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January 3, 2019

Open Letter to Cong. Steny Hoyer (new majority leader, US congress)

Dear Cong. Hoyer,

Everyone wants to see an end to the government shutdown. And let me say that we voters know that the reason for the shutdown is the unwillingness of Democrats in Congress to provide some 5 billion dollars to fund a barrier for portions of the southern border, which is to prevent and deter illegal entry of aliens into our country. Likewise, every sensible, informed person also knows that this funding is essential and will be effective as an important part of border security.

Federal workers on furlough here due to government shutdown especially want this disruptive government shutdown to come to an end, so they can return to paid employment. We all know the basic reason for opposition to wall funding is for the Democrats to build up and gain political power by increasing the number of poor, dependent people in the country, who will likely vote Democrat, even by illegal, fraudulent means if possible.

Since there is no good or valid reason to oppose the wall funding, please stop the political games, and do your job as representative of US citizens and lawful residents in our district. Vote funding for the wall, and end the government shutdown NOW.

It is disgraceful and shameful that a leader with your stature and influence should allow himself to be so degraded to pandering for partisan power at the expense of national security and the well-being of every legal resident and citizen in our country. Please urge your fellow Democrats to act likewise for the good of all Americans as well.

Lee Havis, Citizen and Constituent
6812 Dartmouth Ave.
College Park, MD 20740
lee@patriotvoting.com

In my campaign for Maryland State Senate, I emphasized that improving public education required more choice and competition, free market solutions, rather than government control through censorship and monopoly to a dysfunctional and obsolete system more about expanding a bloated government employment than the education of students.

On November 29, 2018, the Kirwan Commission to improve “innovation and excellence” in Maryland met to hear public testimony concerning what recommendations to give to the Maryland General Assembly in this matter.  Speaking for my organizations, International Montessori Society and Trust Tutoring, I urged the commission to support more choice and competition as the best means to assure accountability, quality, and value in Maryland public education.  From personal experience, I argued that there was no higher level of accountability possible than that of the child’s parents choosing his education, rather than a remote government establishment, such as through the outdated and dysfunctional public school system.  In my written remarks, I laid out 8 different specific ways this could be done as a practical matter, including the repeal of compulsory attendance laws.

I also testified that Maryland education has been highly defective and degraded in value through its long pattern of censorship and monopoly control in the field.  I urged the commission to recommend putting on the breaks to this pattern, to reduce the mismanagement and corruption brought about by bloated government employment and excessively high salaries in public education.  I also pointed to the burden to parents and ordinary citizens alike caused by excessively high taxes make any choice of non-government education virtually impossible for many.

When the final Kirwan report comes out, their recommendations will surely be presented to the General Assembly, which will in turn consider their adoption.  As a concerned public citizen, I plan to stay active and aware about these issues, which I would have raised strongly as a leading voice for change and improvement in education, had I gained a seat in the Maryland State Senate.  Citizens are encouraged to stay aware of developments in education, especially funding issues, as they come forward for votes and public hearings in the Maryland General Assembly.

Here is a summary of comments I made to the Kirwan Commission in my written testimony of November 29, 2018:

Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education
c/o Office of Policy Analysis
Department of Legislative Services
Legislative Services Building
90 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Dr. Kirwan and Commission Members,

I’m writing to offer recommendations for your report on behalf of innovation and excellence in education.   As director and founder of the International Montessori Society (IMS) in Maryland since 1979, I have a long experience with Maryland education, especially as related to its regulation and involvement in the non-government sector.  Besides my leadership of IMS, I am also founder and director of an in-home tutoring program, Trust Tutoring, which has been operating in its present form in Maryland since 1992.  In both positions, I have observed and experienced first-hand the operation of education in Maryland, which has afforded much opportunity to study its various problems and how to improve quality and value in this area.

The main problem with Maryland education has been its heavy reliance on top-down, centralized government control through such means as academic content censorship and monopoly operation in the field.  Needed instead is accountability through the normal functioning of personal choice and competition at the grassroots level.    While public funding requires government oversight and accountability, parents, educators and local jurisdictions need more space to assume their own direct accountability for quality results, to learn through their own experience how to change and adjust educational activity to meet the needs of their own particular situation.    With this greater freedom naturally comes innovation and personal responsibility for quality and value, which will ultimately assure excellence in Maryland education for the benefit of all.   My recommendations reflect this conviction as related to various specific issues.

Funding and expanding pre-k education
Rather than expanding the operation of direct government programs, such as through the current public school system, use the existing network of successful pre-k programs that function around the state by allowing parents to freely choose what best suits their own need and situation.   In this way, parents assume a leading role and responsibility in the education of their children, which is the best assurance of quality in every situation.    Where parents are unable to pay, the government could qualify parents for welfare assistance based on availability of taxpayer funds, and specific level of poverty.    In dysfunctional family circumstances, employ the greater involvement of social services in making these choices, such as through the operation of local foster care agencies.

Repeal Compulsory School attendance law
Current compulsory school laws threaten parents with punishment for failure to send their children to some type of government approved schooling.  Since government holds a monopoly over public education, parents are forced to attend only the local public school, or some equivalent non-government alternative which it controls through licensing approval or special interest accommodation.   Repealing compulsory school attendance would free parents from this intimidating power and control of government, and force the public schools to compete for parents to enroll their child with them.

Uniform Funding of Public Schools
At present, the funding of public schools is conducted through a complex combination of specific state level allocations and sharing taxes at the state and local level.   In this situation, funding is considerably political, with each jurisdiction fighting for its own issues with the General Assembly from one year to the next.  Recommended is a uniform per-pupil funding for ALL jurisdictions through an objective mathematical formula, with some percentage differential to adjust for local funding effort and available tax base.  Within this system, each jurisdiction should have freedom to experiment with its own manner of spending, with the caveat of state level accountability to prevent waste, fraud and abuse.

Financial Accountability in Public Education
Support the Governor’s commission on accountability over all public schools in the state.  Such a commission should be empowered to investigate fraud, interview educational personnel in confidence, and inspect documents, as well as refer cases for prosecution or other action where deemed suitable.  

De-centralize Public School operation and control
Empower each local jurisdiction with freedom to experiment with its own delivery of curriculum and format.  Reduce state mandates for programmatic content and approach, so that uniform testing is the main essential means of quality control of content at the state level.  Coupled with other choice and competition enhancements at the state level, such as ease of charter school formation and operation, objective per-pupil funding formula, and greater availability of options in the free market economy, individual parents will have sufficient practical means to find better educational options when the existing public school system fails to deliver adequate quality.

Expand freedom for non-government education
At present, the government imposes burdensome, restrictive, and unfair licensing control over the operation of non-government education.  It is recommended, therefore, to lift these unnecessary burdens, such as special interest benefits to one group over another, and the censorship of academic content.  In this way, parents have a wider field of options outside the public school system, and this creates competition for better quality and value among all schools, both public and private.  

Expand choice in charter school operation
In Maryland, forming and operating charter schools is especially difficult due to such factors as hiring staff that is confined to state-approved certification only.   It is recommended to change this, for example, by using a less restrictive condition for hiring, such as “skilled and competent” rather than state certificate.  In addition, charter schools should be able to more easily obtain approval to operate, since a local board of education may resist approval for political reasons, such as fear of “competition.” 

More simple, objective state testing
Current state testing is so detailed and time-consuming that it interferes with classroom instruction.  It is recommended to replace the current testing with a simpler, more objective format, based on essential basic skills only.  Whatever further testing for quality and curriculum content should be left to the discretion and judgment of the local jurisdiction.

Reduce Excessive Administrative Costs and Salaries
Maryland has a serious problem of bloated administrative personnel and high salary levels than misallocate taxpayer funds away from actual instruction needs and basic facility maintenance.  In Maryland higher education, for example, excessive salary levels are common, approaching 1 million dollars per year, even while student tuition and other costs to students grows higher all the time.   It is recommended to cap all salary levels of education personnel, such as no greater than the highest paid public officer in the jurisdiction.

Finally, let me thank you for this opportunity to offer these recommendations to consider in preparing the Commission’s final report.   Please contact me if you have questions or wish further discussion on these matters. 

Sincerely,

Lee Havis
Director, International Montessori Society
Director, Trust Tutoring

Summary Introduction

RESULTS: for Havis – 22.4% – 9,311 votes.  For opponent – 77.5% – 32,262 votes.  Money raised: $26,000  Mobilized 500 Volunteers, donors and supporters. – From this year-long campaign experience, I learned how hard it is to overcome a well-funded, tightly organized and entrenched “machine” style opposition.  The strength of this machine came out most significantly in its distribution of a “sample ballot” to voters, which had all their candidates and issues marked.   So, many voters simply copied the sample ballot selections on to their own ballots in a rather mindless, automatic manner.  The sample ballot therefore discouraged voters from making a more thoughtful evaluation of each separate candidate and issue.

Breaking the hold of this corrupt style of “machine” politics requires insurgent candidates to work closely together to create and distribute their own “sample ballot”.  While this involves a high level of organization and collaboration among Republican candidates, it can and must be done for the good of all.  In addition, if possible, make sure that each office open for voting has a Republican candidate listed.

My Campaign
Visiting churches
Each week, I visited a different church in LD21.   Although I met many good people in this way, quite a large number were not actually voters in LD21, since they lived outside the district.   Lesson: A good and useful strategy; go back and visit each church that gave a positive response; to build relationship for future.

Door-to-door canvassing
Most Saturdays, I used the MDGOP “advantage” database for door-to-door canvassing.  Often there was no answer at the door, so I just dropped “Havis” campaign literature with a personal note.  For those who answered, I asked for their name and contact information to place on a sign-up sheet for later regular follow up.  Occasionally, I received a financial donation; and commitment for placement of a sign.  Lesson: Targeted voters were often not residing close to each other; and when approached, no one was home, or voters were not available for discussion.  So few people were reached in the time available.   Better to identify good neighborhoods and precincts, and knock on every door, focusing on main roads with heavy traffic.  For each person, ask for contact data, donation and to place a sign (in future, just a few weeks before primary and general election).

Sign Waves
This was done regularly at major intersections at rush hour on a weekday, 5-7 PM.  Before Maryland home football games. Great visibility for name recognition.  Very positive interaction with motorists; and a great way for developing social support among volunteers.  Lesson:  Use regularly, especially close to election time.  Not enough impact by itself, however, without other forms of interaction and outreach.

Candidate forums-debates
Only one was held; sponsored by several civic associations in Beltsville.  Very useful.  Lesson: Too few to make much of a difference.  In Prince George’s County, the civic associations and other news media have, in general, a strong bias for “Democratic” machine candidates. Better to use my own social media outreach; take the opportunities where possible.  But don’t count on them.

Social Media – Facebook
I used social media, especially facebook, a lot.  Many people found my campaign this way, and name recognition was achieved.  Lesson: For any FB advertising, make sure reference is made to connect posts with “campaign” and “politics”, rather than just as social events.  Be explicit.  Instead of focusing just on targeted “conservative” audience, reach out to wider audience, even at the risk of negative backlash.  Use posts to stimulate interactions; make questions, raise issues, and promote discussion, such as through polling and surveys.

Community meetings and outreach
I participated in parades and community days, often with other Republican candidates.  Lesson:  useful and necessary for name recognition.  As much as possible, use a sign-up sheet to get name and contact data for later follow up.

Absentee ballot outreach
Sent 4,000 invitations to apply for absentee ballot to infrequent Republican-leaning voters in district.  Of some 3,000 letters sent in PG County, only about 400 actual AB’s were returned from Republicans.  Democrat voters with AB was about 1,000, with only a small number voting for me.  Lesson: not a good return on investment.  Better to get names of those applying for AB from the Board of Elections, and send them a personal note to vote for “Havis” [benefit here is that voters using AB may take more time and vote more thoughtfully than those who go to the polls]

Mailer – Team 21
Mailed 8,000 “team 21” pieces to targeted high-value Republican leaning voters in LD21.  On this mailer, all Republican candidates in LD21 were listed, with some pictures of those who contributed financial support for its printing and mailing.  $2,000 came from PGGOP.  Total cost about $6,500.  Extra copies delivered on lit drops to specific precincts. Lesson: well received; successful; much appreciated by voters.  Mail out more widely; where insufficient funds, use lit drops more widely; make sure this publication is printed and available far in advance of Election Day to assure wide distribution.  Make sure ALL ballot questions are listed and checked on the sample ballot as well.

Fundraising Events

Two were held.  Both were in the format of a simple “meet and greet” reception with food.  Mailing and phone calls were made to encourage attendance.  Sponsor levels were set for major donor support.  Lesson: necessary to raise funds, although actual attendance is not great in numbers.  Many donate without attending.  Keep these events simple to avoid undue investment of time and effort for facilities and marketing.

December 11, 2018
Lee Havis, Candidate
Maryland State Senate
lee@havisforsenate.com
http://havisforsenate.com

My campaign for Maryland state senate in LD21 includes visits to churches in the district. On Sunday, October 21, 2018, I enjoyed the service and meeting members of the “Touch of Love” church in Laurel. In the picture, I’m with pastor Wale Maye, a native of Nigeria. Thanks to all the good people I have met at these churches, which is such a reflection of goodness in the people in our district.

The Havis campaign conducted its “Final Push” fundraiser with State Senate “Big Ed” Reilly from Anne Arundel County in Beltsville on Saturday October 13. Lee and Senator Reilly both spoke about the challenge and opportunity of this important midterm election to the future government of Maryland.  (see images below) Thanks to main sponsors: Camillo Di Camillo (Silver); Jim Cantwell (Bronze) and David Embody (Bronze).

On Sunday, September 9, I attended services at the Laurel Presbyterian Church. After the service, I had a chance to meet a member, George Jing and his son, Jayden. (see picture here) George is a naturalized US citizen originally from the African country of Camaroons. I agreed with his analysis of the problem of “public education” in Maryland as essentially a lack of “accountability”. As Maryland State Senator, I would work with Governor Hogan to provide much more oversight and accountability, which has been lacking under the current political leadership in the Maryland General Assembly. For more accountability, vote “Havis” for state senate in LD21

On August 23, 2018 I met with Tom Stokes of “Precision small engines” in College Park to discuss issues of government regulations related to the operation of his business in the area. In the State Senate, I would work to support this type of small business enterprise, which we most need to revitalize a vibrant free market economy in Prince George’s County. In the photo, I am with Tom, who helped install a “Havis” sign on his property in College Park.

Installing these “Havis” signs around LD21, is an important way to bring attention to the Havis campaign, and the opportunity to vote for an alternative to socialistic, bloated government that favors special interest over government that serves the well-being and fairness to all citizens in the state.  Please contact the Havis campaign if you have private property suitable for installing a “Havis” sign, especially if located on a major traffic artery.  lee@havisforsenate.com