Better results by working as 'one city'

The Post asked the front-runners in the D.C. mayor's race: "How will the challenges facing the city for the next four years be different from the last four? What will you do to address them?"

District residents are desperate for a change in leadership. They want a mayor with the integrity to put an end to cronyism and create a competitive government that is not plagued by mismanagement and closed-door deals. They want a leader to push aggressive school reform that is sustainable and embraced by communities, parents and teachers across the city. They want a leader who understands that public safety is not just a numbers game. They want a leader who will get our residents back to work. And they want a leader who will engage the community in a collaborative way, helping to unite us as "one city."

Our residents deserve better and will have better leadership under a Gray administration.

I led the fight on the D.C. Council to bring school reform to the District. I recognized then, just as I do now, that sustainable, aggressive reform is absolutely necessary to prepare our children for success. In a Gray administration, aggressive reform will continue, and I will support a strong chancellor to guide that effort. But reform cannot be tied to one person. And we need more than just mayoral control. We need mayoral leadership.

Further, reform cannot begin and end with kindergarten through 12th grade in our public school system. Under a Gray administration, there will be a more holistic approach to education from birth through college. This includes not only continued and sustainable school reform for our K-12 system, but an increased focus on early-childhood education and support for the University of the District of Columbia and the new Community College of the District of Columbia.

We'll also make sure to provide for the educational needs of all of our children. That means creating parity for charter school students, stopping the neglect of our special-education students, and investing in vocational and career education in our public schools. When I am mayor, residents can expect a collaborative approach to school reform, so that all stakeholders have a seat at the table. That way, reform can be institutionalized and embraced.

Over the next four years, we also need to focus on economic development in a whole new way. Unemployment in the District is at an all-time high, rising to 30 percent in some communities. We don't need just a series of unrelated development projects -- we need a comprehensive economic development plan. In my plan, we will not only focus on vocational and higher education to help prepare our workforce but also on job training and readiness in emerging fields such as green technology, transportation and construction. We'll give small businesses the support they deserve and create a more business-friendly environment. We'll refocus our efforts on key areas such as the District's creative, tourism and hospitality industries. We'll work to connect transportation and infrastructure with communities that need them. And we'll enforce the law that says companies that are awarded District contracts are required to hire District residents. In my administration we will get District residents back to work.

We also need to help families feel safer in their communities. While some crime statistics nationally are trending down, robberies, sexual assaults and auto thefts are up in some parts of the city. Under a Gray administration, public safety officials will be given the support to better protect our neighborhoods and communities. As mayor, I will give our officers the tools they need to improve community policing and create incentives for our first responders to live in the District so they are truly invested in the security of our neighborhoods. We'll reform our emergency medical services to help them respond better to citizens' needs. And we'll focus on rehabilitative services to better prepare ex-offenders to re-enter society.

Finally, we need to change the way the mayor's office operates. There have been too many instances of mismanagement and cronyism over the past four years. Every day seems to bring another story about overspending in city programs, depletion of the District's rainy-day fund, hundreds of cases of lost DNA evidence, or secrecy and lack of transparency, such as $82 million in contracts being steered to the mayor's fraternity brothers without council approval. My administration will make the fiscally responsible decisions necessary to keep the city on budget, restore transparency to the mayor's office and put an end to the pay-to-play politics that are rampant in the Fenty administration.

By working together, bringing a holistic and collaborative approach to our challenges, and restoring the public's trust in the mayor's office, we truly can help create "one city" in the District of Columbia.

The writer is chairman of the D.C. Council.