Jalila Jefferson wins Debate

Section: Votenews

Eugene Green

Jalila Jefferson Bullock's committment and motivation were on display on Tuesday, October 9 at the forum for State Senate District 5 candidates sponsored by the Neighbors United community organization and the District "B" Coordinating Council. The forum was moderated by WWL-TV reporter Katie Moore.

When presented with questions from the moderator and from members of the audience, which numbered over 100 in attendance, Mrs. Jefferson Bullock, a Louisiana State Representative for four years, presented those in attendance with her vision for the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans. Jalila reminded the audience that the purpose of elected officials was to protect and safeguard the interests of people. She noted that the State of Louisiana should step up its efforts to direct resources into areas such as crime prevention, education, mental health, and general health care if the State and City are to recover and continue to grow following Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans.

Mrs. Jefferson Bullock reminded the citizens in attendance that there are pockets of instability in the New Orleans educational system, despite the State takeover of the Orleans Parish public school system. Some students still attend schools at which they eat cold lunches and at which the facilities are still in disrepair. Mrs. Jefferson Bullock committed to continue her efforts to direct resources to schools that are in need of financial assistance to function properly.

Jefferson Bullock noted the correlation between substandard education and the breeding of the hopelessness that leads to crime. When asked about what could be done to reduce crime in our city, Mrs. Jefferson Bullock noted that giving children from all walks of life hope for a better day and for more opportunities would go a long way toward reducing the despair that leads to crime and to drug addiction. She called for more vocational training in especially public schools, for example, noting that children who are not destined to continue their education on a collegiate level should not feel that they system fails to offer them an alternative.

During the forum, candidate Jefferson Bullock touched on issues involving high stakes testing (she has concerns that some students are being held back when there is such a disparity of resource distribution throughout the school system), the takeover by the State of Orleans Schools (she has concerns that the State has not shown a true committment to devoting additional resources to schools that are troubled), the Blueprint for Louisiana (which she mostly supports, with the exception being the manner in which the document calls for the use of healthcare vouchers), and more.

Jalila was approached by many in attendance folowing the forum. Many expressed to her their appreciation for her enthusiasm and for her participation.