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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008
 
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MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR
CARY SILVERMAN


MORE INFO
Cary Silverman is a Democratic candidate for D.C. Council from Ward 2 and can be reached at cary@caryforcouncil.com.





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Letter to the Editor

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MORE OPINION

Media are lazy in covering marriage
Search for ‘balance’ is merely an excuse to sensationalize topic.

Repaying hate with more hate is wrong
Vilifying our opponents might feel good, but it won’t help the cause.

Blame the gov’t for Proposition 8
If black civil rights had been put to a vote, Obama would not be president-elect.


OPINION

POINT: I ask for your vote
We need new energy, a full-time Council member and a strong gay rights advocate.

CARY SILVERMAN
Friday, September 05, 2008

I AM RUNNING for the D.C. Council seat in Ward 2 because I believe that I can best serve all the people in our neighborhoods. Among other benefits to living in Ward 2 is that we are the center of GLBT life in the District. I want to make sure that life for GLBT people in the District remains safe and vibrant.

I am committed to ensuring that our city continues to be a welcoming place for the GLBT community to live, work, and soon, marry. I fully support marriage equality and ensuring that gay and lesbian couples that marry in other states have their marriages recognized in the District. 

I am proud that the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) rated my positions and record on gay rights an 8.5 out of 10; a “perfect questionnaire” exceeded by a non-incumbent only when Jim Graham first ran in 1998. As president of the Logan Circle Community Association and chair of the area’s ANC, it was a privilege to work with so many residents and business owners, gay and straight, to make the community a better place. I’ve continued that service in Mount Vernon Square, where I have been a leader for the past three years.

The incumbent and I both have strong, progressive platforms for the GLBT community. But unlike the incumbent, I will work as a full-time Council member committed to this and to partnering with you and advocating organizations across the District as we fight the District’s unacceptable epidemic of HIV/AIDS, the resurgence of hate crimes, and to make sure that our schools and other institutions both respect the needs and serve our GLBT youth.

I VIEW THE position of Council member first and foremost as working on day-to-day quality of life issues that will make our neighborhoods both safer and more exiting places to live. We deserve to have parks that are top notch with playgrounds for children, places to relax for adults, and designated safe areas for our dogs to run. We must feel safe in our neighborhoods with adequate police protection at all times and support programs that foster strong relationships between the officers and the communities they serve. When issues arise, whether it is a broken fire hydrant, a crime, a damaged sidewalk or a nuisance property, I will be a responsive Council member who takes a hands-on, roll-up-my-sleeves attitude toward getting them addressed. That’s my mission, unlike the incumbent who often seems to feel he is a self-anointed sports commissioner or deputy mayor.

What is next on the horizon for our city? Will the next big deal involve using your tax dollars to build a football stadium, or will we establish a community college system to expand opportunity and make sure our citizens are ready to take the jobs created in the District? Will we gift another $50 million to the Verizon Center for luxury boxes so the Council members can give away tickets to their friends, or will we adequately fund our recreation centers? Will we sell off public property to politically connected developers in no-bid deals, or will we make certain that our resources best serve the community? I’ll work to make sure all our resources are used to bring our city to the next level.

Supporting the restaurants and shops that bring vibrancy and diversity to our communities, before it’s too late, is key. As a Council member, I’ll propose meaningful tax relief for small independent businesses and I will introduce legislation to establish an Office of the Small Business Advocate so that they can not only survive, but thrive.

I VIEW REPRESENTING you as a full-time job with no other pressures on my time or potential conflicts of interest. By way of contrast, the incumbent keeps a substantial side job at a large lobbying firm, while he is paid a full-time salary by D.C.

taxpayers. In some areas of the country, state and city legislators are truly part time positions, in session for just a few months of the year. Not so in D.C. where the Council is in session year round with a short recess in August. That’s because it is your city, county and state government all rolled into one. In fact, D.C., Council member salaries are on par with some governors and are higher than just about every other state legislator in the country, including those who are “professional” full-time public servants, such as in New York. Isn’t it about time that Ward 2 has a full-time Council member?

On Sept. 9 you will have a clear choice.

If you believe we need new energy and leadership, a full-time Council member, a strong GLBT advocate, and a focus on quality-of-life issues and neighborhood development, I hope that I will have your vote.


 

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