Seems like a smart guy. I thought he was particularly strong on the transportation related questions. His answer to the question on the budget doesn't really have specifics that would fully close the budget, but he's trying to get elected so I guess I can't really fault him there.

I was reasonably impressed overall, and I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if he were elected. Whether or not I will vote for him, I'm not sure. I'd like to hear more about the other candidates, particularly Mara and apparently Weaver (who seems to be getting lots of attention).

by Steven Yates on Jan 26, 2011 2:33 pm • link • report

I like this feature. Would be great to do this with all of the candidates.

by chenna on Jan 26, 2011 2:35 pm • link • report

I thought the questions were good and the responses more than reasonable. I would have expected more land-use, zoning, and appointment types of questions.

by William on Jan 26, 2011 3:15 pm • link • report

For those who don't follow this stuff, the SBOE that David referred to stands for State Board of Education, the elected advisory board to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education that Sekou served on until he was appointed to the Council.

I'm glad to hear Sekou talking about the lack of a longitudinal education data system. I think we might actually have one (the federal grant that funded its development ends this year), but I haven't seen any public evidence of the SLED (State Longitudinal Education Data) system in action yet.

The question is whether as an elected member of the Council he will provide the oversight to make it happen. This is something that research nerds like myself care about, but the public should as well, because more, better data can improve schools and aid in meaningful accountability.

Sekou's answer to my voucher question was politically shrewd given the likely divergence of views on school vouchers among DC's electorate. We can all agree (hopefully) that it's unseemly to invite Congress into local affairs, regardless of what the policy is or whether they fully fund it.

Good answer to the IMPACT question too.

I will admit that I was the one who asked the Metro/bike/SUV question. I couldn't resist. I had just finished reading this:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/looselips/2011/01/24/gray-and-browns-suvs-cost-more-than-your-rent/

by Steven Glazerman on Jan 26, 2011 4:27 pm • link • report

This was a very useful feature, and made me more likely to support Biddle--I didn't know much about him before. I agree, I'd like to see this with other candidates so I can compare and contrast, especially Mara and Weaver.

by Dan Miller on Jan 26, 2011 5:37 pm • link • report

I think Biddle lost my vote.

In addition to the utterly scuzzy way in which his appointment was made by a handful of people - and which he has not indicated any qualms about that process - I found his answers to have all the buzzwords one normally expects from overpaid and underwhelming consultants, as well as an incredible superficial lack of substance.

In particular, his answer on businesses is the same type of drivel often heard from other politicos. Yet what's one of the biggest impediments to businesses starting in DC rather than in Virginia? Not regulatory hurdles, but TAXES. But instead of addressing DC's utter lack of tax competitiveness with surrounding jurisdictions, he uses consultant-speak to basically say he'll support tax increases.

And his similar non-substantive answer on streetcars was equally vapid.

My biggest problem with Biddle is that he's the hand-picked appointee of Gray, Kwame, Thomas & Barry -- all of whom lobbied the Dem State Party insiders on Biddle's behalf. I have a very hard time seeing Biddle stake out an independent role for himself.

That's not to say he's not a nice guy. He just won't be his own man.

by Fritz on Jan 27, 2011 8:27 am • link • report

He sounded weak on the budget issues... we don't have a "DC Dept of Health and Human Services" and we aren't going to fix the enormous budget gap by collecting money that is owed.

by Andy on Jan 28, 2011 10:26 am • link • report

I hope you'll get specific with the questions about streetcars. Will they support the essential extensions of the H Street line to Minnesota Avenue and to Union Station? Will they budget for additional vehicles? Which lines and when will they be funded?

Just saying they support streetcars doesn't lay any track.

by David Holmes on Jan 28, 2011 2:41 pm • link • report