What the At-Large Candidates For DC Council Said To The Neighborhood in 2012

8/2/2019 What the At-Large Candidates For DC Council Said To The Neighborhood in 2012

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Wh at th e Candidat es Sa id a t th e KCA-RCNA co-sponsoredAt -Large Ci ty Coun c i l Cand idat e s fo rum , Thur sday , March 2 2, 201 2

Open ing S t a t em en t s

G. Lee Aik en (Statehood Green) said that shes lived here since before home rule. Back

then, our taxes were comparable to the federal rate. But over the last 30 years, exemptionsand deductions have not changed. She said that shes someone who thinks outside the boxand would be a good council member

M ary Bea t t y (R) said that she has no opponent in the primary, and is here to getconsideration for your vote in the fall general election. She has been an ANC commissioner inWard 6 and on its Alcohol Beverage Control committee, involved with development,moratorium, in politics all her life and an executive with nonprofits.

Peter Shap i ro (D) said that we have a broken political system, with shoes that just keepdropping. In todays paper there was a story about campaign contribution problems. He saidthat he grew up in Washington, DC, lived in PG County, where he served on the CountyCommission, including a term as Chair, and would provide a commitment to change in theleadership of the City.

Ann W i l cox (Statehood Green) said that she was at the Wilson Building testifying today forthe Hilda Mason Street naming. As longtime Statehood party member she was very proud tohonor Hilda Mason. The Statehood party merged with the Green party in the 1980s, withissues like mass transit and environment added to the agenda of statehood for the District.She said that shes lived all over the District, including in Columbia Heights and is a lawyer bytraining.

E. Gai l And erson H olness (D) lives in Ward One, where she is Vice President of the WardOne Democrats, has been a member of ANC 1B and its Chair, and wants to be a voice forthose who arent listened to. She said that shes the only Democrat not taking any corporatedonations; Chihuahuas take a lickin, but we just keep kicking.

Ques t i ons f rom t he aud ience :

Q: As an a t l a rge counc i l m em ber , you w i l l have t o be m ind f u l t ha t w e a re a c i t y o fha l ves and have -no t s , how w i l l you add ress se rv i ng a l l cons t i t uen t s , and he lp t oc lose the gu l f?

G. Lee Aik en said that she always listens to business, comes from a labor union background,and her late husband helped found the Washington Teachers Union. We need to pay attentionto upgrades in taxes, for example, the seniors $100,000 limit for household income forproperty tax relief.

M ary Bea t t y intends to focus on that gap. Raising the income tax hurts the whole city. If themiddle class moved out, it would stop development. Its important to have policies likeaffordable housing and moving people out of poverty. Defeat Poverty DC, which she hasworked with, has great ideas.

E. Gai l And erson H olness said that there are big differences in income and we need tocreate less of a divide. We must educate and employ people in the District - our illiteracy rateis too high. She has been a consensus builder within the Interfaith community.

Peter Shap i ro said that DC has one of the greatest income divides in this country. It resultsfrom a failure of leadership. We dont hold companies accountable enough. Good Jobs Firstranks DC 51st in holding companies accountable. There has been a lack of vision andleadership around job creation in the District.


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Ann W i l cox said that her client base includes demonstrators and social justice groups. Shehas always called out for programs that will lift us all: affordable housing, quality schools,addressing the needs of returning citizens, especially non-violent offenders.

Q: DC Counc i lm em bers a re pa i d a f u l l t im e sa l ary f o r a pa r t t im e pos i t i on . Wou ld yousuppo r t m ak ing t he counc i l pos i t i on a f u l l t im e pos it i on , w i t hou t ou t s i dee m p l o y m e n t ?

M ary Bea t t y : The ethics bill suggested no outside employment. Yes, it is a full time job, andas a councilmember you need to work for the public on a full time basis. There are ethicalproblems with outside employment.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : Councilmembers should be full time, Between hearings andconstituent service, its a full time job. DC also needs term limits. Anything left out too longgets stale. You cant stay until you die. There should be no outside employment.

Peter Shap i ro: The short answer is yes, it should be full time. One thing we suffer from isconflicts of interest, and all sorts of community work that doesnt get done. He spent a goodchunk of time while in Prince Georges County out in the community, addressing communityservices.

Ann W i l cox : Statehood Green party candidates pledge to not take corporate contributions.When she was on the school board, she had time to go out and get necessary information inthe field. She agrees that council positions should be full time.

G. Lee Aik en made an analogy to limits on earnings for Social Security recipients. We couldhave something similar, say, for anything over $25,000 in outside income, there would haveto be a pay back. This could be accomplished by referendum.

At this point, Denis James introduced the Reed-Cooke officers who were present: BenedicteAubrun, Secretary; Billy Simpson, President, and Tshaye Taylor, At-Large. Later, they werejoined by Vice President Maureen Gallagher.

Q: Do you t h i nk i t s a con f l i ct o f i n t e res t f o r an ANC com m issi one r t o be em p loyedby a counc ilm em ber?

E. Gai l And erson H olness : ANC commissioners are under the Hatch Act, but not paid, so shedoesnt think theres a conflict legally. But as far as political alignment, they shouldnt beemployed by a councilmember. If it takes legislation, she would be willing to support that.

Peter Shap i ro said it was an interesting question. An issue like this would require thought...of course theres conflict all over the place, but should it be banned? He cant imagine howyou can get past the conflicts. His gut reaction is that it should be banned.

Ann W i l cox mentioned a couple of people who are ANC commissioners and work in Districtgovernment. She thinks that as long as there is full disclosure, there isnt a problem.Sunshine is half the problem, she sees more of a problem with councilmembers working forbig law firms.

G. Lee Aik en sees the possibility for conflict, but everyone needs a job. She thinks an ANCcommissioner can be a good advisor to a council member. She agrees that sunshine is a goodthing. Says that when she was looking for Statehood-Green candidates, she was frequentlytold oh, I cant, I work for the government. If the Hatch Act applies to ANC, it bears lookingat.

M ary Bea t t y wondered why we were asking that. On the face of it, she doesnt see aconflict. As an ANC commissioner, she had another job. An ANC commissioner knows a lotabout the community, could apply expertise to problems. Without knowing the details, shedoesnt see the conflict.


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Den i s Jam es : He re i n Ward 1 , counc ilm em ber J im Graham em p loys W i l son Reyno ldsas h is const i tu ent serv ices d i rec tor . Wi l son i s a lso Cha i r o f ANC 1C. The Chur chho t e l p ro j ec t i s i nsi de h i s s i ng l e m em ber d i s t r i c t , w h i ch l eads t o t he ques t i on : Onvo t es on t h i s m a t t e r , i s he rep resen t i ng h i s cons t i t uen t s o r h i s boss?

E. Gai l And erson H olness : You can get another job. Youre there to produce for the

community, not your boss.

Peter Shap i ro: Its not respectful to the ANC body itself. Can you imagine a council memberworking for the mayor? In respect to the body itself, how could it not bring on conflicts?

Ann W i l cox said that she has dealt with Mr. Reynolds through the years, and on learning hewas both an ANC commissioner and employed by Graham thought oh thats kind of odd.

M ary Bea t t y : The way you described it, it would be a clear conflict of interest.

Q: Wha t w ou ld each o f you do t o advance St a t ehood f o r t he D i st r i c t ?

Peter Shap i ro said that hes been a lifelong advocate for statehood. He recently came acrossa photo of himself as a young guy in a Statehood T shirt. It requires an organizing strategy.

The current effort to go state-by-state has not been very effective, or theyre doing it in thewrong order. He does believe that its not just focusing on Congress thats important. Weneed to work at county/municipal level, raising awareness.

Ann W i l cox : Statehood is core to the Statehood-Green partys message. Shes worked on itsince she came to DC. There have been a number of generations of this struggle. She hasbeen the lawyer for some of the recent demonstrators arrested. The court says that have togo to Congress. We need to lobby members and get them to see the injustice.

G. Lee Aik en : Voting Senators and Congresspersons for DC should be basic. When you havefolks going up to New Hampshire and the shenanigans of those in office, it doesnt help ourcause. We only have 2/5 representation: why dont we have an escrow account to put theother 60% in?

M ary Bea t t y says that shes a huge believer in voting rights. Having a Republican on theCouncil might be helpful. Current councilmembers havent worked collaboratively withCongress. And we need to think about whether we should use taxpayer money to go to placeslike New Hampshire.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : Taxation without representation is a travesty. She was on theHill with DC Vote, but didnt get arrested. She would do everything else short of gettingarrested. She was on the Hill when they put the rider on and received the super volunteeraward from DC Statehood. Whatever I can do I will, but not on taxpayer money.

Q: How do you m ove peop le f rom have t o have -no t ? Wha t s you r posi t i on onvoca t i ona l t r a i n i ng , l ook i ng a t t h e c it y as w ho le?

Ann W i l cox : Charter schools are important, as is providing vocational alternatives. But we

need to work on getting kids to school. There should also be jobs for DC residents first, butwith fewer impediments to getting the jobs.

G. Lee Aik en noted that her late husband taught at Eastern HS and she saw what he had todeal with. We have to get literacy rates up. Vocational programs are severely restricted. Wealso need to address practical issues. You have to have a clock, eat a decent breakfast to beready for work.

M ary Bea t t y works with Defeat Poverty DC, which has an 8 point plan that covers theseissues. Improving our schools is one of the first steps. We should encourage charters.


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Training of adults is also needed. Affordable housing is a huge issue, as are health andnutrition. We need a comprehensive approach.

E. Gai l And erson H olness said that she comes from a family of educators who realized thateducation is the way out. She was formerly at UDC, where she was instrumental in gettingthe community college program off the ground. Thats the way you get people off the troublepath. The literacy rate east of the river is an atrocity.

Peter Shap i ro: Nothing is more urgent than finding a way to create jobs. We have anincredibly broken job training program and theres been a stunning lack of urgency in fixing it.We should identify sectors that are most productive at growing jobs, make sure that we dowhat we can to grow jobs and we must make sure that the nonprofits that do job training arethose that are most effective.

Q: Shou ld B I Ds be t ak i ng ove r gove rnm en t serv i ces? Shou ld t he B I D ac t beam ended t o c rea t e m ore t r anspa rency?

G. Lee Aik en said that she hasnt been following BIDs recently. She was involved with streetvendors back in the day, when BIDs mostly seemed to just want to get rid of the vendors.

M ary Bea t t y said that in her ANC, they didnt have problems with the Capitol Hill BID and

they saw keeping streets clean as a good thing.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : There needs to be transparency in all levels of government. Shewanted to clarify her response to the earlier question about what shed do for statehood: sherecently got a call from Stenny Hoyer and can bring that relationship to the Council.Republicans will not allow statehood.

Peter Shap i ro The questions feel linked to me: theres nothing fundamentally wrong with aBID providing services, but some are best left to government, like code enforcement. Thentheres the issue of transparency, what will they take over and will there be access to powerand authority?

Ann W i l cox Obviously, we need auditing and to make sure were not duplicatinggovernmental functions, we must ensure that theres accountability. For example, Circulator

buses are leaner, more limited in their routes, and cheaper to operate and ride, but we haveto make sure that safety standards are being met.

Q: The re s been a h i s t o ry o f i nd i v i dua l counc il m em bers t ak i ng con t ro l o fd e v el o p m e n t i n t h e i r i n d iv i d u a l w a r d s. W o u l d y o u w o r k t o r e m o v e t h i s p o w e r f r o mcounc ilm em bers , ced ing i t t o t he O f f i ce o f P l ann ing?

M ary Bea t t y expressed concern with what specific problems this question addresses. Weshould be one City, the Office of Planning should have a say in where development occurs.But we need to recognize that development is frequently a private sector decision. Takingaway any role for councilmembers would be questionable.

E. Gai l And erson H olness would take away pay to play by removing development fromelective office holders. The ethics issues are a distraction. DC needs to get rid of anythingthat gives the appearance of impropriety. The Office of Planning should be in charge.

Peter Shap i ro: In Maryland, the county commission was the final arbiter of development.That created a big problem around developers and elected officials, together they were arecipe for disaster. The system in the District is broken when council courtesy allowscouncilmembers too much authority. On the other hand, there would be a lack ofaccountability if only the Office of Planning was involved.


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Ann W i l cox noted that Statehood-Green member Adam Eidinger has been very involved inthe Church Hotel. She pointed out that in Ward 7 theyre quite pleased with development.

G. Lee Aik en : Too much power in one place is a recipe for disaster. Sunshine does killgerms. Development is seen very differently in Anacostia than on this side of the river. At-Large councilmembers have a better chance to see the big picture.

Candidates Vincent Orange (D), the incumbent, and Sekou Bidd le (D) joined the panel.

Q: When pay i ng u t i l i t y b i l l s, t hey add a m odes t l a t e f ee based on a pe rcen t o f t heb i l l , bu t w i t h DC Wat e r , i f you re a day l a t e , i t s a $25 f ee , does t ha t m ake sense?

G. Lee Aik en : For over 40 years, there was a 10% charge on water, electric and gas underpeoples council. Betty Noel has fought for years to keep rates low, perhaps water should gounder the same system.

M ary Bea t t y said its another form of taxation. There needs to be oversight by the sameagency for all utilities.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : There needs to be an investigation of whats happening to bills.Its a reason people are moving out of the District. People want to live here, but cant afford it.

Peter Shap i ro hasnt had the experience with late charges being applied. In general, wedont have enough strong consumer voices. Thats why he would have voted for Betty Noel.Its healthy to have a strong consumer advocate. Utilities bring a lot of influence to thecouncil and we need more oversight.

Vincent Orange: The Public Service Commission doesnt come before the Council. TheCouncils only function is to confirm members. Water bills come from an independent agency,which doesnt come before the Council for oversight.

Ann W i l cox : Metro is another entity we have to keep tabs on, keep rates low, with alternativesources of energy to keep costs low. We need advocates like Betty Noel and shesdisappointed that Mendelson voted against her nomination.

Q: DC Pub l i c l i b ra ry has com e back f rom t he dead , w i t h s t r ong adm in i s t ra t i on andrem ar kab le cap i t a l im p rovem en t s , bu t t he ope ra t i ng budge t f o r t h e l i b ra ry has beencu t 25% i n t he l as t f i ve yea rs . They aren t ab l e t o be open , wh i ch ba f f les t he pub l i c,and im pac t s bo t h l i t e racy and i n t e rne t access. Wou ld you b r i ng i t s ope ra t i ng budge tb a ck t o w h a t i t w a s?

M ary Bea t t y : Libraries are very important. She would extend their hours and staff them.But what do you give up? She believes that through reform and better oversight we can findthe money to adequately finance the libraries.

Sekou Bidd le: Libraries provide a lesson about how we operate agencies. While buildingamazing libraries, we must benefit from them. Limited hours make it harder for families toaccess them.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : Libraries are important. Computers are fine but if we dont havebooks, if Pepco cuts the lights, we cant read. With books, we just need a candle. We need tofind money for libraries and extend hours because they are a source of inspiration.

Peter Shap i ro: Independent procurement authority was a good step, but we are missing howimportant libraries are to community-building. They should be a first level priority for funding.

Vincent Orange: There are funding problems now. Things were going well 5 years ago, butthe Fenty administration cut everything to provide things like $450 million for the ball park.


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Ann W i l cox : We can thank the Fenty administration for the new libraries. Communitymeetings there are an important service. Having some open on Sundays would be a benefit.

G. Lee Aik en said that shes in favor of restoring parity in funding. Reading is fundamental.After visiting prisoners at Lorton, she discovered they had very little to read, so she organizedbringing books and magazines to the prison. Shes amazed at the variety of people usingcomputers at our libraries and believes that computer use encourages literacy.

Q: Counc i lm em ber Graham has convened a t ask f o rce t o rev i ew ABC regu la t i ons andpo l i ci es. One m em ber he nam ed t o t he t ask f o rce i s a d i sba r red a t t o rney . I f e l ec t ed ,w ou ld you appo in t som eone li ke t ha t ?

Sekou Bidd le: Theres a reason people get disbarred. To create and promote public trust,appointing someone like that would, without context, seem inapt.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : If the persons acting in a legal capacity, giving advice orconsulting, that would be wrong. The District has too many ethical issues now, there are toomany people who would do anything to get by. She will not have to sign paper to say I willbe ethical. No, she would not appoint someone like that.

Peter Shap i ro: No. Folks in this room are unhappy because theyre not being heard. Part of

his role as an at large councilmember would be to look citywide. That doesnt mean ignoreissues in individual wards, but we also dont need to grant authority to the wardcouncilmember in all matters.

Vincent Orange: No, he would not. A councilmember doesnt get to grant authority toanother council member. When youre chairing a committee, you get to set the agenda forthat committee. But the majority rules.

Ann W i l cox : If hes advising, he may be acting as lawyer, which wouldnt be proper. Weneed to be careful about screening people. We need better accountability and betterprocesses.

G. Lee Aik en : We have to look cleaner than everyone else. Why do we have so many barsand liquor stores? High density income preference because we pay very high rates for small

business.

M ary Bea t t y : No, she would not. Its very simple.

Q: Park i ng t i cke t s : 40% o f t hose ad jud i ca t ed a re t h r ow n ou t , bu t i t t akes 6 -10m on t hs t o ad j ud i ca t e i t , even l onge r f o r appea l s. We re spend ing m oney t o m akepeop le upse t . Wha t so r t o f app roach wou ld you use t o so l ve t h i s p rob lem ?

E. Gai l And erson H olness says shes the only Democrat whos been talking about parking.She gets tickets all the time. Its a land use problem. We need underground parking!

Peter Shap i ro: This shows how agencies are not working with others. Part of his experienceand what he wants to bring to the council is focusing on issues: What aspects of the systemare broken? Who needs to be sitting around the table? Leadership is necessary to bring light

to issues.

Vincent Orange: Speedy hearings are necessary. We should allocate resources to rendertimely decisions, perhaps another division within DMV. Its outrageous that anyone has towait 2 years on their appeal.

Ann W i l cox : Recently, redtop meters (for handicapped use) have created issues. Parking is acash cow. She would argue for less reliance on cars and parking.


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G. Lee Aik en acknowledged that she has personal feelings about the issue, having gottentowed and paid large penalties. The biggest problem for any business to get licensed is thatyou must sign a clean hands form, which says you dont owe more than $100 to DC. Thatamount should be increased.

M ary Bea t t y : In the ANC, shes dealt with parking all the time. Zip-car spaces were one ofthe most hotly debated items. We need more parking. And the process needs to be

improved. Theres an antagonistic relationship between government and its residents whichneeds more politeness.

Sekou Bidd le: The District is very good at finding cars to ticket. Its also good at gettingonline payment. But when the citys in error, then the process breaks down. We should haveonline resolution of contested tickets available.

Q: I am asham ed o f DC gove rnm en t . I r ecen t l y l ea rned t ha t Jef f e ry Thom pson haspow er I t hough t I d i d . Have you recei ved con t r i bu t i ons f rom M r . Thom pson int h i s e lec t i on cyc l e? I f so , w i l l you be re t u rn i ng t hem ?

Peter Shap i ro: No, he has not received any.

Vincent Orange: No, he has not received any in this cycle.

Ann W i l cox : No

G. Lee Aik en : No. The Statehood/Green party doesnt take money from corporations.

M ary Bea t t y : No, and this bundling problem needs to be eliminated.

Sekou Bidd le: No, suddenly Thompson is not making any donations.

E. Gai l And erson H olness : No. Shes the only Democrat not taking any corporatecontributions. Orange has received 26 money orders. She believes that it is pay-to-play. Shementioned the Vernon Hawkins article about shadow campaigns being run.

Clos ing s t a t em en t s

Vincent Orange: Hes the DC Democratic committee man. Is currently on the council. Hewas a member of the Council in 1999-2006 when we brought DC back, got AAA bond status,returned control from the Control Board. Hes embarrassed by what happened. Running onhis record.

Ann W i l cox : Urges voters to look at other parties. Theres been a distortion of the system.Statehood-Green supports statehood first and progressive values. Shes a lawyer who was onthe school board and the commission for women. Shes had a long history in the District andlived in many neighborhoods. There is much work to be done to bring the city to a new age.

G. Lee Aik en : 50 years experience living in the city, bringing creative thinking to the city:War memorials show how many from DC died in WWII, served, injured, what we havesacrificed and still dont have vote.

M ary Bea t t y : Shes running as a Republican. Shes unopposed so she knows shell be onNovember ballot. Our charter provides 2 seats for non-majority parties, but that hasnt reallybeen the case recently. Weve seen ethical problems with the Council that need changing.Shes a doer, doesnt complain, with a great record of success in her neighborhood.

Sekou Bidd le: Hes running because hes disappointed with the government leadership in thecity. We need dedicated, focused leaders. With his background in education and hisdemonstrated commitment to public service, hed make a difference.


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E. Gai l And erson H olness : She wants to be your voice for parking issues, education issues,employment. She is the right choice, the newest, freshest face. We need change.

Peter Shap i ro: Hes running because we have a broken political system. CouncilmemberOrange and his finance problems are part of the problem. Says that his experience as acommunity leader and as a nonprofit leader make him the best choice. Its important that allcouncilmembers have strong experience.

The audience gave the candidates a round of applause as the evening ended. The meeting wasadjourned at 9:41.

-Ted Guthrie, KCA Secretary

Documents

What the At-Large Candidates For DC Council Said To The Neighborhood in 2012