Carol for Council

1005 7^th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 737-7337
Web site: www.carol2000.com
E-mail: carol@carol2000.com

Councilmember Carol Schwartz’s responses to D.C. Action for Children Election Year 2000 Candidate Questionnaire, August 11, 2000.

If we are to provide all children in our city with the strongest chance to lead productive lives and to contribute positively to the community, we must educate them well, and we must do all that we can to break the cycles of drug use, teen pregnancy and violence that rob too many young people of their futures. Throughout my 34 years as a member of this community – going back to my days as a volunteer tutor at Anacostia Elementary School, as a parent of three children who attended only District public schools from kindergarten through graduation, as a member of the Board of Education (1974-1982) and as president of the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs, to my current role on the Council as a member of the Committee on Education, Recreation and Libraries – I have endeavored to help bring programs into our schools and communities that provide our young people with alternatives to these cycles.

Of course, we must improve our schools. The Council has fully funded the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) budget for the coming year and has increased its budget over the last several years. DCPS’s success in helping students from all backgrounds achieve depends largely on its ability to achieve sound financial management. DCPS must become more efficient and reinvest resources on its most important asset, the children. Guidelines must be established to ensure that programs to address the needs of impoverished students are meeting their goals, and DCPS must be able to take swift corrective action when a school is in crisis. We must continue to work on reducing school violence and on reducing crime, so that our children are safe when they are inside school buildings and when they are going to and from school.

Not all problems children bring to school are educational. We know that a student with emotional, physical or social difficulties – particularly those who are living in poverty – will likely perform poorly regardless of the quality of the school. We know that children who are hungry, have not slept, or are worried what is happening at home will miss much of what they are offered, even if they have the best teacher in the best school. And we know that students who were on the streets late, who are afraid for their own personal safety, and who are facing adolescence without responsible adult guidance at home are less likely to concentrate, less likely to apply themselves, and less likely to take full advantage of the educational opportunities presented to them.

I am convinced that the District government agencies providing services to children and families in need will serve them best when they fully coordinate schools and libraries with childcare programs, recreation programs, family welfare services, and juvenile justice services. Our goal must be to develop a coherent strategy involving DCPS, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Department of Recreation and Parks and community-based service providers. I have fought long and hard to get these departments to coordinate their services, and if I am re-elected to the Council, I will continue to work to increase inter-agency collaboration and to strengthen programs for families and children so that we may better provide parents with the support and skills they need to raise their children well, and provide young people with real alternatives to destructive behaviors.

I have a history of helping children, youth and families that began long before my entry into elected office. During my teenage and college years in Texas, I volunteered to help children with physical disabilities and individuals with mental retardation. When I moved to the District of Columbia in 1966, I taught special education and began volunteering in my new community. I tutored students at Anacostia Elementary School and counseled drug addicts, encouraging them to turn away from their addictions and, instead, focus on caring for their families and parenting their children. I was member of the Board of Education for eight years, where I was successful in building coalitions to support new programs to expand educational opportunities for our students. I have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Clubs, serving on its Board for more than 20 years and as the one and only woman president in the organization’s history. I have been a Board member at the Whitman-Walker Clinic for more than a decade, and have helped that organization build an array of services to help people with HIV/AIDS, including many valuable programs aimed at assisting families and children affected by HIV/AIDS. I also personally contribute thousands of dollars each year to charities that help children, youth and families.

During my lifetime of work helping children, youth and families, either in public life or as a private citizen, I have learned that government cannot do it all. A responsive, accessible and efficient government that sets wise policies – and then follows through – is a critical component. As a legislator, that is what I am trying to help build. But as a citizen who has been involved in a hands-on way with community-based organizations, I have learned just how valuable a component these groups are, as well. To truly make a lasting difference in the lives of children, youth and families in need, it takes the help of all those who are ready and willing to make a positive contribution.

3. As evidenced by research and experience, resident access to the government is difficult. Please describe how you will engage your constituents if you are elected to the City Council. Further, how will you facilitate access to the other branches of the government?

I view constituent services as a critical component of a councilmember’s job. Certainly, constituent services are a top priority for me. I deal with an array of citizen problems and concerns – public safety, education issues, real estate assessments and tax bills, nuisance properties, abandoned vehicles, parking problems, tree trimming – and do my best to address and resolve them. This often includes helping my constituents to access other branches of government, and to get results. It also includes assisting families with temporary and legitimate financial concerns, such as the inability to pay rent, mortgages or utility bills due to unanticipated hardships. I have two staff members who tend to constituent services full-time, and my other staff members spend at least part of their time helping with constituent concerns that fall within their areas of expertise. I take pride in the fact that my office responds to each and every call or correspondence received. I also keep my home telephone number listed in the phone book so that constituents can always reach me.

Since I returned to public office in 1997, the Council has initiated a number of reforms designed to make it more accessible to the residents of the District of Columbia. Legislative record-keeping has been improved so that all records can be more easily tracked and more readily available to the public. The Council’s web site now includes a weekly calendar of public meetings, and the text of all legislation introduced in the Council will be added to the site in the near future so that citizens may access it on-line. A new e-mail system is also fully in place.

In my oversight role on the Council, I am constantly pressing officials to focus on making their agencies more accessible and welcoming to those they serve. I believe that providing easier access to government services is an important measure of improved performance, along with greater responsiveness and efficiency. During oversight hearings of the Committee on Public Works and the Environment, which I chair, I ask many questions that demonstrate my emphasis on access to services. In addition to my chairmanship of the Public Works Committee, I serve on the Government Operations and Education, Libraries and Recreation committees, where I also focus on trying to bring government closer to the people it serves.

I have remained accessible and responsive to the people I represent throughout all of my elected years. When constituents do have a problem that we might be able to help with, I am ready and willing to assist, and will remain so if re-elected.