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May 22, 1997

Norton Slams Brimmer

Dear Neighbors:

Brimmer Plan: Short Life Story

It’s been a busy week in DC. For starts, Control Board head Andrew Brimmer popped out a plan to kill off the rest of elected government with a city manager plan. Usually, a city council hires and fires the city manager. Under the Brimmer plan, his board would. He wasn’t big on details. Maybe the council would survive. Maybe not. What would happen to Hiz Honor? His office probably would be "reduced to a ceremonial figure." Considering what he does now, there wouldn’t be much difference.

Without any supporters and many detractors, including Ms. Norton, the Post, and Sen. Faircloth, Brimmer’s idea ended up like a fruit fly. Forty-eight hours, and it was dead. The good news in this is that there actually may be a limit to how much home rule Congress wants to take away. After all, taking it away is only half the question. Who they give it to is the other. Boards, commissioners, etc. just aren’t reliably obscure anymore. Whoever got the District’s portfolio would never be far from the media’s attention or congress’ doorstep. It may have finally dawned on the hill, that DC is like a package with insufficient postage. No matter where you try to mail it, it just keeps coming back. Better to leave it at home. It’s not only more democratic, it’s also a lot less trouble.

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Also free! dc.movie: Free movie passes, short movie reviews, and movie discussion. Send an email message to story@intr.net to subscribe.

Regards,
Carl Bergman (send messages to dc.story or Jeffrey Itell at story@intr.net)

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Who Owns The Sidewalks?
Tom Berry tom@berrybest.com

A couple of years ago, I wrote The Washington Post a letter, which they published, regarding the obnoxious "Arena Fee" the DC government imposed on DC business to purchase a few more parcels of land to make the site sizable for what is now the MCI Center. I suggested that DC pave the arena sidewalks with bricks with the name of each business that paid the fee. It would be a token recognition of those who helped Abe Pollin move his franchises into the city.

I recently read in the Post that Mr. Pollin has proposed selling bricks to pave the sidewalks surrounding the MCI Center for about $75 per brick. Sports fans can have their names inscribed on the bricks and be immortalized in a nifty sidewalk! Such a deal. This leads to some interesting questions. Businesses have helped finance the property for the arena and Mr. Pollin owns the building. Who owns the sidewalks?

If the city owns them, as it should, how does Mr. Pollin justify selling bricks to pave the damn thing? If Mr. Pollin owns the sidewalks, are they included in his property tax assessment? Who’s liable for an accident caused by a high-heel catching on an inscribed brick and toppling the wearer? Who’s responsible for replacing stolen bricks? Who stole my insane idea to recognize local businesses and turned it into a revenue source?

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Cellular Phone Tax
Evan Roth rothe@washpost..com

I just got my latest cellular phone bill and I see D.C. has just levied a new 10 percent cellular phone tax, replacing a sales tax of several percentage points less. Anyone familiar with the new tax’s genesis (such as who sponsored it?) Who said talk is cheap? Certainly not in DC.

(The usual disclaimer about my employer, which did not seem to cover this story).

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DC Liquor Laws
Mary Lou Fahey mfahey@tei.org

My stepson (who is 22) was in the Spring Valley Super Fresh buying groceries recently, and decided to buy a bottle of wine. He was asked to furnish an ID, which he did. Then the clerk asked for the ID of his girl friend who was with him. She didn’t have any. (She’s older than he is, but she’s a foreign national and doesn’t like to carry her only picture ID- her passport-with her.) When she couldn’t produce the ID, the clerk refused to sell my stepson the wine. The store manager explanation was that DC has a new law requiring all members of a party traveling together to produce an ID showing each person is over 21.

I am unaware of any new liquor laws and find it hard to believe that if a middle-aged lady like me were to purchase wine, while in the company of a 12-year-old, that the store would refuse to sell it to me. Does anyone know anything about this?

[Many, I emphasize many, years ago, a date and I were in a Dupont Circle Bar. My young looking date got carded. A non driver, she searched for several minutes for a suitable ID, becoming pretty frustrated. Credit cards didn’t count. Library cards didn’t count. Finally, she produced irrefutable evidence—her membership in the American Bar Association. Carl Bergman]

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Norton Slams Brimmer
R.J. Fox rfox@aarp.org

Did anyone listen to the "DC Politics and Government Hour" on Friday (May 16)? The show featured Del. Norton slamming the Control Board and Andrew Brimmer for claiming that it needs more authority to get the job done, while Brimmer secretly talked with Sen. Faircloth about the possibility of installing a city manager. Mark Plotkin (WAMU Political Analyst) and the Post writer (forgot his name), fought mano-a-mano about the loss of democracy in DC if a city manager ran the city (Plotkin’s position), versus the possible advantages of having a city manager who would actually reform the agencies and improve DC services quickly.

Some callers were quite willing to give-up their vote for a DC mayor for an appointed city manager — comments and opinions on this? I’m not ready for a city manager just yet. If you don’t want Barry to return again as Mayor-for-Life (and I don’t), then get out and vote for somebody else. As for the Control Board, I agree with Del. Norton: get off your collective butt’s and reform the DC agencies now. The Control Board has been a failure to this point.

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DMV
Bob Levine rilevine@cqi.com

Miracle of all miracles. I received, by mail, my auto registration renewal form, filled it out, returned it and actually got the proper renewal stickers, cards etc. including a residential parking sticker. Will wonders never cease? DMV did the right thing this time. It’s called roulette, waiting to see if your city services will perform or self-destruct.

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Recycling Location
Harold Goldstein dcbiker@goldray.com

On Beach Drive between Bingham and Military is a big green bin marked Recycle Now in which you can deposit newspapers, glass and metal. If you turn right from Bingham, it is in the first parking lot on your right.

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Traffic Fascinations
Dean Costello Fascinated by traffic engineering since graduate school costello@earthlink.net

Several issues back, a lot of people were complaining about people speeding through neighborhoods, bike paths, and other assorted traffic bellyaching. Which reminds me, I heard on WAMU Friday that D.C. has the second worse traffic in the country; give everyone a hand, folks. Anyway, I found the following web site which might help explain some of the more curious decisions of traffic engineers: http://www-uftrc.ce.ufl.edu/fsite/comtips.htm

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My First Submission
G. White GMarieW@aol.com

Julius Becton came to my church Sunday to speak (Ward 3). My husband and I were fairly impressed and truly believe that he has the hardest job anywhere. It must have been less frightening to be in combat than to go into the communities and talk about the dreadful condition of the schools in this city. He is clearly trying very hard but in some ways he is really in a no-win situation.

He left a fair amount of time for questions after his brief remarks. One of the questioners (a Wilson parent) became very emotional about the fact that her perception is that he and the Board are not "listening." It started me thinking-everyone probably feels he’s not "listening" if he doesn’t do what they want.

They can all be listening even if they’re not doing what many people want. Also, they are in a really difficult position. Some of the decisions they make will necessarily be unpopular but they must be made for improvements to come. I’m not defending the way the school closings have been handled (with more probably to come) but you’ve got to give him and the others credit for trying. He seems like a brave man to me!

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Vanished: Downtown Meters
David Hunter Hunter@usia.gov

To help add to the lack of postings, I will add one observation. I haven’t heard anyone mention the lack of parking meters downtown problem lately. I walked along F street last week and with all of the construction taking over the street I was amazed that there are no more than 20 parking meters from 14th street to 9th.

They have been removed for construction or destroyed by vandals. I cannot remember one parking meter being replaced anywhere downtown. Talk about a serious amount of revenue loss. There was all this noise made about loss of revenue when they closed Pennsylvania Ave. What about everywhere else? The lack of meters is really ridiculous! Is the city just blowing off replacing the meters or are they thinking about coming up with a different system?

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Why I don’t write
Carol Gilliegrl@aol.com

I’m responding as to why I don’t write. I no longer live in the DC area. Actually, I haven’t lived there since 1981. I subscribe to DC story because it helps me to feel connected to my roots. Keep up the great work!

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Prior Restraint
Dianne Louise Rhodes drhodes@fenix2.dol-esa.gov

Perhaps the reason people aren’t writing in is that there seem to be an ever evolving set of rules on this heavily moderated list. I believe the courts have said that prior restraint of the press would have a "chilling effect." Seems to me you’re seeing that. I spent a good bit of time putting together some information on feline leukemia and FIV, only to hear that we aren’t going to waste time talking about cats any more.

Then, we are all told we can’t put cute little things in quotes in to our signatures. We all know that’s Steph Faul’s gig. We’re adults. Maybe we just want to have a little fun. My un-moderated technical list has more jokes and humor than dcstory. Lighten up guys!

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Is the Story Coming to an End?
Bob King RHAYK@aol.com

I loved the story. I was intrigued from the time the first paper edition arrived at my door. It was the Northwest Story and then the North West Side Story. It didn’t matter. It was cool. The author was allegedly named Jeff Itell. (obviously a pseudonym meaning " I Tell" the story). At, first he told the story alone. It was always interesting. It dealt with stuff going on in my part of town, or in the central city that affected me. Things I could relate to. (Who is that guy in the tent next to Sears which is now Hechingers and doesn’t have a tent to talk about?) It was something to awaken a neighborhood and give the residents a "Wow !I know what he is talking about" feeling.

In November 1996, I bought a computer to replace my Apple II+, one of the first challenges was to connect with the successor to the paper story. It was better than ever. Jeff did an introduction, tone-setting-welcome kind of thing. In tune contributors initiated or picked up themes. Many items, all reflecting some personal experience or insight, started appearing. Neat stuff. Lately, however, the personal anecdotes have been yielding to harangues (nothing personal. Mr. Sam Smith; however, there was nothing personal or amusing in the reprints of your harangues.) And the lengthy dialogue on bike lanes was beginning to sound like a discussion between New York cabbies and Hell’s Angels.

The May 19 Story reflects similar consumer concern and management awareness in far more concise form than my attempt here. I was going to ask that this be published in the Story just to see if there were like minds out there. I will send this on just to register one more opinion. The Story is good. It fills a void in a community otherwise inundated in information about everything but the community. and you asked for it. Keep up the good works.

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Boxes
Patricia Williams pwilliams@juno.com

Thanks for the many useful replies that I received from my posting on locating free to inexpensive boxes. For the interest of others, who might need this information, the following is a list of sources recommended to me:

Book Stores, Receiving Dept.. at Hechinger’s, Supermarkets (produce section), and Liquor Stores, also good for obtaining Styrofoam "peanuts."

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FDR Memorial
Gordon Glaza gglaza@aba.com

A word of caution about visiting the new FDR Memorial. There is no place to park—legally. I drove down on Sunday with some out of town visitors. We drove past a lot of illegally parked cars in West Potomac Park, some of them with boom boxes blaring. Finally we parked in a row of cars along a construction fence. It was Sunday afternoon, right, and no construction crew in sight. Well, an hour later at least a dozen cars received $50 tickets. But the boom boxes were still blaring. Welcome to DC, I told my visitors.

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Good News for Homeowners
Jon Desenberg JonDes@Hotmail.com

I just wanted to mention some good news for us homeowners. According to my real estate friends, the long road back is finally here, a house in Cleveland Park got ten offers very quickly and ended up selling for 50 grand over list price!

In addition, the new development of town houses being built at 19th and Kalorama is selling quickly and its neighbors feel like they’re living in Ashburn or Loudon County! Finally, Condos are about to be built on U Street between 13th and 14th, they’ll list for between 150 and 200 g’s .Finally, light at the end of the sad real estate tunnel for DC?

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Sam Smith
Steph "We don’t need Potemkin preservation, either" Faul steph@clark.net

Actually, for once, I am in agreement with Sam Smith. As soon as people with money start talking about "development" in D.C., I start thinking about Rhodes Tavern, the cannibalization of the entire downtown area by office buildings, and about how much I hate Oliver Carr and his ilk. They never saw an historic building they couldn’t replace with something profitable. We need a lot of things in this town, but 80s-style "development" isn’t one of them.

P.S: For those who inquired, here is a short biography: Born of poor but honest parents in a hand-built cabin near Walden Pond, Stephanie Faul learned early the value of the word "no." As a child she spent her time inventing derogatory epithets and unusual activities involving string. She attended at least 14 educational institutions, none of which was openly categorized as a reform school. Her skills include being able to make a whistle from an acorn cap and to eat corn on the cob using a knife and fork.

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dc.queries

Thermostat Gadget
Patricia Willliams pwilliams@juno.com

Does anyone know the technical name for and where I can purchase a gadget to attach to a thermostat that will automatically turn a heating/cooling system on and off at a designated time?

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Library Web Page
Barbara L. Goodman bgoodman@capcity.com

The D.C. Library’s web page has been shut down because the proper fees haven’t been paid. Can someone who works for the library give any details about this matter? [The District City Council has just gone on line at www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us. And Dave Clark is still listed as City Council Chairman. Jeff]

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Is There a Sierra Suit?
Barbara L. Goodman bgoodman@capcity.com

Does anyone know whether there is a suit by The Sierra Club, or anyone else, designed to force the D.C. government to restore its recyclables pickup program? Taking things to Eaton Elementary School on a Saturday morning isn’t possible for a lot of people, The idea of paying Eagle $5 a month to do what they did when it was paid by tax money wasn’t attractive to 24 of the 30 households in our Neighborhood Watch group. They were responding to an inquiry in my recent newsletter to them. Even so, I think most people like the thought of putting usable trash to good use.

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Recycling
Kirsten Sherk ks280@columbia.edu

Leila Afzal’s post reminded me: where do residents of Capitol Hill recycle these days?

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Rollerblading Buddy
Peggy Miles pmiles@intervox.com

I’m looking for a rollerblader partner, anytime in Woodley Park in the Omni Shoreham area.

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dc.events

Reflections on Nature: 400 Years of Mid-Atlantic Literature

Nu, so I’m the only one who’s ever perched on the hill near Howard U. Law School overlooking Rock Creek Park on a crisp, spring morning, trying to imagine what this area was like in, say, 1697? No one else notices the gentle beauty of the rhododendron blooming in the Virginia hills or the indigo buntings in the forests?

Come to the evening lecture on 28 May and hear how the natural beauty of this region-our HOME-has influenced writers over the centuries. Kent Minichiello, co-editor of "From Blue Ridge to Barrier Islands," will sign copies of his new anthology and present a talk, "Reflections on Nature: 400 Years of Mid-Atlantic Literature." Through the writings of people such as John Smith, Thomas Jefferson, and Rachel Carson, Dr. Minichiello will explore the rich, literary heritage nurtured by this region’s natural beauty. Right now we have LOTS of room for this program and I’m getting extremely nervous! Here’s your chance to sign up now! (And here are the details, too.)

Wednesday, 28 May 1997 7 p.m. Book signing, 8 p.m. Lecture Education Building Auditorium, National Zoo Enter at Connecticut Ave. Park in Lot A. Free, but please RSVP by calling (202) 673-4801 or sending an e-mail.

Margie Gibson (202) 673-4866, FAX (202) 673-4607 nzpem053@sivm.si.edu

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Recycling Holiday

The recycling drop off sites at Eaton, Bancroft, Cook, etc will be closed May 24, for the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. If you use another site, check first. Save your recyclables until May 31st.

R. Frazier rf@juno.com

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dc.market

Hypnosis Works! (no hype)

Awaken the Genie Within You. Stop Smoking in 2-hours! Reduce Stress in 1-hour. Achieve a Weight Goal in 10 weeks. Affordable, Weekly Hypnosis Groups Forming in Dupont Circle, Chevy Chase, and Silver Spring beginning in June. Mention this posting for $10 off on weight loss and smoking clinics. Call 301-585-6985 for registration and class times. Laura V. Rodriguez, MBA, MA, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist/Master Hypnotist. InnerFitness Hypnosis Center. 2 Wisconsin Circle, Suite 700. Chevy Chase, MD 20815.

Laura Archila larchila@nicom.com

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Computers

Buying one shouldn’t be so scary. Setting one up shouldn’t be so scary. Getting on the Internet shouldn’t be so scary.

Jeffrey Itell Story@intr.net 202.244.4163

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Jeffrey Itell Story@intr.net http://www.dcstory.com


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