STATEMENT ON JUNE 27 SPECIAL ELECTION
COUNCILMEMBER CAROL SCHWARTZ
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2000
CONTACT: Jim Slattery - (202)724-8105 or John Abbot - (202) 737-7337
Schwartz to Vote No on Hybrid School Board Compromise At June 27, 2000 Special
Election
Councilmember Carol Schwartz Released the Following Statement Today:
I was just in Midland, Texas this weekend for a high school reunion of graduates
spanning 60 years. I used that occasion to talk about "Taxation without
Representation" -- wanting more democracy for the citizens of the District of
Columbia. That has always been my position. I voted over and over again last winter to put
only an elected School Board on the ballot and, when it failed, I voted against putting
the two issues on the ballot -- one, because I like having elected board members and
feared their elimination, and two, because I feared the division which would be caused by
these extremely different approaches.
The only exception was February 17th. It was on that day, when we could not get the
needed 7 votes for an elected board, I ended up voting for the hybrid compromise because
Mayor Williams had agreed to abandon his 5-member all appointed Board; because Alice
Rivlin said that if the Mayor and the Council did nothing, that the Control Board would;
and because Eleanor Holmes Norton said that if we did nothing, that Congress would -- thus
I feared that any elected representation on the Board was doomed. However, tomorrow I am
going to cast my vote for democracy -- and nothing less -- especially since there is no
data to show where a non-elected Board improves the education of our children.
Tomorrow when I cast my ballot in the special election, I am voting my conscience and
my real non-compromising feelings.
Tomorrow I am voting No to Proposed Charter Amendment III. |
