Kathy Patterson, Democratic candidate for
Ward 3 Councilmember in the
September 10, 2002 Primary
Top Ten Reasons to Vote for Kathy
August, 2002

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10. Kathy has been the leading advocate for election and campaign finance reform – adding funds to replace antiquated punch-card machines, before anyone had ever heard of a "hanging chad."

9. Kathy led the way toward performance-based government – she wrote the personnel reform law raising executive pay so the District could recruit top-notch agency heads, and creating a cadre of senior management executives with "at-will" employment status.

8. Kathy has made it a priority to strengthen the D.C. Council, so that self-government is good government. She created the Council’s annual performance review of each city agency, and persuaded the Council to launch special investigative committees to review police performance and the city’s neglect of residents with developmental disabilities.

7. Kathy led the way to rescue the District from its $722 million budget deficit, regain its financial stability, and run five consecutive budget surpluses. Her Committee’s budget reports are the most detailed the Council has ever seen – that’s why the Washington Post gave her the "gold star" for her budget work.

6. Kathy stands up for the District’s children, particularly the most vulnerable. She wrote the new law requiring coordination between police and children’s services on abuse and neglect cases; the toughest public disclosure law in the country to shine light on child deaths; and earmarked funding for the Child Fatality Review Board.

5. Kathy is a determined advocate for public schools – she added $38 million to next year’s capital budget for school renovations, kept Hearst Elementary and other successful District schools open, and spearheaded construction of the first new D.C. public school in 30 years: Oyster Bilingual School.

4. Kathy chairs the powerful Judiciary Committee, which oversees the police, fire/emergency medical services, emergency preparedness, and corrections departments. The Washington Post described her as a "tiger" on police deployment and she successfully fought to maximize federal support for the District’s emergency preparedness.

3. Kathy speaks up for residents of the District of Columbia – for Ward 3 constituents doing battle with the DMV or the tax office, for the families of homicide victims, and for the most vulnerable wards of the city living in homes for the disabled.

2. Kathy has deep roots in Ward 3 where she’s lived for 17 years and raised her teenagers – she knows that her effectiveness stems from the people’s trust and not her own ambition.

1. Kathy has set the standard for leadership -- in budget, legislative, and oversight work – and she’ll continue raising the bar for the District government in the next four years.