Kevin Chavous

Response to the Citizens Association of Georgetown Questionnaire

1. Washington is blessed with having several fine Universities. While these institutions are major employers and important components of the District’s economy, so too is the residential tax base. Several of these institutions (i.e. Howard, American, George Washington, and Georgetown Universities) are hemmed in by strong residential communities concerned about the growth of these universities. As Mayor, what steps would you take to protect communities that would be directly affected by any expansionist plans of these institutions?

Answer: Our neighborhoods and the people who live there are the heart and soul of the District of Columbia. Residents are our single largest source of revenue. The frightening decline of the D.C. tax base and the exodus of tax paying residents make it absolutely essential that residential neighborhoods be protected. My priority as Mayor will be to focus policy decisions on the fact that all District neighborhoods must be stabilized, protected, served and enhanced. There are more than 16 Universities in the District. Their impact on surrounding neighborhoods is considerable. No one is against higher education nor against universities. However, D.C, is too small and its tax base too eroded to be able to afford uncontrolled open-ended expansion by universities at the expense of the residential tax base.

As Mayor, it will be my goal to insure that University expansion is consistent with the District’s Comprehensive Plan, the University’s Campus Plan, and that the responsible government agencies principally charged with their implementation (Zoning Commission and BZA) fully comply with the terms of the-plans and District laws and regulations.

2. Compared to many other cities with historic districts (Annapolis, Alexandria, etc.) the District of Columbia has done a very poor job of protecting the historic attributes of many of its historic districts, including Georgetown. Historic homes are permitted to be destroyed, illegal additions are permitted to stand, illegal signs proliferate, etc. Describe why you think this problem exists and what specific solutions you would carry out as Mayor to protect our historic districts and buildings.

Answer: There are two principal controls to protecting historic districts: I) Historic District Designation, 2) Zoning. The key to protecting historic districts is: 1) competent zoning administration, 2) enforcement of zoning laws, 3) ensuring that demolition by neglect is not allowed to undermine existing preservation laws, and, 4) ensuring that any building permit application in the Georgetown historic district is sent to the Fine Arts Commission.

I am committed to reforming the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs so that it becomes a consumer driven “user friendly.” operation. To achieve this goal, will require an investment in technology; an investment in training staff; a commitment to enforcing zoning and regulatory laws and rules; an effective “one-stop shop” for licenses and permits; and an interactive public network on the web so that citizens and businesses in the District can access DCRA functions from home or work.

3. Georgetown residents routinely experience serious parking problems in our neighborhood. Lack of parking enforcement, missing parking signs, all-day business parking, and evening valet parking for money on our residential streets, all add to our parking congestion. As Mayor, what solutions would you implement to bring parking relief to Georgetown residents?

Answer. Residents should receive first access to residential parking. Valet parking operations should be required to use commercial parking lots. I am aware that the Georgetown Community has had innumerable meetings with DPW concerning poor parking enforcement, missing parking signs, all-day business parking, and evening valet parking and that some agreements were reached related to resolving those concerns. As Mayor, I think that we should test residential parking on one side of the street on residential streets. In addition, I will arrange for the installation of parking signs, mandate that parking laws are enforced and set time tables for the implementation of all agreed upon solutions to Georgetown’s parking problems.

4. You and your fellow candidates have all stated that education is a top priority. Knowing that the Mayor has a limited role in decision-making with regard to District schools, what would you do specifically to demonstrate your support for improved public education in D.C.?

Answer: Schools are the heart of a neighborhood. Our neighborhood schools must offer quality educational programming and modernized facilities in order to retain and attract neighborhood families. As Mayor, I will direct the budget process to ensure that education is the priority. Crisis management will give way to detailed planning and budgeting, stable leadership end' school-based management. And we will affirm the roles of parents and neighborhoods in sustaining school reform.

I will work with the D.C. public schools to:

a) Reconnect the DC public schools with District citizens.

• Citizens will have a voice through the elected Board of Education and through school management teams.

b) Assure accountability.

• Crisis management in the DC public schools must give way to detailed planning and budgeting, stable leadership and school-based management.
• The school system should has multi-year budgets, based on detailed implementation plans vetted through public review.

c) Coordinate the schools and social services for all students. All students must be prepared to learn. My administration will coordinate youth and family services with the schools to deal with nonacademic issues such as student health and nutrition, family tensions, abuse and neglect, youth violence and truancy. Neighborhoods must have access to quality childcare, before- and after-school programs parent education and early childhood development programs.

d) Enlist business to become partners with the DC public schools A businesslike partnership — not just good works and donations — must be established with the private sector to guide School to Work vocational programs. Partnerships will be formed with the information industries and cultural, academic and professional institutions to both engage students and to support life-long learning for the larger community.

5. The voters of the District passed a referendum that would limit the maximum political contribution for the Mayor's race to $100 in order to try to reduce the influence of “big money.” The Council overturned the results of the referendum and raised the level to $1,000. Do you agree with the Council’s action and were the voters wrong?

Answer: The political campaign finance initiative was approved by District residents in 1992. In 1996, the Council voted to increase the political contributions for mayoral campaigns to $2,000. I did not support the Council’s action. I voted against the increase.

6. While most if not all residents of D.C. believe that neighborhoods other than their own receive more attention or better service from “city hall” and city agencies, the sad fact is that through a combination of mismanagement, the lack of rational (“unpolitical”) system, and the city’s failure to make efficient use of resources, residents of all areas of the District have something in common — we are all being short-changed. As Mayor what can and will you do to make the city serve all of its residents well, fairly and equally?

Answer: The governmental problems confronting the District are legendary. The Control Board paid consultants more than $20 million dollars to verify what many District residents and businesses have already defined as government problems and solutions to those problems. The consultant’s report identified more than 260 “management reforms”. To date, less than 25 reforms have been implemented. Even though the powers of the Mayor have been reduced, as Mayor, I will establish a timetable for the implementation the reforms and a set of performance measures for the Chief Management Officer, each District Government agency and the Control Board. It will be my policy to ensure that all public services are delivered from the point of view of the customer — DC residents. The goal will be to streamline all operations, particularly where our employees interact directly with the public. Licensing and permitting processes will be designed to enable citizens to get in and out quickly. Lines will be minimized and mail, email and the internet will be emphasized so that customers need not actually visit DC government offices. Service is in the details. My administration will take care of the details.