Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By: Mary Tablante
When D.C. residents go to the polls in November to vote for the new mayor, they will have to make a decision between Muriel Bowser (D), David Catania (I) and Carol Schwartz (I).
Both Catania and Schwartz were previously registered Republicans who are running as Independents, and Bowser secured the Democratic mayoral nomination in the April primaries. All three candidates have placed a strong emphasis on improving education in D.C.
The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in D.C. is growing, totaling more than 27,500 and making up 4.5 percent of the overall population. Education and language access are important issues for our communities since nearly one in five, or 16.1 percent, of D.C. Asian Americans are limited English proficient, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Employment, poverty and health care are also top concerns for Asian Americans, as 26.1 percent of Asian Americans in D.C. are listed as not in the labor force and 15.9 percent live in poverty. Additionally, almost eight percent of Asian American D.C. residents lack health insurance.
Carol Schwartz has lived in the District for nearly 50 years and this election marks her fifth time running for mayor. She served on the Board of Education from 1974 to 1982, began her career as a special education teacher, and was on the D.C. Council At-Large from 1985 to 1989 and 1997 to 2009. While both in and out of political life, Schwartz devotes her time to volunteer work.
During her time with the Board of Education, Schwartz reinstituted standardized testing and called for tougher teacher evaluations. In her education position paper available online, Schwartz aims to increase resources in high-need schools and wants to offer more vocational and technical training opportunities.
Another commitment for Schwartz is protecting taxpayers. She said one accomplishment she is most proud of in her career was helping to lay the groundwork for lowering income tax for residents and lowering business taxes. She also advocated for sick leave for workers.
Schwartz also wants to ensure D.C. flourishes in both ethnic and economic diversity.
“One of the things I want to do if I’m elected mayor is work very hard on getting more affordable housing,” Schwartz told Asian Fortune. “The city has such glorious diversity, but we’re losing that.”
Schwartz added that she knows high housing costs has affected the Asian American community as well, particularly in Chinatown.
“I don’t necessarily think of one ethnic community over another; I think of all of them,” she said. “I think it is part of that glorious diversity and feel very sad about losing (that). Not only am I going to try to stop the loss (in population), but turn it around so that people will want to come back in and afford to come back in.”
On language access for limited English proficient Asian Americans, Schwartz said, “I certainly want to have adult education programs for every segment of the population who wants to grow in language, reading and other areas.”
David Catania has lived in D.C. for nearly 30 years. Last year, he was selected to chair the Council’s Committee on Education and chaired the Committee on Health for eight years.
Catania is a lawyer and the first openly gay member of the D.C. Council. One aspect that sets him apart from his competitors is his 126-page platform of proposals about how he plans to lead the city.
His education plan puts an emphasis on closing the achievement gap and funding the D.C. Promise, a program that would provide assistance to District students so they can attend college or career training. For housing, Catania would support mixed-income developments and improve conditions at the D.C. General Family Shelter.
Catania’s economic vision for D.C. is to create a more competitive business environment and increase opportunities for workforce development.
In regards to health issues, Catania hopes to address health disparities and build on combating HIV/AIDS. Catania’s website says that during his time on the D.C. Council, he has helped to cut the number of uninsured residents in half. In addition to this, he recognized the needs of the city’s immigrant population by restoring cuts to the D.C. Healthcare Alliance, which provides services to residents who are low-income and to those who do not have health insurance.
Catania also co-introduced the Bebe Moore Campbell District of Columbia Minority Mental Health Awareness Month Resolution of 2010. The purpose of this resolution was to bring diverse communities together to discuss the importance of mental health awareness through presentations, media campaigns and more.
Muriel Bowser is a native Washingtonian who has served on the D.C. Council since 2007 and represents Ward 4. In her time on the Council, she oversaw the growth in Ward 4, which experienced a growth in population, public spaces, housing and small businesses.
Bowser also created consumer protections for homeowners facing foreclosure during in tenure as a councilmember.
Bowser’s top education goal is to transform middle schools in the District by 2020 by launching the Good to Great Initiative. She plans to do this by broadening STEM education and expanding opportunities for early childhood education.
In her platform, Bowser also prioritizes mental and behavioral health and calls for increased support to victims of domestic violence.
In a questionnaire from the D.C. Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus, Bowser said that if elected mayor, she would make sure that the director of the Office of Human Rights (OHR) has the enforcement tools needed to manage language access for District residents. She also said she would require the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA) to work with OHR and actively seek residents in need of support.
“In a Bowser administration, the OAPIA will fulfill its original mission; OAPIA will again become a place where disenfranchised AAPI residents and business owners can seek answers to their problems,” wrote Bowser in the questionnaire.
Bowser wrote that she is aware of the growing poverty in the AAPI communities and understands that aggregated data about AAPIs is often misleading.
“We also have many small businesses owned by members of the AAPI community, and their concerns include licensing, taxes and access to capital. As mayor, I will serve all of my constituents, and I welcome the input from all communities,” Bowser wrote.
Bowser and Catania were not available for comment at time of press.