Marcus Skelton Interviewed for DC City Counsil

Marcus a member of Hip Hop Republicans.com is candidate for
At-Large member of D.C. City Council


By KATE PLOURD

Special to The Common Denominator

Marcus Skelton, the youngest candidate for an at-large seat on D.C. City Council, says he seeks to use his youthful spirit, positive attitude and ambition to create a city in which people want to live.

The 25-year-old Southeast Washington resident, who has lived in the District for just over a year, says his biggest priority is to keep taxes low so residents can continue to live in their homes.

"We need to keep people in the city by keeping appraisal rates and taxes low," Skelton told The Common Denominator during a recent interview.

Lower taxes help create a number of benefits for a city, he said, such as allowing residents to save more money for retirement so they can continue to live in the District. Lower taxes also can help increase the number of small businesses able to operate, he said.

Skelton, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary on Sept. 12, also ranks education, healthcare and career development of the District’s young people among his most important issues.

Education and community development are fields in which Skelton has already gained experience. After graduating from Bowie State University, where he received a master’s degree in human resource development, Skelton worked with two nonprofit organizations and implemented career development programs for young people.

He initiated academic tutoring programs and did community service in Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, helped build the Head Start Program at the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Commission after new executive oversight occurred and redesigned the career development program at the community college in Baltimore County.

Skelton said the neighborhood he grew up in didn’t generate "successful" people. With two working parents, he kept himself involved in after-school programs, like the Boy Scouts, to avoid getting involved in activities that would distract him from achieving his goals. He said he wants to use the experience of his youth to help build the potential of young people in the District by building up community development, mentoring programs and skills-building programs.

"Going back and seeing the mistakes I’ve made in the past makes me want to help others," he said.

Reforming public education in the District is one of the most important ways to help D.C. residents, young and old, Skelton believes. He said he thinks that residents should be able to choose which school their children attend and the school system should enforce a tougher curriculum. He supports government-funded school vouchers to open up educational opportunities or students who otherwise could not afford tuition at private schools.

"Education should be something that every child has and income should not be something that determines what type of education a child gets," he said. "We need to give them a chance to have quality education to prepare them for the economy today."

Skelton said a tougher curriculum would prepare students for higher education. He said that he thinks more students in the District need a better education to enable them to gain acceptance to the prestigious universities located in the city.

Healthcare is also an issue Skelton thinks needs change, yet not in the way most leaders seek -- by implementing affordable healthcare.

"Affordability is important," Skelton said, "but what I think is, healthcare needs to be more accessible."

He contends that healthcare is a basic need a city must have for its residents and affordability should be an issue, but people shouldn’t have to trek across town or into Maryland or Virginia to get to a hospital.

Among other issues, Skelton said he supports congressional voting rights for the District, implementing a bipartisan cooperative council that keeps residents' interests in mind and improving crime prevention efforts in the city.


Copyright © 2006 The Common Denominator