Washingtonian who previously worked in various D.C. government roles, has chaired Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B for the last four years. If elected, he said he would concentrate on increasing affordable housing, fight-ing crime and improving education. Austin said he would encourage nonprofits and churches to develop more affordable housing, especially with churches for members of their congregations. His main goal is to assist people earning less than $50,000 annually, which he believes the District could tackle in part by developing certain city-owned prop-erties into affordable housing. Regarding public safety, Austin highlighted his work as a member of the police department’s 4th District Citizens Advisory Council and said he has observed that police do not always have the resources or staff they need to fight crime. He believes police need far more communi-ty support. Austin said he is particularly con-cerned with the Kennedy Street NW corridor and areas in Petworth, and said blighted properties attract crim-inals and should be addressed. On education, Austin said he would try to make charter and regu-lar public schools’ attendance areas “more uniform.” He favors geo-graphic boundaries for many char-ters, because right now children liv-ing within a block or two of a char-ter school can’t necessarily attend it. Greater emphasis is needed for special education programs, Austin said. “We’re housing all of them at River Terrace,” he said of the school system’s program for students with the greatest needs. “There are too many special education students in one building. How could we get them out if we had an emergency?” Austin attended Whittier Elementary, Rabaut Junior High and Coolidge High. He attended but did not graduate from the University of the District of Columbia majoring in political science. Now 59, he got involved in poli-tics at 14 serving on his local Neighborhood Planning Council, which oversaw grants for youth ser-vices and employment projects. He is retired after working for D.C. Public Schools and the Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as for Adrian Fenty — as constituent services director when Fenty was the Ward 4 council member and clean city coordinator when he was mayor. Austin lives in Chillum and is mar-ried with two grown daughters.

leon T. Andrews Jr.

Leon Andrews works for the National League of Cities and is involved in various nonprofits. If elected, he said he would concen-trate on helping seniors, improving education and strengthening eco-nomic development. “We need to increase the Office of Aging’s budget,” which faced a $700,000 cut under the mayor’s pro-posed 2017 fiscal plan, Andrews said in an interview. Meanwhile, housing preservation needs attention “so people can age in place.” On education, Andrews said the city should expand vocational train-ing and teach tech students how to become entre-preneurs. He wants full fund-ing to modernize Shepherd Elementary School, a project that the council defunded aside from $1 million for preliminary design work. Andrews also called for better resource alignment between public and public charter schools. For instance, he said, Paul Public Charter School serves middle and high school students even as nearby MacFarland Middle School will go after the same students. On economic development, he emphasized increasing affordable housing and revising affordability standards to help young families and seniors. Andrews said some housing should be reserved for those in vari-ous income brackets, ranging from 10 to 80 percent of the area median income. He wants to double annual funding for the Housing Production Trust Fund to $200 million. He said Ward 4 has four D.C. government-backed real estate proj-ects in the pipeline, while Ward 6 has 17 — attributing the disparity, in part, to the “inexperience of our council member.” Meanwhile, Andrews wants to see more com-mercial corridors launch Main Streets programs to help them attract and retain businesses. Andrews serves as director of race, equity and leadership initiatives with the National League of Cities, as chair-elect of the National Recreation and Park Association, and on the boards of several nonprofits, as well as the D.C. Commission on African-American Affairs. He lives in the Petworth house where he grew up, with his wife and three daugh-ters, who attend Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda. Andrews graduated from Gonzaga College High School and Howard University. He holds a mas-ter’s in public policy and manage-ment from Carnegie Mellon University.

Brandon Todd

Brandon Todd is the incumbent, elected last year in a special election to replace Muriel Bowser, for whom he had served as constituent services director. If re-elected, Todd said he would concentrate most on helping the elderly, improving education and providing constituent services. “Every agency across the govern-ment has to help people age in place,” Todd said in an interview. To help, Todd introduced legislation establishing a University of the District of Columbia law school clinic so students can offer free legal advice to seniors. The bill is funded in the 2017 budget. Todd favors amending real prop-erty and income taxes to help the elderly, as well as raising income limits for the “Safe at Home” pro-gram that provides help on home adaptations to reduce the risk of falls or improve mobility. On education, Todd said he visited every public and char-ter school in Ward 4 “to get an understand-ing of individual school needs.” He found them gen-erally in “great condition,” but “we have a lot of work … to make sure we have great buildings and the best teachers.” Todd called for a program for graduate students in education to get 20 percent of their student loans for-given every year they teach in low-income schools, and said that he would work to keep Deal and Wilson boundaries unchanged. He said he formed an advisory commit-tee to suggest policy initiatives. Regarding the recent de-funding of Shepherd Elementary’s modern-ization, Todd said he fought to restore funds for the project — either in full or in part — but was turned down by other council members except for $1 million for planning. Meanwhile, Mayor Muriel Bowser budgeted $59 million for Coolidge High School’s renovations, but the council reallocated $49 mil-lion of those funds for homeless housing facilities. Todd said he opposes “Ward 4 shouldering the burden for the entire city.” Regarding constituent services, Todd said he wants “every agency to deliver high-quality service” in Ward 4 neighborhoods, especially “ensur-ing maintenance of public facilities.” Todd, 33, is single, grew up in Hillcrest and lives in Petworth. An Eastern High graduate, he received a bachelor’s in communications from Maryland’s Bowie State. He earned a master’s of business administration from Trinity Washington, specializ-ing in organizational development.

Calvin H. Gurley

Calvin Gurley is a retired accoun-tant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a former president of the Takoma Civic Association. If elected, Gurley said he would concentrate on fighting crime, reforming public schools and increasing the city’s supply of affordable rental housing. To improve public safety, Gurley favors enforcing the summer curfew act whereby children must be home by 11 p.m. on weekdays and mid-night on weekends from June to September. He said he would also push to finalize a contract with the police union, as police have worked without a con-tract for several years. Gurley said he would try to return the police cadet pro-gram to local high schools and provide more youth recreation programs during summer and after school. He encouraged residents to press Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier to cover more of the city with the summer crime pre-vention initiative, and to place more desk officers on street patrol. On education reform, Gurley said teachers “must have a signed negoti-ated agreement” and should receive retroactive cost-of-living increases. Schools must receive more resourc-es, counselors and social workers, he added, saying he would push for more art and science offerings, reduced class sizes and a program to entice dropouts to return to school. Vocational schools should be established in wards 4, 5, 7 and 8 to provide apprenticeship programs in various fields, Gurley said, noting the under-enrolled Coolidge High School would be an ideal location. Coolidge’s non-vocational students could be shifted to Roosevelt or Cardozo, he said, and these pro-grams could be financed by dedicat-ing a portion of D.C. Lottery sales revenue to schools funding, as Maryland and Virginia do. On affordable housing, Gurley said the city should renovate board-ed-up housing it owns to make it available for low-income residents. He advocates for offering subsidies to teachers, police and fire/emergen-cy staff if they live in the District. He also said he would encourage a study to find better balance between landlord profit and affordable rents. Gurley, 56, lives in Takoma. Born in the District, he attended Eastern High School and Bowie State University, majoring in accounting. He has two children, and his wife is president of the D.C. office of the National Council of Negro Women.

WARD 4 SEATD.C. COunCilDemocratic primary

leon T. Andrews Jr. Ron Austin Calvin H. Gurley Brandon Todd




Should you be elected or re-elected to the D.c. council, what are the three areas upon which you would concentrate the most?

Seniors, education, economic development.

Housing, crime, education. Crime, school reform, affordable rental housing.

Aging in place, education, constituent services.

How would you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

Independent leadership not beholden to the mayor or a single contributor. Lots of national and local experiences provide an understanding of what works and doesn’t in cities across U.S.

My experience in the community. I’ve been serving people since I was 14. I’ve lived in the same location for 59 years.

I am the only candidate who has stood up for residents throughout the years. I fought to fine Pepco for unreliable service as did Montgomery County.

I am the incumbent and have the experience to deliver.

Should firms that do business with the city be allowed to make political contributions to local candidates? How about their owners, family members or employees?

No. Contributors should be banned from city contracts for at least two years after the contribution.

No. Only if they make it in a pool going to all candidates equally in a particular race.

Yes, they should be allowed to do so.

Virginia’s minimum wage is now several dollars an hour less than ours. Will the recent minimum wage legislation attract qualified low-paid workers from Virginia that will reduce D.c. residents’ job opportunities?

Research shows it is not a problem. It will push Virginia to increase its minimum wage.

It could be a problem. It’s a possibility. Yes, so we should provide funds to train less skilled District residents so they can compete.

I don’t believe it will be a problem.

Should we raise the minimum wage in the manner urged by mayor muriel Bowser?

Raise it sooner than she proposes and include cost-of-living increases, but give small businesses extra time to get to $15 an hour.

No. Raise it immediately to $15 an hour.

Yes, but complement increase with stronger rent control policy.

Yes. Doing it over time is the right approach.

Should we pass the proposed paid family leave bill? Would it put some employers at risk? Do employees need its benefits?

Yes, for 16 weeks. There are models in other cities that work. I would look at special support for small businesses when a key employee is affected.

Yes. It would put some employers at risk. There should be some form of tax incentives for employers that have problems with it.

Yes, but it would put some employers at risk. Employees do need its benefits, but government should contribute as in Europe.

No. I support paid leave but our chief financial officer can’t tell us how much it will cost.

in looking over the upcoming budget, what spending areas, if any, would you like increased? Which decreased?

Increase Shepherd Elementary modernization budget (which was cut by $12.4 million), Office of Aging, senior wellness centers, bus routes, housing and Main Street designations. Look at reducing very excessive costs of temporary housing shelters based on deals with Bowser contributors (as the council ultimately did).

Increase spending on schools, recreation, police and programs for seniors. Reduce taxes. We have a big surplus in our rainy day fund. No spending cuts are needed, but I would look at cutting fringe benefits.

Increase school spending, especially for music and sports; police, fire and emergency medical personnel; job training; affordable housing; senior housing; and school renovation. To pay for expenditures, decrease council constituent services fund, use lottery revenues, and allow and tax heavily a Las Vegas-style grand casino hotel.

More for transportation infrastructure, education and senior support. Nothing decreased; unsure what I would cut to pay for the increases.

Some say that although D.c. receives little tax revenue from high-tech firms, it could recruit firms as the city is very attractive to potential employees. Would you support lowering District profits taxes for this kind of firm to attract them from Virginia and maryland? How about capital gains taxes for their local owners?

I favor lowering profits taxes for them as well as capital gains taxes.

No for profits taxes, yes for capital gains taxes.

Yes to both, to lure them here. Yes, as they employ lots of people. It would increase our tax base.

What steps do you think the council should take to improve public education?

Capital improvements, expand options such as vocational training, offer technology courses.

Better funding. Now it’s according to the number of kids in a school. Schools with lower numbers should have higher per-pupil funding so they can provide needed programs.

Improve teacher salaries; include more arts and sciences; reduce class sizes; add more counselors, social workers and teacher aides.

Work with chancellor to quickly implement her recommendations.

Should we continue to rebuild our older school buildings?

Yes. Continue to rebuild them. We should renovate the older ones, but not rebuild them.

Absolutely, until all are done.

Given that many recent school modernizations are well over initial budgets, are you concerned that D.c. might be overspending? if so, what would you do about it?

Yes. We need better oversight of the budget and contractors, and more audits.

I am concerned. I would hold people accountable.

Yes. Contractors are taking advantage of the city.

A reason for starting the Department of General Services was to get better estimates and stay within them for school modernization.

Some say recent improvements in test scores indicate the present system, while still having a long way to go, is making real progress. Should the council pass laws that the mayor might think would interfere with her ability to run the system?

We’re now teaching to the test. There is insufficient investment in arts, technology and science to allow our young people to be competitive.

No. The council cannot establish policy. Its only control is through the budget.

No.

Some Ward 4 residents say their children’s education quality will sharply decline when they lose their in-boundary status to attend Deal middle and Wilson High. Do you agree? if you do, what should be done about it? if you don’t, how would you answer residents who claim it will?

Yes. It could cause a decline if we don’t fully invest in educational resources we need in our ward. The council is cutting Shepherd’s resources when we need more.

I agree. I would work to help them keep their in-boundary status.

We must improve all schools. We should keep the current boundaries.

As long as I’m the council member, I will do everything possible to keep them within the boundaries.

Some charter school advocates claim D.c. ignores existing law by not giving charters first crack at all closed school buildings. Do you agree? if so, what should be done about it?

I don’t know if it’s true. I don’t agree. I’m unfamiliar with the issue. The community should have first right as to what to do with the building.

We have done an excellent job in Ward 4 at ensuring charters get to take over unneeded school buildings.




others say providing closed schools in such cases would be wasteful when they occupy extremely valuable real estate. Do you agree?

No, I don’t agree. Yes. It depends on the circumstances. It should be on a case-by-case basis.

charter school advocates also claim charters do not receive as much per pupil as does the public school system, as most have to fund their own buildings. Do you agree? if yes, what should be done about it?

I think they are correct. We need better oversight of their locations and quality.

I’m uncertain. I understand the disparity. It must be prioritized with the current capital school budget.

I will continue to work to ensure that all public schools get the support we can provide. No specific suggestions.

Would you support undergrounding the city’s electric wiring beyond the amount that is now being done, which would be very expensive? if yes, how should it be paid for and what areas should be undergrounded?

Yes. We need to carefully investigate how to do it.

Yes for some residential areas and where there are health facilities. I would pay for it through money that is set aside for special funds and some of the city surplus.

No. It’s too costly. We should prioritize areas where service is unreliable, paid for jointly by the District and Pepco.

the D.c. office of planning favors mandating fewer parking places in new apartment buildings. Supporters say undergrounding parking is expensive to build and forces increased rents. opponents say it forces more cars on the street, depriving single-family homeowners from parking near their residences. Where do you stand?

It’s not a huge issue in Ward 4. The current rules are fine.

I think it forces more cars on the street. Apartment builders should have to provide free parking.

With amenities come costs. I do not like the reductions in apartment house parking requirements.

We have to approach parking with great balance if we are to have 1 million residents. In some cases they get it right; in some cases not exactly.

Should bicycle riders be ticketed when they go through red lights or stop signs?

Yes. I’m an avid cyclist and I follow the rules.

Yes, and they should be tagged and have insurance requirements.

Yes. Yes. They should follow the law just as motorists must.

Should bicycle riders be allowed on sidewalks?

No, except for young children. Only the very young. Children should ride on sidewalks. Riders who know they are able should be on the street.

Yes, except downtown. The current law is fine.

Should the tickets for bicycle riders who break the law be increased to the same level as autos?

Yes. No, but it should be a reasonable amount.

Uncertain; needs research. It should be reviewed by the appropriate council committee.

Do you support mayor Bowser’s plan for eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024? are there elements of the plan that should be changed, such as the proposed very high fines for some traffic offenses?

I don’t think increased fines or more speed cameras are the answer.

No. I support some provisions, but oppose increased fines.

It never came before the full council for a vote. It has been amended, with fines reduced drastically. I approve of the revised version.

Do you approve of recreational marijuana sales or possession?

Yes. No. Uncertain. No.

Do you approve of mayor Bowser’s plans to locate homeless shelters in seven of the eight wards?

Good idea, bad execution. Locating a family shelter in a major commercial corridor in Ward 4 is questionable.

Not the way she proposed to do it, renting from developers. We should develop city-owned properties.

No. Homeless families should be integrated into the community and not housed in one location.

Yes.

Some have criticized the cost of the mayor’s shelter plan. What are your thoughts?

It’s way too high. We haven’t negotiated effectively with the developers. We should own the buildings, rather than have short- or medium-term leases.

It should be examined to see who is being benefited. If abuses exist, somebody should go to jail. It’s why developers shouldn’t be allowed to contribute to political campaigns.

It’s too costly. The city should own the buildings and not lease them.

The council has changed the plan considerably. I voted for the changes.

the Washington post reported that many of mayor Bowser’s proposed shelter sites would benefit campaign contributors. What are your thoughts?

There is evidence of that. In Ward 4, the developer made a contribution to the current council member. There is evidence of pay-to-play.

It seems as though it is. And it’s why we shouldn’t use those facilities.

It’s business as usual in D.C. No comment.

Supporters of the plan fear the effort to create new shelters could lose steam if the issue becomes bogged down in questions on costs. What are your feelings?

I don’t think so. We want to make sure we’re getting it right.

I don’t feel we’ll get bogged down on costs. We should use city-owned property.

There should be accountability and cost estimates to make determinations and contract agreements.

Yes, I fear it could create delays in closing D.C. General.

What would you as a D.c. council member do to improve metro’s subway system?

We need to expand the number of rails and hold regional partners more accountable for the investment.

Work with Metro to get the funding sources they need and monitor how it’s spent.

I would ask the federal government to pay the maintenance costs.

We’re going to have to find $70 million from each jurisdiction, including Maryland and Virginia.

Should there be a special tax that the District and the nearby Virginia and maryland counties served by metro pay to support the transit system? if yes, what should the tax be?

It could be a good option. Maryland and Virginia should first agree to do their fair share.

No. No. No.

Do you support the bus-only lanes planned for 16th Street NW?

Yes. No. The street is not wide enough. It would increase congestion.

I have to research that. Yes.

What could you as a council member do about charges that the Department of consumer and regulatory affairs has made it difficult to view construction permit information online despite city law?

I would work to see they put it online. It’s a long-term problem. We must work together to improve it.

The council should request that the agency director put the information online or else it will affect its annual budget.

We should ensure the requirement is fulfilled.

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