The candidate's letter to Fire Chief Otis Latin
Candidate's response to GLAA 1996 Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
1. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between persons of the same-sex?
A. Yes. Two people should have the right to declare their lifelong commitment to each other. I was recently married myself, and in addition to the important benefits of mutual love, support, and companionship, civil marriage also has many very tangible economic and social benefits which help promote stability in our society -- all good things which lesbian and gay couples should certainly share in as equal citizens of our nation.
2. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to stop the District of Columbia from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii or other places?
A. Yes. I will actively lobby on Capitol Hill against any effort Congress makes to interfere with any states' recognition of same sex marriages. In my current position as shadow Representative, I have enjoyed working with the lesbian and gay community on a variety of issues regarding Statehood and home rule and I fully expect to continue to do so. I was especially grateful to have had the opportunity to work with members of GLAA, the Gertrude Stein Club, and the DC Coalition of Black Lesbians, Gay Men and Bisexuals to organize a lesbian and gay themed Statehood protest rally on Capitol Hill as part of a series of protests over the past few years.
3. Do you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to outlaw or restrict adoptions by unmarried couples in the District of Columbia?
A. Yes. More support is needed for adoption of children in our community -- not less. Should there be restrictions of any type, they should, of course, apply equally across the board, without regards to the sexual orientation of the prospective parents. Unlike Newt Gingrich, I believe that children belong in a loving home rather than languishing in foster care or institutions. Many lesbian and gay couples in our city right now are proving every day how capable they are to the very important task of raising children. I will continue to work closely with the community to see to it that Congress does not overturn our policies.
4. If Congress ever repeals the D.C. Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 that established the registration of domestic partnerships, will you vote to reenact the same law?
A. Yes. The lesbian and gay community, very wisely I think has sought to establish domestic partnership policies in jurisdictions, union contracts, and corporation around this nation over the last decade. These policies can benefit senior citizens and extended families as well. The reality of family life today in America is that it is a diverse one. We must continue to respond to and address issues that diversity raises. This is one way. I will not only lobby Congress to make them allow us to use our own tax dollars to fund this program but I will also personally reintroduce the law as passed by the Council in 1992 should the Republicans in Congress completely disrespect democracy in DC and strike the law from our books.
5. Do you support the re-establishment of the Office of Human Rights as an independent, Cabinet-level agency whose Director has direct access to the Mayor?
A. Yes, if money to reestablish the office is offset by other budget cuts or revenue increases. There are a variety of plans in the city to consolidate the various business promotion and regulation activities that the city undertakes. I would support separating out the Office of Human Rights from the Office of Minority Business Development in this context. Human rights is a full time job and should have an agency head who is at least conversant in the topic. The City's financial condition at this time makes me reluctant to commit to spending new funds on this task. It is my understanding that OHR may not currently seek all of the federal money which may be available to process cases -- this situation must change and I will work to see that it does. This will help make the job of processing backlogged cases easier.
6. Do you agree that the Boy Scouts of America is violating the D.C. Human Rights Law's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by excluding gays from participating either as scouts or as leaders?
A. Yes. The District has a standard which is higher than many jurisdictions around the country -- the Boy Scouts, under our law, is not a distinctly private organization. They benefit from the use of our school facilities and other types of public accommodation. In turn they should fully obey our laws.
7. Will you vote to repeal the Armstrong Amendment, which allows religiously-affiliated private educational institutions in the District to discriminate against student clubs that promote equal rights for lesbians and gay men?
A. Yes, although this is not a live issue at this time. Given the current Republican control of Congress, any such Armstrong Amendment repeal effort is doomed to failure. The sad irony of the situation is that Georgetown never sought Senator Armstrong's actions and settled out of court with the gay student group trying to establish itself there. I certainly think we can do without Congress' intervention on this and many other matters.
8. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to abolish or restrict the right of our public school students to form clubs that promote greater understanding between gays and others?
A. Yes. In the public schools, students need the right of free expression and association. I was appalled by the actions out in Utah to ban all student groups rather than allow one gay-straight student club to come into existence. That kind of raw bigotry will not be tolerated by me or by the people of the District. It is gratifying to know that support for lesbian and gay civil rights goes up in the polls when people actually know an actual gay or lesbian person. Starting with people while they are in school is one way that we can all work to change minds and stop bigotry from developing.
9. Do you support the designation of a third party to act as a fiscal agent for the distribution of federal AIDS money, such as the system recently adopted by the Financial Control Board?
A. Unfortunately, yes because D.C. has paid numerous of providers late therefore the providers had to close their doors. I will work to increase the Council's oversight responsibilities on matters such as these to see that they do not occur ni the future.
10. Do you agree that our own elected officials, past and present, bear much of the responsibility for the District's current financial plight because of their reluctance to make tough budgetary decisions, to establish priorities, and to demand maximum efficiency and productivity (rather than political loyalty) from all District government agencies and workers?
A. Yes. The pain of the necessary budget cuts has been extended by the lack of swift and decisive action. I will work to establish priorities in the budget and improve the management of the departments. My background ni business management, public administration, and city management gives me the knowledge to create effective oversight authority on the Council.
11. Do you support the condom availability programs that have been established in the District's public schools and prisons?
A. Yes. This program is directed at two priorities -- reducing the spread of AIDS and reducing teen pregnancy. I support both objectives. In the corrections setting, it is very important to reduce the skyrocketing rate of HIV infection, especially since many inmates will one day rejoin their families and the community.
12. Will you support legislation that will establish an effective civilian complaint review system for our Metropolitan Police Department?
A. Yes. I think it was responsible [sic] of the Council to dismantle the Civilian Complaint Review Board and I opposed it at the time. Effective civilian participation in the police complaint review process is important, and the diversity of our city, including lesbians and gays, should be represented on the board. I support the current efforts of GLAA and others to create a new board if we can do it in cost effective way that is offset by an increase in revenue or a decrease in some other programs which may be unnecessary. There very well may be some source of federal money that we can use tto accomplish this goal as well.
13. Do you support sensitivity and community relations training for all elements of our public safety system (police, fire department, etc.) that includes strong recognition's of gay and lesbian community concerns, so that the District will never again tolerate the kind of insensitivity and incompetence reflected in the Fire Department's handling of the Tyra Hunter case?
A. Yes. The Tyra Hunter incident and the more recent incident on P Street have shown how important such programs are. I commend the work of GLOV, GLAA and others in providing training to the MPD. I will insist that members of the community be involved in the design and implementation of a sensitivity training program for the fire department as well. I have recently written Chief Otis Latin to express my concerns and have provided you with a copy of my letter to him.
14. Do you oppose legislation or initiatives that would authorize organized prayers in our public schools, thereby encouraging the harassment of individuals who choose not to participate?
A. Yes, I oppose organized prayer in public schools. Students currently have the right to pray in schools when they wish.
15. Do you oppose efforts to abolish or drastically curtail the powers of our elected Board of Education?
A. Yes. Elected school boards allow the greatest input by all citizens. There are some public officials that fear public input but I am not one of them. I do favor, however, cutting the salaries of the school board and their staff. I would like to see more money go into instruction and services for children, and the physical plant of the schools, and less to bureaucratic inefficiencies.
It has been very fulfilling for me to work with many members of the lesbian and gay community on a variety of projects through the years. Lesbian and gay people are my colleagues and my friends. I have been proud to have the support of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club in my various candidacies for public office and I regularly attend and participate in their meetings and a wide variety of other community functions such as the AIDS Walk, the Lesbian and Gay Freedom Festival celebration, Black Pride Day, and many other community events.
I was proud to cast my vote this year on the D.C. Democratic State Committee to send openly gay people to the Democratic Convention as Delegates and to make former GLAA President Jeff Coudriet a member of the Electoral College. Lesbian and gay people deserve a seat at the table and I will continue to work towards that end. With the help of the Stein Club and my many other friends in the community I will be taking my campaign directly to lesbian and gay people and will actively campaign on 17th Street, P Street, and anywhere else I will be welcome. I have run and won city-wide before, and with the help of the lesbian and gay community, I can win again.
Thank you for your sincere consideration of my questionnaire answers and I look forward to having your support in September and in November.
Sincerely,
John Capozzi
Chief Otis Latin
D.C. Fire Department
1923 Vermont Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
Dear Chief Latin:
I am writing to you with regard to the recent reports in the Washington Blade about an incident which occurred to two gay men on P Street.
It disturbs me that these gentlemen may have been refused prompt and professional treatment from members of the fire department or emergency medical services. As you may know, lesbian and gay people are tax paying citizens like everyone else and valued members of our community. The situation as I understand it certainly warrants a full and complete, not to mention timely, investigation by you and your department. I understand that this has not yet taken place.
I am familiar with the diversity sensitivity training program currently in force in the Metropolitan Police Department. It is imperative that the fire department and emergency medical services commence with similar training that is designed with input from the many diverse communities in our city. It has been over a year since the tragic incident involving Tyra Hunter in Southeast -- there is no longer any reason to delay implementing this training. I look forward to a timely and positive response to these concerns from you and your department.
Sincerely,
John Capozzi