KEVIN CHAVOUS
D.C. League Of Women Voters Mayoral Candidate Survey

1. One of the most important Mayoral responsibilities is selecting people to head the District Government's agencies. However, the new Mayor's capacity to fulfill responsibility is uncertain in light of the Congressional transfer of authority for management of nine major agencies to the Control Board. What will you do if you feel that one or more of the heads of the agencies under the authority of the Control Board is not the best person to head that agency?

I am committed to working with the Control Board, but I will settle for nothing less than the rule of the law with regard to the effective administration of government. I say this because to date I have been disappointed with the job done by the Control Board due to the fact that this entity has paid more than $20 million to consultants to verify what many District residents and businesses have already defined as our problems within the government and solutions to the problems. Their process of selecting contractors has been a closed one, as has been many of their decisions. It is my hope that the new Chairperson of the Control Board and the new Chief Financial Officer for the city will open the process to citizen participation and work toward implementation of the recommended management reforms.

As Mayor, I first intend to establish a set of performance measures for each District Government agency, the administrators who head these various agencies, and for the Control Board. The performance measures will identify management, program and service delivery criteria and reforms and will set a deadline for implementation of these management, program and service delivery reforms.

Secondly, I will inform the Control Board if, in my opinion, one or more heads of the agencies under the authority of the Control Board is not the best person to head that agency. My administration will not tolerate "less than" excellence with regard to recruiting, attracting and appointing the best talent available to head the various District government agencies under the authority of the Control Board. Equally as important, is the fact that the taxpaying citizens of the District of Columbia deserve nothing less than "excellence" with regard to fiscal responsibility, management accountability and service delivery.

2. One of the agencies without a Director is the troubled Department of Health. What kind of a person would you be looking for to head this agency? What will you do to fill this critical post? What is your timetable for significant reducing deaths from preventable illness in the District? How will you make sure that scarce Medicaid dollars are spent effectively?

The kind of person I would be looking for to head this agency would be an individual who has the experience and vision to reform "troubled" agencies like the Department of Health so that new approaches to making health care and preventive health maintenance are possible for those in need of such services along with the frail and the disabled.

Significant reduction of deaths from preventable illness and a more effective use of Medicaid dollars can be achieved via: (1) a more innovative use, in tandem, of Medicaid dollars and federal grant dollars to promote greater citizen awareness of health care and preventive health maintenance through an aggressive public awareness educational campaign along with a rechanneling of the necessary dollars to ensure that D.C. General Hospital is able to provide the type and quality of health care services that citizens of the District deserves; and (2) a continuing fresh look at national and regional health care maintenance "best practices" options so that the serious health care problems of the chronically ill can be reduced to less significant levels.

As I mentioned above, the timetable for achieving this goal will be identified via performance measures resulting from management, program and service delivery criteria and reforms.

3. Another troubled agency without a Director is the Department Of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). What kind of a person would you look for to head that agency? Do you believe any of the recently passed "regulatory reform" measures will make the agency more effective? If you can't identify such a measure, what regulatory reform measure or measures would you introduce? Under your administration, which now ignored regulations would be vigorously enforced? Is current funding for DCRA adequate for its mission?

I am committed to reforming the DCRA so that it becomes a consumer driven "user friendly" operation. To achieve this goal, it will require an investment in technology; an investment in training staff; 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 of Columbia can access DCRA functions from home or work.

As I mentioned above, my administration will not tolerate "less than" excellence with regard to recruiting, attracting and appointing the best talent available to head the various District government agencies under the authority of the Control Board.

4. Present your approach to making a major District agency more effective. Start with the kind of person you would be looking for head the agency. Then explain the strategy you would expect the official in charge to use and list the achievement milestones that will be reached in each year of your first administration. Select an agency other than DCRA and the Department of Health. Do not select the Metropolitan Police Department unless your approach differs significantly from Chief Ramsey's. Also, explain whether this agency turn-around will require an increase in Sanding, and if so, state the approximate increase in expenditures for each year of your first administration.

District Agency: D.C. Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD)

The kind of person I would be looking to recruit to head DHCD would be an individual with both public and private sector experience in developing and managing housing programs, real estate based deals, and economic development/revitalization strategies. This individual would be keenly aware of the various public and private sector resources available to the District for the purpose of maintaining and/or increasing the stock of affordable housing in the District; and spearheading neighborhood economic development. This individual would also be responsible for identifying various partners in the private sector with whom the District could do business as it relates to the design, financing (interim and permanent), renovation and new construction of affordable housing; and creating public/private sector partnerships relative to long-term neighborhood economic development stability.

As I mentioned above, I would first establish a set of performance measures far DHCD, the administrator who heads this agency and for the Control Board. The performance measures will identify management, program, finance and service delivery criteria and reforms and will set a deadline for implementation of these management, program and service delivery reforms. It is very important that new approaches to housing development issues be identified in order to continue to make homeownership possible for low to moderate income families in the District and to create a working dialogue between the taxpaying citizens and the government of the District of Columbia.

5. Should the charter of the District of Columbia be revised? If not, why not? If so, how? What action(s) will you take to make it happen?

One of my first duties as a new Councilmember was to chair the Committee on Self- Determination whose purpose was to ensure that the citizens of the District of Columbia have an agenda for preserving the process of citizen participation with regard to having an effective say in the operation of government. As the Chairperson of this committee for two years, I know there is a process and this process is critical if true and total enfranchisement and democracy is to exist and be protected for the citizens of the District of Columbia.

Many citizens have fought for the right to elect officials and the District will not give up representation easily. The choice to make revisions to the charter of the District of Columbia belongs to District citizens — not the Mayor — and must be made in open forum, ratified by referendum and clarified in law. As Mayor, I will facilitate these discussions.

More importantly, my task as Mayor is to facilitate the process by which District citizens once again understand and feel reconnected to their government. Truly democratic governments have nothing to fear through greater public participation in the decision-making process.

6. What will be your relationship to the Federal and Federally mandated powers that exist. In the short term, how will you work with the Control Board. What, for example, would be your response if the Control Board took an action you oppose? What do you think the District's relationship with the Federal government should become? What steps will you take to achieve that relationship?

I have met and will continue to meet frequently with key members of Congress. I will lobby for true self-determination for the District and the right of our citizens to have the District run by their elected officials. As Mayor, I will represent the interests of the District before Congress and urge Congressional action based on our recommendations.

After two years of balanced budgets, the District is moving rapidly toward returning to an elected government. The last budget process illustrated that an improved- working relationship between the Mayor, the D.C. Council and the Control Board is possible and can be productive. As Mayor, I will emphasize centralized information Sow and regularly scheduled meetings to streamline and enhance the working relationship between all of the three aforementioned parties and to set goals for the implementation of the prescribed management reforms.

See response given to Question #1 above.

7. What are your priorities for the first 100 days?

My priorities will focus on the fact that all of the neighborhoods and communities of Washington, D.C. must be stabilized, protected, served and enhanced. 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. It is important that all of the neighborhoods and communities of Washington, D.C. be brought together with the goal of working together for the common good.

Therefore, my priorities will be multi-faceted in that policies, budgets and programs will focus and take off on on several tracks simultaneously in order to begin the process of re-establishing good schools and libraries with good teachers and administrators; retaining and attracting businesses that serve residents and create jobs; ensuring efficient and well managed District government agencies; creating safe and secure streets and public spaces; and spearheading pro-active economic development that makes sense for al' communities and neighborhoods in the District.

My administration will ensure that the District is not left again with barren neighborhoods and communities, failing small businesses, and millions of dollars in debt after the developers and builders have moved on.

8. How will you do a better job than Mayors Barry and Kelly did of protecting the rights of District government employees, including their right to bargain collectively, while honoring the rights of D.C. voters and taxpayers to have a quality work force?

As Mayor, it is critical that organized labor and I work together in the best interest of both District government employees and D.C. voters and taxpayers. Consequently, I view Labor-Management Councils as partnerships that are key to transforming District government agencies into effective service delivery operations.

We need to move away from the antiquated autocratic management structure that has for years micro-managed the work of District government employees. Workers at all levels of government must be given the tools of their trade to work efficiently. Businesses and government have successfully used Labor-Management Councils to build teamwork, create a quality workforce, foster creativity and help to resolve difficulties in the work place.

I support the establishment of performance measures and a system of rewards for Labor-Management Councils who are able to streamline operations, increase productivity and reduce operating costs. I will encourage all District government agencies to establish Labor-Management Councils within the Chavous administration.

9. Under your administration, how will the Mayor, the City Council, the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and other citizens participate in shaping the city's economic development? Should the Comprehensive Plan be factor?

As Mayor, I certainly support using the Comprehensive Plan and having it be a factor in shaping the city's economic development. In addition, and more importantly, the National Capital Revitalization Act of 1998 authorizes the creation of a revitalization corporation that can raise funds by floating bonds, assembling land, and financing projects anywhere in the District. This board is required to adopt a revitalization plan within 180 days of its creation for facilitating business investment, employment growth, the development and renovation of ownership and rental housing, retail and other services, public infrastructure improvements, etc. within neighborhoods throughout the District.

As Mayor, I will recruit a board that will be representative of the neighborhoods of the District. The powers of the board are broad and it is critical that experienced, civic- minded neighborhood residents be appointed to this board who understand finance and revitalization efforts.

10. The city's approach to economic development in the past has been a focus on Downtown and such big ticket items as the Arena and Convention Center. Do you think that approach such be continued for the most part? How much attention would your administration give to the city's blighted neighborhood commercial strips? How? Would you look for a person to head the Department of Housing and Community Development who has a strong track record in neighborhood economic revitalization? Or would you expect the new National Capital Revitalization Corporation to take the lead in revitalizing neighborhood commercial strips?

A goal of my administration is to revitalize neighborhood commercial corridors by recruiting and retaining businesses desired by the neighborhood. We must face the reality that businesses succeed based on their ability to sell merchandise at a price in excess of their expenses. The first part of this equation — the consumers are here: the majority of District neighborhoods provide a stable and growing customer base. We have to advertise this fact.

The Chavous administration will aggressively: (1) recruit hi-tech businesses to operate both downtown and in the neighborhoods; (2) recruit an appropriate mixture of businesses for neighborhood corridors; (3) use public funds to leverage private sector financing and development; (4) use the tools available through the National Capital Revitalization Act and Tax Increment Financing Authorization Act to encourage firms to locate in the city; and (5) link job training to job opportunities for our citizens by re-skilling the workforce to meet employer needs.

Certainly the individual who heads DHCD should have public and private sector experience in neighborhood economic development and revitalization, and should work in tandem with the National Capital Revitalization Corporation to reach the goal of stimulating economic development in neighborhoods throughout the District.

11. How will you initiate efforts to make D.C. residents more employable and to develop jobs?

In order to create jobs and make D.C. residents more employable, an economic development strategy must be in place. As Mayor, I plan to: (1) develop incentives to retain and attract new employers in the hi-tech and information technology industry, hospitality industry and the tourism industry; and (2) work with employers to reskill the District's existing workforce to meet employer needs.

As Mayor, I also intend to emphasize the following:

• Skills training for those already employed. Programs like New York's Metro Tech, which connects employers, employees and job training for specific jobs, will be established.
• Working with the public schools and the University of the District of Columbia to increase the number of new job seekers in the District of Columbia with the requisite technical preparation.
• Economic policy reform to reduce the barriers and frustrations faced by new and established businesses.
• Facilitating competition by D.C. workers for available jobs in the near-by suburbs, including transportation, job fairs and other support services such as child care.
• Working closely with unions and employers to ensure fair treatment of workers and that apprenticeship opportunities are open to new workers.

12. What role will you as Mayor play in making sure that the District's Public Education System prepares the city's young people to support themselves adequately and to take their place in the 21st century work force? How will you carry out your role? Will the University of the District of Columbia be involved? If so, how?

As Mayor I plan to implement a three-prong approach to improving the city's schools. The steps are as follows: (1) reconnecting the D.C. Public Schools with District citizens; (2) assuring accountability; and (3) capturing federal and foundation monies. In addition, I will direct the budget process to ensure that education is a priority. Crisis management will give way to detailed planning and budgeting; stable leadership; and school based management. And, we will affirm the roles of parents and neighborhoods in sustaining school reform.

The Chavous administration will ensure that:

1. Citizens have a voice through the elected Board of Education and through school management teams.
2. The school system has multi-year budgets based on detailed implementation plans vetted through public review.
3. Students are prepared to learn by coordinating our youth and family services with the schools to deal with non-academic issues such as student health and nutrition, family tensions, abuse and neglect, youth violence and truancy.
4. Neighborhoods have access to quality childcare; before and after school programs; parent education and early childhood development programs.
5. A business partnership is established with the private sector and the University of the District of Columbia to guide "School to Work" vocational programs.

13. What role will you as Mayor play in making sure the city has an accessible Master School Facilities Plan?

See response in Question #12 above.

14. What role will you as Mayor play in making sure the school budget spells out what the taxpayers are getting for their $545 million dollar investment in public education?

See response in Question #12 above.

15. Under you administration, what steps will the Department of Human Services take to implement welfare reform. Will such support services as childcare, transportation and appropriate adult education be available to people trying to move from welfare to work?

The Chavous administration will seek to implement welfare reform by designing a work skills assessment with the private sector to identify key skills that businesses require. The work skills assessment would then be used by case workers, in tandem with educators at the University of the District of Columbia, in evaluating an individual's readiness for employment. A skills development consortium would be created to include the University of the District of Columbia and appropriate high-tech private sector educators to develop job training programs and "soft" job skills training ( i.e., how to dress for work, the importance of arriving to work on time, how to get along with your co- workers, etc.) to meet employer needs along with instituting rigorous performance measures.

The appropriate support services such as child care and transportation will be available to individuals in need of such services who are trying to move from welfare to work.

16. Are you in favor of having a prison in the city that will house adult District residents who have felony convictions? If so, where? Under what conditions? Should it be public or private? If private, should the city have a say in selecting the contractor and in monitoring the performance of the contract?

I am not in favor of having a prison in the city that will house adult District residents for the following reasons: (1) the physical space requirements associated with building such a facility are questionable; and (2) the cost associated with constructing and maintaining such a facility on a permanent basis. As Mayor, I will recommend that the District's Department of Corrections negotiate, to the extent possible, the placement of our felony prisoners in near-by correctional facilities in the states of Maryland and-Virginia.

17. If you are elected Mayor, will there come a time during your administration that people can sit on their porches and stoops and walk to the store without fear from 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. anywhere in the city? If so, when — what month in what year? List half a dozen public safety improvement achievement milestones that will be reached between your inauguration and that eagerly awaited month and year.

The safety and security of our neighborhoods is essential to the District's quality of life and economic health Consistent, timely and efficient law enforcement must be balanced by intensive crime prevention efforts and early intervention strategies.

The Chavous administration will work with the Metropolitan Police Department to get more officers on the street and increase community patrols in all neighborhoods throughout the District; work with the social services and juvenile justice systems to develop policies for intensive supervision of at-risk youth, especially those in the first phase of delinquent behavior; and secure the latest state-of-the-art policing technology (designated equipment, hardware and software) for seamless communication with federal and regional law enforcement agencies, rapid identification of suspects, and filing of police reports.

As Mayor, I will also propose establishment of a criminal justice prep program to involve youth in law enforcement concepts and responsibilities. The goal of the program will be to train youth to stay crime-free and drug-free in school and at home and to provide a ready resource for hiring capable and trained officers for the Metropolitan Police Department. The Junior Cadet Program will be for students in the 8th and 9th grades. The high school program will provide stipends for participating students. Those students who successfully complete the program will be guaranteed a position on the force of the Metropolitan Police Department.

18. What action will you take to make sure the buried tanks and unexploded munitions are removed from the Camp Simms/Oxon Run Target Range?

The Chavous administration will ensure that the buried tanks and unexploded munitions are removed from the Camp Simms/Oxon Run Target Range.

19. What is your position on the privatization of METRO bus service?

I am not in favor of the privatization of the METRO bus service due to the fact that I have not been convinced that privatization would enhance the quality and frequency of bus service to District of Columbia residents -- particularly those residents who reside in neighborhoods and communities where frequency of bus service is least accessible and reliable.

20. What will you do to improve the effectiveness of solid waste management in the Department of Public Works? How important is recycling?

As a Councilmember and as a member of the Committee on Public Works and the Environment, I have advocated for and voted in favor of recycling. Recycling should be viewed as an integral part of solid waste management operations. Properly managed, recycling should cost less than solid waste collections, result in avoided cost savings and generate income from the sale of recycled materials, not to mention the environmental benefits of reusing these materials.

As a candidate for Mayor, I have arranged for my campaign materials to be printed with soy based ink on recycled content paper. As Mayor, I will restore the recycling program and publicly challenge residents and businesses to recycle 30% of their white paper, newspaper, mixed paper, glass and metal containers within the first year of the new recycling program. I will also issue a Mayor's Executive Order establishing a one-year government office building goal of recycling 50% of these materials and requiring that the government purchase post consumer recycled content paper.

The District collects household waste from approximately 100,000 District residences. The 40 three-person crews that serve the trash routes usually make three runs to a DPW transfer station and the last run is typically one-third full. Under the Chavous administration, DPW will achieve significant savings by redesigning trash routes and packer truck assignments to assure that all runs to the transfer stations are full loads. In addition, empty trucks operated by a single driver will be dispatched to replace the full truck operated by a three-person crew. The two sanitation workers will then transfer to the empty truck while the full truck goes to the transfer station with only the truck driver on board. This cost savings plan would reduce current overtime costs and increase the productivity of existing staff. The Chavous administration intends to implement this plan in addition to acquiring a state-of-the-art communication system that connects each truck to central dispatch and allows for the appropriate deployment of additional trucks.

21. What, if any, actions would you take to see that the emergency regulations on Buffer Zones around solid waste transfer stations are enforced and made permanent? Or, would you welcome the expiration of legislation that you consider to be burdensome regulation?

I support the permanent enforcement of emergency regulations on buffer zones around solid waste transfer stations.

22. D.C. citizens get surprised by budgetary demands for major maintenance items that were put off, such as schools and police stations. As Mayor, what will you do to see that the District of Columbia has a capital budget that provides for maintaining the city's infrastructure?

As Mayor, I will support the fiscal prudence and accountability associated with having a capital budget that provides for the maintenance of the city's infrastructure.

23. Year, after year, the city's stock of affordable housing declines. What, if any, strategies would you use to stop the loss of and increase the stock of affordable housing? Support retention of rent control? Adopt and implement a comprehensive affordable housing strategy? Commit to a specific number of affordable housing units during each year of your administration? If so, how many? Initiate employment and social service programs that will enable people who receive assistance to become as economically self-sufficient as possible? If so, what agencies would be providing these services?

The Chavous administration will be committed to District policies and programs that support the ability of our low-income families to rent, and in many cases, buy affordable housing and become first-time homebuyers. The District has made some progress in our ability to design, finance and renovate/construct affordable housing. Our major challenge is to support affordable housing throughout the District, in many more scattered sites.

The District's experience in public housing should serve as a reminder that communities with a mix of families with various economic levels create healthier communities. My administration will continue to work with seasoned non-profit organizations and community development corporations in each ward of the city along with for-profit developers to access both private and public sector funds to develop affordable housing — both new construction and substantially rehabilitated properties.

I support rent control and do not support "vacancy decontrol" in order to maintain neighborhood stability.

See response to Question #11 above and Question #15 above.

24. Name two recommendations of the Tax Revision Commission, other than the commuter tax, with which you agree and explain why. If there are not two that you favor, identify two problems the Tax Revision Commission attempted to address and suggest alternative recommendations.

I support reductions in the corporate franchise tax, sales tax and property tax as long as these reductions are balanced by savings generated through management efficiencies within the District government or other new revenues. I do not support either a value-added tax or an additional gross receipt tax

The work of the Tax Revision Commission is very extensive. I support their tax proposals in principal, yet I do not feel any one, standing alone, can be considered "the best for the District".

25. The District of Columbia's experience with federal grants is very disappointing. It fails to obtain and, in many cases, even apply for grants that could provide urgently needed funds. Even worse, contracting and grant-making operations in some agencies are so inadequate that the city is unable to spend the grant money it does receive. As Mayor, what will you do to turn this situation around?

As Mayor, I will direct agency heads to seek out and apply for federal grants as a major part of their duties and responsibilities associated with managing and operating their respective agencies. Similar to the private sector mode of operations, agency heads will be responsible for seeking out and securing additional federal grant monies necessary to attract and implement new programs or to support the continuance of existing programs and/or operations.

26. Many District children and youth seem to be without opportunities for constructive activities. Cutbacks in recreational services and programs make it very difficult to help youth stay out of trouble. Can the city afford to correct this situation? Can it afford not to? What, if any, role should the Mayor play in expanding after-school and recreational programs, particularly in undeserved areas of the city?

I understand the significance of having recreational services and programs available for our youth in neighborhoods throughout the District of Columbia As Mayor, I will seek out an amount of funding from excess revenue sources. I am of the opinion that with the surplus the District government is slated to have at the end of this fiscal year, an amount of money (although, not full funding) can be allocated towards recreation.

See response to Question #25 above.