Robert Washburn, Concord School Charter Commission Candidate

Robert C. Washburn

Age (as of Election Day)

77

Position Sought

member charter commission

Party Affiliation

Family

Ranee Washburn, extrodinary wife

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

no

Education

BS in Business Administration, Bryant College now Bryant University

Occupation

Certified Public Accountant, many years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Ward 4 city councilor, At-Large city councilor (two terms), city charter commission member

Campaign website

n/a

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe in good governance, and civic participation to achieve same.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Changing the election of school board members to off year elections so as their messages not drowned out by general election media blitzes.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Not aware of any yet.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The science of Covid-19 has become a political issue to the detriment to the public.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As an elected official, I always maintained a good relationship with the taxpaying public and never voted for anything that would squander their dollars.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Never compromise your principles.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a good listener.

In 1971, my wife Ranee and I escaped from L.A. looking for a good place to have and raise a family as L.A. wasn’t. We found that in Concord. Our two now adult children Heather and Robb went through the Concord School system and Concord remains a great place to have and raise a family.

Professionally, I am a Certified Public Accountant with a tax practice.

In the past, I have been the City Councilor from Ward 4 and served two terms as an At-Large City Councilor. Additionally, I have been elected to serve on the City Charter Commission resulting in an updated and improved city charter.

The School Board is a policy making board. The function of the charter commission is to review the charter and make necessary changes to facilitate good governance. If you have an issue with policy, you need to elect school board members who will be attentive to your views.

There has been hinted that there has been some interest in having the City Council exercise some level of control over the School District budget. This is a strawman easily knocked down. To quote the late General Norman Schwarzkopf, this is nothing more than pure unadulterated bovine scatology for three reasons: there is no citizen movement to make this happen; it would require the change of two charters, and from a practical sense, the City Council can’t contain a bureaucratically bloated budget of the city much less adding another budget responsibility to them.

The last time the school district charter commission met they changed the election of school board member from at-large to districts with some members being elected at-large I appreciate the change and want to review the success of that change. More importantly, I want see about adjusting the manner of electing school board members so that elections can be held on off-year elections much as the City Council elections are held. This is the earliest I have ever seen political ads running for the 2022 federal offices. By switching to off-year election the message of school board candidates would not be drowned out by the media blitz that accompanies a general election.

You often hear the term “transparency” mentioned is campaign ads. I want to have a conversation with my fellow charter commission members to see if the charter need be amended to encourage transparency or is there sufficient language in the charter to guarantee transparency. The public should not have to litigate the school board to learn what decisions were made and why.

Additionally, why does it take a supermajority to change the charter?