Anthony A. Williams’ Responses to Gertrude Stein Democratic Club Questionnaire

1. If elected Mayor of the District of Columbia, what steps will you take to restore the credibility and effectiveness of the government’s delivery of services? In the last year, what steps have you taken in that regard?

First, as CFO, I rehabilitated the District’s financial operations, making improvements in the tax department, restoring the credibility of the District in the eyes of Wall Street where we improved the District’s credit rating, created a budget surplus that can now help fund much needed programs, all while reducing the budget deficit. As CFO, I collected over $70 million in receivables owned to the government which helped us deliver critical services to the government. Additionally, I dramatically improved the District’s vendor payment system, reducing payment time from 8 months to 30-45 days.

Moreover, as CFO, I worked with the AIDS community to free-up federal grant money that was not getting to the people who needed it. All these actions have put the District in a position to begin to deliver the basic, quality services residents that residents deserve and expect.

By balancing the budget two years ahead of schedule, this will hasten the return of Home Rule to the District two years ahead of schedule. As Mayor, I will continue to work with the gay and lesbian community as I did when I was CFO, to ensure that the community’s views are heard and incorporated into the important decisions affecting our city. And by doing these things we can restore pride to the District and community at large.

2. Recent events involving the Police Department have eroded the trust of many members of the G/L/B/T community in the Police Department. Currently, the Police Chief does not report to an elected official. Do you support the creation of a reconstituted civilian complaint review system whose decisions will carry authority and not be overturned by internal police grievance procedures? What action will you take to return the Police Department to the control of elected officials?

Civilian Complaint Review System
Yes, I support a reconstituted civilian complaint review system However, I would demand that the civilian review system be reconstituted with the resources and authority to enforce any discrimination complaints filed by citizens Any civilian review system must have investigative powers, must meet certain strict deadlines, and be staffed with professionals.

Return control to elected officials
We must eliminate the multi-layered government that currently exists in the government. Currently, the Department is being run by committee: an approach that is wholly unacceptable. The department should not and cannot be run by a Council that has failed the citizens of the District. One only has to look at the situation with former Chief Soulsby to understand that the Department must be managed and supervised by professionals. We must allow the Chief of Police to run the department and be held accountable. If the Chief of Police is not getting the job done, I will take the necessary steps to ensure that we hire a Chief who can achieve the results we need in the District.

I will work with the Chief to instill a real commitment to neighborhood policing by members of the force, seek increased training for officers, and a move officer's from desk jobs to patrols. In short, by demonstrating accountability, management and leadership, a Williams Administration will command the respect of the Congress and the Authority and hasten the return of control of the Police Department to elected officials.

3. What is your position in the matter of support for Domestic Partnerships for unmarried couples? Do you have a record in this matter? Do you oppose efforts by members of Congress and other political forces to restrict adoptions by unmarried couples in the District of Columbia? What steps will you take to provide a legal basis for same sex couples?

I support same sex marriage rights legislation and am opposed to any intervention by the federal government, to interfere with states or the District granting this right. I also support the Domestic Partnership law and decisions of the local courts which have granted adoptions to lesbians and gays.

4. In recent court proceedings, the D.C. Corporation Counsel claimed that some agencies of the Government of the District of Columbia are not covered by the D.C. Human Rights Law of 1977 and are therefore legally free to discriminate against lesbians and gay men. The Corporation Counsel later abandoned that position. What is your position on the matter? Do you support improved mechanisms for redress of Human Rights violations?

I believe that all agencies of the of the District government are subject to the Human Rights Law of 1977. I am pleased that the Corporation Counsel has retreated from its arguments. I support the efforts of the community groups to address the streamlining of the Office of Human Rights and will work to help identify additional resources for this Office, including federal monies from the EEOC to help improve the administration of the Office and clear the backlog of unresolved cases. As Mayor, I will continue the Office's policy of giving prioritized processing to human rights cases involving people living with HIV/AIDS and other terminal illnesses.

5. The locally funded budget for AIDS prevention and treatment has remained stagnant for many years now. Where does increased spending for AIDS prevention and treatment fall in your priorities for the City? What will you do to expand the local programs for preventing AIDS? What will you do to expand the local programs for treating and caring for patients with AIDS?

Because of the budget surplus created under my leadership as CFO, the District now has the resources to expend on important programs like AIDS prevention and treatment. However, prior to my arrival, Council had failed us by allowing federal grant money to go unspent while AIDS patients were literally dying and service providers were not getting paid. As Mayor, I will work with the HIV community to ensure that funding for programs for prevention and treatment are increased.

Additionally, as CFO, I opened up the budget process of the city so that all the citizens and groups had access to critical program information. This information allows citizens to understand what the programs are, how they are being funded, and what the consequences of not funding these programs are.

6. What public offices (elected or appointed) have you held?

Board of Aldermen (city council), New Haven (elected and served 2 terms)
As alderman, I supported

Boston Redevelopment Agency, Director of Housing
As Director, I was responsible for ensuring that our office did not discriminate against anyone based on race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.

St. Louis Community Development Agency, Executive Director
Again, as Executive Director, I was responsible for ensuring that our office was vigilant in enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

Deputy Comptroller, State of Connecticut

CFO, Department of Agriculture
I was responsible for ensuring that our office was vigilant in enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

CFO, District of Columbia
As the CFO, I worked to help free up federal grant/Ryan White AIDS money from the District’s bureaucracy and get it to the patients and care providers who needed it.

7. What is your record in supporting the GLBT community in their quest for equal rights in the economic and political and social arenas?

As CFO, I ended the logjam of federal money that was supposed to go to patients and service providers that were treating AIDS patients. As a candidate, I was one of the first to express my support for same-sex marriage. As Mayor, I would continue to support the GLBT community on all issues affecting them.

8. What outreach does your campaign plan to make to the GLBT community? What ads are running in local gay publications? Have you named a member of your staff as your liaison to the GLBT community? Please provide contact information?

Carlene Cheatam, my GBLT liaison, was one of several original members of the Draft Committee to Elect Tony Williams. I have attended been to several meetings with GLBT groups and citizens, including marching in the Gay Pride Parade and will continue outreach to the community not only through election day, but after elected mayor as well. We will be running ads in the Washington Blade shortly and other GLBT publications, and the Draft Committee to Elect Anthony Williams placed an ad in the Blade.

Carlene Cheatam can be contacted at 393-8669.

9. Do you have a web page for the campaign? Do you have an e-mail for the campaign?

Our web page is: www.williamsdc98.com
Our e-mail is: vol@williamsdc98.com