Gray Announces 3 Agencies to Fix, No More Earmarks

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.

Loss of Brian Betts

I was saddened to learn this morning of the tragic death of the principal of Shaw Middle School, Brian Betts. 

When I first met Brian, he had only been in his new position for a few weeks.  It was summer and he made time to meet with me to discuss the challenges he faced and the future of the school even as he interviewed a stream of candidates for teacher positions at the school. 

What impressed me most about Brian was his optimism.  It was different, refreshing, and real, not contrived.  He firmly believed that by placing confidence in his students, developing relationships with parents and the community, and through hard working teachers, even students facing the greatest challenges could and would succeed.  He set high goals for himself and his team.  His devotion was appreciated by all.

My thoughts go out to his family, colleagues at DCPS and Montgomery County, and to his students. 

I hope that the police and media will soon provide us with more information on the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.  Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the victim's dark blue Nissan Xterra blue 2007 Nissan Xterra (MD plate 562M222) to call the police non-emergency number of (301) 279-8000. Anyone with other information pertaining to this death is asked to call homicide detectives at 240-773-5070. Callers may remain anonymous.

Off the Deep End?

I voted for Fenty. I donated to Fenty. I've supported Fenty. But lately, I find my self asking, has Fenty gone off the deep end?

First, there were the repeated situations when the Mayor refused to make agency officials available for oversight and legislative hearings. Ok, they're busy doing the people's work. Maybe the Council was being too demanding with their pesky questions.

But then there was the continued silence, stonewalling, and misinformation on the fire truck sent to the Dominican Republic through the DC-funded millionaire Peaceaholics, which has brought no peace to the "feuds" that continue at 5th and N, 7th and N, Lincoln Westmoreland, etc.

Next, there was the firing of Clark Ray for no apparent reason and his replacement with Ximena Hartsock. She went from school principal to running after school programs to leading DPR within a very short time. I was skeptical, but, from what I saw, she was stepping up into the new position. Given that prior to Clark Ray DPR went through about 6 heads in less than 5 years, and most of them incompetent, she was doing comparatively well. But understandably the Council had their doubts and ultimately decided she was not the best person for the job (though comments at the hearing by a certain infamous councilmember with respect to her race/gender tarnished our city). It was their prerogative not to approve her nomination. But, this week, Fenty thumbed his nose at the Council, changed her title from "acting" to "interim," and kept her in the job.

That's, as some in the Jewish faith might say, some real chutzpah. And our Attorney General actually defends the move as legal with some tortured legalese. Try Civics 101 -- the executive appoints with the advice and consent of the legislature. If the legislature says no, the end, try again. The only way for Fenty and Nickles to redeem themselves in this instance is to truly view this as an "interim" appointment and nominate someone else who is qualified for the position within the next two weeks.

Next, there's the contracts for building a dozen parks, at a cost ranging from $800,000 to $12 million, without council approval. What? That $800,000 park -- it's the slum park down the block from my house in Shaw. When the design was announced after years of hoping, waiting, fighting, hearing "there's no consensus," "it's not in this year's budget," I was elated when the design popped up - finally, a Mayor and DPR that gets stuff done! More surprising -- the groundbreaking would be held within a month of the announcement. But an unanswered question lingered - where was the money coming from? Did the Council approve the allocation? Was it already in the DPR budget? Apparently not. It was coming out of the DC Housing Authority budget to avoid procurement rules.

Attorney General Nickles, to his credit, found the contracts illegal -- as any contact over $1 million requires Council approval. Then, to his discredit, he warned the Council that they'd pay if they stopped the illegal contracts, awarded to acquaintances of the Mayor, from moving forward. (Actually, the Shaw park budget was low enough to not require Council approval, aside from the stalled hotel -- why are Shaw projects always cheap?) Oh, and now Nickles says the contracts already entered are fine after all ("retroactivity is not favored in the law" (article in today's Post)-- huh, I thought his original opinion was based on a 1996 corporate counsel opinion that addresses the same question?).

Then there is the ongoing battle of the nickels -- AG Nickels v. Auditor Nichols -- over her access to records of real estate deals related to the National Capital Revitalization Corp. and Anacostia Waterfront Corp. Nichols, the auditor, won her right to the docs, and the AG is taking it up on appeal.

Oh, and how can I leave out the hiring of 934 teachers earlier this year only to use a RIF to fire 200+ of them a month into the school year? A month into the school year? And then claim that the layoff was timed to minimize the disruption to students. Chancellor Rhee claims budget cuts necessitated the RIF. Either that's untrue or there's astoundingly poor management at DCPS.

Meanwhile, the city just finished building a new Walker Jones elementary school campus, which has less than 200 students for its 800 spots and plans to consolidate Montgomery Elementary School's 200 students into Walker Jones -- after just spending millions on a new wing, playground, parking lot, and other improvements, and as student testing scores go up. Good luck to the six-year-olds crossing New York and New Jersey Avenues, among the most dangerous intersections in the city.

Linking the schools and the parks, the Mayor, lest anyone forget his beneficent rule, etched his name across an elementary school soccer field in Columbia Heights.

DC residents are excited and optimistic to see dramatic change in the way our schools operate. We are all pleased that parks are finally getting needed renovations. I cannot wait for the new park to replace the broken concrete shooting gallery and graveyard on the 600 Block of N Street NW. I hope residents regain the confidence to trust their children to DC public schools.

But the Mayor needs to step back and recognize that his Administration must operate within the law. He must begin working with the Council, the legislative body of government which allocates funds and is responsible for oversight, and put out the fires that are engulfing the bridges. Attorney General Nickles should begin acting like the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia -- and not as the Mayor's name-calling bully who pretends any action by the Fenty Administration is above board and anyone who raises legitimate questions is a "stupid, angry woman."

It's past time that the DC Council step up and play hardball. Councilmembers know what is going on. You can bet Ward councilmembers attended the ground breaking ceremonies for each of those illegally funded parks and didn't ask questions. Chairman Gray and the Council claim that they did not reduce the school budget, but the Chancellor moved forward with layoffs. Now, with the Mayor refusing to acknowledge the Council's power to confirm nominees to lead DC agencies and the AG allowing millions in contracts that were not approved by the Council, will the Council sit idly by, hold another hearing that Administration officials can chose whether or not to attend, or do more than threaten a lawsuit?

TV/VCR of Higher Learning?

When I went out shopping for a new tv some time ago, I remember being cautioned not to buy a combo TV/VCR. It might seem to be a good deal, but if one breaks, well, then you are stuck.

Those involved in deciding whether a new community college for the city should be part of the University of the District of Columbia (we are the only urban center in the country not to have one) might consider that sound advice. (Mike Debonis of the CityPaper chronicles the latest here)

In this case, the District already has a broken TV, and, even before fixing it, it is thinking of strapping a new VCR (or DVD player in today's technology) onto it.

I admire the passion and drive that UDC's new president brings to the job. And I'm pleased he has made it is mission to turn the failing institution into one that we can be proud of. But for now, the new community college should be independent of UDC.

I personally like the idea of establishing a prominent downtown campus for DCCC in the vacant Franklin School, returning it to educational use. One can envision students working on their assignments across the street in Franklin Square park.

According to the Franklin School's historic designation application:

The Franklin School was the flagship building of a group of seven modern urban public school buildings constructed between 1862 and 1875 to house, for the first time, a comprehensive system of free universal public education in the capital of the Republic. It was hoped that this new public school system would serve as a model for the nation as the need to provide equal educational opportunities for all Americans was finally recognized as essential to the survival of a democratic society. For women and African Americans, this ideal of universal public education was accompanied by a policy of separation of students both by sex and by race. The school was named for Benjamin Franklin who had clearly understood and advocated the absolute necessity of universal public education for the success of the young nation....

Franklin School was immediately successful, creating an entirely new perception of public schools and their significance to the future of the nation. The building became the symbol of the fulfillment of the Board of Trustees' vision of a free public school system in which equality of educational opportunity would be the foundation of a truly democratic society in which barriers of class, wealth, and sex would at last be overcome.

Could there be any more fitting use of the building than the District's flagship community college?

Some might feel that there's a better use of the Franklin School than a community college. It might a beautiful boutique hotel or unique condos, for example. This isn't a new argument. In fact, it's 140 years old. At the building's dedication in 1869, Alderman Chase responded to critics who felt that the Franklin School building was too fine for a public school house:

"Ah! sir, I hope the time may never come when we would make less beautiful and attractive the places where our children are to receive an education, where lasting impressions are to be made upon the young mind, than we would the offices of State...It has been well said by an eminent thinker, 'Show me the churches and school houses of a nation, and I will tell you what is its civilization and enlightenment."

So what's it going to be... a TV/VCR or an independent, downtown DCCC campus rooted in the tradition of a high-quality education for all with a fresh start?

School Choice: When it Comes to the President

In my last post, I speculated on whether the Obamas would send their kids, Malia, 10, and Saha, 7, to DC Public Schools, particularly given the next president's praise for school reform and charter schools in DC. Today, The Examiner includes an article speculating on where our soon-to-be neighbors would send their kids.

Well, it won't be Stevens Elementary, the only public school in recent history chosen by a president to send his child, Amy Carter. Stevens was one of the two schools closed in Ward 2 this term. It's a shame, since not only is Stevens just a few blocks from the White House at 21st & K Streets, sending the Obama children there would truly bring its history full circle. That's because Stevens was built in 1868 solely from public funds for the education of “colored” youths and, at its closure, was the only one still standing and operating in the United States. When it opened, Stevens was probably the only choice. Today, it could be a real choice, and for a president.

Since Amy Carter, every president has sent their children to one of the area's private schools. That is, every president except fictional President Matt Santos, who West West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie says was based on Obama. Will fact follow fiction, particularly Episode 152, in which the new president, after visiting two private schools, is pleasantly surprised and enrolls his kids in one of the better public schools?

The Examiner considers whether the Obamas might choose Francis Stevens Educational Center at 2425 N Street NW, which is the K-8 school created when what was left of Stevens (a primarily out-of-boundary school used by many who work in downtown DC) combined with Francis Junior High School. This Dupont Circle school is the "in boundary" school for the White House. Other speculation includes one of the District's public charter schools, such as Oyster-Adams (81% reading, 69% math), the bilingual program where Chancellor Michelle Rhee sends her own children. Otherwise, the new first family may be looking at some of the District's private schools.

The Obamas might also consider where the District's own elected public officials send their kids.

All are above average schools, but there's quite a range. At-large Councilmember Kwame Brown sends his two children, Lauren, 7, and Kwame II, 5, to Langdon Elementary School (69% reading, 75% math). At-Large Councilmember Phil Mendelson sends his 8-year old daughter, Addie, to Eaton Elementary (67% reading, 57% math). Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.'s children, Raye, 7, and Kai, 4, attend Bunker Hill Elementary (44% reading, 39% math). The District's abysmal average is 36% proficiency in reading and 31% proficiency in math in 2007.

Mayor Adrian Fenty's twin sons, Matthew and Andrew, 8, have attended a private elementary school since they were 2, although the Mayor pledged to move them into a public school during his campaign. Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans' triplets, 11, attend two private schools with Katherine and Chistine at National Cathedral School and John at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day.

School choice for presidents -- it could be one of the first, difficult decisions of the Obama transition.

UPDATE 11/11: From the N.Y. Post.