William M. Summerville

[{"question": "Video for Ballotpedia", "answer_html": "<div style=\"float:left\">\n<table cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" class=\"wikitable\" width=\"205\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td><div class=\"thumb embedvideo autoResize\" style=\"width: 258px;\"><!--\n--><div class=\"embedvideo autoResize\" style=\"\"><!--\n--><div class=\"embedvideowrap youtube\" style=\"width: 250px\"><iframe allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"141\" loading=\"lazy\" modestbranding=\"1\" src=\"//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/wcOr1yvurog\" width=\"250\"></iframe></div><!--\n--></div><!--\n--></div><span style=\"font-size:80%\">Video submitted to Ballotpedia<br/>Released February 28, 2022</span>\n</td></tr></tbody></table></div>\n<div style=\"clear:both;\"></div>", "answer_text": "Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 28, 2022"}, {"question": "Ballotpedia survey responses", "answer_html": "<p>See also: <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a></p>\n<div class=\"row\"><div class=\"col-xs-10 col-md-6 col-xs-offset-1 col-md-offset-3\"><p><a href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\"><img align=\"middle\" alt=\"Candidate Connection\" src=\"https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/8/88/Candidate_Connection_Logo.png\" width=\"90%\"/></a></p></div></div>\n<p>William Summerville completed <a href=\"/Ballotpedia%27s_Candidate_Connection\">Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection</a> survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Summerville's responses.</p>\n<p><span class=\"expand-all\">Expand all</span> | <span class=\"collapse-all\">Collapse all</span></p>\n<div aria-multiselectable=\"true\" class=\"panel-group\" id=\"accordion\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho are you? Tell us about yourself.\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-bio-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tReverend William Moses Summerville has a background in public service as far back as being in the Boy Scouts, a commissioned officer in the US Air Force Reserves as a Chaplain Candidate (2nd Lieutenant), and currently serves as a Pastor and Hospice/Hospital Chaplain. Politically, he was a top elected delegate for the 48th CA congressional district at the 2016 and 2020 DNC Convention, supporting Senator Bernie Sanders. He also served as a top elected 73rd Assembly District delegate for the CA State Democratic Party from 2017 through 2019. For his current run for congress, he has recruited a campaign staff that reflects the diversity of our country and the 42nd district. Reverend Summerville's career as a chaplain and pastor, informed by his past struggles of financial and personal hardships, is what inspires him to fight for an America committed to justice. A justice that includes economic, racial, social, health care, and environmental justice for all of us. \"I believe America should be a beacon of hope for humanity and the world. I am running on a simple platform: to 'Serve the People.'\"\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tPlease list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse-key-message-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><ul><li>We need Medicare for All. Our health care system is in shambles and hurts the poor and struggling. We need a system where people don't have to choose between putting food on the table or paying for the medication their children need. We need a system that emphasizes preventative health care to reduce overall costs and lighten the load on emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. We need to fully fund mental health services for wellness, social services, and spiritual care services. And we need a system that doesn't put profit over people's lives and stop electing officials that are indebted to health insurance companies. We need to pass healthcare legislation that will actually serve the people.</li><li>We need Climate Justice. This is more than just fighting climate change. It's being aware of how policy choices disproportionally impact deprived and disenfranchised communities. We need clean water, environmentally conscientious food production, and clean air for all. We have to redirect our efforts into re-inventing our energy and transportation systems to focus on clean energy instead of fossil fuels, leading to a better environment and millions of good-paying jobs. We have to preserve and protect national parks and lands from predatory corporate mining and lumber companies that destroy the environment. We need to invest in alternative clean construction resources that are cost effective and do less harm to the environment.</li><li>We need Comprehensive Reparations. We fix racism, we fix America. We must root out systemic racism that is built into our political, financial, educational, and law enforcement institutions through meaningful policy change. Descendants of US chattel slavery need to be identified as a protected class and financially compensated for their enslaved ancestors on whose backs the wealth of our nation was built. The purpose of Comprehensive Reparations benefits everyone by correcting the wrongs of American history and creating a system of equality and egality for all.</li></ul></span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading1-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse1-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse1-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading1-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse1-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\t1. We need Campaign Finance reform that takes corporations and dirty money out of the process. They have too much influence on candidates and expect quid-pro-quo from elected officials that end up putting the needs of a few wealthy/corporate donors over the needs of the constituency. This includes reversal of Citizens United.<br/>\n<p>2. We need Voter Rights protections for all Americans. This means national standards that prevent gerrymandering and political bias that target specific groups to disenfranchise them. Outlawing states from creating laws or government positions that allow public officials to overturn the popular vote. This also means making election day a national holiday so that the working classes can vote. In addition we need to incorporate non-partisan civic organizations/programs for oversight of voting procedures and vote counting.<br/>\n</p>\n3. We need Public Education Reform. Increase federal and state funding for early childhood education, child care, public schools, educators, community schools, and after-school programs. Free public financing for public community colleges, universities, and vocational training schools. Cancel student debt. Set a higher minimum salary that adjusts with the rate of inflation to attract and keep the best public school teachers. Invest in the right of teachers and their unions to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading2-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse2-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse2-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWho do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading2-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse2-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI look up to my parents, Willie T. and Valerian Alexander Summerville who were both born in the segregated South of Arkansas. They benefited from the policies of desegregation which makes me a child of great policy. They both attended the historically black university AM&amp;N currently known as University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. They moved to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where my mother closed out her undergraduate degree as one of the first five-hundred black students on campus and my father completed graduate school in choral direction. They were public educators mainly for the Urbana Public School District collectively for 68+ years. They were married for 48 years, but are now deceased. Today the Willie T Summerville Archives can be found at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Music Library. My parents are an inspiration to me because they served beyond the confines of teaching and parenting. They were both active in community service and advocacy. Through music my father coordinated well over a thousand students getting full scholarships for college. My mother was known for her community service work as the founder of a debutante ball that provided mentoring for over 250 young women and helped raise money for them in pursuit of their higher education. These are just a few examples as to why I look up to my parents and how their influence on me has led me to a life of public service.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading3-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse3-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse3-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tIs there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading3-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse3-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tMy political philosophy is highly informed by movies such as \"The Great Debaters\", \"Remember the Titans\", and \"X-Men: The Last Stand\".\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading4-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse4-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse4-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat legacy would you like to leave?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading4-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse4-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tToo soon to call.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading5-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse5-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse5-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat was the last song that got stuck in your head?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading5-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse5-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\t\"Hotel California.\" That riff just keeps echoing in my brain. Make it stop! No, wait. Play it again.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading6-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse6-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse6-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tWhat qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading6-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse6-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tThe House collectively carries the power as to how we will move forward as a nation and a society. The House of Representatives reflects the population of America and is the most democratic seat in our political system, representing the will of its constituents. This office is unique because it can be either an adversary to the democratic process or the greatest source of advocacy for the American people. The US House of Representatives serves as the last line of defense in protecting American citizens from corporate oligarchies, authoritarianism, and destructive policies implemented by local and state legislatures.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading7-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse7-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse7-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tDo you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading7-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse7-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI really don't. Because of our electoral campaign system, I would get maybe one year in office before I have to start campaigning, which leads to a divided focus between trying to raise funds and do my job. Congressional seats should be at least four years with staggered elections on alternate even years so that only half the congress is up for re-election every two years.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div><div class=\"panel panel-default\"><div class=\"panel-heading\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-111963-2022-02-28\" id=\"heading8-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tab\"><p class=\"panel-title\" style=\"font-size: 14px;font-weight: 600;\"><a aria-controls=\"collapse8-111963-2022-02-28\" aria-expanded=\"false\" class=\"collapsed\" data-parent=\"#accordion\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse8-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"button\"><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-right pull-right\"></i><i class=\"fa fa-chevron-down pull-right\"></i>\t\t\t\tBoth sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?\t\t\t</a></p></div><div aria-labelledby=\"heading8-111963-2022-02-28\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" id=\"collapse8-111963-2022-02-28\" role=\"tabpanel\"><div class=\"panel-body\" style=\"max-height: 500px; overflow-y: scroll;\"><div class=\"answers-container\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">\t\t\t\tI reflect on an oil company that was approved for fracking near a disenfranchised community of black and brown people in my district. This fracking approval, which was a government policy decision, negatively impacted the constituents - some of which have died while others have poisoning in their lungs as a result of these heinous decisions. As a Hospice Chaplain I am highly disturbed that there is no recompense nor accountability from our elected officials to bring voice to these kinds of concerns.\t\t\t</span></div></div></div></div></div>\n<div class=\"small\" data-nosnippet=\"\"><p><i><b>Note:</b> Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.</i></p></div>", "answer_text": "See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection\n\nWilliam Summerville completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Summerville's responses.\nExpand all | Collapse all\nWho are you? Tell us about yourself. Reverend William Moses Summerville has a background in public service as far back as being in the Boy Scouts, a commissioned officer in the US Air Force Reserves as a Chaplain Candidate (2nd Lieutenant), and currently serves as a Pastor and Hospice/Hospital Chaplain. Politically, he was a top elected delegate for the 48th CA congressional district at the 2016 and 2020 DNC Convention, supporting Senator Bernie Sanders. He also served as a top elected 73rd Assembly District delegate for the CA State Democratic Party from 2017 through 2019. For his current run for congress, he has recruited a campaign staff that reflects the diversity of our country and the 42nd district. Reverend Summerville's career as a chaplain and pastor, informed by his past struggles of financial and personal hardships, is what inspires him to fight for an America committed to justice. A justice that includes economic, racial, social, health care, and environmental justice for all of us. \"I believe America should be a beacon of hope for humanity and the world. I am running on a simple platform: to 'Serve the People.'\" Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office? We need Medicare for All. Our health care system is in shambles and hurts the poor and struggling. We need a system where people don't have to choose between putting food on the table or paying for the medication their children need. We need a system that emphasizes preventative health care to reduce overall costs and lighten the load on emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. We need to fully fund mental health services for wellness, social services, and spiritual care services. And we need a system that doesn't put profit over people's lives and stop electing officials that are indebted to health insurance companies. We need to pass healthcare legislation that will actually serve the people. We need Climate Justice. This is more than just fighting climate change. It's being aware of how policy choices disproportionally impact deprived and disenfranchised communities. We need clean water, environmentally conscientious food production, and clean air for all. We have to redirect our efforts into re-inventing our energy and transportation systems to focus on clean energy instead of fossil fuels, leading to a better environment and millions of good-paying jobs. We have to preserve and protect national parks and lands from predatory corporate mining and lumber companies that destroy the environment. We need to invest in alternative clean construction resources that are cost effective and do less harm to the environment. We need Comprehensive Reparations. We fix racism, we fix America. We must root out systemic racism that is built into our political, financial, educational, and law enforcement institutions through meaningful policy change. Descendants of US chattel slavery need to be identified as a protected class and financially compensated for their enslaved ancestors on whose backs the wealth of our nation was built. The purpose of Comprehensive Reparations benefits everyone by correcting the wrongs of American history and creating a system of equality and egality for all. What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? 1. We need Campaign Finance reform that takes corporations and dirty money out of the process. They have too much influence on candidates and expect quid-pro-quo from elected officials that end up putting the needs of a few wealthy/corporate donors over the needs of the constituency. This includes reversal of Citizens United. 2. We need Voter Rights protections for all Americans. This means national standards that prevent gerrymandering and political bias that target specific groups to disenfranchise them. Outlawing states from creating laws or government positions that allow public officials to overturn the popular vote. This also means making election day a national holiday so that the working classes can vote. In addition we need to incorporate non-partisan civic organizations/programs for oversight of voting procedures and vote counting. 3. We need Public Education Reform. Increase federal and state funding for early childhood education, child care, public schools, educators, community schools, and after-school programs. Free public financing for public community colleges, universities, and vocational training schools. Cancel student debt. Set a higher minimum salary that adjusts with the rate of inflation to attract and keep the best public school teachers. Invest in the right of teachers and their unions to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why? I look up to my parents, Willie T. and Valerian Alexander Summerville who were both born in the segregated South of Arkansas. They benefited from the policies of desegregation which makes me a child of great policy. They both attended the historically black university AM&N currently known as University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. They moved to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where my mother closed out her undergraduate degree as one of the first five-hundred black students on campus and my father completed graduate school in choral direction. They were public educators mainly for the Urbana Public School District collectively for 68+ years. They were married for 48 years, but are now deceased. Today the Willie T Summerville Archives can be found at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Music Library. My parents are an inspiration to me because they served beyond the confines of teaching and parenting. They were both active in community service and advocacy. Through music my father coordinated well over a thousand students getting full scholarships for college. My mother was known for her community service work as the founder of a debutante ball that provided mentoring for over 250 young women and helped raise money for them in pursuit of their higher education. These are just a few examples as to why I look up to my parents and how their influence on me has led me to a life of public service. Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy? My political philosophy is highly informed by movies such as \"The Great Debaters\", \"Remember the Titans\", and \"X-Men: The Last Stand\". What legacy would you like to leave? Too soon to call. What was the last song that got stuck in your head? \"Hotel California.\" That riff just keeps echoing in my brain. Make it stop! No, wait. Play it again. What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution? The House collectively carries the power as to how we will move forward as a nation and a society. The House of Representatives reflects the population of America and is the most democratic seat in our political system, representing the will of its constituents. This office is unique because it can be either an adversary to the democratic process or the greatest source of advocacy for the American people. The US House of Representatives serves as the last line of defense in protecting American citizens from corporate oligarchies, authoritarianism, and destructive policies implemented by local and state legislatures. Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives? I really don't. Because of our electoral campaign system, I would get maybe one year in office before I have to start campaigning, which leads to a divided focus between trying to raise funds and do my job. Congressional seats should be at least four years with staggered elections on alternate even years so that only half the congress is up for re-election every two years. Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful? I reflect on an oil company that was approved for fracking near a disenfranchised community of black and brown people in my district. This fracking approval, which was a government policy decision, negatively impacted the constituents - some of which have died while others have poisoning in their lungs as a result of these heinous decisions. As a Hospice Chaplain I am highly disturbed that there is no recompense nor accountability from our elected officials to bring voice to these kinds of concerns.\nNote: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it."}, {"question": "Campaign website", "answer_html": "<p>Summerville's campaign website stated the following:\n</p>\n<div style=\"height:400px;overflow:scroll;border:1px solid gray;margin:20px;padding:10px;\">\n<table data-nosnippet=\"\" style=\"border-collapse: collapse; border: none;background-color: transparent; auto; ;\">\n<tbody><tr>\n<td style=\"border:none; color:#B2B7F2;font-size:35px;font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 10px 3px;\" valign=\"top\" width=\"20\">“\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; padding: 4px 10px;\" valign=\"top\">\n<p><b>COVID Recovery for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Ensure all communities have access to the COVID-19 vaccines</li>\n<li>Provide recurring federal relief that is fairly distributed to families and businesses</li>\n<li>Create nationwide Personal Protective Equipment safety standards for the workplace</li>\n<li>Continue the moratorium on evictions</li>\n<li>Continue the moratorium on student loan payments</li></ul>\n<p><b>Economic Justice for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>A minimum living wage that adjusts for inflation</li>\n<li>Strengthen and expand unions</li>\n<li>Equal pay for equal work</li>\n<li>Support small businesses</li>\n<li>Expand workplace protections for the LGBTQIA+ community by passing the Equality Act</li>\n<li>Make credit and banking services available to all communities</li>\n<li>Dismantle and expunge predatory lending</li>\n<li>Make the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes</li>\n<li>Increased protections and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities</li></ul>\n<p><b>Fair Housing for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Include substantial investments in new affordable housing construction</li>\n<li>Effectively address homelessness</li>\n<li>Minimize gentrification and protect communities</li>\n<li>Allow disenfranchised communities the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth through homeownership</li></ul>\n<p><b>Climate Justice for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Clean water, clean food, and clean air for all</li>\n<li>Create millions of good paying jobs by re-inventing our energy and transportation systems through a Green New Deal</li>\n<li>Preserve and protect national parks and natural lands</li></ul>\n<p><b>Medicare for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Provide everyone in America comprehensive health care coverage without premiums, deductibles, co-pays, or surprise bills through a Medicare for All system</li>\n<li>Prevent drug companies and insurers from gouging patients</li>\n<li>Invest in infrastructure so every community has equitable access to health care</li>\n<li>Identify, quantify, and eliminate health care disparities in suffering communities</li></ul>\n<p><b>Public Education Reform for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Increase federal and state funding for:\n<ul><li>Early childhood education</li>\n<li>Child care</li>\n<li>Public schools</li>\n<li>Educators</li>\n<li>Community schools</li>\n<li>After-school programs</li></ul></li>\n<li>Invest in the right of teachers and their unions to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions</li>\n<li>Free public college</li>\n<li>Cancel student debt</li>\n<li>Set a higher minimum salary that adjusts with the rate of inflation to attract and keep the best public school teachers.</li></ul>\n<p><b>Public Safety Reform for All</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Implement alternatives to incarceration where appropriate</li>\n<li>End mandatory minimum sentencing and the death penalty</li>\n<li>Legalize marijuana</li>\n<li>Set national standards for policing and use-of-force procedures</li>\n<li>Ensure law enforcement accountability</li>\n<li>End for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers</li>\n<li>Bail reform</li></ul>\n<p><b>Comprehensive Reparations</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Identify Descendants of U.S. Chattel Slavery as a protected class</li>\n<li>Compensation in the form of paychecks to close the racial wealth gap</li>\n<li>Incorporate policies to identify and eradicate systemic racism within various institutions</li></ul>\n<p><b>Universal Basic Income</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>$2,000 payments issued monthly to individuals who make less than $85,000 a year</li></ul>\n<p><b>Political Campaign Reform</b>\n</p>\n<ul><li>Public financing of campaigns</li>\n<li>Reversal of Citizens United</li>\n<li>Making election day a national holiday</li>\n<li>Non-partisan civic organizations/programs for oversight of voting procedures and vote counting</li>\n<li>In addition, as a lifelong Democrat I believe that the Democratic party should do away with the Superdelegate system in their primary electoral drives as it unbalances and displaces the actual voices of their democrat party members. We can’t pretend to be a party that holds a “representative” democracy to be the ideal with such a system in place.<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-quotedisclaimer_2-0\"><a href=\"#cite_note-quotedisclaimer-2\">[2]</a></sup></li></ul>\n</td>\n<td style=\"border: none; color: #B2B7F2; font-size: 35px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: right; padding: 10px 1px;\" valign=\"bottom\" width=\"20\">”\n</td></tr>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"cquotecite\" colspan=\"3\" style=\"border: none; padding-right: 4%\"><cite style=\"font-style: normal;font-size: smaller; float: right;\">—William Summerville's campaign website (2022)<sup class=\"reference\" id=\"cite_ref-3\"><a href=\"#cite_note-3\">[3]</a></sup></cite>\n</td></tr></tbody></table>\n</div>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0\"><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(\"div-gpt-ad-1548351761485-0\"); });</script></div>", "answer_text": "Summerville's campaign website stated the following:\n“ COVID Recovery for All Ensure all communities have access to the COVID-19 vaccines Provide recurring federal relief that is fairly distributed to families and businesses Create nationwide Personal Protective Equipment safety standards for the workplace Continue the moratorium on evictions Continue the moratorium on student loan payments Economic Justice for All A minimum living wage that adjusts for inflation Strengthen and expand unions Equal pay for equal work Support small businesses Expand workplace protections for the LGBTQIA+ community by passing the Equality Act Make credit and banking services available to all communities Dismantle and expunge predatory lending Make the ultra-wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes Increased protections and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities Fair Housing for All Include substantial investments in new affordable housing construction Effectively address homelessness Minimize gentrification and protect communities Allow disenfranchised communities the opportunity to build intergenerational wealth through homeownership Climate Justice for All Clean water, clean food, and clean air for all Create millions of good paying jobs by re-inventing our energy and transportation systems through a Green New Deal Preserve and protect national parks and natural lands Medicare for All Provide everyone in America comprehensive health care coverage without premiums, deductibles, co-pays, or surprise bills through a Medicare for All system Prevent drug companies and insurers from gouging patients Invest in infrastructure so every community has equitable access to health care Identify, quantify, and eliminate health care disparities in suffering communities Public Education Reform for All Increase federal and state funding for: Early childhood education Child care Public schools Educators Community schools After-school programs Invest in the right of teachers and their unions to collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions Free public college Cancel student debt Set a higher minimum salary that adjusts with the rate of inflation to attract and keep the best public school teachers. Public Safety Reform for All Implement alternatives to incarceration where appropriate End mandatory minimum sentencing and the death penalty Legalize marijuana Set national standards for policing and use-of-force procedures Ensure law enforcement accountability End for-profit prisons and immigration detention centers Bail reform Comprehensive Reparations Identify Descendants of U.S. Chattel Slavery as a protected class Compensation in the form of paychecks to close the racial wealth gap Incorporate policies to identify and eradicate systemic racism within various institutions Universal Basic Income $2,000 payments issued monthly to individuals who make less than $85,000 a year Political Campaign Reform Public financing of campaigns Reversal of Citizens United Making election day a national holiday Non-partisan civic organizations/programs for oversight of voting procedures and vote counting In addition, as a lifelong Democrat I believe that the Democratic party should do away with the Superdelegate system in their primary electoral drives as it unbalances and displaces the actual voices of their democrat party members. We can’t pretend to be a party that holds a “representative” democracy to be the ideal with such a system in place. [2] ” —William Summerville's campaign website (2022) [3]"}]