Thank you Frank Wilds for having the guts to go on records in opposition to the Mayor's ill advised proposals. This is exactly what we need in a councilmember. You are definitely the right person for the job and hopefully the Ward 5 electorate will see this and put Frank Wilds to work on May 15th.
Rick Lee
RICHARD S. LEE, PRESIDENT
LEE'S FLOWER & CARD SHOP, INC
D.C.'s OLDEST FLORIST
1026 U ST, N. W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001
202 265-4965 202 483-5887 (F)
202 744-1313(C)
From: shirley smith <srs-usasc@rcn.com>
To: shirley smith <srs-usasc@rcn.com>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 8:44 PM
Subject: [WardFive] Press Release Wilds for Ward 5
To: shirley smith <srs-usasc@rcn.com>
Sent: Friday, April 13, 2012 8:44 PM
Subject: [WardFive] Press Release Wilds for Ward 5
Democrat FRANK WILDS www.FrankWildsForWard5.com 3321 12th Street NE,
Washington, DC 20017 Tel: 202.733.1270
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Thursday, April 12, 2012
WildsforWard5@gmail.com
Ofc: 202.733.1270
Cell: 202.440.3769
Wilds Opposes Mayor's Traffic-Cam Surge & Budget Cuts Affecting Needy
Citizens
WASHINGTON, DC - Ward 5 City Council candidate Frank Wilds today declared
his opposition to Mayor Gray's proposal to cut health care funding for DC's
neediest citizens and to raise $30 million in new revenue from
traffic-camera fines.
"It was alarming to learn that the Mayor proposes to cut $31 million in the
hospitalization and other health care benefits available to more than 20,000
DC residents who rely on the health care 'safety net' of Medicaid and the DC
HealthCare Alliance," Mr. Wilds said. "I commend the Mayor for submitting a
balanced budget, but I believe his 'balance' is weighted too heavily against
those most in need of the safety net that government must rightfully
provide."
Mr. Wilds also took issue with the Mayor's proposal to spend $5.8 million on
new, high-tech traffic monitoring devices in order to collect a projected
$30.3 million in new revenue from fines levied against those accused of
traffic-law violations.
"The Mayor's proposed traffic-cam expansion amounts to making the District a
'gotcha' jurisdiction - a speed trap - for the sole purpose of raising
revenue," he said. "As the Middle Atlantic American Automobile Association
has pointed out, the legitimate purpose of traffic cameras is public safety
- deterring speeding and other violations. To look to speed-trap monitoring
devices as a revenue generator is a gross perversion of how these devices
are supposed to benefit our city."
Moreover, he added, "Scores of Ward 5 residents have told me about wrongful
fines charged against them because of traffic-cam errors. Traffic-cam
surveillance is a flawed system, and one that we certainly cannot expand
solely in the pursuit of revenue."
Mr. Wilds urged Ward 5 residents to attend and express their views at the
Mayor's Ward 5 "budget town hall" on Tuesday, April 10, from 6:30-8:30 pm,
at McKinley Tech High School, 151 T Street NE. "I'll be there," he pledged,
"and I hope to listen and learn from hundreds of Ward 5 residents who come
out to express their views about what our city budget priorities ought to be
for Ward 5."
On other aspects of the Mayor's Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal, Mr.
Wilds:
* Applauded the commitment of funding for construction of two new
middle schools in Ward 5, but said he wants much more detailed information
about the location, academic curriculum, and implementation timetable for
these schools,
* Tentatively agreed with the proposed increase of $20.5 million for
the Metropolitan Police Department to support a police force of 3,907 sworn
officers and other MPD needs, but said he would seek more detailed
information about how the funding increase would benefit Ward 5, and
* Commended the Mayor's recognition, in his budget proposal, that the
Executive Branch must do a better job of "maximizing collection of currently
authorized taxes and fees".
"Despite years of promises of reform, we still lose millions of dollars
every year because the Executive Branch has been unacceptably sloppy,
inefficient, careless - and in some cases, absolutely corrupt - in
collecting the taxes and fees owed to the city," Mr. Wilds stated.
"For instance, the DC Inspector General reported in February 2012 that the
city failed to collect as much as $31 million in condominium conversion fees
required by DC law. If the city had collected these fees, we wouldn't even
be talking about cutting $31 million from hospitalization and health care
benefits for our neediest citizens."
If elected to the Ward 5 Council seat, Mr. Wilds pledged to apply vigilant
"green-eyeshade" scrutiny to the city budget and agency spending reports - a
skill he has honed to a high level of expertise during his career as a
business owner.
The Ward 5 Councilmember chosen in the May 15 special election will take
office in time to participate in Council hearings and votes on the FY 2013
budget. The final Council vote on the FY 2013 budget takes place in October
2012.
Shirley Rivens Smith, President
US Africa Sister Cities Foundation, Inc.
DC-Dakar
2000 Upshur St., NE
Washington, DC 20018
www.usasc.org
202-635-3138
# # #
Paid for by the Frank Wilds for Ward 5 Councilmember Committee, 5016 Eastern
Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017, Eddie Harrison, Treasurer. Our reports are
filed with the Office of Campaign Finance, DC Board of Elections & Ethics.
Paid for by the Frank Wilds for Ward 5 Councilmember Committee, 5016 Eastern
Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017, Eddie Harrison, Treasurer. Our reports are
filed with the Office of Campaign Finance, DC Board of Elections & Ethics.
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