Dear Poughkeepsie Voters,
I have been serving the residents of the city as the Vice-president of the Poughkeepsie school board, where I pride myself on being open and honest. Unfortunately, the Democratic candidate for mayor doesn’t act the same way.
This is in no way a personal attack on Mr. Ward. He is an outstanding example of the education offered by Poughkeepsie schools. To that end, I must dispute Mr. Ward’s claim of being the youngest Valedictorian in the nation since 2012. I have researched this claim and determined, with the assistance of my school district contacts, that no such database of Valedictorians exists. Mr. Ward graduated as a Valedictorian from Poughkeepsie High School at the age of sixteen. That is impressive. His claim, however, cannot be validated. It is my assumption that it is misleading.
Mr. Ward started his campaign by claiming to have graduated from King’s College School of Law in London. Mr. Ward did attend King’s College. However, he did not attend law school and does not have a law degree. Research has determined that Mr. Ward attended a one-year Master’s Degree program “Global Ethics and Human Values”. The program is housed in the law school but is not to be considered a law degree. Mr. Ward has recently changed his campaign literature to address this embellished claim.
The young candidate is full of enthusiasm, which is certainly exciting. Unfortunately, his exuberance is likely the cause of his embellished claims. The candidate has claimed to have been an “efficiency analyst” at the White House during the Obama administration. Truth be told, he was an unpaid intern in the mail facility for the White House. Furthermore, there is no paid position known as “Efficiency Analyst” in the White House. Another example of Mr. Ward’s creative imagination is his claim regarding his unpaid internship at the United Nations. Mr. Ward has repeatedly said that he played a role in a $3 billion dollar budget at the UN. I’ve made inquiries to staffers at the UN and they have assured me that interns, known as “student volunteers” do not have any decision-making abilities in the organization.
Mr. Ward has been vague about his paid work experience that would be a fact to consider when voting. I do recall Mr. Ward working for the City of Poughkeepsie years ago, as a teenager. He was employed as a lifeguard. I am not faulting Mr. Ward to choosing to continue learning prior to joining the workforce on a steady basis, but I do not think he is currently qualified for the office he is seeking.
I find it disappointing that Mr. Ward has chosen to exaggerate his resume to the extent he has in an attempt to become mayor. The truth is important and I feel obligated to tell it to the voters of Poughkeepsie.
Sincerely,
Debra Long
Proud resident
City of Poughkeepsie
