the Other 35 Percent

Park Police Chief Returns, Real Story Overlooked

2011-02-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

After a seven-year legal battle, Teresa Chambers has been reinstated as Chief of the U.S. Park Police. She returned to her job yesterday after an administrative panel, with new members appointed by the Obama Administration, reversed her dismissal. But recent media reports have overlooked an important element of this story -- at least for residents of the District of Columbia.

Reports uniformly cite Chambers' comments to the media regarding her concerns with the lack of staffing and budget to adequately protect national monuments following increased security demands post-9/11 as the reason for her dismissal.

But that's not quite what she said.

Chief Chambers expressed concern that due to the increased demand for officers to stand as sentries at the monuments, the U.S. Park Police would not be left with adequate officers to patrol neighborhood parks in the District. As a result, she was suspended in late 2003 and fired in mid 2004.

At the time, as a Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, I was busy trying to improve the safety and look of Logan Circle Park, which, at times, was overturn with drug use and public drinking. Many of the District's circles and squares, as well as smaller "pocket parks," are federal property and primary jurisdiction for patrolling them falls to the U.S. Park Police. In fact, over the years, MPD officers have confirmed to me that they will not patrol these parks unless they happen to view illegal activity occurring.

That is why District residents should hail Teresa Chamber's return as a personal victory. Although responsible for safety and security of the National Mall, Rock Creek, Baltimore-Washington and George Washington parkways, as well as New York's Liberty Island and San Francisco's Golden Gate National Recreation Area, she kept DC's neighborhood parks a priority. She lost her job for doing so.

Welcome back, Chief Chambers.

Moved to the Countryside

2011-01-31T13:07:00.002-05:00

I was shocked to learn this morning from The Georgetown Dish that I've moved to Rockville. Truth be told, as of yesterday evening, I've moved near Darnestown, Maryland, a place that this city boy did not even know existed until recently. It's a change that I expect that I will be coming to terms with for some time. I refuse to call it the "suburbs." I call it "the countryside."

As I explained in my final President's Column of the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association newsletter, with my first kid soon to arrive, it was time for a larger place in a safe neighborhood with excellent schools.

The District will remain home to me. It's the place where I spend the majority of each week at work, where I have so many good friends, and where I will continue to own a house. At the end of the day, however, I'll be sleeping somewhere a bit quieter, with more nature, and more power outages. Pepco, look out, you may become my next mission!

D.C. Same-Sex Marriage Law Survives Supreme Court Challenge

2011-01-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Home Rule, the U.S. Supreme Court this morning denied review of a challenge to D.C.'s same-sex marriage law. The petition in the case of Jackson v. D.C. Board of Elections was aimed at reviving a proposed ballot initiative that would have asked D.C. voters to define marriage as between a man and a woman. Last year the D.C. City Council approved same-sex marriages, the sixth jurisdiction in the nation to do so. More on the Blog of the Legal Times.

Early on, I had requested an investigation of Reverend Jackson's standing to seek a referendum on marriage in the District. Reverend Jackson, who owns two homes in Maryland, is pastor of a 3,000 member Maryland church, founder of a nonprofit organization incorporated and located in Maryland, and is a registered Maryland voter, registered to vote for the District of Columbia on April 22, 2009, claiming as his residence a condominium near the Washington Convention Center. After “residing” in the District just six days over the minimum thirty days mandated by law, Reverend Jackson filed a petition with the Board as the primary “proposer” of a referendum on the recognition of same-sex marriage in the District on May 27, 2009. As the investigation began, Rev. Jackson subsequently claimed that he moved to an apartment near the ballpark.

The U.S. Supreme Court's denial of certiorari closes this attempt to thwart Home Rule.

Token Voting Power Gone

2011-01-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

A New York Times editorial today draws attention to the District's lack of voting representation.

The long suffering, and underrepresented, taxpayers of the District of Columbia are properly worried about their shrinking role in the new Republican-controlled House. Tucked into the changes enacted by Speaker John Boehner is a rule depriving the district of its one bit of token voting power in Congress.... read the full editorial here.

In related news, last week, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton reintroduced the same three bills she always drops in each Congress providing alternative ways to obtain representation -- (1) statehood; (2) representation in both the House and Senate without statehood; or (3) giving the District a single vote in the House. What was it that Albert Einstein said about insanity?

Only full representation is acceptable. But nothing will pass unless there is a strong push by the District's elected leadership (beyond a billboard or street naming) and grassroots movement from the citizenry. That is largely absent.

Having the District share federal voting representation with Maryland, while retaining Home Rule, may be most poltically viable from a national standpoint and historically justifiable. Statehood is also a worthy goal.

Until then, the District should focus on increasing our independence from the federal government. We still don't fully control our courts, our prosecutors, our parks, our legislation, or our budget. Becoming more like a state, even if not yet a state, would be a positive step. It may be the only viable area for progress under a Republican House.

For Rent: Penn Quarter Condo

2011-01-06T17:12:00.000-05:00

Now that Attorney General Peter Nickles is out of office, how quickly will he ditch the secret Penn Quarter condo and D.C. driver's license that he was forced to rent in order to establish residency in the District to legally work in the Fenty Administration? There's at least one reason to keep it -- the pad is just a stone's throw from Covington & Burling, where he will return as head of the law firm's new crisis management practice.

Evans Emerges Unscathed, More Powerful

2011-01-03T15:45:00.002-05:00

DC Wire reports today that the new Council Chairman, Kwame Brown, has replaced Jack Evans (Ward 2) as Chair Pro Tem with Councilmember Mary Cheh (Ward 3), a largely ceremonial position that Evans, as the longest serving member, has held for 12 years. One might think that loss of the #2 title marks a power shift, since Evans supported Fenty while Brown and Cheh supported Gray in his mayoral bid. Evans himself mulled over running against Brown for Chair. While Evans did not get take an official position in the race after he bowed out, Evans' former campaign and council communication director, Sean Metcalf, led Vincent Oranges' campaign for the position.

But Brown has apparently named Evans as co-chair of the committee that will oversee redistricting in the wake of the 2010 census, along with At-large Councilmember Michael Brown. Ward 2, as an area of the city that experienced a modest increase in population, could lose some of its territory to shrinking Ward 1 or gain back some area of quickly growing Ward 6. As chair of the Committee, Evans will be in a position to ensure that his new boundaries, and future electability, are to his liking. Brown also gave Evans oversight over the Washington Convention and Sports Authority, and he will continue to chair the powerful Committee on Finance and Revenue, the equivalent to Congress's Appropriations Committee.

The Post suggests that in giving Evans power over redistricting and WCSA, Brown gave him "an apparent consolation prize" for losing chair pro tem, which it calls a "stinging setback." So wrong.

Continued chairmanship of Finance, added oversight of WCSA (the sports issues Evans absolutely loves -- can we build another stadium for the Redskins right now?), and he gets to redraw the political boundaries throughout the city in his favor (and bank political IOUs from his colleagues) in exchange for giving up a ceremonial title? Sounds more like Cheh received a small reward for her risk in supporting Gray in predominantly pro-Fenty Ward 3, and Evans, from whom Kwame will want support to effectively lead the Council, got a coup.

Also noted by the Post is that Councilmember Tommy Wells (Ward 6) will take oversight of WMATA, replacing Councilmember Jim Graham. It's a somewhat thankless position that is shared with representatives from Maryland, Virginia, and the federal government, but obviously a very important one. Councilmember Michael Brown, who has missed at least 52 board meetings since appointed, will apparently continue to serve as the other DC member.

Will Gray Administration Address City Nuisance Properties?

2011-01-03T12:21:00.001-05:00

There’s the crumbling façade of a historic house on N Street that, aside from a chain link fence securing it, has remained frozen in time while all of the adjacent properties were renovated, rented, or sold. A rowhouse on Ridge Street collapsed in the middle of the night in 2007, leaving an empty lot. Two blocks away, the 1970s-era “porto-library,” resembling a highway rest stop, stands boarded up on New York Avenue since it closed 2 years ago.

In each case, the landlord is the same – the DC government.

These 3 properties are in my neighborhood, but there are well over 100 city-owned vacant houses and lots across the city. Many remain in the same condition, and under city control, for a decade or more.

That does not count the larger properties, such as closed schools. Some have promises of future renovation. Others are slated for uses that are not in tune with the District’s comprehensive plan or surrounding community’s wishes. Downtown, the shuttered Franklin School, a historic gem built to teach 400 children as a model educational institution, is slated to become a 30-room boutique hotel.

Meanwhile, the District’s fledgling community college opened its downtown campus in a nondescript office building for which taxpayers pay the rent -- starting at $1.8 million and rising to $3.8 million each year (and an additional $264,000 to $391,909 annually for its parking lot). The city’s public law school, charter schools, and nonprofits search for space.

The Gray Administration must develop a comprehensive inventory of its property, carefully evaluate the city’s needs, and thoughtfully consider the ideas and preferences of those who live around the sites. He should quickly move vacant houses into affordable and market-rate housing, preserve our public treasures, and return the larger buildings to productive use.

Washington Post Makes Me Laugh

2010-11-03T09:14:00.000-04:00

I pulled out the special Election section of the Washington Post this morning to read this teaser in the bottom right corner:

The District: Vincent Gray was elected mayor in a landslide, while Kwame Brown was chosen to succeed Gray as D.C. Council Chairman. Council races remained too close to call early Tuesday night. A29.

Vincent Gray, Democrat 96%
Carlos Allen, Independent 2%

Can we rewrite that as:

The District: Vincent Gray held off a write-in effort and beat token opposition, while Kwame Brown was chosen to succeed Gray as D.C. Council Chairman. Council races could not be called because many voting precincts remained unreported early Tuesday night. A29.

Vincent Gray, Democrat 74%
Write In 23%

Carlos Allen makes the front page of the Post's election coverage. Seriously? His15 minutes of fame should be long over.

Why is the DC Board of Elections Incompetent?

2010-11-02T21:46:00.003-04:00

It's 9:46pm and I can find out election results at the click of a mouse from as far away as the Dakotas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Kansas. But in DC, nearly 3 hours after the polls closed and with what is likely a comparatively minscule turnout, all I get is this:

Election Results not available.

Why is providing timely, accurate results so incredibly difficult for the District?

UPDATE 10:11PM: First results went up at 9:51pm, but just for a few precincts in Wards 1 and 6 for a total count of about 700 votes. That equates to counting at a rate of 4.1 votes per minute since the polls closed.

UPDATE 10:15PM: A moment ago, the first larger batch of results went online. Still, zero precincts reporting from Ward 2. Some results for all other wards. Thus far, voters chose an elected Attorney General by a 4 to 1 margin.

For an Elected Attorney General

2010-11-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

In most states, I'd probably say that there are enough knucklehead politicians running around. But in the District, I believe it is best to elect our attorney general.

There are good reasons in favor of appoinment. When it comes to the person who is responsible for overseeing criminal prosecutions, defending the state in civil suits, enforcing government regulations, and suing on behalf of the government, its understandable to seek the best-qualified legal mind for the job. Gubernatorial (or mayoral) appointment, with Senate (or DC Council) confirmation, can provide for a rigorous selection process and may include folks that would be great for the job, but would not run for office.

On the other hand, elected Attorney Generals, "AGs", are widely considered "Aspiring Governors." They must delicately balance a need to score political points and a photo op with fair and just enforcement of the law. That's why some states stick with appointment.

But the District is not like other jurisdictions. States have a full legislature, governor (and sometimes elected lieutenant governor), county and city governments, and elected district attorneys and sherriffs. Our city of 600,000 people is essentially governed by just 14 elected officials -- the Mayor and the DC Council. The city could use more checks and balances, accountability, and oversight.

Moreover, in the Fenty Administration, we had, in a respect, the worst of both worlds. Attorney General Peter Nickles, while an extremely qualified and able attorney, also viewed his role as defending, personally and politically, the Mayor. Rather than represent "the city" and its residents, he took sides between the Mayor and the D.C. Council, the Mayor and the DC Auditor, and those who questioned the legality of the Administration's actions - whether it was donating fire trucks to the Dominican Republic or circumventing procurement rules to award lucrative park renovation contracts to friends of the mayor. The result is that we had a highly political AG that we did not elect.

Some have suggested that electing an attorney general brings us closer to Home Rule and statehood. Maybe, but that's not my reason for voting FOR the ballot initiative. It's a matter of having more checks and balances and accountability in DC government.

Putting some fire under the AG could also result in some policy changes. Is there any doubt that an elected attorney general would not stand by while youths who have committed crimes are quickly released back into the public to commit more violence? Who will be the next DYRS "ward of the state" to make headlines?

One of my neighbors received a robocall identified identified as on behalf of "black churches" asking that he vote "NO" to the ballot initiative for an elected attorney general. Those behind the robocalls are likely supporters of Vince Gray who do not want his power diminished by creating an independent attorney general. Yes, electing an attorney general will reduce the mayor's power, just as eliminating the authority of the elected school board increased the mayor's control.

In this case, the best choice is for an elected attorney general.

No Exit

2010-10-29T15:06:00.000-04:00

The Examiner reports that although the Foggy Bottom metro station is the 8th busiest in the system and handles more passengers per day than Baltimore's light rail system, there are no plans to add a second extrance to the station. Meanwhile, just across the water and one stop away on the blue/orange line, workers are installing a second entrance at the Rossyln station, which has less than half the daily use of Foggy Bottom.

Why? Virginia and Rosslyn area developers are paying for the new entrance at Rosslyn. The District and George Washington University, which is in the midst of a massive project just above the metro, are not. Given GWU's ownership of such an immense area, its increases in student enrollment, its hospital patients, and its substantial development plans, I'm left wondering why it was not required to do invest in increasing the capacity and convenience of the station as a condition of approval of the project?

Any thoughts from Foggy Bottom / West End residents? Is there a downside to promoting metro use in the neighborhood?

Killed Professor's Car Turns Up in Shaw With Ward of DC

2010-10-27T01:38:00.000-04:00

It is not long since Shaw Middle School Principal Brian Betts was killed by three individuals that should have been incarcerated, but were not, because of the District's lax policies regarding youth offenders and lack of capacity to hold them.

Now, the media is reporting that a man driving the car of the American University accounting professor Sue Ann Marcum, after a brief chase with police, crashed into a lamppost three blocks from my house at the busy intersection of New Jersey and M Streets / New York Avenue NW near the I-395 tunnel. Ms. Marcum was found dead in her Glen Echo home.

Deandrew Hamlin, the driver, recently turned 18. He is a ward of the District's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. So far, it has been revealed that Hamlin had previous arrests for car theft and destruction of property. I expect more of his criminal record will come to light over the next several days.

According to The Examiner, "It was not immediately clear whether Hamlin had absconded from juvenile detention, or had been placed in a residential facility as part of his rehabilitation. A DYRS spokesman declined to comment on Hamlin."

As of this time, Hamlin has been charged with driving the stolen auto, but not with the burglary or murder.

Coverage: Washington Examiner, Washington Times, Washington Post

"No viable public use" for Franklin School

2010-10-22T10:27:00.001-04:00

Today's Washington Business Journal [subscription only] highlights the ongoing saga of the disposition of the Franklin School building.

Jose Sousa, a project manager with the deputy mayor for planning and economic development’s office is quoted as saying, “It is our belief there is no viable public use for that space.”

Thus, the ~~D.C. Council~~ Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development will hold a public hearing on November 18 as it considers whether to declare the 150-year old historic building "surplus." If approved, the District will likely enter a 99-year lease with Brooklandville, Md.-based Cana Development, which will turn the building into a boutique hotel and restaurant.

The Coalition of Franklin School, however, believes there are many viable educational uses for the Franklin School - but they have not be adequately sought and vetted.

The problem is that the District, as owner of the building, has allowed it to deteriorate for decades. When built by famous architect Adolf Cluss 150 years ago, it was a model public school that was looked to for inspiration not just within the United States, but internationally. After later serving as the District's Department of Education, and as a vocational education center, it was left vacant, then turned into a homeless shelter. It has remained empty again since Mayor Fenty cleared it out in 2008.

Estimates are that it will take $35 million to bring the building back up to par. The District has not made a commitment to renovate the building for an educational use. Nor does it appear to have vetted potential uses with D.C. Public Schools, the Charter School Board, the University of the District of Columbia, or others. Yet, it puts out RFP's and, receiving no proposals to take on a lease without a commitment from the city to make the building habitable, finds that there is "no viable public use."

Here's just a few viable public uses for the Franklin School:

A gifted-and-talented middle or high school, so that parents of high-achieving students have options other than sending their children to private school or leaving the District.
A downtown campus for UDC's new community college system or a new facility for its law school.
A home to one or more charter schools that are seeking space.
A public high school for Ward 2-area residents (many of whom currently treck up to Wilson High School in Tenleytown), particularly given the growing residential population of downtown.
A space for nonprofits providing job training and career services programs.
A facility for teacher training and continuing education.
Flex space for lectures, conferences, exhibits, performances, and meetings, similar to the use of the Sumner School near Dupont Circle.

Others would rather see the prime-location property turned into a money-maker for the city, rather than the city invest in improving it. “There’s only one bidder and that is a hotel, and if that’s the only prospect then that is what I want to see,” said D.C. Councilman Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, who represents the Franklin School neighborhood. “I would like to see Franklin return to the tax rolls.”

That's certainly an enticing position, particularly in this economic climate. But the better long-term solution is to identify a best educational use for the Franklin School and invest, perhaps from District's School Modernization Fund, to make it a model for the 21st Century.

The public hearing on surplusing the Franklin School will be held on Thursday, November 18, 2010, 6:30pm, at Thomson Elementary School (large meeting room in basement), 1200 L Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20005. Contact persons on this project are Jared Kahn (202) 213-9215 and Nimita Shah (202) 215-3650. You can sign up to testify against the proposed surplusing here.

Thorpe at it Again: Campaign Literature Theft?

2010-10-20T12:34:00.003-04:00

Early this morning, a neighborhood resident "witnessed Leroy Thorpe going from house to house on the western side of New Jersey Avenue removing the anti-Thorpe leaflets" and snapped the fuzzy photograph above with his cell phone camera. "As the photo shows, Mr. Thorpe was entering people's yards to see if they had a pamplet and if they did he took it and crumpled it up," the resident wrote. The resident observed that "by 8am, [Mr. Thorpe] switched to a bicycle and was on the 1600 block of 6th St." "At least he's getting his exercise this morning."

The seized literature is along the lines of this website, which has been up for some time (and also subject to a Thorpe lawsuit), but was recently updated.

As the resident observed, while the literature may not be "flattering" and could be considered in bad taste, it is not slanderous, as it states factual information and is in the context of a contested political election. The photograph follows reports of incumbent ANC Commissioner Kevin Chapple's campaign signs mysteriously disappearing from the neighborhood.

Leroy Thorpe doesn't take no for an answer. The notorious former Shaw ANC Commissioner was outsted in 2006 and lost a bid to reclaim his seat in 2008. He is running again this year.

Along the way, Thorpe sued Martin Moulton, who founded the Convention Center Community Association as an welcome alternative forum to Thorpe's East Central Civil Association. Thorpe's suit was ultimately dismissed with prejudice. He was recently arrested and convicted of filing a false police report after calling 911 to report Moulton, by delivering neighborhood newsletters on his block, was violating a nonexistent stay-away order related to the civil suit.

Last night, the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association hosted a candidates' forum for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission single member districts that fall within the group's boundaries. Challengers for two ANC 2C seats, Rochelle Nigro (running for the position held by Theresa Sule) and Rickey Williams (running for the position held by Doris Brooks), attended. The incumbents were invited, but did not attend. Should Nigro and Williams join Commissioners Kevin Chapple and Alexander Padro, the area (which includes parts of Penn Quarter/Chinatown, and Mount Vernon Square/Triangle, as well as Shaw) may finally have the professional, competent representation that residents deserve.

Evans on Shiloh Tax Abatement; Explanation Doesn't Alter Neighborhood Opposition

2010-10-20T10:28:00.007-04:00

UPDATE: At 4:30PM today, Councilmember Jack Evans sent the following message to the community: "In light of the community opposition to the legislation regarding the Shiloh Baptist Church’s properties, I have withdrawn the legislation and contacted Rev. Wallace Smith, Pastor of Shiloh, of such." Our thanks to Councilmember Evans for listening and taking appropriate action.

* * *

Yesterday, Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans explained his proposal, discussed on this blog, to provide a substantial tax abatement to Shiloh Baptist Church, which owns many blighted properties in the Shaw neighborhood that have been a source of frustration to residents for decades. Evans explained:

Brian - thank you for writing about Bill 18-1045, the “Shiloh Baptist Church Property Redevelopment Act of 2010.” Shiloh Baptist Church, (Shiloh), owns Lots 820, 821, 822, 824, and 825 in Squares 365, Lot 20 in Square 396; Lot 31 in Square 397 and Lot 46 in Square 421 in Shaw. These properties have been classified at Class 3, Vacant Properties. Currently, Shiloh owes $57,222 (Lot 820); $55,963 (Lot 821); $66,372 (Lot 822); $43,302 (Lot 824); and $58,306 (Lot 825), a total of $281,165 in property taxes on these properties.

The purpose of the legislation is to explore the idea of having monies owed by Shiloh put into escrow and used to renovate the properties rather than paying the money to the District Government. If Shiloh does not renovate the properties in a time period to be determined, the monies would go to the District.

I was approached by the leadership of Shiloh about this issue last year. I asked Commissioner Alex Padro to convene some neighbors for discussions with representatives of Shiloh. I want to thank them for the many hours they gave to these discussions. Several good ideas came out of these meetings. The legislation has been assigned to my Committee and I intend to hold hearings to solicit further neighborhood input. At that point, I will decide which direction to take.

Jack

Evans' e-mail did little to ease opposition from Shaw residents.

Brian Smith, to whose email Evans responded, had tried to keep an open mind, but "drastically changed [his] feelings on this scheme," stating that he "100 percent oppose[s] any legislation or proposal that would give Shiloh any escrow agreement, break or "deal" on taxes that they owe and have owed for years." "Currently the District government is roughly 180 million in the hole...correct?" Smith wrote. "DCRA has been "unable" to collect over $180 million in delinquent property taxes . . . . How would some sort of "escrow" be administered? Considering the track record of DCRA and the Government as a whole I just do not see that this could be done in any way, shape or form giving Shiloh yet again another gift on a property that the District has ALREADY GIVEN THEM MONEY TO DEVELOP!!!"

"Let me see if I got this right," said David Smith, who serves as an officer of the Convention Center Community Association. "I own multiple properties--mostly adjacent to each other--which for decades I have kept vacant and allowed to deteriorate into derelict magnets for vagrants and vermin," said Smith in an e-mail to Evans. Smith continued, "Over the years I make various promises to renovate the buildings, but never deliver on any of them. I accumulate a very large property tax bill because the District government finally applies the appropriate classification to these blighted properties. But instead of making me pay the taxes, the District Government then offers to reward my bad stewardship by letting me keep the tax money I owe them if I promise to do some renovations on the properties which will remain in my hands. And then, since I'm a church--assuming I actually do the renovations--I can claim that the properties are being used for religious purposes, which means I may never have to pay property taxes on them again. Wow--I'd say that's a pretty good gift to the worst slumlord in Shaw."

"Jack, This seems like another plan to keep running out the clock on Shiloh's part.. .your email says they approached you last year so that's at least ten months and now you're going to explore this proposal with the community?" questioned Bob Carroll. "I can save you some time....enforce the laws we all allegedly live under and tell Silo to pay their tax bills. From what I understand DC could use the cash."

"This is ridiculous!" exclaimed Carmen Gilotte in an e-mail to Evans. "Good ideas? Reward Shiloh's irresponsible behavior YET AGAIN? Why should this church get any more tax breaks? Why? They are slumlords, they have held the community hostage, and they keep getting help from our leaders to thwart their responsibilities to the law, the community and the city. Stop the insanity! Make them pay what they owe!"

CCCA President Martin Moulton has also chimed in, noting other Shaw churches, such as First Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church and Asbury United Methodist Church, have substantial property holdings and have completed major projects without imposing a burden on the community or seeking special tax abatements. "These churches -- unlike Shiloh -- have creatively made dreams a reality and with hard work and commitment shrewdly found ways to make the impossible possible," said Moulton. "Once Shiloh pays its appropriate taxes, I believe the District government should do everything reasonable to to assist Shiloh in making the 1500 b/o 9th Street a dynamic part of a critical area in the heart of the nation's capital."

Evans Promises Slumlord $100,000 Tax Break

2010-10-18T00:47:00.001-04:00

According to an article in the Washington Business Journal, Councilmember Jack Evans (Ward 2) has proposed that the city tax a strip of vacant properties owned by Shiloh Baptist Church along the long-neglected Ninth Street corridor in Shaw as if they were occupied, a move that would save the church about $100,000 each year.

The brief history is that Shiloh has left these properties vacant for decades, severely damaging the recovery of the area just west of the Convention Center. Numerous promises were made of grand plans for senior centers and housing. For years, the church evaded the city's vacant property tax, which attempts to shift the cost of such nuisances from the community that deals with the increased vagrancy, drugs, public urination and defecation, public drinking, trash, rats, and dumping that results (and to which the Shiloh properties are prime examples) to the owner.

In the face of complaints from residents who felt the impact of the derelict properties on their safety and quality of life, the city finally imposed the higher tax rate. In addition, in 2007, the Fenty Administration stepped up and condemned several of the properties.

In the ultimate snub, however, Shiloh then obtained from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) an exemption from the higher tax on the basis of work permits obtained to make the minor repairs necessary to abate the condemnation order (even though the law clearly says that the permits must be for work to make the property fit for occupancy). Residents went ballistic and Shiloh's properties were reclassified as vacant, subject to the higher tax. The city, however, let the church off the hook for the approximately $100,000 in additional taxes the church would have paid that year at the higher rate.

Good fortune again intervened for Shiloh in 2009. Before the church got hit with the higher rate, the D.C. Council repealed the vacant property tax. Shiloh still risked paying the new "blighted" property tax.

On October 1, thanks to Councilwoman Muriel Bowser, a revived higher tax rate for vacant property went into effect, leaving Shiloh subject to five times the residential tax rate.

The higher property tax appears to have finally provided the long-needed incentive for Shiloh to sell off two of its vacant houses and develop several others into office space for nonprofits and senior housing. Evans' proposal to reward the church with hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax breaks, at a time in which the city is cash-starved, is fiscally irresponsible and sends precisely the wrong message to slum property owners.

Resident reaction to the proposed tax abatement was angry and swift:

"An owner is supposed to get a pass if they have a valid permit or pending zoning application. This owner should not get any special treatment especially given their 30 year slumbanking history."

"I would be supportive of this IF it was done in a manner that it was a carrot for taking action NOT done before the project began."

"The neighborhood conceded angle parking on Sunday with promises of fixing up their properties -- and that was when people were living in some of them. You have to be kidding yourself that a hefty tax abatement will make them move any faster or in any way whatsoever toward ameliorating their decayed properties."

"Shiloh has no intention of ever rebuilding. They game the city and the pols and get whatever they want while everyone else gets screwed over."

Exempt Shiloh's properties from the vacant property tax when they are no longer vacant. That's an exemption the community can fully support.

Bogus Charge?: Thomas Accused of Running Fake Nonprofit

2010-10-15T13:00:00.001-04:00

Today's Washington Post includes reports on the back of the Metro page that Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas has been accused of his Republican opponent of running a fake nonprofit, Team Thomas/SwingAway LLC, for his own "slush fund."

I'm no fan of Harry Thomas, but these charges by Tim Day, an accountant who is challenging Thomas in the Nov. 2 general election, strike me as supreme B.S. Day's evidence:

Thomas's organization is not registered as a 501(c)(3) with the IRS. As an accountant, Day should probably not make the common error of confusing a nonprofit with a 501(c)(3). "Nonprofit" is just a type of incorporation, which is registered with a state/DC government. Nonprofits are not necessarily 501(c)(3)s, to which individuals can make tax deductible donations. To become a 501(c)(3), a nonprofit must go through what can be a lengthy process with the IRS and agree to certain restrictions and reporting requirements.
Thomas's organization has not disclosed who donated to the organization and how the money has been spent. So what? Nonprofit organizations, like for-profit companies, have no obligation to publish their financial records to the world. As a 501(c)(3), the organization would have to provide limited information in public filings, including how much was raised (but not the identity of donors), the salaries of top employees, and payments to largest contractors. But Thomas's organization is not a 501(c)(3).
Thomas's organization is not in good standing with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Join the club. There are lots of small nonprofits organizations, that largely rely on volunteers, who overlook submitting paperwork and later correct it. It's not as a crime.
And just to throw it in -- Day makes an unrelated accusation that Thomas's wife worked on his campaign and received a $4,500 fee as a consultant. Another big "so what," particularly if she provided services to the campaign designing leaflets and brochure or otherwise. It may be poor judgment to pay family members from campaign funds, but I'm missing the illegality or corruption.

Well, I guess Mr. Day got his day in the Post. But his charges seem to hardly warrant even a back-page story. A blog post... maybe.

City Workers Used On Campaigns

2010-10-15T09:52:00.000-04:00

Below is an e-mail disseminated to neighborhood e-mail distribution lists by Joe Martin, a former Ward Service Coordinator for Mayor Adrian Fenty (and an excellent one, I might add). Until recently, Joe continued to work in the Fenty Administration. He serves as Chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4C in Petworth and is currently running for reelection. Joe alleges widespread violations of the Hatch Act, which significantly restricts involvement of federal (and city) civil servants in political campaigns.

How large of a problem is this -- are these types of violations just a fact or life in the political world? Federal workers -- would this happen in your agencies?

From: Joseph Martin
Subject: City Workers Being Used On Campaigns
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2010, 10:42 AM

I hope after the election the Hatch Act can be thoroughly revisited, vetted by the public and that we can find a better way to do things here in the District of Columbia.

The Federal Hatch Act covers DC government workers (in addition to federal workers).

While employees of the Executive Office of the Mayor were instructed by the Mayor's Ethics Attorney on how to follow the letter of the law, my interpretation of those sessions was that there was somewhat of a wink-wink, nod-nod element that I did not like at all. A variation of...

Never write when you can speak, never speak when you can nod, never nod when you can wink.

I know for fact that there were cases where staffers were called at 1:00 pm while sitting at their city-government desks and told that they needed to put in for leave immediately "do visibility" for "Emerald City" -- code for the Fenty Re-Election Campaign.

Tracy Sandler, executive director of Serve DC, said at one weekly staff meeting early in the summer, "I am waiting for everyone's leave slips." My interpretation of that might be different from others. This request was repeated in other weekly meetings.

Fun Fact: By her own admission at a staff meeting in early July, she acknowledged to me after I asked that she still is in places the voice of Barbie. Some of my coworkers referred to Tracy as "Barbie." I asked why.

"Do you want to hear my favorite line!" She exclaimed in front of all of us at that early, July staff meeting:

"Sometimes a girl's just got to wear a tiara!"

Calls came in to Serve DC staffers, registered Republicans in three cases, at their desks during the work day asking them to work on the campaign. "We are not even Democrats and they want us to work on the Democratic primary."

Days before the Ward 4 straw poll, Sarah Latterner of EOM calling from her office in the Wilson Building and emailed me via government email demanding that I come up with a list of what the Mayor accomplished in Ward 4.

"You know what it's for," don't you?," she asked on the phone that morning.

"Your diary?," I replied.

"How soon can you get it to me? We need it now. We don't have any institutional knowledge left downtown. We're relying on you to help."

Weeks before that, Sinclair Skinner passed word through someone to me, "We need Joe's help in Ward 2."

I heard via private text messages that questions lingered about whether or not I was a "team player" (Team Fenty). I posted about this item weeks ago when I got a text message from ANC 4D Commissioner Bill Quirk asking me if it was true that I had been seen talking to Vincent Gray at a block party two blocks from my house. I know an Office of Aging employee who told me that she, too, received a text asserting that she was seen talking to Vincent Gray on Connecticut Avenue.

Before the Ward 4 straw poll the calls to me were intense, Terry Lynch of the Downtown Cluster of Congregations called me on my personal cell while I am sitting at my desk: "Are you forgetting what Mayor Fenty has done for this city!! You need to call me, Joe."

There were a few days where I put my two-year-old iPhone on "airplane mode" at my desk to block all calls so that I could attempt to focus on work at Serve DC in the Reeves Center.

As things looked grim heading towards the primary, I asked one Serve DC coworker how her weekend went.

"I didn't have a weekend. I volunteered for Emerald City, knocking on doors of registered Republicans in the Palisades asking them to switch their party affiliation so that they could vote for the Mayor in the primary."

Around the same time when I took a quick, weekday lunch at Busboys and Poets, Councilmember Jim Graham asked me as I was leaving, "Why aren't you out on the streets helping your boss?" I was with a city agency worker, a close friend, and his son. My reply to Mr. Graham, "You do know that I have work to do for my day job across the street in the Reeves Center, don't you?," as I nodded across the street towards the Reeves Center.

I told my city-agency friend who also disappeared from his job to work for Emerald City that I was more forgiving of people like him working on the campaign, taking last minute leave. "You have small children to feed. I know that. So does Team Fenty."

A friend who used to work in the Wilson Building for another City Councilmember remarked at lunch the day after I received Bill Quirk's text message, "The whole Wilson Building is a Hatch Act violation."

This needs to stop.

It seems incredibly disingenuous for those who effectively are signing your paychecks to ask you to "volunteer" on their campaigns.

According to one friend who had business friends who received the emails, Sarah Lasner, former deputy chief of staff who served as a key figure on Team Fenty, sent an email to business people telling them to take the week off before the September primary to "volunteer" on the campaign. She added something to the effect of redefining the word "volunteer" for them.

I often wondered what the result would be if there was some secret way of asking all incumbents' staffs whether or not they would be working or "volunteering" on a given campaign if they did not feel as if their jobs depended on it.

If your boss who signs your paycheck asks you to "volunteer" on her/his campaign, how does that make you feel? Where are the ethics in that?

If I seemed very stressed out this summer to a lot of my friends and neighbors, this is a hint of why.

I would like to see this system stopped. Am I a fool to think it's possible?

My oldest brother in Rhode Island snorts when I talk about this. "What were you expecting? This is city government.

It happens everywhere." I would joke back, "I still don't think it's asking too much to expect someday that the DC government will work with the efficiency and professionalism of FedEx or UPS, the entire government." If my brother had been texting instead of talking to me on the phone, I probably would have looked at my screen to read: LOL!!! LMAO!

My brother refuses to text.

"If I need to communicate with someone, I pick up the phone and call them."

Noxious Burgers?

2010-10-13T18:18:00.001-04:00

A D.C. Superior Court judge ruled the popular Dupont Circle eatery Rogue States a nuisance on Tuesday and ordered it to stop grilling hamburgers after an eight-month dispute with a neighboring law firm over its "intense and noxious odor."

Has anyone been to this place? What's the deal?

Fortunately, a Crumbs Bake Shop will soon be opening under my office window. I may sue for cupcakes.

Give Us Our Parks, Please

2010-09-23T10:03:00.002-04:00

The Washington CityPaper was not allowed to take a photo of this semi-"classified" map indicating what green spaces in the District are owned and controlled by the feds. I once had one -- here's a photo of the portion of the map showing the downtown area. Green indicates federal land.

Lydia DePillis has a post on Housing Complex on the numerous green spaces owned and controlled by the feds throughout the District of Columbia:

Today, the Park Service owns 6,776 acres of the District. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation has another 841 acres, making D.C. the nation’s second greenest high-density city, just barely behind New York. The Park Service’s land is broken up into 637 separate “reservations,” 425 of which are smaller than one acre. While some have monuments and playground equipment, most are blank and empty, visited weekly by maintenance crews—and otherwise ignored by the feds, who don’t even have the money needed to keep the Mall in decent shape.

It's time that all of the National Park Service transfer the smaller parks - from the circles and squares down to the "pocket park" reservations - to the District. Three reasons why...

Home Rule. If we are going to ever have full home rule, as a state or otherwise, then the District has to take responsibility for its green spaces. Now, if you've got a problem with a federal park, you can call Eleanor Holmes Norton's office, but the National Park Service is overseen by a Congressman from Arizona and a Senator from Colorado (at least the current Director of NPS is a Virginia native). Yes, there's a cost to maintaining the land, but that's what states do. Large green areas, such as the mall, Roosevelt Island, Rock Creek Park would remain federal parks.
Community Use and Planning. It's very difficult to hold any type of event on federally controlled land. While one can easily have a festival, outdoor movie night, or block party type event on DC Department of Parks and Recreation land, federal parks do not serve the community. In addition, it's a challenge to make repairs or improvements. Whether it is installing additional lighting at a pocket park, painting benches or planting flowers in Dupont Circle, or renovating the triangle at 6th and I with a Chinese-themed design... don't hold your breath. Artists who offer to install public art, such as a sculpture, in a park, are limited to DPR properties. The federal ones remain barren and largely unused.
Public Safety. U.S. Park Police have primary jurisdiction and responsibility for federal park lands. They have a hard enough time covering terrorist threats at the National Mall. How can they be stretched to effectively deal with drunkards in Logan Circle or prostitution in some tiny triangle park in Mount Vernon Square? MPD has shared jurisdiction, but (and I've heard different things from officers over they years), they generally will not patrol federal parks unless called in on an emergency or they happen to observe a crime.

Are the votes in?

2010-09-15T15:00:00.001-04:00

It's now coming up on 20 hours since the polls closed and the winners declared... but I'm still left wondering, how close are we to a final count?

Are all of the precincts finally in? As of this morning, 13 of the 141 precincts had not reported their results. That could be 20,000 or more uncounted votes.

Then there are the 22,000 voters who took advantage of the opportunity to vote early. That includes me. Those votes are apparently not counted until after the election day total is finished.

Next, there are an unknown number of absentee ballots. Including those votes in the final tally typically takes several days.

Finally, there are an unknown number of provisional ballots cast under the new same-day registration process.

The current result in the mayoral race is based on votes cast of 107,257 voters. It would seem that there could be as many as 50,000 uncounted votes out there. That's substantial.

The Board of Elections and Ethics just announced that they will give a status report in ten minutes. Perhaps they will provide some answers as to what is counted, what is not, and when the outstanding votes will be included.

It may not change any of the outcomes, but it would be nice to know that the "every vote counts" drilled into us means something. It's frustrating to see an election declared when your ballot is sitting in a box (or computer hard drive or memory cartridge) somewhere.

UPDATE: At 6:13pm, the Board of Elections added about 12,500 more votes to the count, widening Gray's margin to nearly 10%.

Why Fenty Lost: He Embarrassed Us

2010-09-15T08:38:00.000-04:00

I've read my share or pre- and postmortems of Adrian Fenty's single term.

Some, such as DC Watch, say its because he didn't listen to civic activists. Others suggest it was because he was arrogant, "a jerk," or disrespected old black ladies. Many play up a growing racial divide in the city, suggesting Fenty was more concerned about smart transit, dog parks, and development than critical needs in struggling neighborhoods. Or that he didn't appoint enough African Americans to cabinet-level positions. Then there's the Rhee factor - with polls suggesting that she lost as many votes as she gained.

Relying on paid canvassers and staff, rather than the critical grassroots energy that propelled him into office, didn't help.

There's a grain or more of truth to each of those reasons. Some are more valid than others. I have a different theory, however. And I say this as a supporter...

He embarrassed us.

For years, District resident had to go into work each morning and face the inevitable question from their suburban coworkers. It also came up on the weekend phone conversations with family. "What is up with DC?"

With bow-tie Anthony Williams in office, residents had nearly eight-year respite. Aside from Marion Barry rejoining the Council, there wasn't a whole lot of drama. The mechanics of government were perfectly uneventful. We liked and got used to it.

But lately, we've had a lot of 'splaining to do again.

How is it the Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer don't agree on how much is in the schools' budget before she enters into a new contract with the teachers? Why would the city fire hundreds of teachers a few weeks into a school year? Oh, because they have sex with their students.

The Mayor and D.C. Council are fighting over free baseball tickets after spending millions on a new stadium. Really?

The D.C. Attorney General is refusing to disclose records to the D.C. Auditor (same last name spelled differently). What's he hiding? Contempt?

The city massively over spent on the summer jobs program, but the Mayor wants to expand it again? And in this economy? And what the heck are 20,000 kids getting paid to do anyway?

Why is one nonprofit group, Peaceoholics, getting paid millions in public grants to stop violence that hasn't stopped and not expected to document any results? And how is the founder of that 501(c)(3) taking such an active role in the campaign? You know, Ron Moten, the guy who helped donate the DC fire engine to the Dominican Republic. Why doesn't Fenty cut him off already?

60 beds for the entire male youth offender population of the city? No wonder kids are running around shooting and getting shot.

Why is a very able Attorney General, the public official who is supposed to represent the entire city in court, repeatedly sound like the mayor's criminal defense lawyer, personal counsel, spokesperson, and political attack dog? And does he really live in DC?

He put running buddies up for appointment to boards and commissions?

What's this about transferring millions from the Parks to Housing departments to avoid procurement rules, giving contracts to renovate parks to frat buddies turned developers, and firing officials who raise questions?

Why don't executive branch officials just show up for Council hearings as expected?

How come he just keeps doing it... despite all the questions, critical media coverage, op-eds, and concerns raised by those who supported him?

The election is over, but those questions from coworkers, friends, and family are not.

For the next several months, expect a new one. "What happened to that Adrian Fenty?"

And I'll be asking myself, how could he dash our hopes?

Election Day: Still Undecided?

2010-09-10T20:30:00.000-04:00

Still undecided? Here's my picks and the endorsements of some of the local papers. Click the name to pull up the full endorsement.

	My Picks	*Post*	*Examiner*	*Current*	*Intowner*	*CityPaper*
Mayor	Fenty	Fenty	Fenty	Gray	Gray	Fenty
Chairman	Brown	Orange	Brown	Brown	Brown	Orange
At-Large	Ray	No endorsement		Mendelson	Mendelson	Mendelson
Ward 1	Graham	Graham		Graham	Graham	Weaver
Ward 3	Cheh					Cheh
Ward 5	Not Thomas	Hunter				McDuffie
Ward 6	Wells	Wells				Wells
U.S. Congress	Sloan	Norton		Norton		Norton

Ward Endorsements

2010-09-08T11:30:00.005-04:00

Ward 1 - Jim Graham. When something happens Ward 1, Graham is there. Some call his quickness in front of the camera, "Grahamstanding," but I believe that he is out front-and-center because he keeps his ear close to the ground. He's strong on quality-of-life issues and crime in a very diverse ward. Neighborhoods in his ward are undergoing unprecedented development, but he has not lost sight of issues such as affordable housing. He's survived his chief-of-staff's arrest for bribery -- if he was implicated, it would have come out by now. Graham makes occasional mistakes, such as his fight against the jumbo slice, but overall this is a Councilmember Ward 1 is fortunate to have. Voters should choose Graham over his challengers.

Ward 3 - Mary Cheh. Cheh is unopposed in her bid for a second term and that's not without reason. My former law professor has been a strong voice on the Council, standing as a needed balance in separating law from politics that spout from D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles. Cheh has her issues -- election reform, the environment, animal protection, healthy food in schools -- some may find her pet issues too much to chew. But she has also tried to address issues ranging from nuisance properties to noise control. While she is unopposed, Ward 3 residents should check the box (or push touchscreen) for Cheh.

Ward 5 - Not Harry Thomas. Harry Thomas brags about his record of legislative accomplishment. I have yet to see it. I can't place my finger on anything positive from him. I can point to some of the damage. Giving out earmarks to favored organizations even after the Council declared them no more. Attacking a neighborhood newsletter for criticizing him. He opposed strong anti-gang measures, even as he represents war-torn Trinidad. He and his staff have been absent in numerous meetings to plan future libraries and parks in my neighborhood, despite serving as chair of the Committee on Libraries, Parks and Recreation. In that position, he presided over the embarrassing and offensive nomination hearing of Ximena Hartsock to lead the Department of Parks and Recreation, a hearing at which her qualifications were questioned on account of her citizenship (she's Chilean). His car even got booted for all his unpaid parking tickets. The Washington Post called Thomas "a major disappointment." Ward 5 residents have several better choices - Kenyan McDuffie, Delano Hunter, and Tracey D. Turner. The Post endorsed Hunter, a community organizer with Brookland Manor, who it called "an engaging newcomer who is running a grass-roots campaign."

Ward 6 - Tommy Wells. Tommy Wells has his slogan -- a livable, walkable community. Some downplay his focus on smart transit, bike lanes, streetcars, noise control, park improvements, and pedestrian safety -- but Wells is building the infrastructure that makes the District an even better place to live, work, and play everyday. A former social worker, Wells' is closely tracking and seeking solutions to address our juvenile crime problem. The down-to-earth Councilmember, who can be seen riding to work and meetings on his bike, is responsive to his constituents in a ward that spans all four quadrants of the city. He faces opposition as he seeks a second term. Support Wells.

Service Request Response Times Down, Study Says

2010-09-08T00:12:00.000-04:00

A recent study shows a continuing decline in response time for service requests throughout the city's neighborhoods. Chart: The Money Cage.

Daniel Hopkins discusses an ongoing study by Georgetown Ph.D. student Lindsay Pettingill, who tracked over 1.5 million service requests placed through D.C.’s 311 hotline between 2000 and 2009. [Also NBC].

The numbers are encouraging. They show that the Fenty Administration has continued the substantial progress of Mayor Anthony Williams in lowering response times to requests ranging from streetlight and pothole repair to illegal dumping to unpermitted construction. Ms. Pettingill's study, which is not aligned with any mayoral campaign, also appears to uproot the notion that wealthy areas of the city get more attention from the current Administration than less affluent areas.

I'd like to look more closely at the study, its methodology, and its results, and have requested that Ms. Pettingill make it available to the public. For instance, it is not apparent from the post whether online service requests were considered in addition to 311 calls. The study is also likely to have inherent limitations. For example, designation of a service request as "closed" within a shorter period of time does not necessarily mean the issue was actually and effectively resolved. In some instances, it may just indicate than an inspector visited the site and either (correctly or incorrectly) concluded that no action was warranted or referred the matter to another agency or a contractor to perform the work, which could take several additional weeks. Thus, resolution time (as opposed to a mere response) is likely a bit longer.

Limitations and outstanding questions aside, the independent study's use of empirical data to confirm the substantial and continuing improvement in the delivery of government services, citywide, over the past decade is reassuring.

For DC Council At-Large: Clark Ray

2010-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

On September 14, residents across the city will vote for an at-large member of the D.C. Council. I support Clark Ray in his challenge to 12-year incumbent Phil Mendelson.

Why Clark Ray? I've known Clark since his time as a service coordinator for Mayor Anthony Williams. He continued on to head Mayor Adrian Fenty's Office of Community Relations and then the Department of Parks and Recreation. I've interacted with him at each of these levels and found him responsive and action-oriented, whether it is fixing street lights or building parks. His experience as a reserve police officer and training as a teacher add to his credentials.

Mendelson is, in my view, one of the most honest and down-to-earth members of the Council. He's generally doesn't put on political shows or appear to have aspirations for some higher office. He's raised questions where questions need to be raised.

But while Mendelson's deliberative nature may be a strength in some areas, it's a dangerous fault for us when it comes to dealing with crime. Mendelson, who chairs the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, has never met a strong crime bill that he's liked. Such bills repeatedly stall before his committee. Promises to "look into" anti-gang measures amount to naught. The obvious, serious problems with our juvenile justice system, including the lack of capacity and revolving door for juvenile offenders, occurred on his watch.

Mendelson also does not seem to have much drive left -- after a lackluster campaign, he's losing to a "shadow" - Michael D. Brown - the District's Shadow Senator, who many have confused with current at-large Councilmember Michael A. Brown. Polls show that name confusion has given Mike D., who has raised no money and done little campaigning, a significant lead over both Mendelson and Ray. Should Brown get elected, he will have indeed fulfilled his campaign promise to bring the District's lack of voting representation to the forefront -- and perhaps dealt it its greatest setback as DC becomes the laughing stock of the nation.

Council positions were not meant to be lifetime appointments. New blood and energy would serve us well. Clark Ray is qualified, responsive, and ready to go to work.

For Council Chair: Kwame Brown

2010-09-01T08:00:00.117-04:00

Kwame Brown with ANC 2B Commissioner Mike Silverstein. When the city closed down P Street for road construction, stifling small businesses in Dupont Circle, Brown helped provide relief. Photo: Kwame Brown for Chair 2010.

It's easy for an at-large Councilmember to fall out of touch. You've got an entire city to represent. Each diverse neighborhood has its own set of issues and goals. But Kwame Brown has managed to bridge the gap.

The first rule of politics is showing up. In my decade or so involved in the community, I cannot think of another at-large member who does such a good job of it. Brown's visibility and likability are the reasons he will be elected to the second highest position in the District of Columbia.

But it's not the only reason. Brown's focus on job training, restoring vocational education programs, expanding the District's community college, and supporting small businesses is precisely what the District needs in its #2 leader. There are citywide issues that demand attention from a citywide leader.

Brown and his staff are also responsive when it comes to individual concerns. In my experience, he and his staff are quick to lend a hand to address individual community concerns. He's also been strong on cleaning up nuisance properties and putting them back into productive use. He's a champion against domestic violence.

I've seen a lot of Brown's opponent too, Vincent Orange. The problem is that the only place I've seen Orange is on lampposts -- his signs barely came down for from his abysmal run for mayor in 2006 where he received an whopping 2.9% of the vote before his green and orange "DC Chairman" signs went up. After the 2006 election, Orange did a stint as a lobbyist for Pepco. This is a guy who declared himself a staunch opponent of gay marriage, then denied it when he was considering running for Council Chairperson, and then became a staunch supporter of gay marriage when declared his candidacy. Really?

It's a choice between apples and Oranges. I'll go with the apples. Vote Kwame Brown for Chairperson on September 14.

Not Funny: Brown Poised to Win At-Large Race

2010-08-31T10:35:00.002-04:00

You apparently have to be brown to get elected to citywide office in the District of Columbia. Literally.

When Michael D. Brown, the District's little-known "Shadow Senator," won a straw poll for an at-large seat on the D.C. Council recently, I thought it was a fluke. It had to be. But today the Washington Post reports that polling shows Brown with a decisive lead over 12-year incumbent Councilmember Phil Mendelson and his primary challenger, former Parks and Rec Director and neighborhood services coordinator, Clark Ray.

When voters in a poll of 1,277 residents, including 780 registered Democrats, were asked whom they would vote if the election for at-large councilmember were held today 41% of likely voters answered Brown, 29% chose Mendelson, 6% said Ray, 2% went with other/not voting, and 21% had no opinion. Among black voters, the percentage favoring Brown was even higher -- 49% to Mendelson's 14%.

What's shocking is that the Michael Brown they will be getting is not the Michael Brown they think they are voting for. In 2006, Michael A. Brown, let's call him "A," got elected to an at-large seat on the D.C. Council as an independent after incumbent Carol Schwartz lost to Patrick Mara in the Republican primary. A is not up for reelection.  Michael D is for Donald Brown ("D") will appear on the ballot as just "Michael Brown." As the photo above shows, there's no resemblence between the two in person.

Meanwhile, D has raised zero dollars for his campaign - he benefits from not advertising himself. He does not appear to have a campaign website, which would cost next to nothing. It's not as if D doesn't know how to get the word out. According to his wikipedia biography, D is the president and founder of Horizon Communications Corp., which provides direct-mail services to political organizations and non-profit organizations. Where's that mailing with your photograph on it, D?

Ray, on the other hand, has been campaigning hard for over a year -- knocking on doors across the city, distributing fliers, posters, and yard signs.

There could also be a handful of voters who vote for D because they instinctively think of the popular Kwame Brown, another at-large councilmember who is currently running for D.C. Council Chairman.

Who is to blame for this high level of voter confusion just two weeks before the primary?

A, who has endorsed Mendelson, accuses D "political identity theft."   Some might say the voters' are at fault for not doing their homework.

But what about Phil Mendelson? He's run a lackluster campaign, spending just $12,000 in the 2-month reporting period just preceding the primary. He has one paid campaign staffer. And I have yet to see a Mendelson yard, window sign, or door hanger, or him campaigning... anywhere.  Only recently did he distribute a flier that shows photos of the two Browns. Can someone tell him he is up for re-election?

Whatever your choice in the at-large election, it will be a travesty and a bad joke if a virtual unknown is elected to the D.C. Council purely on the basis of being a Brown.

Endorsement: Fenty for Mayor

2010-08-30T15:15:00.001-04:00

Mayor Adrian Fenty at the Ribbon Cutting of the new Watha T. Daniel Libary on August 1.
Photo: Executive Office of the Mayor.

When you watch someone who you’ve trusted and respected, and whose vision for the city is very much in line with your own, take repeated missteps, it’s difficult to watch. That's why I have sometimes been particularly critical of Adrian Fenty on this blog. My criticism, however, should not be misread as opposition to the current Administration. I endorse Fenty for a second term as mayor. We need him to continue to move our city forward.

Why vote to reelect Fenty despite the mounting criticism, much of it deserved?

Fenty had the courage to throw out the status quo. Obviously, the most frequently cited example is the schools. Perhaps he’s taken too much credit for what is essentially moving the system from under rock bottom up to the sea floor, but he’s taken the hardest first step, which is not continuing to do things the way they have always been done.

But there’s many other areas where Fenty has found that the old ways are not good enough anymore – and with results. Over the past four years, I’ve seen ineffective police brass replaced with effective leaders, unlicensed porn shops closed, illegal billboards torn down, parking laws enforced on Sundays, dogs parks built, and application of the city’s long-ignored vacant and nuisance property laws. Additional Circulator routes, bike lanes, and street cars are also important to many smart transit-oriented folks. Developers now put in covered walkways to keep open pedestrian traffic where before they closed off entire streets, stifling small businesses and making it difficult for pedestrians. We now have bans on sales of single bottle of alcohol in Wards 2, 4, and 6, a measure that the Mayor championed when he was a Councilmember.

When I ran for Ward 2 on the DC Council – improving our schools, parks, and libraries – essentially rebuilding our public infrastructure, was one of my main goals. Fenty has done that. In my neighborhood, we have a new state-of-the-art Walker Jones Education Campus, which, in addition to a new public school, includes a library that replaces the embarrassing Sursum Corda porto-library that was the first glimpse of our public amenities for visitors driving in on New York Avenue. This month, the Watha T. Daniel Library opened in Shaw, replacing a riot-era library that looked more like a concrete fortress than a place of expanding horizons. Several long-awaited park renovations are underway – even if some have stalled due to the Mayor’s lapses in judgment in contracting and his zeal for quick progress over all else.

There’s legitimate debate over whether the Mayor is responsible for the lower murder rate in the District, but I have greater confidence in our police force under his Administration. While perhaps not consistent, there appear to be more foot and bike patrols. The city is using “shotspotter” to better track and more quickly respond to gunfire in our neighborhoods – before, if a bullet was shot in the hood and no one was hit, it didn’t happen. Police officers seem more responsive and community-oriented. Fenty has supported strong anti-gang and other crime legislation, while some on the Council, including his opponent, have not. While I do not personally know Cathy Lanier, we are fortunate to have folks like Assistant Chief Diane Groomes in leadership positions.

Mayor Fenty has successfully imparted the constituent services values that made him an effective councilmember to his staff - they move at blackberry speed. The Mayor's Office of Community Relations ward members (MOCRs), in my experience, have been excellent. Burned out street lights in high-crime areas and parks get fixed within days, if not hours, of a request. But it’s not just the MOCRs. Many of those who are working in government agencies are not the types that sit around at a desk, letting calls go to voicemail, and collecting a pay check. They return calls and e-mails, spend late nights at community meetings, typically are prompt to address citizen concerns, and will take the initiative to consult residents for their advice on how they can make government work better. They may not always resolve a situation how I would prefer, but my impression is that they try hard to reach the best possible result.

While one can raise legitimate questions about some of Fenty’s nominees to the city’s boards and commissions, there is little question about the quality of his appointments to top cabinet level positions: top notch. Particularly worthy of being singled out are Linda Argo in the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and Gabe Klein at the Department of Transportation.

Vince Gray is a likeable guy. I respect him. Attacking his record as head of a city agency at a time before the District’s youngest voters were born and others lived here is counterproductive. It is disappointing that Gray sacrificed his important and still fledgling leadership of the D.C. Council to roll the dice for mayor. Gray has highlighted areas where Fenty should place additional emphasis in his next term, such as on building a stronger community college and job training programs for District residents. But overall, Gray’s comments give a sense that he may backtrack in some of the areas discussed above or, at minimum, that he has other priorities. He is surrounded by many of the folks who were in power for many years, but who are furious now find themselves with significantly less influence.

Fenty certainly has received the message that he needs to refocus and change his way of governing in his second term. He has publicly recognized that he has made mistakes and I will take his pledge to do better at face value.

The city is on the right track. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Re-elect Adrian Fenty on September 14.

Fenty, Gray Endorse Open Primaries

2010-08-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

Mayor Adrian Fenty failed in his eleven-hour bid to open up September's DC Democratic Primary to voters that are unaffiliated with a party, but the attempt could spur a change in the way the District elects local officials in the future... and it should.

Whoever wins the mayoral contest, the issue of open primaries may have finally found its legs.

Fenty's challenger, DC Council Chairman Vince Gray, who has a slight lead in the latest polls, is now on record as supporting an open primary. We're fine with the notion of the Democratic Party opening up to an open primary-type system," Gray said, "but this is something that should be discussed after the election."

The Washington Post's editorial board also chimed in to express support, stating "Enfranchising as many people as possible is the right goal."

There are thousands of voters who are locally disenfranchised in our already federally disenfranchised city because they feel compelled, as a matter of principle, their jobs, or other sensitivities, not to register as a Democrat. It's adding insult to injury.

We all know that the election that matters most in the District is the Democratic primary. Aside from two seats on the D.C. Council that are set aside for members of a minority party, there is no time in recent memory that an individual elected in the Democratic primary did not go on to win the general election.

That's because 3 out of 4 of the District's registered voters are Democrats. Yet, that leaves 72,000 unaffiliated voters, 30,000 Republicans, and about 700 other voters without a meaningful vote in local elections.

Thousands of them engage in charade every election cycle in which they switch their party affiliation to Democrat one month before the primary, then switch right back the days after the election. This year, 2,600 voters did the 'ol swicheroo.

The District's Democratic party, not surprisingly, strongly opposes open primaries. The local GOP has no official position at this time, according to its Executive Director Paul Craney.

I'm a Democrat. I've run for election as a Democrat. I might not support open primaries nationally or in other states, but our unique situation in the District calls for enfranchising all voters.

When I went door-to-door campaigning in 2008, I found it enfuriating how many residents were either registered as independents or with another party, or had specifically chosen to remain registered in another state because of the lack of meaningful representaton in D.C. "You have a nice day" . . . next door.

Our current situation weakens the influence of the District on the national stage. Since the District has no vote in Congress, and those who are not Democrats have very little say in local elections, transient Republicans and Independents have all the reason in the world to keep their registration elsewhere. If you have the option, why register as a DC voter when it means almost completely losing your vote?

It also drowns out the views of over 100,000 District residents, about 25% of the voting population, who have registered in the District despite its lack of federal representation in local affairs. Other than those who occupy the two at-large seats on the D.C. Council that are set aside for members of minority parties, other local officials have less motivation to outreach to residents who are not registered Democrats, and involve them in local affairs, since they have no say in their selection. Open primaries would allow more a more diverse range of views, both on the left and the right, make their way onto the Council. It would energize the electorate, which the District desperately needs if it is every to achieve full representation in Congress and greater Home Rule.

Are Fenty's actions, Gray's response, and the Washington Post's op-ed simpy political maneuvering for the September primary? Quite possibly, but I'm going to take their statements at face value.

Let's end the pre-election party affiliation musical chairs nonsense and let everyone vote in 2012.

5 Eye Finale - It's Bollywood Time!

2010-08-27T07:00:00.005-04:00

I hope you'll join us for the grand finale of the 5 Eye Asian Film festival this Sunday, August 29. It's Bollywood night in Mount Vernon Triangle. The free outdoor movie is Lage Rano Munna Bhai or "Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi" (2006, PG). An Indian dance performance will precede the film.

In this flick, a hilarious underworld gangster known as Munna Bhai falls comically in love with a radio host by the name of Jahnvi, who runs an elders' home, which is taken over by an unscrupulous builder, who gets the residents kicked out ironically with the help of Munna's sidekick, Circuit, while Munna is busy romancing Jahnvi elsewhere. Munna, who is now masquerading as a Professor specializing in the life of Mahatma Gandhi, must now battle his very own forces and the builder - but he has one ally on his side - none other than the great man - Mahatma Gandhi himself. Only trouble is that Munna may have problems convincing everyone about this presence - as he is apparently is the only one who can see and hear him. The movie won numerous foreign awards. It's in Hindi with English subtitles.

Thanks to all of those who came out and joined us for this series. Once again, I'd like express my appreciation to all those who came together to make this film series happen, including the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District, Asia Heritage Foundation, Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association, Convention Center Community Asssociation, Chinese Community Benevolent Alliance, Chinatown Revitalization Council, Shaw Together, and the 555 Massachusetts Avenue, CityVista, and Madrigal Lofts condo boards. Generous financial support was also provided by Mandu Traditional Korean Cuisine, Kushi Izakaya & Sushi, 425 Massachusetts Avenue NW, The Donohoe Companies & The Arts at 5th & I, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, and Miller Copying Service. Special thanks to Franklin Parking for providing use of the lot and BicycleSPACE for supplying power. The community appreciates the support of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in US. A special thanks to our planning committee -- Bill McLeod, Wuiping Yap, Thais Austin, Natalie Ferguson, Renee Killian, and Laura Gramling.

Coming Soon - Endorsements for September 14 Primary

2010-08-26T10:42:00.002-04:00

Over the next week, this blog will include a series of endorsements for the September 14 Democratic Primary, including Mayor, D.C. Council Chairman, D.C. Councilmember At-Large, and the Ward seats that are on the ballot. My hope is that it will provide food for thought for those who have not yet decided who to support in this important upcoming election that will shape the future of our city for the next four years. I welcome your views.

Note that voting actually begins on Monday, August 30 -- when the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics opens for in-person early voting at its One Judiciary Square headquarters (Suite 250N). On September 4, four other locations across the city will open for early voting. This is the first time the District is permitting early voting without the need to provide a reason. The Board of Elections now has up a special website for the primary, which includes a video of how the new voting machines will work, sample ballots, absentee ballot information, a way to verify your registration status online, and find your polling place.

Alexander Calls for Peaceoholics Audit

2010-08-25T16:07:00.007-04:00

Ward 7 Councilmember Yvette Alexander
with Mayoral Candidate Vince Gray.
Photo: Yvette Alexander official website.

Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) has formally requested that D.C. Auditor Deborah Nichols perform an audit on the Peaceoholics, The Examiner reports. Alexander has asked that the D.C. Auditor investigate how the nonprofit anti-youth violence organization spent $10 million in public funds as well as its role in the mayoral election.

“I am deeply alarmed by what I have read about the financial mismanagement of city funds provided to this organization,” Alexander said in a statement.

Alexander has endorsed the candidacy of Vince Gray for Mayor. She succeeded Gray as Councilmember for Ward 7 when he was elected Chairman of the Council.

While politics is certainly at play in the call for an investigation, Nichols can be trusted to conduct an impartial and thorough investigation. She is a diligent investigator who pulls no punches and calls it as she sees it. Her work is meticulous. Nichols has issued reports critical of the Fenty Administration in the past, but she does not appear to have political aspirations. She doesn't have so much as a biographical statement or photograph online. For Nichols, it's about compliance with accounting principles and the law.

It seems unlikely that Nichols will be able to obtain, carefully examine, and issue a report on the organization's financial records by September 3, as Alexander requested. Nevertheless, Nichols' report will ultimately shed needed sunlight on the spending of local tax dollars. Her investigation should not be so closely linked with the primary date - the grant funds were allocated over the course of three or four years. I would expect that a full and complete investigation would require more than one week.

If Nichols' takes her investigation a step further and examines how involved the organization has become in politics, then it could spell trouble for the organization's 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Peaceoholics co-founder Ron Moten has taken a very active and public role in supporting Adrian Fenty. Although Moten stepped down as president of the organization, he continues to serve on its Board of Directors and has taken groups of Peaceoholics youth to campaign events to support the Mayor's reelection bid. In the IRS's eyes, that's a big no-no for a charitable organization.

Big Spenders - Bloomberg or Fenty?

2010-08-22T12:37:00.004-04:00

Last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg came down to the new Carmine's restaurant in Penn Quarter to endorse D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty for a second term. The endorsement led to comparisons between the two big city mayors in their governing styles, challenges, and close reelection bids, and Bloomberg's mentorship of Fenty. They also both spent record amounts on their reelection campaigns.

AP Photo.

New York. There are 4.47 million registered voters in New York City. In his 2009 campaign, Bloomberg spent $102 million, most of which came from his own personal fortune. That's about $23 per registered voter. At the end of the day, Bloomberg spent $174 for each vote cast for him (585,000). He secured reelection with just 50.6% of the vote.

Photo: dbking on Flickr

District of Columbia. There are 329,000 registered Democrats in D.C. (437,000 registered voters when including other parties). As of August 10, Fenty raised $4.7 million toward his reelection bid (his chief opponent, Vince Gray, has raised $1.3 million). Assuming Mayor Fenty spends his entire war chest, he'll have paid about $14 per registered Democrat or $11 per registered DC voter. If voter turnout is the same as in the 2006 D.C. Democratic primary (106,178) and Fenty wins reelection with 51% of the vote (54,151), then he'll have spent about $87 per vote received. Of course, this does not include what is likely to be a surge of activity in these last weeks before the primary, which will likely put the final total a bit higher.

Bloomberg wins the big spender award -- he shelled out nearly twice as much per registered voter and per vote received as Fenty is likely to spend.

Kurosawa's Dreams: Free Movie Sunday

2010-08-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

NEXT SHOWING: SUNDAY, AUGUST 19:
KUSHI PRESENTS KUROSAWA'S DREAMS

On each of the five Sundays in August, the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District and Asia Heritage Foundation will show outdoor movies at the lot located at 5th and Eye Streets NW. Live pre-show performances begin at 8pm. Showtime is 8:30pm. I hope you'll bring a lawn chair and join us!

The idea came about after an eagerly-awaited development slated for the property stalled and the city entered a two-year lease with a private company to use the land as a parking lot. After a meeting with city officials, we formed a workgroup of community members to turn lemons into lemonade and explore "temporary urbanism" projects for the site. The outdoor film festival is the first result.

The five award-winning movies span a variety of cultures and genres - action, drama, and comedy. Some have never been shown in the United States, but were blockbusters abroad. We chose an Asian theme for the program, building off the lot's location just north of Chinatown and the diversity of the area. All movies will have English subtitles.

THE 5 EYE ASIAN FILM SERIES

- Five Free Outdoor Movies at 5th & Eye Streets NW -

Presented by the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District and the Asia Heritage Foundation

SUNDAY, AUGUST 1:

Hero (Ying Xiong) (2004) PG-13

The Qin King has long been obsessed with conquering all of China and becoming her first Emperor, which makes him the target of three legendary assassins. As a result, he promises great power to anyone who can defeat them. Jet Li heads the stellar cast as Nameless, the enigmatic county sheriff who earns his audience with the mighty King and stands to win mountains of gold in the process. Zhang Yimou directs this lush, Oscar-nominated epic. Arrive before 8pm as the film series kicks off with a dragon dance featuring the Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute Lucky Lions, the irrefutable and indisputable "Lion Kings"of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

In Mandarin with English subtitles. 96 Minutes.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8:

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in US presents

Cape No. 7 (Hái Jiao Qi Hao) (2008) (NR)

Aga, a band singer, returns to Hengchun with frustration. Tomoko is a Japanese model assigned to organize a local warm-up band for the Japanese super star beach concert. Together with other five ordinary Hengchun residents who were not expected to be great or anything, they formed an impossible band. Cape No 7 is the top grossing film in the Taiwan’s cinematic history, surpassing Titanic. Part drama, part comedy, part romance, the film won over a dozen awards and was Taiwan’s official submission to the 2009 Academy Awards Foreign-Language Film category.

In Mandarin with English subtitles. 129 Minutes.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15:

Mandu Traditional Korean Cuisine presents

The Host (Gwoemul) (2007) R

Chemicals dumped into the Han River in Seoul create a huge mutant creature that begins to attack the locals. When the daughter of the Park family is captured by the beast her brother and father mount a rescue operation in this horror film with a comic twist. Recipient of Asian Film Award, Asia-Pacific Film Festival award, Baek Sang Art Awards, Blue Dragon Awards, Grand Bell Award, among others. Please note that this movie may not be suitable for those under 17 years of age due to violence and some profanity.

In Korean with English subtitles. 119 Minutes.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22:

Kushi Izakaya & Sushi presents

Kurosawa’s Dreams (1990) (PG)

Japan’s most famous director, the late Akira Kurosawa, captures his dreams on film in eight chromatically brilliant vignettes. 'Sunshine Through The Rain': a young boy is told not to go out on the day when both weather conditions occur, because that's when the foxes hold their wedding procession. In 'the Peach Orchard': the boy encounters the spirits of the peach trees that have been cut down by heartless humans. 'The Blizzard': a team of mountaineers are saved from a blizzard by spiritual intervention. 'The Tunnel': a man encounters the ghosts of an army platoon, whose deaths he was responsible for. 'Crows': an art student encounters 'Vincent Van Gogh' and enters the world of his paintings. 'Mount Fuji in Red': nuclear meltdown threatens the devastation of Japan. 'The Weeping Demon': a portrait of a post-nuclear world populated by human mutations. 'Village of the Watermills': a sunny portrait of a village whose population is entirely at one with nature. Kurosawa, who created this film when he was in his eighties, had no peer when it came to splashing the screen with sumptuous colors and awesome images. Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

In Japanese with English subtitles. 120 Minutes.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29:

Lage Raho Munna Bhai
(Munnabhai Meets Mahatma Gandhi) (2006) PG

A hilarious underworld gangster known as Munna Bhai falls comically in love with a radio host by the name of Jahnvi, who runs an elders' home, which is taken over by an unscrupulous builder, who gets the residents kicked out ironically with the help of Munna's sidekick, Circuit, while Munna is busy romancing Jahnvi elsewhere. Munna, who is now masquerading as a Professor specializing in the life of Mahatma Gandhi, must now battle his very own forces and the builder - but he has one ally on his side - none other than the great man - Mahatma Gandhi himself. Only trouble is that Munna may have problems convincing everyone about this presence - as he is apparently is the only one who can see and hear him. Won awards for Best Director, Best Story, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Dialogue from the International Indian Film Academy and Golden Lotus Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Silver Lotus Award for Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Lyrics from the National Film Awards, India.

In Hindi with English subtitles. 144 Minutes.

I want to thank all those who came together to make this happen, including the Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District, Asia Heritage Foundation, Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association, Convention Center Community Asssociation, Chinese Community Benevolent Alliance, Chinatown Revitalization Council, Shaw Together, and several Mount Vernon Triangle condo associations. Generous financial support is also provided by Mandu Traditional Korean Cuisine, Kushi Izakaya & Sushi, 425 Massachusetts Avenue NW, The Donohoe Companies & The Arts at 5th & I, Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells, and Miller Copying Service. Special thanks to Franklin Parking and BicycleSPACE. The community appreciates the support of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in US.

Wrapped in Billboard, Mansion Rots at 11th and K

2010-08-19T01:03:00.002-04:00

2004 Official DC File Photo of 1001 11th Street NW

Why is it that in the District it is perfectly legal to take a grand old mansion, board it up, wrap it in a billboard, surround it with a chain link fence, ring it with barbed wire, and pay the typical commercial property tax rate...late, no less?

Welcome to 1001 11th Street NW, just two blocks west of the Washington Convention Center smack in the middle of Logan Circle and downtown. It's the perfect location... for billboard blight.

Back in the day, this was the home of General Harrison Allen, according to Victorian Secrets. After helping push back Lee at Gettysburg, Allen entered politics first in Pennsylvania and then in the new Dakotas.

“In General Allen's Washington, the most fashionable addresses were on K Street NW. However, the most elite mansions were slightly west. The more easterly blocks of K Street were more the province of complementary-styled townhouses clustered about a flamboyantly turreted central house. An outstanding example, the nine Second Empire houses of Mount Vernon Row, stood at Tenth and K Streets NW. The house, listed as 1017 K Street, appears to have been a mini-version of a row, with complementary-styled smaller houses at 1015 K and 1001 Eleventh Street attached to either wing.”

Official DCRA Photo of Approved 75' x by 30' Billboard

Since July 2003, Allens old digs have been owned by Jemal's Bulldogs (aka Doug Jemal), who bought the property for $650,000. About a year after purchase, the building was in the condition to the right, as seen in the official DC photograph that appears in property records. Three months later, Jemal received approval to use the property as 1 of just 32 "special signs" in the District, aka billboards. For the past six years, Jemal has rented the space to Van Wagner, the outdoor advertising giant that explicitly takes credit for "initiat[ing] the legislative changes that led to the authorization of advertising murals, in Washington, DC." In turn, Van Wagner proclaims, "Today, we are the market leader and operate most of the lawfully permitted sites in the highly coveted District."

The billboard, I mean, special sign, I mean, mural at 11th and K is 75 feet long and 30 feet high. It wraps the building, which is likely deteriorating underneath, while the owner likely brings in tens of thousands of dollars of advertising revenue each month. The property is recorded with the District for store/miscellaneous use.

11th and K Streets Today

Although the property is clearly vacant and some would consider it a blight, Jemal pays neither the vacant property rate of $5 per $100 value or the blighted property tax of $10 per $100. Instead, he pays the regular commercial property tax of 1.65%.

The property has tripled in value since Jemal purchased it seven years ago - it is assessed by the city at $1.9 million. Although Jemal must rake in the dough on this property, his company still seems to have a history of repeatedly being late in paying its already low taxes, then paying fines. In fact, the property was listed for tax sale in 2007 after it came up over $25k short.

By the way... wonder how Van Wagner got its self-serving legislation through? Look no further than campaign finance records. In 2005, the advertiser contributed $10,000 to Jack PAC, the now defunct slush fund of Councilmember Jack Evans. Most likely, this was a reward for shepherding through the legislation. Van Wagner also maxed out with a $1,000 contribution to the Evans' campaign in 2003. While Evans took the lions share, others benefited. Van Wagner contributed $2,000 and $1,000 to the reelection campaigns of Mayor Anthony Williams and Chairwoman Linda Cropp in 2001. Councilmembers Harold Brazil and David Catania received smaller donations.

Isn't it about time to get rid of the mural at 11th and K, save this historic building, and return it to productive use?

How Much Does Peaceoholics Get?

2010-08-18T15:20:00.001-04:00

Peaceoholics is making quite a bit of news lately. Yesterday, The Washington Post dubbed the organization's co-founder and current board member, Ron Moten, a "chief strategist" for the Fenty campaign. TBD notes that the Fenty Administration characterizes Moten's as just a hard working volunteer, but has not requested a correction. Moten suggests the former title is accurate and earned. "If I was a professor and I looked at the work I was doing, I would say I was a strategist," he said. "So, I'm a strategist."

Given Moten's growing active role in the campaign, a frequent issue is how much funding Peaceoholics has received from the city, particularly after the latest disclosure that the organization was seeking another $400,000 for unknown services rendered. Numbers vary from article to article. Here is what I've found:

CityStat, the District's procurement database, provides a list of direct payments from city agencies to Peacoholics. It approaches $3 million. This does not account for significant payments to Peacoholics through the court system, which is technically federal, as well as other grants and a housing project discussed below.

That's consistent with what a Congress Heights blogger obtained through a FOIA request, which she posted online. The documents show that Peacoholics received $1.3 million from the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services in FY 2008-2009, $4.5 million from the Housing Production Trust Fund in FY 2007-2009, $300,000 from the Public Safety and Justice budget in FY 2007-2008, and $50,000 from the Department of Human Services in FY 2008.

The number is actually much higher.

Peacoholics' Executive Director Maia Shanklin Roberts stated at a recent community meeting that the organization received $3.48 million in city, federal, and private funds between 2008-09 alone.

There may be more money flowing indirectly to the organization. The Examiner reported that Peaceoholics also receives cash indirectly from DYRS. It gets funding through the East of the River Police Community Partnership, which received a two-year DYRS contract valued at about $3 million in 2009. How much Peaceoholics gets from that source is unclear. Moten has close ties to the Rev. Donald Isaac, who heads East of River.

One Washington Post article noted that that Peacoholics received over $8 million in the past four years, including $4.4 million to build a group home, $3.6 million in city contracts, and $500,000 from the Justice Grants Administration. Another estimated $10 million.

Where does the money go? According to a 2007 Form 990 (the most recent available online), Peaceoholics paid out over $1 million to "consultants" in a single year. Its founders each collected $100,000 salaries. And the organization distributed approximately $64,000 as what Moten calls "stipends" and his co-founder Jauhar Abraham says are "donations." While speaking at length about the organization, Roberts did not use the term "stipends," but made references to “direct funds to youth," "direct support" provided to youth and their families, and use of "flex funds" to provide youths with necessities, such as clothes and shoes, as part of its DYRS-funded activities. (There were allegations that youth who attended the Ward 8 Straw Poll with Moten received $100 payments to participate, which Moten vehemently denies.). To be certain, the organization is involved in many legitimate projects and activities, some of which are discussed here. It would be very interesting to know, however, where, precisely, the millions in taxpayer money went.

And it is nearly all taxpayer money…. according to Moten’s form, just $34,000 of Peaceoholics funding in 2006 came from individual contributions and fundraising while $2.1 million came from government grants. Abraham’s form indicates $68,000 from individual contributions and nearly $2.3 million received in government grants.

Burying the Lead

2010-08-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

A front page headline on today's Metro Section reads: "2,600 D.C. voters switch to the Democratic Party ahead of mayoral primary." But aside from the lead paragraphs, most of the article is about how a wholly different issue - Mayor Adrian Fenty's "pocket" veto of legislation passed by the D.C. Council that outlawed vote buying.

This is why the Washington Post has a reputation as a cheerleader for the Fenty Administration. A more accurate headline for the story would have been "Fenty blocks vote-buying bill." That's not my invention, its what the Post called it when they posted the story online at D.C. Wire. Instead, they buried that not-so-nice-sounding press in the print edition.

That 2,600 voters changed their registration to Democrat on the eve of the District's primary is indeed newsworthy, but it's not adequately covered by the story, which might have explored questions such as how many voters typically switch parties for the DC primary, was this year more or less than usual, or how many voters who switch immediately switch their registration back to Repubican or Independent when it's over? The reporters could have interviewed a handful of voters who switched their registration this election (names and addresses publicly available from the Board of Elections) or who routinely do so each election season, to ask why they do it and how they feel about needing to do so. The article might have considered calls for an "open primary" and the ridiculousness of a system in the Nation's capital - a place with already limited representation - that requires thousands of voters to switch their party, then switch back, in order to have a meaningful vote in local elections. Alas, the article doesn't get into it.

Which just shows the true story. It's not every day that Mayor Fenty vetos legislation. And the fact that it was a bill to prohibit vote buying that was apparently spurred by accusations that Peaceoholics, whose founder Ron Moten has handed out money to youth to vote in a straw poll in Ward 8, a charge he denies. Moten, who, in the words of the article, has become a "chief strategist" for the Fenty campaign, also organized several go-go concerts to entice young people to register to vote. It was supported by every member of the D.C. Council, including those who back the Mayor's reelection, aside from Tommy Wells and Jim Graham who abstained (most likely because they are up for reelection in challenged races) and Marion Barry who was absent.

Here is what the bill actually says:

It shall be an offense for any person to knowingly or willfully:

(A) Pay, offer to pay, or accept payment of any consideration, compensation, gratuity, reward, or thing of value either for registration to vote or for voting;
(B) Give false information as to his name, address, or period of residence for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote, that is known by the person to be false;
(C) Procure or submit voter registration applications that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent;
(D) Procure, cast, or tabulate ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent; or
(E) Conspire with another individual to do any of the above;

(2) A person who violates paragraph (1) of this subsection shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $ 10,000, be imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.”

Does the bill properly draw sufficiently clear lines as to what is permissible and what is criminal? Obviously, giving out money in exchange for a vote is and should be illegal. What about other types of practices that our local politicians routinely use? Free dinners at straw polls? Get-out-the-vote concerts? Free t-shirts for supporters? Campaign-funded shuttle buses for seniors to the polls on election day?

Political Connections Get the Bird

2010-08-13T13:19:00.000-04:00

A Wood Trush, the District's official bird, appears on the 2010 low-number plates reserved for those with political connections. Photo: DCPlates.com.

What's at stake in the District's hotly contested mayoral election?... license plates, of course.

Those who are politically connected in DC can request special plates. For the past several years, the familiar sign of political connects are the low-number license plates enclosed in a square. You won't find these tags listed anywhere on the DMV's website. I don't know whether there is a tangible perk to having such a plate other than to show your status, but possibly ticket writers might think twice before approaching one of these cars.

Now, the squares are out, the birds are in. A few months ago, plates bearing the District's official bird, the Wood Thrush, began appearing on the streets. A close relative of the robin, the male Wood Thrush is said to have one of the most beautiful songs of North American birds. So the question is this -- is the bird singing for Fenty or Gray? Could it be a sign that the Wood Trush's lifespan is a little over 8 years?

The District rolled out these new license plates with little fanfare, while a proposal to create license plates for DC sports teams has languished in the DC Council since December 2009. The irony is that Maryland and Virginia provide suburban drivers with the option to get a Washington Capitals or Washington Redskins plate, while residents in DC can't show their home team. The legislation, which would authorize license plates with the logos of the Capitals, Redskins, Wizards, Mystics, and DC United, hasn't had a hearing or vote - while those with political connections get the bird.

DCPlates.com has an excellent history and photographs of low-number tags issued in DC.

A Day at the Pool

2010-08-12T10:46:00.002-04:00

Banneker Pool. Photo Credit: Andrew at The New Columbia Heights.

The District has some great public pools, so good that when residents come to enjoy a nice summer day, they often find every sign post and railing wallpapered with bikes and every seat at the pool taken.

According to District government officials, they have doubled the number of chairs at recreation centers such as Banneker, located on Georgia Avenue NW across from Howard University. After residents went as far as to form a Facebook page to advocate their case, the Department of Parks and Recreation added sixty chairs this summer. Nevertheless, on any given weekend, there is no available seating. DPR states that it plans to order more chairs next year, but it has no funds in its budget for this season.

Likewise, the city has depleted its budget for bike racks. Although a recreation center would seem to be a logical place for bike racks, Banneker has none. The lack of bike racks leads more people to drive, both because its difficult to find a secure and convenient place to lock a bike and because its not possible to carry a chair when riding. It also may impact the ability of disabled individuals to access the pool, given that bikes cover railings and intrude upon the sidewalks and walkways. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) has had some success in working with the Department of Parks and Recreation and District Department of Transportation to purchase and install pike racks at Jelleff Pool in Georgetown.

There's an easy solution that does not require the District government to place precious tax dollars in a recession toward such luxuries as pool chairs and such conveniences as bike racks.

Aside from chairs and bike racks, there's one other thing that is obviously missing at the District's recreation centers... drinks. Surprisingly, there are no vending machines. Many poolgoers would happily shell out $1 to enjoy a cold bottle of water or $2 for a sports drink or soda. Current choices are drinking so-so water out of a fountain, bringing a drink that turns warm as it bakes in the sun, or walking several blocks to buy one.

When I was a Brooklyn kid, my friends and I occasionally sold drinks on Brighton Beach and Coney Island. In just a few hours, we would walk away with enough profit to triple our allowance. With just a little bit of entrepreneurship, the District could generate enough revenue to fund all the chairs and bike racks it needs and make poolgoing in the city an even better experience for all.

The District's outdoor public pools are open Monday through Friday from 1pm until 8pm and on weekends from 12pm until 6pm. There is no admission charge for District residents, but be sure to bring your DC drivers license or other ID. You can find the nearest outdoor pool here including its hours of operation.

On a Quest?

2010-08-10T11:06:00.001-04:00

What's the deal with that property? There is an interesting tool on the District government's website, Property Quest, that may provide some quick answers.

This interactive database developed by the Office of Planning combines several DC government resources to allow the public to look up any property in the District. Put in an address or a square and lot number, and it will provide plat and arial maps, and ownership, zoning, and tax status. Property Question will also note whether the property is within a historic district, its political representation (Ward/ANC), and its police district. It will provide a photograph of the property and provide a link to Google Maps street view.

What may be most helpful about this tool is that the user can click on any property and pull up the information. That's particularly useful when the precise address of a property is not known.

There are some limitations. The database is not integrated with the DC Public School System, which would allow users to determine the schools for which the property is zoned. It also could provide more than the Ward, Advisory Neighborhood Commission, and Police Service Area number that the property is within, but also the name of each official, an e-mail link, and other contact information. Finally, the database provides only property ownership, not business, information. In the future, Property Quest could integrate data available from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration on ABC licenses or Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs regarding certificates of occupancy and business licenses.

You can find links to Property Quest and many other fun DC resources on the bottom of the side panel of the Other 35 Percent.

Franklin School to Become New UDC Law School?

2010-08-08T23:50:00.014-04:00

One week ago, at a meet and greet in Cleveland Park, DC Council Chairman and Mayoral Candidate Vince Gray declared, "I think the Franklin School would be a great place for the David Clarke School of Law. That certainly would better serve the community than another hotel."

The Fenty Administration has remained silent on this issue.

Seven months have passed since the deadline expired for Requests for Proposals (RFP) for use of the historic Franklin School building. Three applicants submitted proposals for use of the site: a boutique hotel/culinary school, a successful Chinese-language immersion charter school, and the Coalition for Franklin School, a group that has urged the District to refocus on promising educational uses for the site. Representatives of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) have repeatedly declined to comment on the status of the process. An earlier RFP for Franklin, focusing on charter school use, was abandoned as "not viable."

Use of the Franklin School as a new home for the UDC's law school is promising. Currently, the law school, which has about 300 students and 20 faculty members, occupies one floor of two buildings on the Van Ness campus, plus a basement level. Classrooms and clinics are on the second floor of building 38, administration and reception/special event space are on the 2nd floor of building 39, and the library is at the basement level.

In 2008, Councilmember Kwame Brown (D-At Large) introduced legislation, co-sponsored by 9 fellow councilmembers, to require UDC to develop a campus plan for the purpose of modernizing its facilities, including a separate facility for the law school. The legislation does not appear to have moved forward, however, the law school's website states, "We are planning a state-of-the-art 'green' building, in which we will co-locate with many D.C. legal services providers to better serve clients and provide great internship, community service, fellowship, clinical, summer and post-graduate job opportunities for students."

The status of plans for a new building, now two years later, are not known. New and green sound snazzy, but there is something to be said for location, location, location.

Is Franklin a good fit for the law school? Here's what a UDC student wrote us:

The David A. Clarke School of Law is the only American Bar Association-approved law school in the United States without its own, stand-alone building. We are currently housed on a single floor of the incredibly bland UDC-Van Ness campus. On an aesthetic end, a recent coat of yellow paint was applied in an attempt to make the interior of our building more bearable, but no one was fooled. Our school is tiny and our classrooms cramped, even with a student body of under 300 future lawyers.

Having such limited space inhibits enrollment, which in turn hampers our school's ability to recruit and develop a student body that reflects its mission statement of serving those traditionally underrepresented in law school enrollment. The current concrete building in which our one-floor law school sits looks as if it were built in Soviet Russia. Sometimes it feels like it, as well.

As a member of the student body, I have heard rumor after rumor that our school is looking for a stand-alone building in which to put the law school. Someone even suggested that a bland office building downtown would be our next home. But imagine our school in your building. We wouldn't have to remodel as much as would be needed to turn a suite of offices into a law school. Your building is already a school. And quite a beautiful one at that. It once helped shelter homeless persons--our school runs clinics that help lower income DC residents like the homeless. The fit seems perfect.

I agree and apparently so does Vince Gray.

Courtyard expansion area

The Franklin School could provide a great boost to the reputation of UDC's law school. It would provide 51,000 square feet (38,000 usable) including 14 classrooms with room for about 400 students and its Great Hall. There's room for expansion. As the RFP notes, while adding additional floors above the existing building is not feasible due to its historic designation, "use of some of the rear yard is expected to provide modern core facilities." The site is zoned for a height of up to 110 feet with the highest Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 10.0. This area might host a new modern library and administrative space. More importantly, the location would place law students within blocks of the District's courthouses and numerous private firms.

It also meshes well with the school's proud focus on public interest law. As the Coalition pointed out in a recent letter pitching the idea to Law School Dean Katherine S. Broderick, "As the administrative headquarters for the DC Public Schools for 40 years in the Twentieth Century, the Franklin Building was often the site of demonstrations, sit-ins, and court challenges related to the struggle to integrate DC public schools."

What say you Mayor Fenty?

News Round Up

2010-08-05T10:34:00.008-04:00

Annie Ropeick, an intern at NPR, was randomly stabbed at 7th and H Streets NW at 9am Wednesday. Annie stands in front of a vacant building in Mount Vernon Square. Photo: NPR.

Intern stabbed in Chinatown. There doesn't seem to be any news on the condition of Annie Ropeick, 20, an NPR intern who was randomly stabbed in the neck, with no warning, by what appears to be young woman with mental illness. It happened yesterday when Annie was walking to work at a busy intersection in Chinatown, just outside the PNC Bank at 7th and H Street NW. According to witnesses at the scene, given the amount of blood, they presumed her dead. Fortunately reports confirm that she made it to Howard University hospital and her family was at her side. Good samaritans acted quickly to hold the assailant, 24-year-old Melodie Brevard, and care for Annie. Annie, a Silver Spring, Maryland native, is entering her junior year as a classics and philosophy major and student journalist at Boston University. She is Executive Producer of Intern Edition at NPR, blogger, and a cappella singer. Keep her in your thoughts. UPDATE: According to Boston University's student newspaper, a family source said her injuries were non life-threatening, and that doctors expect her to make a full recovery. “She was conscious and talking the whole time,” the source said. “Basically, she’s a lucky girl.”

Fenty Loses on Home Turf. Last night, Mayor Adrian Fenty has actually managed to lose a straw poll in his home Ward 4 to challenger Vince Gray. In fact, gray came within 2% of the 60% vote needed for an outright endorsement of the Ward 4 Democrats at the roudy forum. You can watch the entire forum online here. After sweeping every precinct in the city in 2006, Fenty has squandered this good will to lose straw polls in every area except Ward 2. Can he turn the momentum around as the primary approaches in just six weeks?

Can't Go Home Again. Washington CityPaper reporter Lydia DePillis exposes how the city's Home Again program, which was formed to eliminate neighborhood blight, has instead perpetuated it. "The Department of Housing and Community Development is now phasing Home Again out—but many properties are still stuck in its portfolio, mired in litigation and bureaucracy, sticking neighborhoods with blight that otherwise might have been cleared up long ago. Which is, of course, exactly what the program was set up to avoid."

ANC Election Season Begins. DCist reminds us that nominating petitions for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner positions are now available. While it only takes 25 valid signatures to get on the ballot, these positions are important and can have a significant effect on the quality of life in a neighborhood. They can promote or discourage development, permit or stop more liquor stores from opening, fund beneficial and worthwhile projects or give taxpayer dollars to friends and political supporters, and demand community involvement in government policy decisions or stay silent. You can view the list of candidates who were first to pick up nominating petitions. Think about running. Make sure to cast an educated vote.

A New DYRS? Think Again. For those who thought Mayor Fenty's appointment of prosecutor Robert Hildum to head the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services would take the troubled agency in a new direction, that assessment is already looking fuzzy. The Examiner reports that among Hildum's first actions was to hire Linda K. Harllee-Harper to serve as the agency's head of internment. Harllee-Harper formerly served on the Board of Directors of Peacoholics, the organization that received millions in public funds during the Fenty Administration and has worked closely with Ron Moten, the organization's founder -- you know, the one who compared Fenty to "Jesus," was involved in the fire truck sent to the DR, was accused of paying youth to vote in a straw poll for Fenty, protested Council legislation against vote buying, and sued a Ward 8 ANC Commissioner for libel. Now Harllee-Harper will "play a pivotal role" in awarding DYRS contracts to organizations, including Peaceaholics. Taxpayers, hold onto your wallets.

Free Summer Movies in Mount Vernon Triangle. Patty Yao, a native Taiwanese and contestant in the 2010 Washington Metropolitan Miss Chinese American Pageant Finals will sing live at the DC Premier of Cape No. 7 on Sunday, August 8, at 8pm at 5th and Eye Streets NW. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in US presents this second of five free outdoor movies in the Five Eye Asian Film Series, Cape No. 7 is the highest grossing film in Taiwan's history.

DC Gov Would Take Away Little Disabled Pet Chickens From Children. The Washington Post profiles a Capital Hill family that had to send their pet chickens to a farm in Virginia. "Flash is a chocolate-colored bird in that awkward stage of chickenhood, somewhere between chick and hen. Flash also has a deformed leg. Sam's sister, Maxine, 7, explains why they have to care especially for the crippled bird. 'He's smaller than the other birds because he can't feed himself so well,' she says." The family applied for a permit from the DC Health Department and built a mini-chicken coop in their backyard with the support of neighbors. All seemed to be in order until the Department declared the hens illegal, finding that their own regulations allowing chickens are superseded by a contradictory statute banning poultry and any other creatures not specifically allowed. "Sam and Maxine, meanwhile, are left with the worms to find and play with. If that's allowed."

When Do the Kid Gloves Come Off?

2010-08-02T14:13:00.001-04:00

The Examiner reports that a fight among "youth" under the auspices of the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services broke out in none other than city hall itself in the presence of the Mayor Adrian Fenty and juvenile justice experts.

The throwdown, which involved three girls who were apparently receiving awards from the mayor as among the most successfully rehabilitated offenders, involved chairs, fists, and went on for several minutes before D.C. fire and rescue workers arrived at the Wilson Building to reestablish control.

An investigation by Attorney General Peter Nickles that began after three DYRS killed Shaw Middle School principal Brian Betts revealed that 71 percent of the juvenile offenders in DYRS were convicted again within two years and that youths had been disappearing for weeks at a time before the agency sought an arrest order. Thus far in 2010, at least 10 youths who were supposed to have been under the supervision of the agency have been charged with murder, and six of the agency's youth have been slain themselves.

I keep seeing the word "youth," but check the ages.

In the Wilson Building incident, police arrested Grace Ebiasah, 18, Anna Ebiasah, 20, and Deanna Morris, 19, with fighting in a public place.

In the Brian Betts' murder, the youth charged in his killing -- Sharif T. Lancaster, Alante Saunders and Deontra Q. Gray-- were all 18 years old, had lengthy criminal records, and were at large.

Many of the "youth" that are under DYRS supervision are actually not youth at all. They are often over 18 years of age, yet still get treated as if they are children. With respect to these "girls," the city does not even have a holding facility, given that New Beginnings only serves boys.

At some point, isn't it time for the city to take off the kid gloves?

Lucky Lions Kick Off 5 Eye Film Series

2010-08-02T01:19:00.001-04:00

The 5 Eye Asian Film Series in Mount Vernon Triangle had a great opening night. Although a chance of showers lingered throughout the day, the weather was just perfect for the 8 pm show. The Hung Tao Choy Mei Leadership Institute Lucky Lions kicked it off - they were superb and drew quite a crowd. Jet Li's Hero did not disappoint.

Join us next Sunday, August 8, as the The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in US presents
Cape No. 7 (Hái Jiao Qi Hao), the top grossing film in the Taiwan’s cinematic history, surpassing Titanic, which will be shown for the first time in the Washington, D.C. area.

Attend Summer School, Get Paid?

2010-07-27T12:26:00.001-04:00

Some District taxpayers are asking whether the District's controversial Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is giving cash to underachieving students to go to summer school rather than paying them to work? It appears that the answer is yes, and the message it seems to send is that if you don't do well in school, no worries, you'll still get a D.C. government job. Just like the real world? I hope not.

Last summer, 3,370 of 22,076 youth enrolled in SYEP (15% of the total enrollment) were assigned to the D.C. Public Schools, according to the Mayor's press release. The 2010 press release lacks such detail. But in testimony to the D.C. Council on June 16, 2010, Department of Employment Services (DOES) Director Joseph P. Walsh reported that 8,360 youths were assigned among DCPS, the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and the Department of Energy (DOE) of this summer's 21,000 total enrollment.

An additional 1,316 and 641 youth were assigned to charter schools in 2009 and 2010, respectively. No information appears to be available as to the nature of these "employment" assignments. Predictably, statements by the Mayor and other DC government officials tout the number of placements with private employers and at actual worksites.

Summer school is open to high school students who need three or fewer credits to graduate or to move to the next grade level.

Those whose summer work assignment is the DC Public Schools participate in the "Career Pathways" program.

According to the DC Summer Fun website, "DCPS understands that students might need both to attend summer school and to work. Therefore the “Career Pathways” program was created to allow students to remain on track for promotion and graduation while they grow professionally during the summer by participating in SYEP." Students can enroll both in summer school and SYEP, their attendance in regular and Career Pathways classes is separately recorded, and the students are paid for their attendance in the later.

In a letter to parents of high school students, Chancellor Michelle Rhee explained the program as the summer approached. Rhee notes that Career Pathways is cosponsored by DOES and is part of the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. It allows students to take up to two courses to earn academic credit, without pay, while also taking at least one paid Career Pathways course for which they do not receive academic credit. Career Pathways is career services guidance. "We hope that this program will prevent students from having to make the difficult choice between attending summer school or taking a summer job," says Rhee.

Perhaps that's just the type of difficult choice DC's youth should have to make. It might teach them that if one does not focus in school, he or she will have difficulty getting a job or may have to work extra hard (nights and/or weekends) to make a living.

Leadership & Strategy Needed for DC Voting Rights

2010-07-25T11:58:00.001-04:00

In today's Washington Post, long-time Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, pledges to take a shotgun, no pun intended, approach to D.C. voting rights and Home Rule, by introducing nearly every approach under the sun. Throw it all against the wall and see what sticks, if anything. Such a strategy is doomed to go nowhere.

"If I am reelected, I will introduce a series of bills in the next Congress that include not only the pending House-only approach, but also bills for Statehood and for votes in both the Senate and House," Norton writes.

What we need, and is lacking, is leadership and a sound, politically astute, strategy.

First, District residents should reach a consensus that a single vote in the House isn't worth the effort, in fact, its counterproductive. One vote in 436 or 437 (if an extra seat is extended to Utah) doesn't provide real representation. That's why the founders provided a Senate. They recognized that small states were not adequately protected in the House. Obtaining such a marginal improvement will only result in expenditure of scarce political capital that is needed for obtaining true representation.

Second, representation in the Senate, whether it is through Statehood or some other means is not going to happen without a strategy. A closely divided Congress will not vote to alter the balance of power by adding what will certainly be two new Democratic Senators from the District unless the proposal also includes some way of preserving the political status quo.

In a post last week, I noted one possibility that has not been closely considered -- pairing up the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which some mistake as Democrat-leaning but is actually heavily Republican, for Statehood. There is a long history of such arrangements, which are the norm, not the exception. Even the bill that would have provided the District with a single vote in the House was based on giving an additional Republican seat to Utah.

The other option for full representation in Congress is some form of "limited retrocession," in which the District remains a separate entity but is represented by, and votes for, Maryland's Congressional representation. This has roots in history as well, since the District was formerly part of Maryland and its residents voted in Maryland's elections. It keeps the balance of political power by not adding two new Democratic U.S. Senators, but giving District residents the right to vote for seats already held by Democrats. (This approach does have a downside -- the District would still not have the independence and Home Rule that residents have long sought. It is will also, no doubt, be subject to a constitutional challenge, the outcome of which is unpredictable.)

Nevertheless, Norton and others seem to put philosophy, principles, and entitlement over strategy and political reality.

For instance, DC political commentator Mark Plotkin asked House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, whether he sees the potential for Puerto Rico and the District to be jointly admitted as states. Hoyer responded, "We shouldn't have to make a deal about how the District of Columbia comes in."

Really? Isn't that what politics is - the art of dealmaking? Isn't that the history of how most states were admitted to the Union? When the core issue of representation for the District is at issue -- why do our representatives put their head in the sand?

Home Again: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

2010-07-23T01:46:00.003-04:00

In 2002, Mayor Anthony Williams introduced the "Home Again" initiative, a program designed to transform vacant and abandoned residential properties into single-family homeownership opportunities for residents. About a year ago, it died, and no one even noticed.

The program "bundled" groups of vacant houses and lots. It placed the bundles up for purchase by developers meeting certain qualifications. Developers were required to set aside a certain number of the houses in the bundle for affordable home ownership opportunities, while it would set the remainder at market rate. Keep in mind, these are not large city-owned properties like school or office buildings, but private homes that fell into government hands usually because of a calamity, such as a fire or collapse, or because it was abandoned.

While the program had some initial successes, I came to notice that many of these properties, sat and sat some more. Given the emphasis placed to addressing privately owned vacant properties through the vacant property tax and increased enforcement, it seemed wrong that city-owned properties were left to rot.

A Mount Vernon Square house in the program (460 Ridge Street NW) collapsed in November 2007 and the lot was then neglected. Nearby, another property in the program, a historic facade, remained in that state for years while nearly every other house on the block was renovated and sold (454 N Street NW).

Last summer, I decided to investigate. I found that the District's Home Again website had not been updated since April 2004. It remains in that state today. I also tried to find out the status of the properties in the Home Again program the old fashioned way -- calling. The phone number listed for the program immediately went a voice mail that appeared to be a wrong number. There was no e-mail contact information listed on the website.

Finally, I found a number for Home Again on a 2006 press release that led to the Department of Housing and Community Development's "Property Aquisition Disposition Division." On the third try, I reached someone. "There really isn’t a Home Again program," she said. Responsibility for the program now is through the Aquisition Disposition Division, which is now auctioning off the properties.

That brings us today. One year since my initial inquiry I toured Home Again properties. Through DC Atlas, I found 113 properties identified by the city as in the program. One in four are vacant homes ("vacant improvement") and the remainder are empty lots. They are in every area of the city except Ward 3. The most, 47, are concentrated in Ward 5. I began by visiting properties in Wards 1 and 2.

I expected the worst. Overall, however, the properties are secure and maintained. That may not have been the case for many of them months ago, before "No Trespassing" signs suddenly appeared.

Two of the lots included a notice that they were among 18 to be auctioned off on June 30, 2010 at the Washington Convention Center - 501 Rhode Island Avenue in Shaw and the prime real estate Logan Circle property at 1335 R Street NW (The Victorian next door to the Logan Circle property sold for over $1.1 million in 2000). According to Housing Complex, the 13th and R Street lot went for $590,000 after a bidding war.

According to a press release, this was the second such auction of government-owned vacant property by the Property Acquisition and Disposition Division [results of the 1st posted here]. Only bidders in specific categories were allowed to participate in the auction: home buyers who intend to occupy the property as their primary residence; non-profits; and DC Certified Business Entities. The Department of Housing and Community Development will hold a public hearing in August to announce the proposed disposition plans for the auctioned properties. That may be progress.

Another two of the properties, both in Columbia Heights, had already been sold and developed into condominiums - 2809 Sherman Avenue and 3004 13th Street NW. Also good. The house on Sherman appears to have been purchased in March 2009 (sale price not listed) and then sold as two units for $395,000 and $459,750 last summer. The 13th Street property was auctioned off for $380,000 in January 2009 and then sold as two units this past March, with each fetching over $550,000. Wow.

There were some bad cases. In Ledroit Park, a historic corner property at 475 Florida Avenue NW has a skylight that is not of its own making. Curious that it sits in this condition, since it was apparently auctioned off by DC in the first batch of vacant properties for $300,000 in January 2009 - did the sale fall through?

At 756 Park Road NW, a nice block that includes a police station also has a boarded up Home Again property - it's also on the list as sold in January 2009 (for $160,000). Huh?

It's only a matter of time before what is left of 454 N Street NW collapses like its neighbor at 460 Ridge Street NW. At 1319 Harvard Street NW, neighbors appear to have taken charge by hiding an enclosed empty lot with a beautiful flower garden. Good for them!

The ugly, however, is 709 Kenyon Street NW. Posted prominently on the front of the house is a notice by the fire chief condemning the property as unsafe. The rear of the house, along with the roof, has partially collapsed. The alley alongside the property was filled with trash and empty beer cans and bottles.

Ward 1

475 Florida Avenue NW (Ledroit Park)

1319 Harvard Street NW (Columbia Heights)

756 Park Road NW (Columbia Heights)

709 Kenyon Street NW (Columbia Heights)

2809 Sherman Street NW (Columbia Heights)

3004 13th Street NW (Columbia Heights)

Ward 2

454 N Street NW (Mount Vernon Square)

460 Ridge Street NW (Mount Vernon Square)

501 Rhode Island Avenue NW (Shaw)

1818 6th Street NW (Shaw)

1735-1737 10th Street NW (Shaw)

1335 R Street NW (Logan Circle)

Challenges Galore, Board Paralyzed?

2010-07-21T16:00:00.004-04:00

Ward 1 Democratic Chairman Bill O'Field has provided an analysis of the numerous challenges to nominating petitions filed by candidates seeking to be on the ballot for the September primary [Election Education Incorporated]. The deadline for filing such challenges expired yesterday.

According to Fields:

Valencia Mohammad filed challenges to the nominating petitions of mayoral candidates Carlos Allen and Sulaimon Brown and Dorothy Brizill and Gary Imhoff filed a challenge to mayoral candidate Leo Alexander’s petition. Chairman of the Council candidate Calvin Gurley’s nominating petition was challenged by Alonzo Edmondson.

Four challenges were filed to the nominating petitions of the five candidates seeking the Ward 5 City Council seat currently held by Harry Thomas, Jr. Cynthia M. Gill filed a challenge to Kathy Henderson’s petition; D.C. lawyer Cary Clennon is challenging Delano Hunter’s petition; and candidate Henderson is challenging both Kenyan McDuffie and Tracey D. Turner. Ward 6 Council candidate Randy Brown’s petition is being challenged by Jim Abely.

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics has until August 3 to rule on the challenges. That may be an interesting feat given this morning's news that the Chair of DCBOEE, Errol Arthur, submitted his letter of resignation, effective August 2. The three-member board has been running with only two members since February 2009. With one member, the Board will lack a quorum to take action. The D.C. Council and Mayor Fenty have been at an impasse on appointees for the already vacant position with the Council finding Mayor Fenty's nominees unqualified. Last year, he sought to fill a vacant seat with one of his running buddies.

If appointments to the DCBOEE are not made quickly, then the Board (and the election) will not be able to operate. With the Council on recess, Mayor Fenty has threatened to make an interim emergency appointment, even though D.C. law does not explicitly provide him with such power. Even the Mayor's cheerleaders at the Washington Post say "don't do it, Adrian."

Some have questioned whether the Board in its current condition will be able to certify the results of the September primary. A more pressing question is whether they can even certify which candidates will appear on the ballot?

Puerto Rico: Key to DC Statehood?

2010-07-21T11:01:00.001-04:00

There's a long history of new states being admitted in pairs in order to keep the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. Yet, there seems to be little consideration of whether Puerto Rican statehood could be the key to the future status of the District of Columbia.

Early on our nation's history, states were admitted in pairs -- free states and slave states: Indiana and Mississippi (1816-17), Illinois and Alabama (1818-19), Maine and Missouri (resulting in the Missouri Compromise of 1820 specifying that Louisiana Purchase territory north of latitude 36° 30' would be organized as free states and territory south of that line would be reserved for organization as slave states), Michigan and Arkansas (1836-37), Iowa and Florida (1845-46), and Wisconsin and Texas (1848, 1845). California followed by pledging to maintain the balance with one pro-slavery and one anti-slavery Senator (1850).

The U.S. has now gone the longest period of time since the last state was admitted - 51 years. Those two states - Alaska and Hawaii - also represented a political compromise, which came in the charged context of the civil rights movement. At that time, Hawaii was considered a Republican territory because it had mostly had Governors appointed by Republican presidents and Republican state legislatures. On the other hand, many believed that Alaska would turn out to be Democratic (ironic in the Palin world). Statehood for Hawaii, as the first state to have a majority nonwhite population, was expected to result in two pro-civil rights senators, endangering the ability of southern segregationist Democrats to maintain a filibuster. The result was that both Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. Even the District's most recent failed quest for voting representation inwas based on giving Utah an additional seat in the House prior to the 2010 census.

That brings us to an interesting column by George Will in Sunday's Washington Post. Will notes that there may be a popular misconception that because Puerto Rico is majority nonwhite and its residents make substantially less income per capita than even the poorest state, its voters favor Democratic candidates. Not so. Puerto Rico has a "very Republican" governor, Luis Fortuno and an overwhelmingly Republican legislature. According to Will, 78% of Puerto Ricans are pro-life, 91% oppose same-sex marriage and 30% of the 85% who are Christian are evangelicals. A majority supports an agenda of tax and spending cuts, trimming public payrolls, and reducing the state budget deficit. The Republican party platform, since 1968, has endorsed Puerto Rico's right to choose statehood.

Let's face it. A closely divided Congress is not going to recognize D.C. Statehood if it means two additional Democratic Senators that would shift the balance of power. A DC-PR compromise could maintain the balance of power in the Senate and give Republicans an additional bone for providing rights to D.C. residents -- the possibility of a slight gain in the House of Representatives. Puerto Rican statehood would come with six House seats compared with just one vote for the State of New Columbia.

Puerto Ricans are still deciding whether they want to become a state or continue to enjoy a status that D.C. residents lack -- where they have the benefits of citizenship, but don't pay federal taxes (they also don't get to vote for President and have only a nonvoting delegate in the House). They rejected statehood in 1967 and 1993, and were almost evenly divided in 1998. The momentum, however, appears to be increasingly moving toward statehood.

With the Utah-DC idea off the table, is a DC-PR compromise worth seriously examining?

Historic DC

2010-07-19T10:19:00.001-04:00

The national capital, Washington, D.C. Sketched from nature by Adolph Sachse, 1883-1884.
(Balti[more] A. Sachse & Co., 1884.) Zoom in of Logan Circle.

A neighbor passed on this interesting link from the Library of Congress, which includes panoramic maps of our city from about 1850 to 1996. In lieu of aerial photos, these painstakingly detailed, hand-drawn maps are hugely important "snapshots" of DC. Used with city directories, they show the state of development in parts of our city overlooked by contemporary tour guides.

The most interesting may be the Aldolf Sachse map circa 1883-1884 and the grand maps done by Williams and Heintz in the 1920s. You may be able to zoom in on the high resolution images to see your very block over a century ago. Looks like what is now Whole Foods was a whole lot of grass.

Franklin School Exhibit Begins 7/28

2010-07-15T11:41:00.000-04:00

An exhibit on the Franklin School will open at the
Historical Society of Washington in Mount Vernon Square (801 K Street NW) on Wednesday, July 28, from 12-2pm.

The exhibit is expected to be on display through Labor Day at HSW and then will be taken "on the road," hopefully to the Wilson Building, Eastern Market, UDC, office buildings and retailers which border Franklin Square, Union Station, the MLK Library, the Sumner School, and other locales. The beautifully designed and documented 8, 3' x 7' panels will be affixed to stands/easels/tripods that make the exhibit easily transportable.

The exhibit is organized by the Coalition for Franklin School, a group that has organized to support a future educational use for the historic school building located at 13th and K Streets NW. Others involved include Cindy Janke (curator), Kesh Ladduwahetty (designer), Humanities Council of Washington, DC, Sumner School Museum & Archives (Kimberly Springle), Historical Society of Washington, DC (Sandy Bellamy), Margaret Hutto, Jack Brewer, Association of Oldest Inhabitants (Bill Brown), and Tanya Edwards Beauchamp (project humanities scholar / adviser).

I strongly support their efforts. You can reach my Washington Post op-ed on the future of the Franklin School here.

According to a recent article in the National Trust for Historic Preservation magazine, the building, which was the site of Alexander Graham Bell's and last used as a homeless shelter, is deteriorating.

"There's water on the top floor, and there are broken windows or open windows," says Joe Browne, chairman of the steering committee of the Coalition for Franklin School, whose members toured the building last November. "Because there's no climate control, [an] original mural is deteriorating fast."

Baseless Lawsuit Continues, Expenses Mount

2010-07-15T00:01:00.002-04:00

Tonight, Thursday, July 15, I will be co-hosting a benefit party and fundraiser in support of Martin Moulton. I hope you will join me at the home of Charles Walker, 1518 Fifth Street NW. Come by anytime between 6 and 9pm.

As many of you know, Martin has worked hard to make our community safe and improve the quality of life for all of its residents, new and old. Whether it is volunteering at our schools, improving housing for current residents, working with police and government officials to address nuisance properties and crime, or planning neighborhood events... Martin is on it. Perversely, Martin’s leadership has made him the target of an unfounded lawsuit that is directly related to his efforts. He's being sued for $20 million - amazing how one can pull any crazy number out and sue.

We are confident that Martin will prevail. I am told that last week a judge ordered the plaintiff to respond to a detailed set of questions that will require him to disclose what evidence — if any — he has to substantiate the claims in the suit. Earlier this year, after a trial before a DC Superior Court judge, the plaintiff was convicted of a misdemeanor for involving the police in this matter. Meanwhile, however, as this case has dragged on, Martin has accumulated tens of thousands in legal costs that continued to mount.

Martin has been there for our community — let’s be there for him. We are aiming to raise at least $15,000 for his legal defense fund. Any amount is appreciated.

If you can’t make it, please consider sending a contribution directly to his law firm at:

Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg LLP
1726 M St. NW, Suite 600,
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 328-3500 | www.HarmonCurran.com

Sponsors:
Christine Fanning, Kareem Saleh, Manly Moulton, Charles Walker, William Waybourn, Cary Silverman, Kevin Chapple, Alexander M Padro, Gretchen Wharton, Si Kailian, Ayeh Bandeh-Ahmadi, Brian Smith, Deborah Ziska, M Marie Maxwell, Cheryl A. Lofton, Richard Worthington-Rogers, Debra Chatman, Carl Wilson.

Mayoral Straw Poll for Ward 2

2010-07-13T18:30:00.000-04:00

The Logan Circle Community Association and the Ward 2 Democrats are hosting a Mayoral straw poll Wednesday, July 21st at the Washington Plaza Hotel, 10 Thomas Circle. All of the candidates who filed papers to run have been invited, including current Mayor Adrian Fenty and current Council Chair Vincent Gray.

Everyone is invited to attend, but only registered Democrats will be able to participate in the straw poll. Registration begins at 7pm, and guests will have the opportunity to talk to any candidates who are present at that time. The presentations will begin at 7:30, and voting will close by 9:15. (Times subject to change if needed.)

Each candidate will be asked to speak on several topics. Following the presentation, registered Democrats will have the opportunity to vote. For more information, please contact Ward 2 Democrats President Pat Allen at 202-296-0720 or LCCA President Bob Maffin at 202-301-2125.

And the nominees are...

2010-07-09T13:24:00.003-04:00

At 5pm on Wednesday, the deadline expired for filing nominating petitions, petition supplements, and Declaration of Candidacy and Affirmation of Qualifications with the DC Board of Elections for the September 14, 2010 primary. And the Democratic candidates are....

Seven of the thirteen candidates who picked up nominating petitions to run for mayor actually filed. In addition to incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty and Council Chairperson Vince Gray, other candidates for mayor include former reporter Leo Alexander, Whitehouse party crasher Carlos Allen, Sulaimon Brown, Michael T. Green, and Ernest Johnson. In a very tight race between Fenty and Gray, could these challengers pull away enough votes to effect the outcome? Should DC require runoff elections where no candidate receives 50% of the vote?

In addition to Kwame Brown and Vincent Orange, Dorothy Douglas and Calvin Gurley are also running for DC Council Chairperson. I've seen a few signs up for Calvin Gurley, who lives in Takoma Park. He apparently pushed for a voting initiative he entitled the "Mr. Bill Cosby’s Age 18 House Rule" in 2004, which would have cut off a parents' obligation to make child support payments at 18, rather than 21. Dorothy Douglas is an activist who lives in Deanwood and is currently a member of the State Board of Education.

At Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson faces a strong challenge from former Parks and Rec Director Clark Ray. Two others, Will Rossand and Michael Brown, are running. Michael Brown? I'm confused. Is another Michael Brown seeking a seat on the Council? Yes, it is Michael D. Brown, the District's "Shadow Senator." (the current at-large member, Michael A. Brown, obtained the seat as an independent and is not up for reelection until 2012). New rule: 2 Browns on the Council is enough, and if Gray and Orange get elected... we'll probably have the more colorful legislative body in the nation.

In Ward 1, incumbent Jim Graham, a popular councilmember who has nevertheless been plagued with controversies from limiting the hours of Jumbo Slice to his chief of staff being indicted for excepting bribes from the taxi cab industry, faces two challengers: Jeff Smith and Bryan Weaver.

Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, after completing her first term, is unopposed. Seems that folks on the western side of town like her focus on healthy foods and animal rights, and her tough talk to Attorney General Peter Nickles.

Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, also a first term councilmember who replaced Vincent Orange after he decided to run for Mayor, faces four opponents: Kathy Henderson, a former Historic Preservation Review Board Member and ANC Commissioner; Delano Hunter; Kenyan McDuffie, and Tracey D. Turner. I'm disappointed to see that George “Action” Jackson did not file his nominating petition. You know what they say... all talk...

Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells faces two opponents - Randy Brown and Kelvin Robinson.

Finally, Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton faces a challenge from Douglas Sloan. After ten terms in office and the most recent failure of voting rights for the District in Congress, will residents opt for new blood?

These aren't necessarily the people you'll see on the September ballot. The Board will make a preliminary determination of their eligibility this Monday, July 12 and consider any challenges to petitions until August 3.

Education: When everyone is in charge... no one is in charge

2010-07-07T12:21:00.001-04:00

A core element of Mayoral Candidate Vince Gray's education platform is to strengthen the position of Deputy Mayor for Education. As he's described at public forums, Gray envisions the position as coordinating education policy for the District, dealing with such elements as public schools, charter schools, the University of the District of Columbia (which has a law school and new community college), vocational training programs, literacy training, among other areas.

But where was such coordination on the D.C. Council?

Just about every state legislature in the country, as well as Congress and most city governments, has an committee charged with addressing education issues. Not DC.

For many years, the DC Council had a Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation. Before running for the Ward 4 seat on the DC Council, now-Mayor Adrian Fenty did a 2-year stint as the lead attorney and counsel for the Committee.

Immediately after he was elected as Chairman of the Council, Gray eliminated the Committee in 2007. Instead, deeming education issues too important to be discussed by a five-member committee, Gray placed education in the Committee of the Whole. The Committee of the Whole is precisely what it is named -- the full council, led by the Chairman of the Council.

"I think it sends the message to the city, for the council, too, that education is the key issue. I had eight council members to ask to be on the education committee," Gray said. "This is an opportunity for everybody to participate. It takes a layer out of the process."

But there's a flip side. When everyone is in charge... no one is in charge. That's part of the reason why the District has consolidated much of the power over education reform in a Chancellor rather than in a large school board.

There is a value to smaller committees. They allow Councilmembers to develop expertise on an issue, which can be helpful in developing legislation and providing effective oversight. Committee members build relationships with the executive branch officials, organizations, community activists, and those affected (in this case, teachers, administrators, and students). Committees permit greater dialogue among their members. Those who serve on the Committee become points of contact for the public as well as people to hold accountable. And yes, it facilitates coordination of policy.

What are the positions of the candidates for DC Council Chairman, Kwame Brown and Vincent Orange? Would they bring back an education committee or keep it in the Committee of the Whole?

Is a Committee on Education (including literacy) and Workforce Development in the works for 2011?

Peacoholics Responds

2010-07-02T09:38:00.146-04:00

Peacoholics has provided new details on the organization's funding and operation, which has been a growing source of controversy. At a joint meeting of the Convention Center Community Association and Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association, Peacoholics Executive Director Maia Shanklin Roberts answered questions posed by residents. The organizations' co-founder, Ron Moten, also participated in the community forum.

Millions in Public Funds

Some have questioned the appropriateness of Peacoholics receiving millions in public funds during the Fenty Administration, raised concerns with a lack of government oversight, and asked questions about the organization's accountability for obtaining results.

According to Roberts, between 2008 and 2009, Peacoholics received $3.48 million in city, federal, and private funds. Most were allocated to violence intervention programs in Wards 1, 2, 7, and 8. Their activities included operating a community center, programs at two high schools, and work at New Beginnings, the city's youth detention center. Peacoholics also performed third-party monitoring for court social services, including probation checks for 100 juveniles.

Roberts noted a website, http://www.citystat.org/, where one can view the public funds provided by DC agencies to organizations. If you have not seen this website, it provides quite interesting information, even if not very user-friendly. The database provides the following information for city funds provided to Peacoholics, but does not provide detail as to the date or purpose of payments:

PEACEOHOLICS INC

DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO249009 - $659,049.00
HOUSING PRODUCTION TRUST FUND PO266784 - $600,000.00
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO205572 - $583,814.00
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT PO231942 - $199,433.00
METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT PO261004 - $100,000.00
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO163563 - $99,995.00
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO174329 - $83,333.30
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO180444 - $74,877.00
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO236656 - $68,897.30
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO206553-V2 - $62,575.90
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO236638 - $50,000.00
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO194550-V2 - $36,666.70
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO200256 - $31,250.00
DEPUTY MAYOR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PO234771 - $15,000.00
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS PO217774 - $10,000.00
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO168587 - $9,420.00
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PO159218 - $9,420.00
DEPART OF YOUTH REHABILITATION SERVICES PO200718 - $7,333.33

Grand total: $2,701,064.53.

Moten: No More Earmarks

When public funding for Peacoholics was at its apex in 2008-09, the organization had a 60-member staff. Since elimination of much of its city funding, particularly after the DC Council eliminated all earmarks last year, Peacoholics has significantly downsized. It is now examining sustainability issues and considering partnerships with other organizations and sources of private funding.

In what may have been a surprise to some, Peacoholics Founder Ron Moten declared, "I believe that earmark funding should be cut, eliminated" and that there should be a competitive process to obtain government funding. Moten had led a protest with youths at the Wilson Building, covered in bandages and fake blood, after the city council eliminated earmarks. Moten's comments were directed to Council Chairman and Mayoral Candidate Vince Gray, who attended the meeting for a candidate's forum later on the agenda. Moten's comments appeared to be fueled by his frustration that despite the elimination of most earmarks, Gray allowed groups friendly with Councilmember Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5) to obtain public funds for violence intervention programs on an noncompetitive basis.

"I think it is criminal to give people money who don't do the work, who are just friends with people," said Moten.

Roberts later responded to an assumption that most of Peacoholics funding had come from noncompetitive grants. While some of the organization's funding has come from earmarks, "most is competitively bid," she stated, resulting from the submission of proposals to government agencies.

Where the Money Goes: Peacoholics' Programs & Activities

I asked Roberts if she could be more specific in how the organization spent millions in public dollars, such as the percentage spent on staff and various programs, and whether any youth directly received cash or stipends. She noted that the activities for which Peacoholics receives government funds include third-party monitoring through the court system and its civil rights tour, in which 75-100 youths participate twice annually.

The group is also funded by the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services (DYRS) to provide life skills training. Funds go to pay staff and overhead for acting as facilitators at New Beginnings. In addition, Peacoholics employs case managers, who are paid $45-55k per year and work with five youths. Funds also go to "exposure activities," designed to bring youths out of the violent environment in which they often feel trapped.

Roberts also explained that in schools in which it is involved, Peacoholics places six staff members who are each paid $40-47k. They work in the school from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and then go into the community for outreach in the evenings. Peacoholic views itself as filling gaps at schools, such as providing uniforms for teams where needed.

The group's violence intervention programs, Robert's explained, involve dedicating two to three staff members to known conflicts. For instance, Roberts credited the organization for work done in Shaw with respect to gang disputes involving crews on 9th Street, 5th and O, and 7th and O. Staff are on call 24/7, go to crime scenes, and follow up.

Peacoholics typically plans large community events to bring people together, but did not have a planned event in Shaw last year upon the recommendation of MPD. Such events cost approximately $5-7k for equipment rental, such as a moon bounce and food.

During her descriptions of Peacoholics' activities, Roberts occasionally referred to "direct funds to youth" and stipends. During the discussion of the group's activities in schools, she noted that Peacoholics provides "direct support" to those youth and their families. She also mentioned the organization's use of "flex funds" go provide youths with necessities, such as clothes and shoes, as part of its DYRS-funded activities. It was unclear to me whether this may mean cash payments in some instances and how youth are selected to receive support.

Some have claimed that youths involved in Peacoholics were paid to vote in a mayoral candidates straw poll in Ward 8, an allegation was not raised or addressed at the Shaw forum. Moten is a strong supporter of Mayor Adrian Fenty. Also not discussed at the forum was the organization's involvement in a housing project in Congress Heights, which has drawn concern from nearby residents.

A Major Employer of Ex-Offenders

Three out of four Peacoholics employees at ex-offenders, stated Roberts. From Roberts' comments, this appears to serve two purposes: (1) ensure staff and at-risk youth can relate; and (2) provide a job to ex-offenders who might otherwise go back to crime. Some questioned whether providing at-risk youth with ex-offenders as mentors provides the right type of influence to move them away from crime. In response, Roberts emphasized the importance of using people for outreach who "understand and are sensitive" to the environment. Roberts also noted that their staff undergoes substantial training to provide "the more theoretical base for what they are doing" and with "hard and soft skills."

If you are "bit by a snake, the antidote comes from the snake," added Moten. "Ex-offenders who are trained properly can do the same thing" as others.

From Point A to Point B

Roberts acknowledged the limitations of the services that Peacoholics and its staff can provide. For instance, the organization is not involved in pyschological counselling, which she views as a vital service that is not being adequately provided by the District's Department of Mental Health. "Peacoholics is an organization that will take you from point A to point B," she stated. At-risk youth may then need another organization or services to go further.

"Never Heard a Good Thing," said Mendelson

Roberts was asked to respond to comments attributed to Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) that he has never heard a good thing about the organization's work from the Metropolitan Police Department. Roberts noted that her organization is a partner with MPD on various projects and that she has recently participated in meetings with Chief Cathy Lanier and Assistant Chief Diane Groomes which do not leave her with that impression. She noted that Peacoholics always testifies at Mendelson's hearings, yet he has never met with them outside a hearing. Roberts expressed willingness to meet with Mendelson and have an ongoing dialogue, and to provide monthly reports to all funding sources.

Absconders in the Midst

Shaw resident Rickey Williams asked Roberts to explain how Peacoholics verifies that those participating in its programs "are not absconders, wanted criminals." His concern stemmed from the realization that the youth arrested in the murder of Shaw Middle School Principal Brian Betts had absconded from DYRS and participated in a retreat in suburban Maryland co-sponsored by Peacoholics just days before the killing.

Roberts noted that the organization receives permission slips from parents prior to participation in such programs, but that it "is not standard for any organization to do background checks" and that it would be counterproductive to impose such a requirement. Only when it takes youth out of state for the civil rights tour (apparently, a Maryland retreat does not qualify as out of state), the organization runs background checks to ensure participants can legally attend. Roberts also noted that the retreat was "for the entire community" and was not solely for youth in the Peacoholics program. The organization did not have an ongoing relationship, control over, or know the status of, the youth allegedly involved in the killing.

Moten added that the retreat was planned in direct and immediate response to threats of violence and retaliation in the area. "Boy scouts don't do background checks," he noted.

Healthy Habits?

2010-07-01T10:04:00.000-04:00

par·a·dox: one (as a person, situation, or action) having seemingly contradictory qualities or phases. Here, biking with helmet, smoking at the stop light, then continuing on, cigarette in hand.

Gray Announces 3 Agencies to Fix, No More Earmarks

2010-06-30T02:04:00.003-04:00

Tonight, DC mayoral candidate Vince Gray announced three top priorities for fixing the District's government agencies. The first target -- the Department of Employment Services -- "he's not sure what they do" beyond the summer jobs program. Next up, the position of the Deputy Mayor for Education. Gray says its time for a "more aggressive, more assertive" person in that role, one that coordinates policy between UDC, DCPS, charter schools, and other programs. Last, but not least, Gray stated that he would develop a cohesive economic development strategy that would focus on growth areas such as healthcare, educational services, and green jobs, and make the District a national leader for financial services companies.

Gray avoided providing any hint on who in the current Administration he might keep on if elected mayor. Given his current position as Chairman include oversight over DC government agencies, I asked Gray to name two agency directors or other appointees that he thought were doing a great job and two others that he thought were not quite up to par. Good try, but he's not answering, Gray responded.

Here are additional highlights of the joint forum sponsored by the Convention Center Community Association and Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association.

Gray on Earmarks

Gray's elimination of earmarks was not solely due to budgetary necessity, but also a matter of policy.
The DC Council has not followed its own earmark policy, which is supposed to limit them to $250,000 in operating funds per organization per year, up to $1 million for capital projects, and not permit repeat earmarks to an organization.
He would have competitive grant programs available in several categories, rather than earmarks. Grants could be available for multi-year programs because some issues cannot be addressed in a single year. There would be oversight and accountability.
Any organization that gets money from the city should have its performance evaluated by a city agency and, if it is not meeting established goals, have a remediation plan.
Note: Ron Moten of Peacoholics, who participated, expressed frustration that Ward 5 groups friendly with Councilmember Harry Thomas have received DC funds despite elimination of earmarks, declared that he is against earmarks and for competitive grants. More on that in a follow up post.
My view: Good plan, if it is implemented.

Gray on Education

In his opening remarks, Gray emphasized the need for parity between public schools and charter schools. As mayor, he would make unused or underused public facilities available for charter school and nonprofit use.
He emphasized his support for universal pre-school. DC will be the first city in the country to guarantee seats for all 3 and 4 year olds in September 2012.
Gray also pushed his role in creating UDC's community college, which has acquired 3 campuses.
He will advance a holistic approach -- 0 through 24 education.
DC has the worst special ed system in the nation. DC spent $166 million last year on special education, including $90 million to transport students to facilities outside of DC.
My view: I appreciate Gray's focus on the entire system. I'd like the Mayor to respond to why it appears he has a poor relationship with UDC which seems to be moving forward despite him.

Gray on Vacant Properties

As Mayor, Gray pledged to increase enforcement of the city's higher tax on vacant property by hiring more DCRA staff. These jobs pay for themselves, he said. He did not get into details about the vacant property law, but noted that the Council had finally defined "vacant" v. "blighted."
My view: Great, but is this an empty campaign promise targeted to address an area of concern for Shaw residents? What was Gray's position on taking away and re-instituting the vacant property tax, and on what it should cover or not cover?

Gray on Juvenile Justice and Crime

"We have bikes. We have segways. We have walking.... that's been around for decades."

The purpose of juvenile justice is rehabilitation.
New Beginnings, the JV detention center, is overcrowded and needs additional beds.
Did not respond to the concern expressed by judges that they lack authority to sentence juveniles, which the city can let out at will.
Acknowledged that some violent offenders are let out too soon.
The city needs to invest more in the community placement system if this is to be an alternative to incarceration.
Does not support the proposed "civil injunctions" as a means to curb gang violence because they will result in racial profiling and pull in people who are not criminals.
Would push for more community policing. According to Gray (citing an MPD report), only 300 of 4,000 officers are involved in community policing.
My view: I heard him provide a stronger view on JV justice's failure at the Ward 3 Democrats forum. It's broken. Community policing is a nice buzz word, but it's not quite tangible.

Gray on Lack of Growth on 9th St. and Unwanted Development

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Mike Bernardo (ANC 2F) expressed the communities frustration with the slow pace of economic development on Ninth Street NW. A Shaw resident noted her concern that the owner of a property in Shaw had opted to develop a group house rather than the initially planned condominium due to zoning restrictions.
Gray proposed more "small area neighborhood plans," such as that developed for Chinatown, as the answer. Since the summer of 2008, Gray noted that the Office of Planning, which falls under his oversight, had developed 15 small area plans that reflect what the community would like to see in their neighborhood.
My view: I'm not sure how realistic developing such plans would be and, as I expressed in a later question on the Bundy School, plans aren't worth a dime if they are not followed or ignored.

Gray on Bike Lanes and Smart Growth

"I thought they were high when they did [the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes]. They are really ludicrous."

Gray doesn't bike, but he supports bike riding and encourages it as energy efficient.
Reserved bike lanes in some areas of the city (i.e. 9th Street NW) back of traffic. In other areas, the lack of bike lanes have the same result. The lanes do not seem well planned. "I'm not sure we have figured out how to do it yet," said Gray.
Pennsylvania Avenue lanes are particularly dangerous.
Supports transit-oriented development around metro stations.
My view: I didn't get the impression that installing more bike lanes would be high on Gray's priority list.

Gray on Church Parking

"I'm not suggesting blame on either side."

Gray acknowledged that the city should enforce the law when drivers block crosswalks, hydrants, or other cars on Sundays.
He'll work with the community and churches to solve the problem.
My view: Ironic that Gray makes a stink about how Maryland and Virginia residents don't have to pay DC taxes, but then suggests out-of-state residents who ignore DC law have equally valid concerns with DC residents who have legitimate safety and quality-of-life issues.

Gray on the Bag Tax

Took issue with the Mayor's reallocating the money from cleaning up the Anacostia, as designated, to regular street cleaning purposes on the purported rationale that refuse blows into the river.
The Council has redirected the money collected from the tax back to river cleanup.
My view: Good.

Gray on the Bundy School

"Get a new Mayor, one that is more collaborative."

Given his support for community planning as well as his support for offering vacant DC properties to nonprofits, I asked Gray how he would have addressed the Bundy School as Mayor. (The Bundy School, located on the 400 Block of O Street NW) is slated for residential and recreational use in the District's Comprehensive Plan, but was given to Safe Shores, a child welfare agency/nonprofit partnership).
Gray responded that the city should stick with the plan and there should be no surprises.
My view: Gray wasn't aware of the situation. I agree that the city should have stuck to the Comprehensive Plan, and engaged the community at an early stage if it was going to go in another direction.

Silvermans Hit Twice

2010-06-29T10:12:00.000-04:00

It's not everyday that I see other Silverman's taking center stage in our local media, which is why it was fun to see two on opposite sides of a page of today's Examiner.

David Silverman, founder of the National Pinball Museum, is the subject of the 3-Minute Interview. David's museum will open with about 900 pinball machines in the Shops at Georgetown Park in September. It's website tagline: "Cowboys, Cardsharks, and Cabaret Girls All Under One Roof." While it won't be an arcade, there will be a room of playable games. David is using his own private collection and paying for the museum himself, while also seeking grants and donations from his long-lost college roommates. As he says, "If all of David Silverman's friends donated FIVE BUCKS, he'd have enough to get this museum up and running." That's a love for pinball.

The other side of the page features a blurb on comedian Sarah Silverman, who has chimed in with an uncharacteristically serious letter to Congressman George Miller (D-Cal.) in support of the Healthy Schools Meals Act.

In related news, I noticed on Prince of Petworth (he's also a Silverman), that Patrick Mara, the Republican candidate who beat Carol Schwartz in the primary for At-Large Councilmember but ultimately lost to Michael Brown, is now running for the Ward 1 Seat on the School Board. He announced his candidacy on June 11. School board? Yes, although DC has transferred most of the power over the educational system to the Chancellor's office, the District also has an elected "State Board of Education." Established in 2007, it has limited responsibilities.

Elections Roundup

2010-06-26T23:31:00.002-04:00

Join me for a Q & A session with DC Council Chairman and Mayoral Candidate Vince Gray this Tuesday, June 29. The forum will be held at the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW. I will be co-moderating with Convention Center Community Association President Martin Moulton. Later on the agenda is Peaceoholics Executive Director Maia Shanklin Roberts. More details are available here.

Talk about a little pre-fall cleaning... The DC Board of Elections has released a list of 93,773 inactive registered voters who will be removed from the voter registration database [press release]. It's a large list - 1,737 pages. These are folks who have not voted in any election in the past eight years and did not respond to repeated notices from the Board. In other words, they live in Maryland or Virginia.

On Thursday, Councilmember Mary Cheh will hold a public roundtable on the Board's implementation of reforms mandated by the DC Council following the 2008 election debacle. According to Cheh, "my Omnibus Election Reform Act has made significant changes to improve the administration of elections and to make voting more accessible. At the roundtable, I expect that the Board will be able to provide detailed information about their preparations to date and specific milestones that need to be reached before the election. I also anticipate discussions about the Board's new voting machines, its efforts to clean the voter rolls, its new pilot program for overseas and military voters, and its preparation for convenient voting methods." The public roundtable will be held in the Wilson Building, Room 500, at 10:30am. Are they ready for 2010? Given that its website continues to prominently advertise "Election Year 2008" information only months before the September 2010 primary, I'm going to go with... not quite yet.

This week's Washington Blade contains a 5,098 word missive (the equivalent of 9 1/2 single spaced pages in MS Word) from activist Peter Rosenstein on why he won't support Adrian Fenty for a second term as Mayor. Rosenstein, who credits himself with helping develop Mayor Fenty's 2006 platform highlights what he feels are major gaps between Campaign Fenty and Mayor Fenty. Is Rosenstein over the top or is his take on point?

ZC Nominee: Stan Wall

2010-06-23T10:36:00.002-04:00

Last night, a nominee to the Zoning Commission, Stan Wall, introduced himself to the Federation of Citizens Associations and took questions.

The Zoning Commission is an independent, quasi-judicial body charged with preparing, adopting, and subsequently amending the Zoning Regulations and Zoning Map in a means not inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital area. It regulates the height, area, and use of buildings in the District of Columbia. Three members of the ZC are residents of the District of Columbia appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. The fourth member of the ZC is the Architect of the Capitol (or his/her representative). The fifth ZC member is the Director of the National Park Service (or his/her representative).

Wall would replace Anthony Hood, the current chairman, whose term expired four months ago, and serve until 2014. Hood is a civic activist, who, in addition to his job at the EPA, serves as President of the Woodridge Civic Association and the Woodridge Civic Fund, on the Board of Directors of the Bryant Park Homeowners Association, and as a Member of MPD's 5th District's Citizens Advisory Council.

Some DC residents have raised concern that, with Hood's replacement, the Zoning Commission's resident members will be composed of developers who have an inherent interest in higher, more concentrated development.

Profession: Consultant on projects in DC and surrounding jurisdictions. Self employed. The Wall Development Group's clients are primarily federal and local government entities.
Educational background: Engineering (BA Penn State) and project finance/business (MBA, UPenn).
Is he a zoning lawyer? No.
Is he developer? Yes, but he has not developed anything.
Is he a member of any fraternity in which the Mayor is also a member? No.
Why was he nominated? On the basis of his consulting work with the District and other jurisdictions.
Did he receive "marching orders" from the Administration? No.
Where does he live? He lived in many areas of DC; currently, he is a Ward 6 resident on H Street NE - though his nomination resolution provides a West End address at 2501 K Street NW.
When is his confirmation hearing before the Council: Initially, it was scheduled for earlier this month. The hearing was postponed until June 29 due to community concerns.
What role do you see for the Comprehensive Plan in your decisionmaking? It would be the first document I would look to.
Is the Zoning Commission position paid? No. It receives a nominal ($25) stipend per meeting attended.
How will you have the time? As a self-employed person, his schedule is flexible.
Demeanor: Extremely soft spoken. Good thing they have mics on the Zoning Commission dais.
Resume: Available here.
Questions? E-mail Stan Wall.

14th & Geez, Part III

2010-06-22T16:08:00.002-04:00

Today's Washington Business Journal takes up a big question on the minds of downtown workers,what the heck is the deal with the large vacant National Bank of Washington building and several properties at 14th and G Street NW.

The prime real estate was bought up between 2001 and 2003 to house a 50,000 square foot Armenian Genocide Museum, and has sat empty ever since. In addition to the Hahn Shoe store, the project swallows up the ruins of a large office building, and such former businesses as Shelton's Salon & Day Spa and the Olmstead Grill, Clement's Pastry Shop, the Dragon Exotic Massage Parlor, a nail salon and tattoo parlor, a brewing company, a newstand, an Italian restaurant, and a vacant lot. Housing Complex chimes in, noting that the properties are "to stay empty for quite a while more."

I explored this situation about a year and a half ago in a two-part series. [14th & Geez, Part I / Part II]. Unfortunately, it seems as if the situation has only further deteriorated. The owners owe the city more than $350,000 in taxes and face a lawsuit from a major disgruntled donor.

If you're curious, you can see how much these properties are worth and how much the owners have paid in property taxes over the years through these links:

0253 0053: 1342 G ST NW purchased for $1,340,000 on 12/16/2003.
0253 0054: 1340 G ST NW purchased for $1,700,000 on 3/19/2001.
0253 0055: 1338 G ST NW purchased for $1,350,000 on 12/16/2003.
0253 0067: 615 14TH ST NW purchased for $4,121,600 on 12/30/2003.
0253 0817: 1336 G ST NW purchased for $6,500,000 on 11/04/2003.
0253 0818: G ST NW purchased for $6,500,000 on 11/04/2003.

For years, my law firm was located across the street. One year ago, we moved to a brand new building a few blocks away... but nothing has changed at 14th and Geez.

A World Class Riot

2010-06-21T10:45:00.001-04:00

At the Mayoral Forum in Ward 3 on June 11, Mayor Adrian Fenty called New Beginnings, the city's youth detention center a "world class facility." Last night, WUSA-9 reported a "riot situation" in which the juveniles refused to enter their bedrooms and fought with staff. A shift supervisor who responded had his nose broken. MPD arrived to find the youths wandering through the facility at will while others were on the roof. The good news.... apparently no one escaped this time. According to the report:

Union officials say the facility meant to house 60 youngsters between the ages of 15-20 currently holds 70 and staffers are unable to safely supervise their charges, especially because of the more open nature of the structure's design. "It's been open season on staffers, they are being continually assaulted by the and this needs to come to a stop" concluded williams. "The juveniles need to be taught a lesson, they continually assault our officers , that's been the status quo"

In somewhat related news, the Washington Post includes a report today on the Peacoholics and the millions of dollars it has received during the Fenty Administration. There's not much new in this article, but it does document that the group received at least $1.5 million in noncompetitively bid city contracts in 2008 and $5.1 million in taxpayer funds from a variety of sources in 2009 (including $4.4 million to build a group home in Congress Heights). Those figures apparently do not include $3.6 million ($1.5 in 2009) in contracts from the Youth Investment Trust Corp., which is largely funded with city money distributed by a board appointed by the mayor, or $500,000 from the Justice Grants Administration, another quasi-city agency, awarded in October 2009 for the organization to help run prisoner reentry programs. The article questions whether by taking a very active role in supporting Fenty and opposing Gray, Peacoholics may jeopardize its 501(c)(3) status. I've discussed my concerns with Peacoholics before and had a chance to discuss them in person with co-founder Ron Moten one month ago. Both Peacoholics and Chairman Gray are scheduled to appear at the next Convention Center Community Association meeting on June 29. If past meetings with Peacoholics are prologue, expect fireworks.

Downtown Parking Lots

2010-06-21T10:01:00.004-04:00

This morning, NPR reported on a proposed change to Baltimore's zoning code that will give a thumbs-up for downtown parks and a thumbs-down for surface parking lots (listen here). "If we have to tear buildings down to plan for future development lets turn them into temporary green spaces at the very least," said Kirby Fowler, who heads the Downtown Business Partnership in our neighboring city.

We've been through this issue many times in the District. In my own personal experience, there was the Old Convention Center lot, where the philosophy was that parking fees would offset the costs of demolishing the massive structure. The parking lot use, in the center of downtown, was supposed to last 3-4 years. Then the recession and credit crunch hit. It's now nearly a decade.

Last year, there was a heated debate over use of the lot behind the Bundy School on the 400 Block of O/P Sreets NW. Although the parcel and lot were slated for residential and recreational use in the Districts's 2006 Comprehensive Plan, the city leased the building to Safe Shores, a nonprofit/quasi-governmental agency. The District planned to use the land directly behind the old school building for about 100 dedicated parking spaces for employees, government agency officials, and clients. Possibly because of the controversy, the northern portion of the lot, which is federal property, was ultimately not transfered to the District and remains vacant.

The most recent controversy occurred at 5th and I Streets NW, where the District transformed a grassy vacant lot into a paved surface parking lot after a development project on city land stalled. Mount Vernon Triangle residents, in an area whose unofficial motto is "we're not just parking lots anymore," predictably and understandably exploded. It''s a matter that got attention in Sunday's Post as a potential issue that could affect the area's new voters in the Mayoral race. We are now in the process of introducing temporary urbanism to the site, developing plans for a summer outdoor film series and Sunday market on the lot.

What has the District learned from these experiences? Are changes to the zoning code needed to address surface parking lots?

This City Owes You!

2010-06-19T12:02:00.002-04:00

On Friday, posters for Calvin Gurley, candidate for Chairman of the D.C. Council, appeared on lampposts throughout downtown. He is apparently attempting to present an alternative to frontrunner at-large Councilmember Kwame Brown and former Ward 5 Councilmember Vincent Orange. Merits of his platform aside, Gurley's slogan, "This City Owes YOU," struck me as quite odd. The city did owe me, but I finally received my tax refund about a month ago. It reminded me of when a resident, in his mid-thirties, emphatically demanded that Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) provide him with a big screen TV to watch at the Kennedy Recreation Center. "This city owes you" seems to be a message that responsible city leaders should not send.

Gray Narrowly Wins in Ward 3

2010-06-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

In a surprising upset, Council Chairman Vincent Gray received slightly more votes that Mayor Adrian Fenty in a "straw poll" following a mayoral debate co-sponsored by the Ward 3 Democrats and the Federation of Citizens Associations of the District of Columbia. I served as a questioner/panelist for the forum, which was reported on this blog.

Gray received 174 votes to Fenty's 168. 15 voters selected either candidate Leo Alexander or "undecided." The vote was open only to registered Democrats in Ward 3. The close outcome does not permit an endorsement by the Ward 3 Democrats, which requires a 75% margin for the organization's official support.

Media reports and political observers have suggested that Gray is strongest east of the river, as a former Ward 7 Councilmember, while Mayor Fenty is depending on a strong win in more affluent areas of the city, such as Wards 2 and 3. The results of the Ward 3 straw poll suggest that Fenty will need to make changes in his approach in order to reconnect with voters and provide them with the confidence needed to reelect him to another 4-year term.

In other races, the Ward 3 Democrats endorsed Kwame Brown for Chairman (over Vincent Orange), Mary Cheh for Ward 3 (who is unopposed), and Mike Panetta for another term as "Shadow" Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives following overwhelming votes of support.

The Ward 3 Democrats did not make an endorsement in other races, including Delegate to U.S. House of Representatives or the At-Large City Council seat. The results, however, showed significant frustration with long-time Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton who received only 19 votes (30%) to challenger Douglas Sloan's 41 votes (65%) - likely a result of the continued ability to move forward in achieving voting rights in Congress. Ward 3 committee chairman Thomas M. Smith called the near endorsement of Sloan the surprise of the night.

"The Holdout": WP Article on "Ledos Pizza"

2010-06-18T08:09:00.001-04:00

The Washington Post today tells the story of the lone surviving townhouse on Massachusetts Avenue NW between 4th and 5th Streets NW.

The owner, an architect who bought the building in 1980 for about $135,000, had refused offers of up to $2.75 million for the little property as developers made plans for condominiums a few years ago. Ultimately, they worked around him, putting up new high rises on both sides and behind the building. He then vowed to start a Ledo's Pizza until a dispute with Adams National Bank led to the end of the financing for the needed renovation. The house, built in 1890 and dwarfed by its neighbors, is a reminder of the houses that once sat on Massachusetts Avenue in times past. It now sits vacant.

Developer types throw around ideas for the spot. A cafe could work, perhaps, or a bar or restaurant. Whatever opens, Cary Silverman of the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association said, he has the perfect name: "The Holdout," an eternal reminder to anyone and everyone "to not make unreasonable demands."

Vacant Properties for Sale

2010-06-17T23:57:00.000-04:00

The District is auctioning off 18 vacant properties to the highest bidders on June 30 at the Washington Convention Center. It's just the tip of the iceberg of the hundreds of DC-government owned vacant properties, but it does represent progress. Those eligible to bid include (1) individuals who intend to purchase the property and reside in the property as their principal place of residence; (2) businesses that are active "certified business enterprises" registered with the District of Columbia Department of Small and Local Business Development; and (3) Not For Profit Corporation. An individual can't win more than one property and a CBE or nonprofit can get no more than two properties, according to the rules.

Five of the eighteen vacant properties are in Ward 2 and most are within 10 blocks of my home (from top to bottom): 922 French Street NW (Shaw / Logan Circle), 1713 New Jersey Avenue NW (Shaw / Bates Area), 1335 R Street NW (Logan Circle), 501 Rhode Island Avenue NW (Shaw / Bloomingdale), and 900 T Street NW (Shaw / Howard Univ.). It will be interesting to see how much they sell for.

Church Parking: The New Old Campaign Issue

2010-06-16T20:51:00.002-04:00

The Washington Informer reports that at a recent meeting of meeting of the Missionary Baptist Ministers Conference of D.C. and Vicinity (emphasis on vicinity), "Reverend Gilbert began by asking about the city’s parking policies that have 'strangled the life out of churches,' he said. Aggressive parking enforcement, initiated under Mayor Anthony Williams’ administration, continues to result in high fines and cars being towed away in neighborhoods that are not friendly towards churches." The article continues:

Gray agreed to improve access of worshippers to churches in the District and to open a dialogue between churches and the community. He promised to reestablish an Office of Religious Affairs and to hold an annual religious prayer breakfast.

Fenty said a compassionate police department has reduced the animosity between the churches and the police department that occurred four years ago.

“You talk about compassion,” Gilbert asked Fenty, “but it’s a reality that every Sunday there are tow trucks sitting outside of churches, not only to ticket them but to tow those cars away. These are $75 tickets on a Sunday. Do you call that compassion?”

There is still work to do, Fenty said, but at least the animosity between the churches and the community has dissipated.

In the last Mayoral election, a turning point for me was when Linda Cropp stood with churches who felt that their congregants from Maryland and Virginia should have a license to park anywhere they please on Sundays rather than neighborhood residents who felt that they were prisoners in their own homes and had their safety placed at risk. The situation has improved in recent years with establishment of special Sunday parking rules and more angle parking that increase the number of spaces, and ticketing for blatant violations.

I'm not sure why the churches are entitled to special compassion? Residents don't get any compassion if they can't find a space to move their car near their home on a street cleaning day. They don't get compassion when they choose to drive somewhere in the city rather than take metro, whether its work-related or personal, and park near a hydrant or in a crosswalk. They pay a ticket. And if a person were to go to high holiday or even Saturday services at the Sixth and I Synagogue and double park on H Street, I expect they'd get towed. Immediately.

Mayor Fenty has this one right. The rules should be applied fairly and consistently to all. Where it's possible to change the rules to help the situation, absolutely, the city should do so. But allowing lawlessness in our neighborhoods, providing certain groups with special privileges over others, or favoring nonresident interests over resident safety and quality of life concerns are nonstarters.

Welcome back, vacant property tax!

2010-06-16T14:24:00.003-04:00

According to the Washington Business Journal, the vacant property tax is back. That's good news for those who live in neighborhoods inundated properties that have sat vacant for many years and are often under assessed.

Last night, the budget adopted by the DC Council restored the vacant property tax at the rate - $5 per $100 of assessed value - that was in effect prior to 2008, when the DC Council, in an election year, doubled it to $10 and eliminated most exemptions. That change, combined with increased enforcement by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), led to push back that ultimately led to the demise of the tax. It was replaced with a "blighted" property tax that basically only applied to houses that were already subject to condemnation and applied only to about 2% of the vacant properties previously subject to the higher rate.

Questions remain as to whether the final adopted Budget Support Act also restored some of the most frequently abused exceptions (such as those that allowed owners to evade the tax by obtaining a permit for the most minor work or placing a "for sale" sign on the property) and whether the tax will apply to both vacant lots and "improved" properties (houses and stores). Vacant lots had been removed from the "blighted" property tax, a strange distinction since vacant lots can be an even greater magnet for crime, dumping, loitering, and litter, as empty homes. Also unknown at this time is when the vacant property tax will be back in effect.

[As a side note, I'm still waiting for the day that the D.C. government provides its citizens with a legislative monitoring system that allows us to accurately view the status of legislation, amendments, and the final version of passed laws in something approaching real time. Nearly every state promptly makes such information available to the public.]

Concerned About Local News

2010-06-14T10:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the Intowner announced that effective with its July 2010 edition, it will no longer print and distribute hard copies of the newspaper. Instead, its content will be exclusively available on its website. (If you would like to receive the newspaper via e-mail, send an email request to intownerDC@yahoo.com).

I don't know about you, but I typically pick up the Intowner when I am walking down 17th Street NW or come across a stack a neighborhood business or near a metro. I tend to read it at the local coffee shop or while waiting for a table at a restaurant. If I don't finish reading the paper there, then I pack it up and take it home with me. While having the articles available online is helpful for purposes of archiving and sharing articles with others, I don't buy into the idea that web-only can replace the print edition.

Overall, I'm concerned about the state of our local news coverage. For those who live in the Nation's capital, it is a longstanding concern that are newspapers are dominated by national issues, leaving local news, politics, and general public interest stories in the shadows.

The Washington Examiner provided some new life to local coverage, but tok a loss when Michael Neibauer moved to the Washington Business Journal (which has interesting local coverage but is generally subscription-only).

Mike DeBonis's move is the Washington Post's gain, but a loss to the Washington CityPaper, which has substantially reduced the size of its print edition features in favor of shorter blog pieces. Loose Lips, which had provided a wide-ranging round up of local stories from a wide range of sources, is now a short cut-and-paste job of primarily major media sources. Don't expect any substantial exposes on fake nonprofit organizations, forged signatures, or government corruption any time soon.

The Washington Times is rumored to be considering ditching its print edition for an web-only publication. But few would care given its lack of local coverage. The paper laid off 40% of its newsroom staff at the conclusion of 2009.

The Current Newspapers continue to provide a source of in-depth local coverage. My criticism of The Current is its lack of availablity outside of its core distribution areas, Dupont, Georgetown, and some areas of Northwest. The paper stubbornly refuses to provide a viable online edition to complement its hard copy. One can only download massive pdf files of the paper, usually in two parts. It's impossible to forward articles to others (or even cut and paste them) or to find archived articles on a topic online. What a waste of a valuable resource.

Finally, while some local blogs that focus on local issues have flourished, it seems many more have fallen to the wayside. Is that just my perception? This may simply be the nature of the blogisphere... it takes an incredible amount of effort to regularly post unique content and build readership.

To conclude on a bit of good news, I'm glad to see that The Washington Blade is back, after briefly becoming the DC Agenda when its parent company died, and it has resisted the urge to move to a web-only publication.