BLACK STAR NEWS:

"We Endorse the People's Candidate"

News Editor's Note: We recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Craig Schley to talk to him about his run for Congress. After having spoken to all of the candidates except the incumbent, it is our opinion that Schley has the vision and energy required to serve the people of the 15th Congressional district which encompasses parts of the Bronx, Queens and upper Manhattan.

Please enjoy our Q and A with the candidate:

1) Question: Please tell us in a few sentences why you are running?

With each passing day it is becoming increasingly clear that new leadership is needed in Washington. We currently have a Congress that continues to promise working families health care, economic opportunities and improved schools. Each year those promises are broken, and we see our leaders in Washington consistently protect the special interests and lobbyists at the expense of working families. I'm running for Congress to be responsive to the needs of working families, to deliver the promises made to the communities in this district and to bring new ideas and vision to our Nation's capitol.

2) Question: Give us four reasons why you are a better candidate than the incumbent?

First, I have two things that are desperately needed in the 15th District - new energy and new ideas. Second, as a community activist, I am on the frontlines of the fight to improve the lives of working families, and I have a clear sense of what working families need and expect from Congress. Third, our leaders in Washington, including the incumbent, have created a nation saddled with debt, with failing schools, a faltering economy and an endless war waged under false pretenses. This situation was not created overnight and won't be solved overnight.

Our next representative in Congress must have the commitment to serving until these problems are solved, and the courage to work towards real solutions. Right now, we have an incumbent that is too much a part of the Washington culture to accomplish these goals. Outside of his ethics challenges, he is in the pocket of the special interest and the lobbyist, having taken untold dollars from them over the years. My candidacy is independent. I am owned by no individuals, corporations or interests. My only boss is the people of the 15th District.

3) Question: Who are some of the elected or otherwise prominent community people that have so far endorsed you?

Close to 6000 people from the community signed my petition allowing me the opportunity to make this historic run for Congress. With each passing day, more people have embraced my campaign's message of using new ideas to challenge old thoughts. Our campaign is creating a new politics in Upper Manhattan by bringing together everyone who has felt left behind by our representation in Washington.

4) Question: What are the public or private organizations that have endorsed you?

Small churches and small businesses have endorsed my candidacy, in addition to thousands of individual constituents. We will receive our biggest endorsements on Election Day when the voters we've been speaking to and listening to will finally have their say.

5) Question: What are the 5 policy/actions you will pursue if elected as congressman?

Universally accessible and available healthcare. The people of United States should have no less coverage than their representatives in government.

1. Renewable energy and “green” technology initiatives. “Green-collared” jobs need to be created to replace disappearing manufacturing and industrial jobs and to ensure we are living up to our commitment to the environment. This is especially important in the 15th District where some of the highest asthma rates in the country plague communities.
   
2. Meaningful education reform that will serve youth with limited educational opportunities and that will reduce drop-out rates. The No Child Left Behind Act is doing more harm than good and education policy needs to be reimagined so that we really are not leaving our children behind.
3. Tax policy that supports the middle class. A shift has to occur to align our tax policy with our economic development – those that have benefited most from our economic and financial opportunities should contribute the most to the sustaining of our nation.
4. End the war in Iraq and develop diplomatic relations with allies, former allies, and engage in sincere diplomatic efforts with potential opponents.

6) Question: What impact do you hope to achieve in the whole of the 15th Congressional District?

We need to address the inequities in the 15th District that have arisen in the last several years – particularly there are clear needs in the areas of education, housing and healthcare that must be met with respect to everyone who calls the 15th District home, not just some of its select, fortunate groups. Senior and youth services must be developed and maintained, funding for education needs to be distributed widely, rather than concentrated in a few charter schools, small business that have supported this District through its toughest times need our support in return, incoming small businesses should also have opportunities to add to the richness of character and culture which makes much of this District feel like a village to its residents. District members on public assistance need a new generation of education/apprenticeship/real employment programs to help them achieve independence and those who are previously incarcerated need improved re-entry programs to provide a stepping-stone towards a better way of life.

7) Question: What is our attitude towards the demographic changes in Harlem with the influx of more economically strong groups?

Every community needs to practice respect and understanding. There are closely held and important traditions in every community that if replaced change the very fabric of the community. We need new residents to understand and respect these traditions – such as the King Towers Basketball Tournament – where for decades kids have taken to the streets to root on their friends, family and heroes. In addition, those with long-established roots in the community must also understand that we welcome new families, individuals and businesses into our neighborhoods, and that diversity and choice have always had a place in our community. It is not a matter of new vs. old. The people of the 15th District are not adversarial in nature. But rights, feelings, and spaces have been trampled on. We need to be thinking in terms of mutual respect for the long-time communities of this District, and our newer neighbors. The representative of this District has to foment that kind of respect.

8) Question: What demographic balance between rich and poor would you like to see in your community?

The balance required is that everyone has the opportunity to better their and their family's life. That a mother living in Lincoln Projects raising three kids on her own working part-time and going to school full-time should have a chance to own her own co-op/condo in the community she was born and raised in. This is not done by hand outs but hand ups! We bring our community along with us. The successes of others should breed and spread to those who are trying.

9) Question: Name 3 politicians or leaders, dead or alive, whom you admire?

Shirley Chisholm, Adam Clayton Powell, Thomas Jefferson

10) Question: What are the liabilities that could derail your candidacy?

Our campaign has achieved so much at this point. We've ushered in new voices, new energy and a new politics into this political environment. It has already been a rewarding campaign, and the only thing I can see derailing our campaign is that if people begin to believe that we're not strong enough to make a difference – that the special interest dominates once again.

Yours truly,

Craig Schley

Candidate for Congress

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212 865-1779