Clark On the Issues
The power of our campaign draws from the perspective and insights of residents like you, in every part of the District. I have attended public meetings, walked the streets and sat in living rooms across our city, East and West of the river. I have done this because I want to hear what you care about, what the important issues and concerns are in your neighborhood, and what aspirations you hold in our city.
Over the course of this campaign, we will be releasing policy papers on important issues in the District, based upon input from residents like you. In the meantime, below you'll find my overall principles and views on issues facing our city. I will combine that experience with your voice and your concerns, in serving as your At-Large Councilman.
Creating Excellent Public Education and Continuing Education Reform
I fully support the education reform movement in the District. We can never be the City we want to be if we don’t provide for our children the opportunity to be challenged to achieve to their fullest potential. Education must be our City’s top priority; it is the key to future economic growth for the District. We must have strong early childhood programs, improve primary and secondary schools and expand our vocational schools and university offerings. We need to have a strong and vibrant Community College, and must expand opportunities for lifelong learning.
I support the work that Chancellor Rhee is doing but will work to ensure that there is transparency in all parts of the District government, and that includes our schools. The community--especially parents--must be totally involved in the schools and to do so they need to be informed. I will work to support bringing all parties to the table--and that includes the teachers union, as was done by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in Chicago--so that we can move education reform forward with everyone on the same page.
I will support legislation that ensures that school facilities continue to be modernized and that state-of-the-art vocational/career programs are implemented. Our schools must continue to become modern hubs of learning and the centerpiece of our neighborhoods, bringing together many partners to offer a range of supports and services to children, youth, families and communities before, during and after school, seven days a week.
Expanding our Economic Strength
We must work to retain, expand and grow business and industries in order to generate quality job opportunities and more vibrant neighborhoods. The green jobs that other American cities showcase and speak of, we can entice and build here in the District. We need to continue to encourage entrepreneurship in creating small and mid-size business in neighborhoods that have not yet experienced rising fortunes. As the nation moves out of recession, we must make sure that our downtown renaissance will continue. I am committed to working closely with all stakeholders in making certain that development opportunities move forward, including potential ones at the Old Convention Center site. Additionally, the smaller and mid-size development projects that would bring new jobs to more neighborhoods can be realized with an improved process of collaboration between developers and residents. I will place a special emphasis on smart growth in our urban planning, creating vibrant and walkable neighborhoods while encouraging greater use of public transit.
Council Oversight of Budget Management and Policy
If elected to Council, I would be the only other member of that body who has successfully led a major city agency, understanding the obligations of Council oversight and fiscal management. The District needs to sustain its fiscal strength. We must never go back to the times when our books were not balanced. As we face this national economic downturn, and in turn a severe drop-off in City revenues, we must make sure that our budgets are balanced. They cannot be balanced, however, on the backs of those who need city services the most. While we work to protect our high bond ratings, we must also protect services for our city's greatest asset: its people.
Increasing Access to Affordable Housing for Residents
As the capital of the most prosperous nation on Earth, the District can no longer continue to be a tale of two cities. The District must aggressively ensure that people of moderate incomes have an opportunity to secure affordable housing. Both home ownership and moderate rental opportunities need to be a focus of the City. The District's inclusionary zoning efforts must be shepherded to successful implementation. We have an income equality gap in the District that is among the nation’s worst. I will advocate for the Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) and push to make this fund actually reach the people who need access most.
The HPTF, however, is not the only vehicle for improving the fortunes of our residents. We must continue to encourage living-wage initiatives and use our development opportunities particularly downtown and along the Anacostia to create better-paying jobs. We need to increase supports that make it easier for people to get and retain jobs by expanding childcare services and better job training and preparedness services. Especially in these difficult times, we must support reasonable rent control laws and better address the housing needs of individuals with special needs.
Creating a Healthy City
While the nation debates health care options, we cannot stand still. We must focus on improving health care access for all our residents. I will focus on ensuring that we have adequate programs to help residents who are dealing with substance abuse issues. We need strong oversight by the Council on the HIV/AIDS programs in the District. In confronting this disease that is both preventable and treatable, I am committed to speaking out on HIV/AIDS, and to participating in programs in our schools, the faith community and other community organizations.
Many District residents suffer from disease and illnesses at higher rates than other cities with comparable demographics, particularly in diabetes and obesity. We can and must do better.
Making a Safe City for Everyone
I will use the knowledge I gained as a Reserve Police Officer to ensure that the District has enough police and emergency personnel ready when they are needed. Each and every resident must feel safe in his or her neighborhood and I will fight to make sure that all neighborhoods have the police they need to fight crime. I passionately believe that true community policing can become a reality in our City. I will work with Chief Lanier, community organizations and the Administration to craft real incentives for our best officers to stay where they are most needed: in our neighborhoods. Many officers still have to transfer out of their PSA when they advance in their career; I believe that communities are best served when officers do not have to make a choice between their career and the community they know best. The better our police and community know and trust each other, the safer our neighborhoods will be.
After years of examination, reports and reviews, it is time to finally improve response times to resident calls in emergencies. Both residents and our men and women in uniform have been frustrated too long on this matter, and I will go beyond legislation and words to craft solutions.
As the nation’s capital, we must always be prepared for emergencies. No matter the cause of the emergency, public safety personnel--including our fire & rescue services, healthcare facilities, police--and residents alike must be ready. The Council must ensure the appropriate oversight to make sure that training and planning happen and there is coordination between all our response teams. We need to find the funds--and should be getting them from the federal government--to prepare our City for the worst while doing everything to make sure it never happens.
Engaging the Community
I believe that a Councilmember must continue to be deeply connected to the public they serve. I will be the kind of Councilmember who meets you in your neighborhood, in your school, in your park and even knock on your door to learn from you and identify your needs from our City government. I won’t sit in City Hall waiting for you to come to me, nor look upon the city's problems as solvable from the comfort of the Council chamber. Accountability, transparency and acting in concert with residents will be my priorities. I believe that you and your neighbors hold important insights on what is best for the District, and I will always be listening to your views. I will engage the citizens of the Disitrict through the use of constant ward and neighborhood meetings, and a dynamic online presence, in regular partnership with civic organizations.
I want to be the Councilmember that will engage residents as full partners, not as static consumers of public services. I will work with the Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement and Partnership and with every resource available to make sure that you, the residents and stakeholders, are involved in the decision-making process of government. I will meet regularly with Advisory Neighborhood Commissions & civic associations, members of the Mayor’s Boards & Commissions, the business community, faith community, special constituency communities and city employees all to understand the broader issues each of you is facing as I work to make government work for you.
Women’s Issues
I recognize that all issues facing residents of the District are women’s issues, from housing to economic development to health care and more. But I want to work closely with groups like the Washington Area Women’s Foundation and other stakeholder groups to ensure that government advances opportunity in economic security, education, health and well being, violence and safety and increasing leadership capacity.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community
As a member of the GLBT community, I am committed to ensuring each resident of the District of Columbia is given the respect, rights and responsibilities equal to any other resident.
I am proud that DC now has marriage equality, providing the same rights and responsibilities to all couples and families. On the Council, I will work to ensure reactionary Members of Congress do not roll back DC's right to make its own laws on this or any other issue.
I will also work with faith-based organizations, community groups, government agencies and the business community to foster a dialogue that heals divisions, while advancing equality and mutual respect.
I will press for all law enforcement and Fire/EMS agencies operating in DC to maintain regularly-updated diversity training programs, so that all DC residents are treated appropriately in an emergency, whether a health emergency or when victimized by crime. I will work to make sure our DC Metropolitan Police Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit--and all such community-specific units--have full deployment and are actively and appropriately serving their communities. I will demand enhanced hate crimes reporting procedures and work with groups like GLOV so that the scope of occurrence of such crimes is fully known. I will also push for better coordination between DC law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors so that hate crimes are given the specialized attention needed to increase successful prosecutions.
I will work with and support groups like SMYAL, MetroTeen AIDS, GLSEN and P-FLAG to enhance policies against bullying in our schools, and to combat the related tragedy of teen suicides.
I will push for programs that allow LGBT senior citizens to feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods, and to ensure they are being fully counted and cared for.
I will work on the Council to support continued overhaul of HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment programs. We must reverse DC's tragic epidemic of new infections, but also its tragic record of dysfunction in conducting prevention programs.
Clark Ray received the Heil-Balin Community Service Award from Stein in 2008 –“In recognition of his service and contribution to the GLBT Community – Participation in the District’s Political Process.”
Our City's Rich African-American History and Future
The District's rich heritage as a place of pride and opportunity for the African-American community must be renewed and reinforced. I will craft incentives to showcase our city's remarkable past, and bright future, through every possible avenue. From educational curriculum to neighborhood history programs, from protecting business opportunities to promoting the District's proud story nationally and globally, I will place our history and promise on the pedestal it richly deserves.
Latino Community
The Latino community and its culture is one of the essential components of our city’s amazing diversity and I promise to work with the community to seek out and help develop leadership capacities and opportunities among residents. I will insist that the Council conduct rigorous oversight to ensure full enforcement of the Language Access Act, and provide training for government employees to better serve the needs of the Latino community.
Living with Full Representation and Democracy
As a Councilmember, I will aggressively pursue full representation for District residents. We must all recognize the cruel irony that in our nation’s capital democracy has not yet fully emerged. Like all Americans, we in Washington, DC pay federal and local taxes, fight for America in times of war, and serve on juries to uphold federal laws and policies. Yet nearly 600,000 thousand District residents are denied voting representation in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. This travesty of justice must end.
I will focus on and take a leadership role in making DC voting rights a national issue to the extent allowable by law. I will personally advocate to national leaders the injustice of our plight and work with our non voting representative to better engage Congress. I will work closely with advocacy groups, and also with those seeking to do business in the District, to enroll more partners the cause of democracy for the District.
Our Environment and the World We Live In
I will support programs and initiatives to improve our environment and allow us to leave a better world for future generations. The air we breathe, our rivers and our green spaces are threatened from carbon monoxide, toxic runoff and thoughtlessness every day. We have a high rate of asthma and other illness due to the pollution in our environment. I will support the administration as we purchase alternative fuel vehicles that run cleaner. Additionally, we must beef up management of hazardous and toxic waste disposal and remediation efforts.
Many of our neighborhoods still have too much pollution and suffer from neglect. No neighborhood in the District should be treated as the city's "backyard." I will work to upgrade rodent abatement, graffiti removal and litter. We need to support resident awareness and education initiatives that educate people on how to preserve and protect our environment. There must be no excuses for pollution.
Technology Access and the 21st Century
The technology gap between our rich and poor neighbors is still too wide and we must address this disparity. I will support public/private partnerships to help provide computers and training for more residents at all ages. In this 21st Century, better access to information is often the difference between success and failure. We must also further advance the availability of city services online.
Support for the Arts
There are two major reasons I believe that we need to promote government support for the arts.
The first is, I believe, the greatness of a people is eventually judged by what they contribute to the arts and culture of their times. DC must continue to build on the tremendous programs we now have here and ensure that our children understand the value of the arts in their lives.
The second becomes a more altruistic reason when I take my seat on the City Council and am responsible for passing budgets in these difficult economic times. The arts community contributes mightily to the economic health of our City. There is a billion dollar return from the arts community to the District of Columbia through job creation and taxes. We in the District of Columbia sell more tickets to performances than any other City except New York. We are fortunate to have companies like the Shakespeare Theatre who along with the Verizon Center is given much credit for the revival of our downtown.
As a Councilmember I will promote the arts and support continued public funding for their expansion into every neighborhood of the District. The arts are the perfect example of great public/private partnerships to make our City great.
We need to continue to work with our arts institutions to bring the arts into our schools and to develop business/community/school partnerships that expand our children’s horizons in all the arts. One of the most exciting projects developed in recent years has been THEARC in Anacostia. A success story and a place for the community where our young people can come to be educated, cared for in safety, and find a place for themselves in the arts community.
I will continue to press for public support of the arts community when I am on the Council in a number of ways including supporting the DC Office of Planning’s work to include arts and Culture as a separate component of the city’s overall Comprehensive Plan and funding of the DC Commission on the arts and Humanities. In addition I will work with the DC Public Schools to get them to adopt an arts policy that will ensure that all our children have equal access to the arts.
