Green Gubernatorial Candidate Tells NYS Senate To Vote NO on Mayoral Control

(Rochester, NY) Green Party candidate for Governor of New York, Howie Hawkins is calling for New York State Senators to vote down the bill to dissolve the Rochester Ctiy School District and give control of the schools to the Mayor.

“Mayoral control is touted as 'efficient' and absurdly 'accountable' when it is really just expedient for privatization and union-busting, with CEO autocracy replacing the democratic accountability of elected school boards,” according to Hawkins.

The Rochester Teachers Association, Monroe County Labor Federation, Coalition of Black Ministers, Conference of Big 5 School Districts and the Community Education Task Force, a coalition of local parent groups all oppose Mayoral Control of the RCSD.

Hawkins also added, “One hundred years ago, education reform was about getting the schools out of the hands of mayors who were using them as patronage resources to hand out teaching and administrative jobs to incompetent hacks and contracts to campaign contributors. Now, instead of taxing the rich their fair share to pay for public education, the Democrats and Republicans want to control public education for the profits of hedge funds invested in union-and- accountability-free charter schools.”

Green Party candidate for Mayor in 2009, Alex White added, "It is a tragedy that the only idea other parties have to improve our schools is to remove the democratic controls which we once fought so hard to get." White collected signatures to run against Mayor Duffy, who until re-election, was against Mayoral Control.

Hawkins will be holding a press conference in Rochester on Monday, June 28th at 11am in front of the Monroe County Social Services Building at 691 St. Paul Street. Hawkins will be discussing the current situation with the New York State Budget crisis. He will also be stopping in Williamson that afternoon to support the striking workers at the Motts plant. Hawkins, from Syracuse, works for UPS and is a union member.

Hawkins is running for Governor on the Green Party ticket which also includes Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor, Julia Willebrand for Comptroller and both Cecile Lawrence and Colia Clark for US Senate. The Green Party does not accept corporate donations and is driven by its commitment to Social Justice, Nonviolence, Ecological Wisdom and Grassroots Democracy.