Voters Guide: April 26, 2011 District of Columbia Special Election

This guide includes questions to and responses from the candidates on the April 26 Special Election Ballot. For each of the three offices listed below, there is a series of questions. The candidates' responses follow these questions. These responses are unedited and do not reflect the views of the League of Women Voters of the District of Columbia.

At-Large Member of the DC Council.  Ward 4 State Board of Education Member.  Ward 8 State Board of Education Member.

At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia

Candidates for At-Large Member of the Council of the District of Columbia were asked the following questions:

1. Age, Occupation, Education, Qualifications for the office sought.

2. Decreased tax revenues will make developing the DC Budget for Fiscal Year 2012 a considerable challenge. If it becomes necessary to raise additional revenue, which tax or taxes shuold be increased to raise an additional $150 million: personal and/or corporate income taxes, residential and/or commercial property taxes, sales taxes, other taxes? Be sure to explain why you selected the tax or taxes that you would raise, and indicate how much you would raise from each tax.

3. With an anticipated budget gap of approximately $500 million, the DC government will probably have to spend less money in FY 2012 than it is spending in FY 2011. Do you favor an across the board reduction in spending or would you reduce spending in specific areas to protect critical services? If your choice would be to focus spending reductions in specific areas, explain how you would achieve spending reductions of $350 million.

4. If you are elected, will your Council salary be your only employment income during your term of office?

To view the candidate responses, click on the candidate's name.

	Sekou Biddle, Democrat
	Tom Brown, Democrat (no response)
	Dorothy Douglas, Democrat
	Arkan Haile, Independent (no response)
	Joshua Lopez, Democrat
	Patrick Mara, Republican
	Vincent Orange, Democrat
	Alan Page, DC Statehood Green
	Bryan Weaver, Democrat

Candidates for the State Board of Education of the District of Columbia were asked to respond to the following four questions:

1. Age, Occupation, Education, Qualifications for the office sought.

2. What State Board of Education policies would you advocate in order to improve education in the District of Columbia?

3. What are the major challenges ahead as the District of Columbia implements the Common Core Standards of Learning adopted by the State Board of Education?

4. Explain why, in the light of the growing importance of Common Core Standards of Learning, we should or should not require that students graduating from public schools in the District of Columbia , have a semester of DC History and government.

5. Is there a role for the State Board of Education in holding Public Charter Schools accountable?

Ward 4 State Board of Education Member

To view the candidate responses, click on the candidate's name.

	An Almquist
	D. Kamili Anderson
	Andrew Moss
	Bill Quirk

Ward 8 State Board of Education Member

To view the candidate responses, click on the candidate's name.

	Eugene Dewitt Kinlow
	Anthony Muhammad
	Philip Pannell
	Tijwanna U. Phillips
	Larry T. Pretlow II
	"R. Joyce Scott"(no response)
	Cardell Shelton
	"Trayon White, Sr."(no response)
	Sandra V. Williams

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