Petar for Ward 3: Endorsed by the Washington Post (Update)

[Anonymous]

Is your family from Bulgaria?

[Anonymous]

I will support virtually anyone running against Mary Cheh. Thank you for running.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will support virtually anyone running against Mary Cheh. Thank you for running.

It’s nice to have another option!

[Anonymous]

Hearst Pool, yea or nay?

I noticed a lot of your signs in the vicinity.

[Anonymous]

I can tell Petar is going to be a great councilmember, because he posted here and won't answer questions asked of him.

Making Cheh look good there, Petar. Way to shoot yourself in the foot.

[Anonymous]

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

I don't understand. The city under Adrian Fenty and Murial Bowser has rebuilt all of the schools in the Ward (Eaton is next) and all of the libraries have either been rebuilt or renovated significantly. All of the parks have been renovated or updated except for Hearst. And that is on the books. So what is the crumbling infrastructure that you want to focus on?

And where would this new Ward 3 school be located and how would the boundaries for it be drawn?

[Anonymous]

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

When it comes to school capacity DC generally and Ward 3 specifically has a boundary problem not a capacity problem.

The Ward 3 Elementary schools are now all big and some people think that's a problem (and some don't) but the schools are not overcrowded nor do any really have any problems with student:teacher ratios nor space to fulfill any programmatic needs. (And these elementary schools are like this because Cheh has funded multiple expansions and renovations)

The Ward 3 Middle Schools and the Ward 3 High School both have more than enough seats to serve the kids who live in Ward 3 and the adjacent parts of Ward 4. But what Deal, Hardy and Wilson cannot do indefinitely is accept kids from the entire city.

So Petar - are you willing to take on the charters and take on the parents who won't give up their right to attend these west of the park schools (or get in through connections) and work to create great neighborhood schools across the city?

There is nothing wrong with the schools in Ward 3 and they have plenty of seats for local families - the problem is the schools in Wards 1,2,4,5,6,7 & 8.

[Anonymous]

The WaPo But we think voters in Ward 3 should consider Petar A. Dimtchev, the independent challenging Mary M. Cheh (D). Ms. Cheh has grown during her two terms in office — her handling of “death with dignity” legislation was particularly deft — but her continued efforts to undermine mayoral control of education is worrying.

Wait, they are attacking Cheh for challenging the Mayor? Why would people who question the direction under the Mayor want to vote for you?

[Anonymous]

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

So I see that as a non-answer on Hearst Pool, which tells me that you either don't support it or else you oppose it, despite it being funded and the will of the 75,000 constituents in the Ward other than the 100 or so people who live right around Hearst Park. Please confirm or deny this statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WaPo But we think voters in Ward 3 should consider Petar A. Dimtchev, the independent challenging Mary M. Cheh (D). Ms. Cheh has grown during her two terms in office — her handling of “death with dignity” legislation was particularly deft — but her continued efforts to undermine mayoral control of education is worrying.

Wait, they are attacking Cheh for challenging the Mayor? Why would people who question the direction under the Mayor want to vote for you?

It's ironic, he is a 'Green Team" lackey who is running as a champion of the NIMBYs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WaPo But we think voters in Ward 3 should consider Petar A. Dimtchev, the independent challenging Mary M. Cheh (D). Ms. Cheh has grown during her two terms in office — her handling of “death with dignity” legislation was particularly deft — but her continued efforts to undermine mayoral control of education is worrying.

Wait, they are attacking Cheh for challenging the Mayor? Why would people who question the direction under the Mayor want to vote for you?

That's my issue. I'm tired of Cheh but I really can't stand Bowser. The Post seems to have drunk the Green Team kool aid and is supporting everyone who is running against a Bowser thorn -- Cheh, and Elissa Silverman too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

When it comes to school capacity DC generally and Ward 3 specifically has a boundary problem not a capacity problem.

The Ward 3 Elementary schools are now all big and some people think that's a problem (and some don't) but the schools are not overcrowded nor do any really have any problems with student:teacher ratios nor space to fulfill any programmatic needs. (And these elementary schools are like this because Cheh has funded multiple expansions and renovations)

The Ward 3 Middle Schools and the Ward 3 High School both have more than enough seats to serve the kids who live in Ward 3 and the adjacent parts of Ward 4. But what Deal, Hardy and Wilson cannot do indefinitely is accept kids from the entire city.

So Petar - are you willing to take on the charters and take on the parents who won't give up their right to attend these west of the park schools (or get in through connections) and work to create great neighborhood schools across the city?

There is nothing wrong with the schools in Ward 3 and they have plenty of seats for local families - the problem is the schools in Wards 1,2,4,5,6,7 & 8.

I can quibble a bit with what you're saying about Deal and Wilson but you do have a point. However, the elementaries are a different story. There really are capacity issues. At Key and Stoddert they've added trailers so that every kid has a seat, but that doesn't make the rest of the school any bigger. The library, gym, playground and cafeteria don't get any bigger when trailers are added. When the kids have twelve minutes for lunch and lunch is taken in shifts over a two-plus hour period there is a definite effect on the program. The same when recess has to be spread over the entire day because the playground isn't big enough.

A big part of the problem is that DCPS doesn't like to measure its problems. So there are no reliable capacity numbers for any of the schools, nor are there even policies for measuring the capacities. So right now no one really knows how crowded the schools are.

[Anonymous]

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

Would you support not renewing the lease of the Old Hardy School so that the site can be used for a school? When the old Hardy School closed, it was leased rather than sold so that if someday the site were needed it would be available. If someday isn't now, when is?

[Anonymous]

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

Isn't infrastructure more the job of the mayor than a ward councilmember?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Petar wrote:Dear All,
I am proud to announce that the Washington Post has endorsed our campaign: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-posts-endorsements-for-dc-council/2018/10/19/25b8afa2-d303-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html?utm_term=.d7456ac7d087

The campaign is keeping me busy and I cannot check this thread as much as I would like. The best way to reach me is by email: [e-mail]

With respect to the specific questions:
1. my family is Bulgarian.
2. the ward needs a new school to resolve overcrowding. We also need to invest in repairing our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure. My focus will be on addressing these two urgent needs.

Isn't infrastructure more the job of the mayor than a ward councilmember?

It is. Shows a total lack of understanding of the position he is running for.