Anthony A. Williams’ Response to DC Action Questionnaire

1. Considering that health and human service budgets have been cut by 65% between FY1992 and FY1997, and considering that the District bad a $186 million surplus in FY1997 and expects a surplus of $254 million in FY1998, how much and to what programs would you restore funding regarding children and families?

It is clear that the past few years have teem very tough on programs throughout the city government, but particularly health and human service budgets. The mismanagement over the years led us to this current state.

As CFO, I helped restore the financial foundation in place that will allow us to invest in the critically important human service programs. When I arrived in the District government, human service vendors who provided critical care to our seniors and children were going unpaid. Our office reduced the time it took to pay small businesses from 6-8 months to 30-45 days. Federal grant money earmarked for medication and other care for AIDS patients was going unspent. As CFO, I untangled the bureaucratic red tape and fast-tracked the money to the providers and the patients who needed it. And I ensured that our management team understood the needs of real people who had not been getting the basic services from the government.

We are now in a position to reinvest in our most important asset: our children As an adopted son of postal workers, I understand the need to take care of our children as my adopted mother and father did for me. Whether the need is for quality shelter, good meals, preventive health care or education, I am committed to investing money and time to make sure that the children of the District of Columbia receive the best care in the country. But we also must ensure that we begin to manage the government so that the services got delivered to our most vulnerable citizens.

My office helped turn around a tax department that was in a state of disarray. We found boxes of tax records lying on the door. We found an assessment office that was broken. We found no customer service. Within 6 months, we been to improve the operations. We restored pride in our workers. We began to process tax refunds in a timely fashion. In fact. during the most recent tax season the tax office processed over 170,000 tax returns, with an average refund time of 15 days.

As Mayor, I will bring the same management skills, accountability, and urgency to the job and will focus my efforts on our children. I will work closely with the non-profit community to ensure that the concerns of the community are heard and incorporated into our government policy. I will been devolving delivery of services to local, non-profit and faith-based entities to ensure that services are being delivered at the local, community level.

2. What is the biggest problem facing youth today and how would you address it?

The greatest problem facing the youth of our City is that they are being robbed of their future by a school system that has failed to deliver on the promise of a high quality education. As Mayor, an integrated approach to education will be my top priority.

My mother instilled in me the value of education. She encouraged us to thrive in school by studying and paying attention in class. But education us more than just classroom teaching. Educating our children must be a partnership between our community, our parents, our teachers, and our faith-based organizations. The central principle guiding my education platform is that of community-based, school based management.

Schools must begin to be managed at the local level. Parents, teachers, principals and the local community must be given a greater role and take more responsibility for educating our children. This means developing strategies for improving test scores, cutting the truancy and drop-out rata, appointing principals, and approving schools’ budgets. In fact, as CFO, I began the process of school-based management by developing a school by school based budget.

Additionally, we must begin the education process at an early age. This means enhancing our pre-k program and ensuring that our children begin learning at an early ago. We will attract top-quality professionals that will engage air children and help prepare them for elementary school. However, the education process mutt include input and guidance from the not-for-profit organizations, the private vector, and our faith based communities. In order for us to ensure a top-quality education for our children, it will take a genuine commitment from the entire community.

As Mayor, I will bring all the parties together so that we can improve our education and give all our children hope for a bright future.

3. For some time, there has been talk about establishing a cabinet for children, youth and families. What are your views on such a concept? How would the cabinet be structured?

I would be willing to assess whether services to children, youth and families can be delivered more effectively through a cabinet level agency. Clearly, the system that is in place now is not working.

Children are our hope for the future, and we owe them all the resources we have to make sure that they receive the care and attention they need to be healthy and productive members of society. As an adopted child, I understand the importance of caring for our children. As a young professional, I tutored special education, blind children, helping them help themselves. So I understand the special needs of children.

As CFO, I inherited a financial situation that left the District virtually bankrupt. However, by focusing on results and holding managers accountable, we turned deficits into surpluses. Now we can invest the resources m our children youth, and families. As Mayor, I will hold my managers accountable for specific results. Only after working with the agencies and departments under a Williams Administration would I mane a determination, in consultation with the not-for-profits to and service providers, whether a new agency is needed.

If it is determined that a new agency is needed, I would ask the not-for-profits for a recommendation on how to structure it. The service providers know what is working and what isn't. I will consult with the Council as well, taking input before making a decisions. We must build consensus among the various stakeholders before establishing this new agency.