Marie Johns
Office Sought: D.C. Mayor
Age: 55
Residence: Spring Valley.
Education: BS, MA, public administration, Indiana University.
Occupation: Retired president, Verizon, Washington.
Web site: www.johnsformayor.com
E-mail address: info@johnsformayor.com
Elected offices/civic activities:
Trustee, Howard University; chair, Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science; member, National Capital Revitalization Corp., Anacostia Waterfront Corp.; former chair, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington; founding chair, Washington DC Technology Council; former chair, Leadership Washington; former chair, DC Chamber of Commerce; board of stewards, Metropolitan AME Church.
Why should voters elect you?
"Character: honest, no political games; record of service to better people's lives; management experience to run $7 billion government with 30,000 employees."
What do you think is the most urgent problem facing your jurisdiction?
"Economic inequality. We are the city with the greatest wealth disparity in the nation. Education is the solution. I will improve our public education system pre-kindergarten through college. I will oversee the operational aspects of our schools . including procurement, buildings and grounds, and security . so that our educators are solely responsible and accountable for educating our children. I will make sure after-school tutoring and mentoring programs are readily available. And I will create a UDC-Anacostia campus to provide vocational training east of the river."
What is your plan to reduce crime in the District?
"As mayor, I will develop programs that will address crime prevention and not just crime reaction. My No. 1 crime prevention program will be improving the schools and building a lifelong learning system from pre-K through college.
"Other public safety measures include:
"Asking the chief of police to implement real community-oriented policing; this includes increased police presence in critical areas and increased foot patrol and bike patrol.
"Improving the application effort for federal dollars from the Department of Homeland Security.
"Facilitating cooperation and information exchange between public safety organizations."
How would you maintain affordable housing for lower-income and working-class residents during a time of gentrification?
"A healthy community provides a range of housing options to meet the needs of all residents. I will leverage every penny of federal funds for low-income and subsidized housing and bring together all the local agencies that provide housing assistance so that there is one, cohesive housing production program. I will make sure that new developments such as the McMillan Reservoir, the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home and parcels along the Anacostia Waterfront provide a range of housing options including for low-income residents.
"A Johns administration will ensure a permanent mix of workforce and affordable housing in those developments."
A federal court monitor says the District has shown a "pattern of neglect" toward mentally retarded citizens in its care. What are your plans for improving their care?
"In order to fix troubled agencies like MRDDA, I will implement reform that rewards innovation, works collaboratively with the private sector and advocacy groups, and invests in staff:
"Mitigate any and all administrative barriers to quality resident care, such as unnecessarily strict interpretation of Medicaid rules.
"Implement immediate reforms that encourage flexibility and innovation when developing care plans for residents.
"Reward efforts that enable a resident to remain/return to the care of family.
"Expand training requirements for direct-care providers and case managers.
"Toughen the enforcement function by improving the quality and training of inspectors."
Should the city build a new central library on the site of the old convention center or rehabilitate the current Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library?
"I would like to keep all the options on the table at this point. I have not ruled out a full-scale renovation of the MLK central library. The most important objective is to provide a cost-effective, state-of-the-art library system including a flagship central library and connected neighborhood branches serving the entire city."
-- The Washington Post
