.
.
.
NCS Welcomes Mayor Muriel Bowser
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser visited National Cathedral School on April 23, 2015, to speak to Middle and Upper School students. Her wide-ranging discussion of the District’s challenges and plans was the latest in NCS’s Center for Ethical Leadership and Service (CELS) speaker series.
Back
Mayor Bowser opened by acknowledging that her administration is only 112 days old. Since her November election, she said she’s been building a great team, balancing a budget, and “going out to every neighborhood and ward to make sure we are living up to our promises.” She said that among the many questions District faces are: “How can more students have great schools? How do we eradicate homelessness? How do we expand pathways to the middle class?”
She spoke of the challenges of her administration’s first days, which included a death on Metro, snow days, and a showdown with Congress over Initiative 71 about the legal use of marijuana. “Initiative 71 is a textbook example of how the people can change the law by initiative. But a Congressman from Utah was threatening to put me in jail because I’m doing my job,” she said.
“You may not know how you’ll respond to issues until they happen. It’s important that you have principles, good judgment and good people around you, and you always do the right thing according to those principles and good judgment and what people have elected you to do. You will know how to respond.”
For most of the hour, Bowser fielded students’ questions on topics ranging from gentrification to environmental concerns, DC statehood, traffic congestion, economic inequality, and DC’s bid for the Olympics.
She called the constitutional argument against D.C. statehood “shallow,” and spoke forcefully about the need for District residents to have a voice and votes in Congress. She explained how federal funding to the District is similar to federal funding of other states, except for additional funding for security for officials and visiting dignitaries.
She outlined the District’s long-range plan to eliminate homeless by 2025, efforts to support families in need with school market programs, and how the DC government is working to ensure there are affordable housing options for lower-income families.
Asked how the presidential election will affect her, she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about that,” and said she has spoken with former mayors about their experiences under both Republican and Democratic presidents.
We are grateful to Mayor Bowser for taking the time to visit with NCS students, and to the CELS program for once again bringing a dynamic woman leader to our campus.
More photos from the Mayor's visit can be found in the Media Gallery.
She spoke of the challenges of her administration’s first days, which included a death on Metro, snow days, and a showdown with Congress over Initiative 71 about the legal use of marijuana. “Initiative 71 is a textbook example of how the people can change the law by initiative. But a Congressman from Utah was threatening to put me in jail because I’m doing my job,” she said.
“You may not know how you’ll respond to issues until they happen. It’s important that you have principles, good judgment and good people around you, and you always do the right thing according to those principles and good judgment and what people have elected you to do. You will know how to respond.”
For most of the hour, Bowser fielded students’ questions on topics ranging from gentrification to environmental concerns, DC statehood, traffic congestion, economic inequality, and DC’s bid for the Olympics.
She called the constitutional argument against D.C. statehood “shallow,” and spoke forcefully about the need for District residents to have a voice and votes in Congress. She explained how federal funding to the District is similar to federal funding of other states, except for additional funding for security for officials and visiting dignitaries.
She outlined the District’s long-range plan to eliminate homeless by 2025, efforts to support families in need with school market programs, and how the DC government is working to ensure there are affordable housing options for lower-income families.
Asked how the presidential election will affect her, she said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about that,” and said she has spoken with former mayors about their experiences under both Republican and Democratic presidents.
We are grateful to Mayor Bowser for taking the time to visit with NCS students, and to the CELS program for once again bringing a dynamic woman leader to our campus.
More photos from the Mayor's visit can be found in the Media Gallery.
-
-
Mayor Muriel Bowser speaking in Hearst Hall.
-
Students asked wide-ranging questions.
-
-
-
With Head of School Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson.
-
-
