force included giving teacher authority to have disruptive students removed from classrooms, creating character education curricula in school districts, and making violence against a teacher in a classroom a felony. Quality communities In 2000, Pataki appointed Donohue to chair a task force on quality communities in New York. Donohue's task force met around the state to discuss land use policies, economic development, and growth issues. The panel issued 41 recommendations on preserving community character statewide. After the conclusion of the task force, Donohue served as Chairwoman of the Quality Communities Working Group, which oversaw implementation of the task force's recommendations and the awarding of quality communities grants to towns statewide. According to the website for the Quality Communities Clearinghouse, Donohue's panel made recommendations in the areas of neighborhood preservation, open space conservation, farmland preservation, economic development, land use planning, transportation, and technology. Donohue has traveled the state hosting roundtable discussion on quality communities issues since 2000. In that role, she worked with Secretaries of State Alexander Treadwell, Randy Daniels, and Christopher Jacobs on local government issues. Small business, aging, homeland security, and criminal justice In 2001, Donohue chaired a task force on small business issues in the state. In that role, she met with small business owners and developed policy recommendations for governor on these issues. During her second term, Donohue frequently traveled the state promoting homeland security issues, drunk driving prevention, and criminal justice. In 2005, Donohue was named by Pataki as the Chairwoman of the New York State Delegation to the White House Conference on Aging. Before the conference, Donohue held a series of community meetings around the state on aging issues. Statewide campaigns 1998 In 1997, Pataki announced that he was dropping Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey Ross from his 1998 reelection ticket. Pataki and McCaughey Ross had feuded for much of his term. McCaughey Ross would later become a Democrat and run unsuccessfully for governor in 1998. Following Pataki's announcement regarding McCaughey Ross, Donohue was reported as a possible replacement running mate. In addition, State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, State Senator Mary Lou Rath and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples were reported as possible running mates. In the spring of 1998, Pataki announced his selection of Donohue. In the 1998 general election, the Pataki-Donohue ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone for governor and Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel for lieutenant