IN THEIR OWN WORDS

Jack Evans

When I first came on the council back in 1991, the city was really struggling, and by 1995, we were in such dire straights that a control board was put in place to run the city.  I would say from around 1998 on, I was part of the resurgence of the city, working closely with Mayor Williams and Chairman Linda Cropp and others. We have now taken a city, which again, was in dire straights, to being the most vibrant, exciting city in America…As mayor, I would keep her as school chancellor. I would work with her to continue the reforms that are being done. I believe we are on the right track, and we need to continue to create the environment where every child in the city gets a quality education. We started with renovating the buildings, and I was the architect who started the funding for this whole modernization piece, which has led us to have probably the finest infrastructure for a public school system in America. Now we have to get to the next step, with making sure that the programs that are in those schools, the teachers, the principles, the curriculum, provide our children with the quality education that they’re going to need to compete in the environment in which we are living…When I look back on those years, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. There wasn’t a meeting I missed or an event I didn’t go to that [surpassed]the time I got to spend with my children. I think that’s something that people need to know about me, that there is a human side that is involved in this, and because of that, it makes me a better leader.  READ MORE…Full Interview

Reta Jo Lewis

I believe that I am the best choice, the reason being is because it’s now time for a new day in Washington. It’s time for a new start; it’s time for a fresh start. It’s time for us, basically, to turn the page away from that bad behavior, malfeasance, and corruption that we have seen and that has plagued our government. One of the things that was really clear to me as I traveled around the world talking about America’s values, people ask “How does that relate locally?” Well, you can’t go out and go around the world and be the world’s advocate for state and local government talking about issues like economic opportunity, and openness, and transparency, and accountability, and then you come right back to your own hometown and it’s not happening here. One of the things that became very, very clear for me was that corruption is definitely the number one enemy of this government. So you can either decide from folk’s perspective.  READ MORE…Full Interview