[00:00.01]18-1  Making a Difference  ACT I
[00:00.00]I don't believe it!
[00:01.91]What's wrong?
[00:03.12]Carter Boswell!
[00:05.32]Who's Carter Boswell?
[00:06.64]He's running for the school board.
[00:08.19]The election's next month.
[00:09.59]What's wrong with wanting to be on the school board?
[00:12.00]Nothing.
[00:13.19]But he wants to cut the school budget!
[00:16.13]Maybe it needs cutting.
[00:18.58]Cutting the budget is fine,
[00:20.53]but he wants to do it
[00:21.71]by cutting all the cultural programs.
[00:23.65]No music, no dance,
[00:24.92]no concert, no stage presentations.
[00:27.50]Why does he want to do that?
[00:29.54]He says it's to save the taxpayers' money,
[00:32.23]and I think he believes
[00:33.44]that the taxpayers will vote for him
[00:35.11]if he spends less on the cultural programs.
[00:38.30]He's probably right.
[00:40.20]Lots of people want their taxes
[00:41.73]used for new books
[00:43.40]and a new paint job in the schoolrooms.
[00:46.30]Maybe some of us would like to pay a little bit more
[00:48.50]and keep the cultural programs for our kids.
[00:51.62]Well, I'm not sure. Ellen.
[00:54.36]I hear it from my patients.
[00:56.65]Lots of people are tired of higher taxes.
[01:01.92]I know,
[01:04.08]but if Boswell wins
[01:05.19]he'll be an important decision-maker
[01:07.01]on the school board,
[01:08.06]and he doesn't know anything
[01:09.26]about our children's education.
[01:12.11]Who's running against him?
[01:13.10]Nobody. That's the problem.
[01:15.98]Well, it sounds to me like Carter Boswell
[01:18.35]is going to win this seat on the board.
[01:19.78]Oh, not if I can stop him!
[01:23.15]And how are you going to stop him?
[01:26.22]I don't know.
[01:28.96]Maybe I'll run against him.
[01:31.40]Well, you've got my vote.
[01:37.38]I'm serious, Philip.
[01:39.95]Why shouldn't I run?
[01:42.03]Why shouldn't you run for what, Mom?
[01:44.30]Your mother is thinking of
[01:45.40]running for the school board.
[01:47.34]Hey, that's terrific, Mom!
[01:49.42]Against Carter Boswell?
[01:51.12]Great!
[01:52.18]Well, if I run for office,
[01:54.05]the voters will have a clear choice.
[01:55.96]I stand for everything Boswell doesn't.
[01:59.24]I think a lot of people will vote for you
[02:01.69]against Boswell, Ellen.
[02:03.50]I'll vote for you.
[02:05.71]Will you help me if I do run?
[02:07.65]Absolutely.
[02:10.30]The trouble is
[02:10.81]it takes a little bit of money to run a campaign.
[02:14.54]I think you can make a difference, Ellen.
[02:16.77]And in a short campaign
[02:18.19]you wouldn't need as much money.
[02:20.18]You know something, Ellen?
[02:21.71]Why not give the people of Riverdale a clear choice?
[02:25.55]I'm with you.
[02:27.00]You can make a difference.
[02:34.87]Come in.
[02:40.64]Mr. Maxwell?
[02:42.51]Yes, Charles Maxwell.
[02:45.68]My name is Ellen Stewart.
[02:48.81]Hello.
[02:49.39]Please, sit down.
[02:55.06]You asked to see me.
[02:57.92]What would you like to see me about?
[03:00.27]I'd like your help.
[03:03.94]Well,
[03:04.86]I'm editor of the most influential newspaper in Riverdale.
[03:08.63]Actually, it's the only newspaper.
[03:11.47]A lot of people would like my help.
[03:12.96]Do you have a story?
[03:14.84]I'm planning to run for the school board.
[03:18.10]Against Carter Boswell?
[03:19.82]Yes.
[03:21.23]Well, that is news.
[03:23.53]Will you announce that I'm running?
[03:26.23]But I need some information.
[03:29.83]Of course.
[03:31.66]Why will the voters vote for you against Boswell,
[03:34.66]Mrs. Stewart?
[03:36.95]Because I care.
[03:41.02]"Vote for Ellen Stewart. She cares."
[03:44.18]Not a bad slogan.
[03:46.26]But what do you care about?
[03:49.66]Well, I care about the children of our town.
[03:52.14]I don't want them to grow up
[03:53.29]without cultural programs in our school.
[03:58.00]Do you have a plan?
[04:00.08]I want our children to learn
[04:01.39]more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.
[04:05.78]I want to keep the after-school programs--
[04:09.35]the music, the concerts.
[04:11.63]It's not a bad plan.
[04:13.47]But who's going to pay for all of this?
[04:15.36]We are.
[04:16.60]The citizens of Riverdale, of course.
[04:18.01]I plan to get help
[04:19.31]from the businessmen and the corporations of Riverdale.
[04:23.02]That's fair enough.
[04:25.45]Exactly what do you want from me, Mrs. Stewart?
[04:29.55]You don't know me.
[04:30.56]I can't expect you to take my side against Boswell.
[04:34.02]But I do need some publicity
[04:37.90]so that the people of our town
[04:39.03]know that I'm running for office
[04:40.89]and that I care about our children.
[04:44.58]Fair enough.
[04:46.30]I certainly can print the news.
[04:48.38]And you are now making news.