David Schwartzman’s questionnaire 1) Please provide the following biographical information:
Age 66 Occupation Professor, Howard University Education BS, City College of New York; MS and PhD, geochemistry, Brown University Qualifications for the office you seek DC resident since 1976. My civic activities and elected offices include: Nuclear freeze, Bottle Bill initiatives; Justice for Janitors, Local 25 campaigns; Coalition for Lead Control; Fair Taxes for DC and Tax & Budget and Legislative Agenda Coordinator, DC Statehood Green Party; DC Metro Science for the People; Fair Budget and Poverty Reduction Coalitions; Take Back DC; DC Human Rights People's Movement, SC; DCSGP National Delegate (2008, 2010), Local Station Board, WPFW (2010-2012). Your response to each of the four questions below must be 300 words or less.
2) Decreased tax revenues made developing the DC Budget for Fiscal Year 2011 a considerable challenge. Cuts had to be made to important programs in the District’s social safety net, including temporary assistance to people with disabilities and emergency rental assistance. If revenues continue to decline, how should the Mayor and the Council balance the DC Budget for Fiscal Year 2012—increase revenue, or decrease spending, or both? Make your answer clear with specific examples of new revenue sources you would support and/or programs that you would cut.
I urge balancing the FY 2012 by both increasing revenue and decreasing spending on unjustified corporate subsidies. The City Council should immediately restore funding for essential programs starting with those cut by the Council in the FY2011 budget, namely adult education, child care, IDA and Emergency Rental Assistance, as well as the $50 million cut in the FY2010 budget for affordable housing and other essential programs. Further, immediate steps should be taken to implement apprenticeship programs for green jobs in our high schools (for details go to: http://www.statehood4dc.com/schwartzman/greencollarjobs). Revenue for these steps can be found by curbing corporate welfare tax abatements and exemptions (e.g., Verizon VIP seating renovation) and by restructuring our DC income tax to make it progressive, providing tax relief for our majority and a modest tax hike for our wealthy residents, especially DC millionaires (for details on this Fair Tax and Revenue Plan go to: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/fairtax and www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/budget_request_act_and_budget_support.... TANF benefit levels now stand at 60% of the federal poverty level for the majority of recipients (DC Fiscal Policy). This fact alone explains the at least 30% poverty rate for most of the children living in poverty now in the District. Programs to eradicate poverty are grossly underfunded in the DC budget, including child care, adult education, job training, social service access. Join the campaign to End Poverty in DC: http://defeatpovertydc.org. Given the fact that so many of our residents now live in depression level economic distress conditions it is simply unconscionable that our City Council and Mayor would not act now to restore and expand the so-called survival budget. Finally, substantial tax relief for our majority, possible with an increase in revenue of over $116 million/year under my tax/revenue plan, would boost the neighborhood economy, especially for small businesses, and promote economic recovery.
3) DC’s push for first class citizenship seems to be stalled. We still have no voting representation in the House and Senate, and it looks like the 111th Congress will also fail to pass budget and legislative autonomy for DC. Should the Council play a major role in our struggle for first class citizenship? If so, what? Or should the struggle be left to our Delegate to the House of Representatives and/or our Shadow Senators and Representative?
The Mayor, City Council, Delegate to the House and the so-called Shadow Senators and Representative all have their own role to play in leading local, national and international campaigns for our full political rights. DC Statehood is the only permanent way to gain these rights now enjoyed by citizens of the 50 states (I do not include retrocession to Maryland since that option would dilute our representation as well as fail to really fulfill the historic struggles of the people of the District for their full civil and human rights). The disempowerment of our residents driven by our urban structural adjustment programs in the last 15 years has been a major factor in weakening our longstanding struggle for DC Statehood. The struggle for DC Statehood must be waged on multiple fronts, including challenging our District government to implement policies that empower our residents by enhancing their economic, social and environmental human rights (see documentation on my campaign website, www.davidschwartzman.com). The shocking denial of our human rights must become widely known. Our Delegate to the House should immediately submit a bill for DC Statehood and lead a national and international campaign for its passage. The Shadow Senators and Representative have a special role to play in national lobbying efforts. Our Mayor and City Council’s prime responsibility should be to empower the local DC Statehood struggle by implementing well funded programs improving the quality of life of our residents, as well as to participate in civil rights/disobedience campaigns to bring our message to the front burner of Congress and the President. (Note: My testimony and articles on this issue include: The Synergy of Struggles: DC Statehood and Human Rights (2002). (http://www.redandgreen.org/Information/Statehood_and_Human_Rights.htm); THE ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL IMPACT OF DC STATEHOOD (http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/statehood_economic_impact) and http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/51st_state_commission
4) While DC’s employment picture has recently improved somewhat, unemployment in the District is always higher than it is in the surrounding suburbs. We also have the continuing problem of not enough high paying jobs in DC going to DC residents. How should the Council address DC’s chronic unemployment and under employment problems?
This issue should be a priority for the Council, but tragically it is not. This is a sad commentary on the Council’s misplaced priorities: a $1.3 million cut in Adult Education in the FY2011 budget (compared to FY2010) combined with the 8 to 5 vote defeat of a very modest tax hike for wealthy residents (the Graham amendment) that would have avoided this and other new hurtful budget cuts and helped to partially restore the $50 million cut in the FY 2010 budget. Both incumbent At-Large Council candidates, Mendelson and Catania voted for no tax hike for wealthy residents but did vote for new regressive fees that have the heaviest burden on low income residents. Have they no shame? The Living Wage and First Source requirements (51% of workers must be DC residents for District funded contracts) must be vigorously enforced. New legislation is mandated to make this possible, penalties with teeth, including shutdown of projects and heavy fines for noncompliance. I testified on this issue to the City Council on July 8, 2010 (http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/first_source_living_wage). Unfortunately, our Mayor’s office has not acted to enforce these requirements which would reduce unemployment, as documented by the DC Auditor’s Review of Compliance. We must create 21st Century green collar jobs for our residents, especially youth with comprehensive apprenticeship programs 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. Solarizing the District's energy sources, implementing state of the science energy conservation, and expanding urban agriculture all will go far in providing sustainable employment opportunities for DC residents. For a sample of my testimony on these issues to City Council go to: http://www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/testimony/2009_05_29_support_peoples_pro... . My campaign website is: www.davidschwartzman.com, email: dschwartzman@gmail.com
5) In 2006, DC changed school governance so that the person in charge of the DC Public Schools, the chancellor, reports to the Mayor. This change was followed by a series of school reforms. Explain why or why not you think our current system of school governance should continue. Also explain why or why not school reform should continue. If you are in favor of continuing school reform, specify the reform or reforms that should be emphasized.
School governance may take a variety of forms but as an educator of over 40 years experience I know that the most effective form of school governance empowers all the stake holders in the educational process- teachers, school staff, parents, students and community. The present system of school governance is much too top down, with far too little collaborative involvement of parents and teachers. This is the assessment of experts in DC public education such as my friend Mai Abdul Rahman. Most of the 23 neighborhood public schools that were closed by Fenty/Rhee should be reopened. The time and expense of traveling to fewer schools has contributed to truancy and a higher student to teacher ratio in the classroom, as well as to air pollution that triggers childhood asthma. The 400 teachers unjustly fired by Rhee should be rehired. Fostering critical thinking in the classroom is the foundation for a real education that will prepare students for a creative and productive life. Unfortunately this approach is not a priority in DC public schools, with over- testing and teaching to the test all too common. Even the claimed achievements in education are very problematic; see http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress.com/2010/02/17/the-six-bogus-beliefs-of-m...). Note the continued wide disparity in achievement between the schools in wealthier wards and those east of the river. Just released: D.C. elementary test scores show decline (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/dc-elementary-te...). The greatest contributor to poor student performance is child poverty, a glaring human rights violation. For a valuable analysis go to: http://www.statehood4dc.com/schwartzman/hopefordcschools. Also see the study by DCFPI: http://www.dcfpi.org/disparities-in-the-district-of-columbia-poverty-is-.... The Fenty administration/City Council’s efforts to confront this issue have been woefully inadequate. A comprehensive poverty reduction program should be implemented, with social work support in school facilities serving low income families. I oppose privatization of public education and acceptance of the depopulation of DC driven by gentrification.
