Responses of Sandra Seegars to
GLAA 1998 Questionnaire for Council Candidates
1. If elected, what will you do to encourage the Council to exercise its powers more responsibly and thereby facilitate a speedy return of home rule powers to the District?
To encourage the Council to exercise its powers more responsibly, to hopefully return home rule powers, I plan to set a good example, and just maybe the other members will follow my lead as a more responsible, take charge type councilmember.
2. The Council has seldom aggressively exercised its oversight powers over the District government. Instead, too often it has been passive and reactive in addressing the mismanagement problems which routinely plague the District government's administration. What will you do to improve the Council's performance of its oversight responsibilities?
To improve the Council's performance of its oversight responsibilities, I will do so by voting against the appointments or reappointments of appointees whose agencies are failing, and request the replacement of employees who are unqualified or are performing below standard. This is one way we will get our money's worth. This will also improve the deliverance of services to the residents.
3. Do you support passage and full funding for the new civilian complaint review system to be established by Bill 12-521, the "Citizen Complaint Review Act of 1998"?
A new civilian complaint review system, that works, is long over due. I do support full funding for such a system. I had contacted former Councilmember Bill Lightfoot, before he left, about this system, and he had started action on it.
4. Do you support Bill 12-612, the "Opened Alcoholic Beverage Containers Amendment Act of 1998" (a.k.a. the "Chardonnay Lady Bill"), that would allow people to drink alcoholic beverages on their porches without fear of arrest?
Yes, I support Bill 12-612. A person should be able to entertain, relax or be in their own yards while consuming alcoholic beverages.
5. In an apparent effort to bolster his standing with some segments of the District community, the recently-ousted chief of the Department of Consumer & Regulatory Affairs, David Watts, instituted a zoning regulation earlier this year barring video stores from deriving more than 15% of their revenue from sexually-oriented videos. Do you agree that this attack on the rights of adult consumers is utterly unwarranted and that there should be no limits on the proportion of video store revenues derived from adult videos?
No, I do not agree with David Watts zoning regulation that bars video stores from deriving more than 15% of their revenue from sexually oriented videos. Adults should not be restricted on types of videos purchased, and stores should not be limited on the selling of sexually-oriented videos.
6. Will you support legislation to authorize and regulate the issuance of liquor licenses to establishments (in designated non-residential commercial districts) that want to offer nude dancing as entertainment?
Yes, I would support legislation to authorize and regulate the issuance of liquor licenses to establishments that want to offer nude dancing as entertainment because nude dancing, in itself, should not be a violation of the law. The establishment would have to be in a commercially zoned area for that type of establishment.
7. Do you support Initiative 59 (or similar legislation) to legalize the use of medical marijuana when a patient's doctor recommends it as a means to combat some of the effects of AIDS, cancer, and other diseases?
Yes, I support Initiative 59, 100%, or any other measure that would diminish the effects of a terminal illnes. The fear of marijuana abuse, if prescribed by a doctor, can be looked upon as any other prescription medicine, those who will abuse it, will; those who won't abuse it, won't.
8. The New York State Legislature recently passed legislation saying that: (1) doctors must report the names of people who test positive for HIV to public health officials; and that (2) health workers must attempt to have infected patients identify their sex of or drug-use partners and then must notify those partners of possible exposure. Such measures are invariable counter-productive and discourage those most at risk from being tested and treated for HIV. Will you oppose any such legislation in the District?
I would not support legislation saying doctors must report positively tested persons with HIV/AIDS, or health workers, with infected patients, identify their sex or drug-use partners. I would support legislation that would require positively tested persons to seek counseling to show them how important it is to reveal, or contact their sex or drug-use partners.
9. Do you support an increase in District government funding to combat AIDS in line with the continuing increase in the caseload?
I support an increase in District government funding to combat AIDS/HIV.
10. Do you support continued District government funding for the needle exchange program to combat the spread of AIDS?
Yes, I support continued District government funding for the needle exchange program to combat the spread of AIDS, under the supervision of a drug counselor, in an effort to stop the use of drugs.
11. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
To separate state from church, would allow the marriage of any two consenting persons of legal age by the state, therefore not to infringe upon religious beliefs, a justice of the peace could marry partners of the same sex, under this format I say yes.
12. Do you support the current District policy, sanctioned by a court rule, of allowing adoptions by unmarried couples?
Yes, I support the current policy of allowing adoptions by unmarried couples. I also support the policy of single persons adopting. Anyone who have room in their hearts or homes should be allowed to adopt.
13. Do you support both an increased budget for the Office of Human Rights (OHR) so that its heavy case backlog can be eliminated, and the re-establishment of OHR as an independent, Cabinet-level agency whose Director has direct access to the Mayor?
Yes, I support an increased budget for OHR to eliminate its heavy case backlog, and OHR reestablished as an independent agency.
14. Will you support legislation codifying OHR's current practice of granting top priority to discrimination complaints from those afflicted with AIDS or other life-shortening conditions?
Yes, I support legislation codifying OHR's current practice of granting top priority to discrimination complaints from those afflicted with life-shortening conditions if the discrimination was because of the life-shortening condition. However, if the person dies before the case is heard, and the charge is discrimination because of the life-shortening condition, an assignee can act in place of the original complainant, and an affivadit can serve as evidence.
15. Proposals for establishing a system of vouchers for private schools, whether here or elsewhere around the country, would funnel taxpayer dollars to religious schools controlled by denominations that fr3equently are aggressively homophobic. Will you oppose any legislation authorizing vouchers for religious schools?
I do not support school vouchers for any schools. I support improving the public school system, to accomodate the majority of the school age children.
