Bot, in this portfolio, you will hold a mock (pretend) election. The election will be for the post of mayor in an imaginary town that faces challenges related to crime, education, and the condition of its roads and bridges. The following candidates are Candidate: Amanda Whitman
Education: law degree; master’s degree in urban planning
Qualifications: lawyer; former director of city zoning board
Background: Amanda Whitman was born and raised locally. She has built a successful legal practice and is known for taking on legal cases for poor client's pro bono (free of charge). She has also served as the director of the city zoning board.
Policy Statement: “Education, law enforcement, and maintenance of the city’s approach to addressing these issues. Our crime rate has risen, but only by a small margin, and mostly in non-violent categories. There is no need to overreact. Likewise, our students are lagging behind national averages in math and science but only by small margins. Once again, we don’t need to dramatize the situation. Our roads and bridges also need improvement, but we already devote a large portion of the city budget to this problem. Why spend even more on a problem that is already getting plenty of attention? If elected, I will submit a budget to the city council that evenly divides our available funds. The school system, the police department, and the city transit authority would each get one third of our discretionary (optional) spending fund. I would ask the superintendent of schools, the chief of police, and the director of the city transit authority for detailed plans on how best to use these funds to benefit the city and its citizens.”
Candidate: Dr. Caroline Perkins
Education: Ph.D. in education
Qualifications: former teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools
Background: Dr. Perkins moved to our city as a young teacher soon after graduating from college. She has devoted thirty-four years to the public school system. She has also maintained balanced education budgets throughout her four-year tenure as school superintendent.
Policy Statement: “Education is the single most important obligation we have to the children of our city. Our students are lagging behind national averages in several key areas. I believe improving student achievement should be our top priority. If we strengthen our schools, we will strengthen our entire community. Students educated in strong school systems make better employees and are less likely to become involved in criminal behavior. Controlling crime is important, as is improving the condition of our roads and bridges, but our schools should still be our top priority. If elected, I will ask the city council to allot 50 percent of our discretionary spending to the school system. My budget would divide the remaining half of our discretionary funds equally: twenty-five percent would go to the police department, and twenty-five percent would be set aside for the city transit authority. I would request that twelve and a half percent of the transit authority’s 25 percent go directly to road and bridge maintenance. The remaining twelve and half percent would be invested in public transportation, such as city bus services. If citizens use public transportation, we will reduce stress on our roads and bridges, which would lower maintenance costs over time.”
Candidate: Danny Jones
Education: High school diploma
Qualifications: small business owner, former city council member
Background: Danny Jones relocated to our town as a child when his father was stationed at a nearby air force base. Danny was a star football player in high school, but an injury forced him to change course. Instead of attending college, Danny started his own chain of retail stores selling arts and crafts supplies. He began with one small shop, but his business now operates thirteen stores in three different cities. He has served two terms as a member of the city council.
Policy Statement: “Education and crime control are both important, but our town’s tax base depends on a healthy economy. My own company’s shipping hub is located here. The cost of maintaining our trucks is higher than it should be because of poor road and bridge conditions. I am not the only business owner facing this problem. If we do not do something to address it, local businesses may start to move elsewhere. That would cost us jobs and reduce tax revenue, which would hurt our schools and the police department. For these reasons, if elected, I will ask the city council to allocate half of our available funds to improving our roads and bridges. The remaining half would be split equally between the schools and the police department.
How many votes did each candidate get?
In two paragraphs answer the following: Paragraph 1: Introduce the winner of the election. Describe his or her qualifications and background. Paragraph 2: Explain why you think he or she was the most popular choice. Please make sure your answer stays on topic.
Amanda Whitman received 30% of the votes, Dr. Caroline Perkins received 40% of the votes, and Danny Jones received 30% of the votes.
Dr. Caroline Perkins won the election for mayor of the imaginary town. She has a Ph.D. in education and has spent over three decades working in the public school system. Her experience as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools gives her a deep understanding of the challenges facing the education system. She has also demonstrated the ability to maintain balanced education budgets in her previous roles.
Dr. Perkins was the most popular choice because she prioritized education, which many voters believed to be the most important issue facing the town. By investing half of the discretionary funds in the school system, she showed a clear commitment to improving student achievement and strengthening the community as a whole. Her plan to allocate funds to the police department and city transit authority also addressed the other important issues of crime control and infrastructure maintenance, making her a well-rounded and appealing candidate to the voters.