Basil Smikle, 38, Bringing Ed Reformers to Table
by Douglas CretsMay 31, 2010
An interview with Basil Smikle, who is running against Bill Perkins in Harlem for a State Senate seat.
eD: Give us a little background about yourself. What were you doing recently, before starting this run against Perkins?
I’ve had my own consulting firm for the last seven years. While I was consluting and being a talking head commenting on government and politics, I was also teaching at Colubmia’s University School of Public Affairs as an adjunct and in the City University of New York system in the School of Professional Studies, also as an adjunct.
eD: What was the catalyst that led you to you to jump into the race to run against Bill Perkins of Harlem?
The catalyst that got me into the race was the pitting of parents and neighbors and schools against one another instead of the honest and sincere search for best education practices in upper Manhattan.
I think the anger and frustration that has been stoked on both sides could be mitigated by bringing everyone to the table and trying to search for really sound ways to improve teaching and learning in this district. Couple that with a number of other lapses in leadership on my opponent’s side specifically, and then the Senate as a body…
I think there is a need for new leadership and I felt strongly I had the talent and energy to really make a difference and be a better advocate in the community.
eD: Do you think the current legislation that effectively bans for-profit growth in New York can be undone?