We’re about a month away from the special election to fill the at-large Council seat, vacated by Kwame Brown when he became Council chair in the November election. I have talked to a number of people recently who didn’t realize that this was happening at all. So I’m curious — are you planning to vote in the special election on April 26?
22
Mar
2011
If you vote “Other” in the poll I would love to hear your reasoning…
How about voting for no one to fill the seat? Some times our choice of candidates leave the choice of vacant seat very desirable.
Yes, and I would urge all who care about our city to not propogate this “One City” mess any further. Vote for anyone BUT Sekou Biddle, who is a Vince Gray / “Fully Loaded” puppet.
“Sekou Biddle is as much of a Vince Gray/”Fully Loaded Puppet”…really?”
Sekou Biddle is the only member of the council that actually taught in the classroom and if D.C. is going to make gains in k-12 education, wouldnt it be prudent to have an educator voicing opinions when and where it matters?
Question for you Rake…Are you on the Orange payroll?
There’s an election in April?
Definitely not a fan of Vince Orange, or the Vince / Fully Loaded band of “One Citidiots”.
If DC is going to make gains in education, they need effective administrators like Kaya Henderson to stick around, and determined teachers. A former teacher as a councilmember isn’t going to mean much. Mary Cheh is a lawyer – think she helps the AG with his work? Puh-leeze.
It would be prudent to have another councilmember who is not beholden to Vince, Marion, Loaded, and Team Thomas on the council. You’ll recall the backroom deals that allowed Biddle’s appointment, do you not?
Rake…don’t remember the backroom deals, but if that is what it takes to get an excellent educator on the council, then so be it…its DC politics-you have to play the game or get played. That being said, what I do remember is the time and dedication that Sekou spent working as a teacher. I also remember the efforts Sekou put into get KIPP Key Academy built on 46-48 BenningRd… That school has turned out to be one of the most successful middle schools in DC. I also know that Kaya and Sekou are both TFA alumni and have both dedicated their careers to the goal that one day every child will have access to a great education.
If you are ok with side deals and corruption, jmt, this is the administration for you. Again, no clue how being a teacher qualifies one to be a councilmember, by YMMV.
Some background reading, with video:
http://dcist.com/2011/01/-_longshot_candidate_stanley_mays.php#
http://mobile.dcist.com/2011/01/dc_democrats_accused_of_unfairly_su.php#
http://dcist.com/2011/02/sekou_biddle_was_for_higher_taxes_b.php#
Jmt321 sets a pretty low bar for the City Council if all that’s required is having “taught in the classroom.” There’s thousands of teachers, employed and unemployed, who might be better candidates than Biddle. Sheesh.
Some of them might actually have some background in finance.
ding ding ding! We have a winner! Nicely put, anon…
Most traditional teachers do not have a background in finance. However, I am sure that Biddle covered finance courses while he studied business in college. However, if that isn’t enough for the likes of anon, here is a short video clip of two teachers without finance specific backgrounds that have moved from the classroom to politics to advocate for education. First, Bill Furguson, a teacher in Balt., MD, now a State Congressman in Maryland. Second, Michael Johnston, a teacher in the Mississippi Delta, now a State Senator in Colorado
http://vimeo.com/19908808
After you watch the video, please let me know if you still feel as though I am setting the bar too low, or if you’re expectations of what teachers are capable of are way off.