Sean believes that permanent progress in the public schools will require an honest discussion about the school assignment process (“the lottery”), the BPS transportation plan (“busing”), and the role that charter schools play in our community. Sean favors a decentralized education system: one in which schools are independently administered and parents are allowed to choose what sort of education their child will receive. Sean understands that most parents – all else being equal – would like to send their child to a school that is close to home. Until neighborhood choices exist for all who want them, we must strive to provide classroom continuity: cohorts of parents and students should be allowed to stick together throughout the educational journey.
Sean understands that every dollar spent by government was first earned by a worker, saver, homeowner, or businessman. Sean realizes that when the people who fund government are earning less, government must spend less as well. Sean is also mindful of the fact that certain critical services are urgently needed by people who depend on them. In these tough economic times, we must do more with less – and the citizens of Boston must be willing to make some difficult decisions. In order to preserve the most important and effective services, we must discontinue those that have failed to achieve their stated ends. Everyone – public and private employees alike – should be willing to make sacrifices, so that our city can continue to prosper.
Sean believes that government has a role to play in our lives, and that this role is a specific and limited one. He knows that there are some things that governments do relatively well, and other things that are better left to the voluntary efforts of individuals and charitable organizations in our communities. Law enforcement – the protection of person and property – is the primary responsibility of government. We simply cannot afford to pay for drug-prevention strategies that have proven ineffective and that are exacerbating social problems rather than relieving them. A community’s public safety force should focus on the prevention and mediation of conflict and violence – not the policing of people’s personal habits. We ought to use the time and talents of our officers wisely, ensuring that they are free to do the job for which we hired them: neighborhood beat-patrolling.