Tony Williams on the Issues
Tony Williams' Achievements as CFO
Tony Williams on Children and Education
Tony Williams on Employment Issues
Tony Williams on The Welfare to Work Initiative
Tony Williams on Economic Development
Tony Williams on Regulatory Reform
Tony Williams on Tax Issues
Tony Williams on Crime and Public Safety
Tony Williams on the Environment
Tony Williams on Individual Rights
Under Tony Williams' leadership the District has:
- Cleaned up the District's finances in order to bring much needed services to seniors and
children.
- Fixed a broken tax collection system, now processing tax refunds in 15 days.
- Repaired our reputation on Wall Street, and improved our credit rating.
- Generated a $185 million budget surplus.
- Started paying vendors on time. Payments of vendors was taking 8 months, and vendors
were refusing to do any more business with the District, now they are paid in 30 to 45
days.
- Started refunding taxes on a more timely basis. It was taking almost a year for some tax
refunds to arrive, now it takes as little as two weeks.
- Collected up to $70 million in receivables owed to the government.
- Freed-up existing federal grant money that was not getting to the people who needed it.
Extracted from “Response to the Citizens Association
of Georgetown Questionnaire.” Anthony Williams’ June 19, 1998, letter to
Adam Kidan, Chair of the D C Chamber of Commerce. and “Anthony
A. Williams’ Responses to the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club Questionnaire.”
Full text of these documents are available from Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters:
1634 I St, NW or 202-393-TONY.
Principles for 1999 – 2004:
- All DC children will start school ready to learn.
- All DC students will read at grade level.
- The High School graduation rate will increase to at least 90%
- All DC students will leave each grade having demonstrated competency over challenging
subject matter.
- The District‘s teaching force will have access to programs to continue to improve
their skills and knowledge.
- DC students will be first in the region in mathematics and science achievement.
- Every DC adult will be literate and possess the knowledge and skills necessary to
compete in a global economy, exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and
help educate their children.
- Every school in the District will be free of drugs and violence.
- DC schools will promote partnerships with parents.
Goals:
- Empower parents and communities through school-based management
- Recently created Local School Commissions have the power to appoint and terminate
principals, and help develop school budgets. LSCs should be strengthened and be a pivotal
part of the creation of curriculum and budgeting, placing accountability and decision
making at the lowest level.
- Promote and support parental public school choice
- Competition within the public school system should be strengthened by the continued
creation of schools within schools and charter schools.
- As part of recent legislation, schools will receive funding based on enrollment. DC
Public Schools will have to satisfy the parents with the educational services they
provide, because if the parent moves the student the funds also move.
- Invest in cost effective modern infrastructure and business practices
- Mandate that the DC Public Schools submit a long-range plan that defines cost effective
strategies for repairing/replacing the Districts school buildings.
- Ensure that the District and its public schools are wired for technology.
- Set business standards for DCPS by requiring timely, up-to-date information be available
to principals and parents in an accurate and professional manner.
- Through school-based management, propose drastic reforms to DCPS' central
administration, decentralization of programs, and create performance accountability
structures.
- Develop partnerships to provide innovative educational reform
- Construct a 21st Century Technology Learning center that would be available to any
student and would incorporate the latest instructional technology methods.
- Reach out to the business community to increase programs that involve human contact with
children.
Extracted from “A Comprehensive Focus on
Children.” Full text available from from Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters
— 1634 I St., NW or 202-393-TONY
Tony Williams will seek every opportunity to assure that District residents are
considered first for government jobs and those in government supported enterprises. He
will work with the City Council to determine methods for ensuring private development
projects that receive public subsidies employ reasonable levels of qualified workers from
the District. Tony will also look outside the boundaries of the city to promote employment
opportunities for city residents.
Two key tools are required to ensure District residents have access to local and
regional jobs:
- Training —Currently schools and programs are not providing DC residents with
marketable skills. In a Williams’ administration, the department of Employment
Services will not just employ government administrators, but will hire training experts
who can provide the professional and technical development needed to provide a livable
wage for families.
- Transportation — In Tony's first year as Mayor, he will
work with the Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to review the bus routes serving
neighborhoods most in need to assure fast, efficient routes to access subway and other
transportation nodes serving high employment areas. Citywide carpools and van pools,
transit subsidies and other arrangements that could help residents connect with jobs
throughout out the Washington area will be considered.
Extracted from “Response to the Washington Interfaith
Network Stand Up and Take Charge Questionnaire” by Anthony Williams. Full text is
available from Campaign Headquarters — 1634 I St, NW, (202) 393-TONY
Welfare to Work is federally funded; therefore, policies must be developed that move
people from welfare to work, while protecting the District from the whims of a potentially
hostile Congress. Tony Williams is committed to moving to developing a WTW program that is
a national model and provides the necessary support systems to enable welfare recipients
to be self sufficient.
The action plan:
- Establish the DC Works Public Partnership — DC Works would work with
foundations, non-profits, faith based institutions and labor organizations to develop job
programs for low-skilled workers with emphasis on the hardest to serve. This would be a
partnership with business that would borrow from the success and innovations of other
models around the country.
- Create a Comprehensive Child Care Support Network — DC
Works would launch an effort to improve access, quality, and affordability of child care.
This includes providing expertise and technical assistance in bringing facilities to code
and improving programs; exploring ways to increase non-local funding to increase the
availability of child care; and assist in developing a micro-enterprise program to train
welfare recipients to be home child care workers.
- This network would include establishing a drop-in child care center at an appropriate
Department of Human Services welfare site, which would enable welfare parents to go on Job
interviews.
- Develop a Regional Transportation Support Network — DC Works would explore
strategies to modify existing transportation routes to serve high-growth job area; to
provide transportation services during off-hours so that workers can easily access swing
shift and nontraditional hour employment; and reverse commutes using van services.
Extracted from “District of Columbia Welfare to Work:
A New Vision for a New Millennium.” Full text available from from Williams for
Mayor campaign headquarters 1634 I St, NW or 202-393-TONY
- Create a business-friendly environment:
- Regulatory reform — duplicate rules will be merged and unnecessary regulations
eliminated.
- Creation of a one-stop customer service hot-line and center for permits, licenses,
inspections, and other business concerns
- Fair and equitable taxes — District businesses currently pay taxes 50% to
75% higher than those paid by their suburban counterparts.
- Improvement of basic services — Clean and safe streets, reliable trash
collection, and well-maintained trash collection are important to residents and businesses
alike.
- Enhancement of neighborhood business centers — There are many important
neighborhoods and commercial corridors in addition to the downtown area, that are key not
only to our economic stability, but also our civic and cultural identity.
- Promote tourism — To reclaim our status as a premier tourist city, we must
restore basic city services. In addition, we must market our city more effectively.
- Support Business Improvement Districts — Williams supports BIDs as an
interim measure until effective street maintenance and police protection are restored, and
as a way for neighborhood businesses to provide visitors with attention that goes beyond
reasonable city services.
- Promote regional cooperation — Washington is the second largest technology
region of the country. We should take advantage of this by forming government and business
coalitions to train technology workers and support emerging new businesses.
- International Business Opportunities — Williams will support the city’s
culturally diverse businesses and organizations as they create and expand new
international business opportunities.
Extracted from Anthony William’s June 19, 1998 letter to Mr. Adam Kidan, Chair.
DC Chamber of Commerce. Full text of this document is available from from the Williams for
Mayor campaign headquarters: 1634 I St, NW, 202-393-TONY
- Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (“DCRA”) —
DCRA’s mindset must be to support business development while ensuring that vital
heath and safety regulations are followed. The mindset at DCRA must change from that of
sustaining the existing bureaucracy to providing efficient and effective services to the
business community.
- Vendor Licensing — Street vendors are an excellent example of
micro-enterprises which have flourished in the District. They are also a unique regulatory
challenge due to sidewalk location and intense competition for prime locations. The
regulatory treatment of vendors in other large cities will be reviewed in order to develop
a fair and equitable policy.
- Parking Regulation — The District must provide a more customer friendly
parking environment to attract both residents and non-residents to the shops, retail
businesses and entertainment outlets in the city. The strategy must balance the interests
of residents, retail businesses, and visitors without adding to traffic congestion.
- Boards and Commissions — There is a proliferation of boards and
commissions, man of which no longer fulfill a useful regulatory function. Each board and
commission should be systematically reviewed and pass a common sense test of usefulness.
Those that fail will be eliminated. Any new boards or commissions will only be established
to perform a specific task with a clear start and end date.
- Unemployment Insurance Compensation and Worker’s Compensation — Tony
Williams believes it is essential that these programs be reviewed and brought into line
with neighboring jurisdictions, in order to provide a competitive business environment.
However; he knows these changes affect the citizens of the District and also believes, as
with all labor-related regulations should take place as a collaborate process between
business and labor.
- General Business License Procedure — Williams will consolidate business
licenses and supports the use of single ID numbers as long overdue reforms. Streamlining
and consolidating these procedures will improve efficiency without sacrificing
government's role in ensuring businesses are properly licensed.
- Professional License Tax — Williams supports the elimination of this tax.
- Fire Code Marshall — Williams will implement a streamlined regulatory
process that includes a one-stop shopping model of permitting and inspections.
- Affordable Housing — Rent control is a short term solution that continues to
bridge the gap between housing costs and income levels. However, rent control is not the
most efficient means to achieve affordable housing, and a long-term policy is needed.
Extracted from Anthony Williams’ June 19. 1998 letter to Mr. Adam Kidan, Chair,
DC Chamber of Commerce. Full text of this document is available from Williams for Mayor
campaign headquarters: 1634 I St, NW or 202-393-TONY
“The tax burden on businesses and residents is much higher in the District than in
surrounding jurisdictions. As CFO, [Tony Williams] recommended a gross receipts tax as
part of an overall tax restructuring proposal to move towards a broad-based tax that would
reduce tax burdens and attract businesses. However, there are three conditions that must
be met before the city can implement a broad-based tax: first and foremost, we need to
rebuild credibility in our commitment to cut taxes; the tax must be part of a long-term
plan to reduce taxes; and it must be implemented in conjunction with a multi-year program
to address the District’s capital improvement needs.
- Williams proposal for a broad based gross receipt tax is part of an overall plan that
would be implemented in conjunction with:
- Elimination of the Personal Property Tax;
- Elimination of the Unincorporated Business Tax;
- Elimination of the professional License Fee;
- Elimination of the Arena Tax;
- Reduction in the Real Property Tax on commercial property;
- Reduction in the Franchise Tax on Corporations; and
- Reduction in the Gross Receipt Tax on Utilities and Telecommunications firms.
- Split-rate property tax system — The Office of the Chief Financial Officer
recommended a simplified property tax structure that included taxing abandoned and vacant
property at a higher rate than properties put to commercial or residential use. This is an
incentive to develop property that encourages economic development and also improves
public safety and quality of life.
Extracted from “Open Letter to District Law Firms and
Accounting Firms,” July 30, 1998; “Anthony
Williams Statement on the Environment”; and the Washington
Business Journal's candidate survey. The full text of these documents is available
from Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters: 1634 I St, NW, 202-393-TONY
Tony Williams will ensure that true neighborhood policing becomes a reality.
- Two-thirds of all officers will be assigned to comprehensive neighborhood teams
(currently fewer than 25% of officers are assigned to neighborhoods). Teams will be
accountable for preventing crime in their areas, building trust among citizens, and
forging partnerships with residents, businesses, churches, and government agencies to stop
crime before it starts. Officers will spend time out of their cars talking to people, and
stay on their assignments long enough to develop trusting relationships with neighborhood
residents.
- Deteriorated station houses will repaired and provide the supplies and equipment
officers need to be effective.
- Every officer in every rank will be held accountable for performance and for maintaining
the highest professional standards.
- Williams will direct that immediate and effective action be taken to restore the
“911” service to a reliable level where every call gets answered in a timely and
effective manner.
- Williams will ensure an independent, public review of crime statistics and police
performance to assure that our police department stands as one of the best police
departments in the country.
- Williams will work with Chief Ramsey to provide better training and continuous
retraining for our dedicated officers.
- Williams will work with the City Council to establish officer’s pay at least on a
par with neighboring departments.
Extracted from “Response to the Washington Interfaith
Network Stand Up and Take Charge Questionnaire” by Anthony Williams Full text is
available from Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters — 1634 I St, NW, (202)
393-TONY
“I have spent the majority of my professional life striving to make urban
governments work for people because I believe that safe, healthy and well-run cities are
the best defense against the continuing destruction of our natural resources. Since coming
to the District, I have focused on restoring financial stability to government, both in
the District and as the CFRO of the US Department of Agriculture so that we can make
rational, sound decisions about how to use our financial resources to protect our natural
resources.” — Anthony Williams, “Anthony Williams
Statement on the Environment”
- Tony is opposed to the plan to turn Kingman’s Island into the National
Children’s Island.
- As Mayor, Tony will make restoring the Anacostia and surrounding area a top economic
development priority.
- Tony supports protecting the Anacostia natural habitat and making it available
to all District residents.
- As Mayor, Tony will bring back curbside recycling within his first 100 days.
- As an avid bicyclist, who has used bike lanes to commute in other cities, Tony will
advocate for a more bike-friendly city.
The full text of “Anthony Williams Statement on the
Environment,” a response to a Sierra Club questionnaire, is available from from
the Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters — 1634 I St, NW, 202-393-TONY
- Tony Williams supports same sex marriage rights legislation, as well as the Domestic
Partnership law and decisions of the local courts which have granted adoptions to lesbians
and gays.
- Tony Williams believes that all agencies of the District government are subject to the
Human Rights Law of 1977, and supports the efforts of community groups to address the
streamlining of the Office of Human Rights.
- Tony Williams supports reproductive choice and believes this is a private area that
should not be intruded into by government.
Extracted from “Anthony A. Williams’ Responses
to Gertrude Stein Democratic Club Questionnaire” and “Response to Planned
Parenthood Questionnaire by Anthony Williams Candidate for Mayor.” Full text is
available from Williams for Mayor campaign headquarters: 1634 I St, NW or 202-393-TONY.
This document was prepared by Katie Mann, who can be reached at 202-544-6208 or kmann@clark.net |
