Robert Smith

Robert Smith was born in New York, New York. He attended New York University, Middlesex County College, and LCCC. His career experience includes working as a healthcare professional. Smith has been affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and Our Lady Help of Christians.[1]

Regular election

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Special election

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a husband, father and grandfather. I live in the East Side of Allentown. I was in the Allentown School Board for 16 years, keeping taxes low, building co-chair. and President for 5 years. Elementary school was built on time and under budget during my tenure. I was a City Councilman for 2 years, brought fluoride into our community and the landlord licensing bill. I was vice-chair for the Human Relations Commission and dealt with cases of discrimination and pushed for sexual orientation to be included in the city charter. I was a Joint Operating Committee member for 16 years and elected chairman twice. This was a trade school, giving students different options for their life career goals.

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?

Crime, inflation, education are 3 of the main issues right now. Crime, we need to give more resources to our first responders so they can do their job properly and efficiently. Inflation, we need fuel tax, increase minimum wage gradually, support small businesses by having less regulations to avoid another shutdown. Cannot raise minimum wage in one shot as this will heart small family businesses. Education, make sure Allentown gets fair funding; school district should get reimburse 10% by the Charter School, because $60 Million of the budget goes to them. We need to lower their share of pension cost to a reasonable amount.Inflation- fuel taxes, food, medication are a few items to mention. We need to dig for oil and fracking, we need to be self sufficient and not depend on foreign oil.Education - we need to do something about the cost of college education. Students are coming out of college with big debts that cannot be repaid. School choice is important as it allows parents to send their kids to where they can perform at the greatest potential.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about education, mental illness and drug trafficking. Education, we need to make sure our kids are well taught, some kids are 10 years old and they do not know how to read and write. How can this be? Curriculum taught in school is important so our kids are taught to their full potential. That is why school choice is important, it gives parents the ability to decide what school they want to place their children for a better education. Mental Illnes, very close to my heart as that is who I deal with on a daily basis. I care about these individuals that depend on a good human hand and compassionate. We need to understand their illness so we know how to treat it and for family members how to deal with their love ones. Drug traficking, needs to be stop as our youth is getting a hold of this bad drugs and affects their lives and their family members. Fetanyl is one of the most dangerous drugs coming thru, people are dying daily. We need to find a way to control and stop it before it hits someone close to us.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My father who was a decent men and always like to help people.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Meet John Doe, it's about a regular guy who represent the people.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, Integrity and knowledge.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Good listener, care about people. I have life experience that can help me success in the office. I am not a polish politician, I am a simple man with common sense.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Listening to your constituents and advocate for them.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be known as a public servant that worked for the people and make their life better.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Robert Kennedy die when I was 7 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Paperboy when I was a teenager.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Atlas Shrug. Is about individualism and freedom.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Captain America

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

My Way with Frank Sinatra

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I wish I would own the company I worked for to make the changes necessary for the benefit of the residents and staff.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The governor has veto just about every bill that has come across because it does not suit his liking. He needs to think about the community first that is why he is holding office.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Area is getting over populated and we need to do something about it before it gets out of control. I am for the 2nd Amendment but it has to be better control to obtain guns.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

If you only have one house, less tax payer money on legislator but also there is no check and balances.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes. You need to understand what it entails and it prepares them to work with everyone.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course, you build relationship to built coalition to get things done. As long as it is the right thing for the people.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

That is fair an equal for both parties.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Healthcare, ethics and finances.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

not applicable

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Lincoln or Reagan

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am not sure.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Absolutely. I am a bypartisan public servant that with reasonable understanding can work across the isle to get things done.

Smith participated in [the profile publisher]'s 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:

Decrease the drop out rate .Every student counts, and sometimes its tests, trouble at home, we need to do everything possible to make sure every student gets a diploma. Students may not want to go to college, but they need that diploma even if they decide college is not for them, they may go right into work force in a technical carrier which is outstanding too. I have been on board 12 years, most experienced candidate in race ,the next board will also have to do a super attendant search, and replace top three leadership positions.[7]

—Robert Smith (2015)[8]

Smith also included the following statement with his responses:

All union contracts need to be negotiated- teacher, secretaries, and paraprofessionals. Fair but decent contracts, and we need to restructure our business office so bills are paid on time, budget is accurate, and audit is on time.[7]

—Robert Smith (2015)[8]

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:

Education policy

Click here to learn more about education policy in Idaho.

Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking

Candidate's ranking

Issue

1

Expanding arts education

2

Closing the achievement gap

3

Improving education for special needs students

4

Expanding career-technical education

5

Balancing or maintaining the district's budget

6

Improving college readiness

7

Expanding school choice options

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from [the profile publisher] regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column, and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:

Question

Response

What is your stance on implementing Common Core standards?

"They should not be implemented."

Should your district approve the creation of new charter schools?

"No"

Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system?

"Yes"

Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?

"No"

How can the district ensure equal opportunities for high and low achieving students?

"Our students need to be well rounded, imaginative ,and common sense focused for the future careers whatever that may be. We do not need robots with great memories that can excel on keystone tests. A student that can play an instrument, sing beautifully or create artistic paintings may not excel on tests. We need to take the creative artistic contributions. from students and include that in the equation their final grades."

How should expulsion be used in the district?

"Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools."

If a school is failing in your district, what steps should the school board take to help the students in that school?

"We need to help Principle with any resource they are lacking, we need to provide professional development to all our teachers, and set up special tutoring program for our students. Parent liaisons need to work with parents to see if there are issues at home affecting student performance. I as president of board would visit with superintendent and observe first hand ,and listen to staff concerns."

Do you support merit pay for teachers?

"Yes"

How should the district handle underperforming teachers?

"Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district."

How would you work to improve community-school board relations?

"I personally answer every email or call from parents, and try to help behind the scenes whenever possible. Sometimes parents just want someone to listen to their concerns, and I am a good listener. I also would visit neighborhood groups and keep people up to date on what's happening in school district"