Links
Dear Browsers:
If you're following the school governance controversy, a good place to get
some information is http://www.dcwatch.com/schools,
where there are links to the Council bill that passed, as well as to the competing Council
bills, and to the positions that various groups have taken to date. Let other themail
readers know what you think (and let me know if you find other materials that should be
added to the web or linked to). Another, unrelated, link needs to be repeated, because I
typed it wrongly in the last issue. The article in the City Paper that is the
subject of the dispute between David Carr and Bryce Suderow is posted at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2000/00-02-06.htm.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Len Sullivan writes that “Democracy in DC at the LOCAL level is as
complete as most places.” But it's nonsense to claim meaningful “democracy at
the local level” when a Congress in which we have no vote can overrule whatever we
do. That's like saying the American colonies had “democracy at the local level.”
It didn't work for them, and it doesn't work for us.
Some years ago Massachusetts took over running the town of Chelsea. But
Chelsea maintained its voting representation in the Massachusetts legislature, including a
senator who eventually amassed so much power he became the state senate's majority leader.
Because of this representation, the citizens of Chelsea had the kind of influence over the
state's decision to take them over that we in DC do not have. And because of this
representation, the state's governance of Chelsea helped get Chelsea back on its feet and
restore local control. Until we in DC have voting representation in Congress, we will
never have more than a semblance of democracy here, “local” or otherwise.
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Hi-Tech Business in a Low-Tech Town
Kirsten Sherk, ksherk@yahoo.com
I agree with John Whiteside. If DC really wants to grow economically, it's
going to have to really commit to making the city attractive. A friend of mine is the CEO
of a rapidly expanding Internet company. He is a District resident, and opened his
business a few years ago in offices downtown. They've outgrown their offices several times
by now, and he finally got to the point where he could no longer afford to keep the
business in DC. Why? Because he couldn't get the large amount of space he needed at a
competitive price (compared to tech rents in VA), and because a lot of skilled people were
already living in Reston or Herndon or other far flung 'burbs where the other tech
companies were. But he was really frustrated that DC made no effort to make staying worth
his while, either through tax breaks or through infrastructure.
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Cross Your Fingers
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
There's hope yet that a real hardware type store will come in and replace
the failed Hechingers in Tenleytown. I had the opportunity to talk with a fellow trustee
of a university in the “Big Apple” last week. He is the Chairman of the Board of
Sears (who had a store at the Hechinger's site in Tenleytown a few years ago). We talked
about Sears opening some hybrid stores that capitalize on Sears' strengths: appliances;
automotive; tools/hardware/paints. I call it Sears Lite and that would be a big addition
to the Tenleytown location and a big help to do it yourselfers in NW D.C. Sears has
expressed interest in that site again, but I learned nothing beyond that. Keep your
fingers crossed.
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I recently liberated my house from Bell Atlantic and DC Cable and signed
up with Starpower. Their technicians arrived on time and seemed to do a good job. The
cable tv signal is better than District Cablevision's was, and it includes about twenty
more channels (including one that I like a lot, Turner Classic Movies). In addition, the
various cable networks are grouped so that networks with similar themes (sports, business
news, old movies, etc.) are near each other on the dial. And it costs less than DC Cable.
The phone service seems identical to Bell Atlantic, but it is a little bit cheaper.
But the very best of all is the high-speed cable modem I installed, which
makes surfing the web an entirely different experience. I estimate that it is at least ten
times (maybe twenty times) faster than my old internet service provider. It is a bit more
expensive than many ISPs (like AOL), but the service it gives is just spectacular and
easily worth the extra money. In short, I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but I
give Starpower an A for quality of their products and A for service. And we all
potentially will gain from the competition that Starpower has injected into the cable
television (and internet service provider) business.
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My needs from the D.C. government are simple. I look for emergency
services (police, fire/rescue), trash removal, and passable streets. For those three
basics of city life, I pay large amounts in taxes. Unfortunately, over the past several
weeks D.C. has missed the mark on two out of three. Fortunately, I turn on the T.V. and
see Carol Schwartz and Jim Graham speaking up for us poor beleaguered D.C. residents. And
I read in the Post about the work of Ms. Schwartz's staff in inspecting the
streets and reporting the problems. Unfortunately, what I don't hear or read about are the
efforts of my councilperson, Kathy Patterson. As a former journalist, Ms. Patterson should
understand the power of the media, and should have some facility in using it to provide a
voice for her constituents, as Jim Nathanson did before her. Ms. Patterson, you may be
hiding out, but I see your inaction every time I struggle through the streets in my
neighborhood, and each time I pile additional trash over a pile that has grown too large.
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I'd been vocal about DC's apparent improvement in snow removal during the
first couple days after the real snow storm (the second of three). But I'm actually
dumbfounded at what seems to be the disappearance of plows and trash trucks since. I don't
generate much trash, and it wasn't until I saw my neighbor's garbage piling up that I
realized mine had not been picked up. What happened? It looked like they got off to a
decent start but, then just disappeared.
My other big complaint is both with residents and downtown building
management companies. For some reason people seem to think that clearing the side walk is
enough (to the degree that they do it), but leave the large berm left by snow plows for
pedestrians to negotiate in order to cross the street. In time, some small gap is created,
and people must line up and waddle single file though in order to cross. This nonsense of
tip-toeing through small gaps in the berms at cross walks lasts much longer than most snow
on the sidewalks. We all know that the snow plowed up into berms by the city (when and if)
is going to turn to ROCK unless it is moved fairly soon. Why isn't this considered part of
the job?
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Trash Non-Pickup
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
In some parts of the city, notably those that did not get any real snow
clearing of alleys and streets, trash pickups were suspended for more than two weeks. As
Gary Imhoff noted, the head of the D.C. Public Works has effectively said that things will
not get any better. What was not said was why things won't get better. The answer is quite
simple; the unions that control the city will never let things get better. Here's an
example: when trash pickups in Montgomery County fell behind due to the snow, the County
decreed that trash would be picked up on Martin Luther King Day, normally a holiday. In
the District there is no way that those union employees who pick up the trash can be
forced to forego a holiday to pick up trash.
Since those union contracts could never, realistically, be rewritten to
make things work better for the city, the only answer is to privatize these services.
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In Praise of Our Garbage Collectors
Michael Bindner, mbindnerdc@aol.com
Recent editions of the mail have included a large number of complaints
about the lack of garbage collection in recent weeks. I say kudos to DPW for taking care
of its workers. In the winter, even without snow, garbage collection can be a nasty and
dangerous affair due to cold temperatures and high winds. Adding 100% snow and ice
coverage increases the hazards of this job to hazardous levels. A two block walk in the
alley should convince all but the most unreasonable that keeping up the usual schedule of
collections over the past two weeks would have been both ill advised and inhumane. The
potential liability for on the job injury alone justified suspension of alley collections.
Whether because of union contracts, federal workplace standards or basic human decency,
DPW made the right call. District residents can stand the inconvenience of a few weeks of
uncollected garbage on extremely cold, extremely hot and extremely icy days. Stop your
whining and be grateful to the hardworking and probably underpaid District workers who are
returning to their normal routes today. Given how cold, hot or rainy this town gets,
gratitude is definitely in order.
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More Snow
Ann Loikow, Cleveland Park, john1@erols.com
Snow removal in residential areas across the city was abysmal. The city
should plan on thoroughly plowing side streets and alleys, and repeatedly coming back if
it keeps on snowing and icing. Also, when the snow accumulation is large, as it has been
this past month, the city should consider using dump trucks to haul it away. That is done
in many other parts of the world where there is a lot of snow because folks recognize that
in congested areas there is very little place to push snow and still be able to get
through. As several other contributors to themail have noted, the city should clear the
sidewalks on city bridges and overpasses and the like. I have received several complaints
about folks, particularly elderly residents, being unable to transverse the Klingle Bridge
on Connecticut Avenue to get from their apartments and houses to shopping areas and the
metro in Cleveland Park because of the heavily iced sidewalk on the bridge.
I know we use a lot of contractors for some of this work. I wonder how
much supervision they get. My husband wondered whether we have had a lot of
“curbstoning,” i.e., drivers claiming to have plowed side streets that they
never did, which might explain the trucks with the raised plows barreling down some of the
more major thoroughfares after the storms. Also, DPW should look into buying or leasing
some smaller trucks and snowplows that could more easily handle side streets and alleys. I
hope the Mayor will quickly take action to improve snow removal policies and practices, as
well as trash pickup, as he appears to have promised on the news tonight.
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Every time the snow has fallen in this city over the last twenty years,
this New Englander has been amused by the lack of common sense and the panic that sets in,
but understanding of the lack of proper equipment to remove the snow. For example, the
grocery store shelves are bare of the “comfort foods” like milk, bread, eggs.
The drivers rush, skid, and cause their own problems. The city shuts down when a light
snow, by my native standards, occurs. The snow removal crews commissioned by the city or
the high-rise dwellers come out with shovels (and plows) in hand when it's too late. The
snow's already too heavy and too wet to move, not to mention the ice everywhere.
Want to know why the streets and sidewalks are caked with ice? The
shoveling and plowing must start when the snow is falling, again when it's nearly stopped,
and finally, when it's quite fresh on the ground. Shoveling is something residents of
colder areas do by instinct. Not only the neighbors but the local merchants get out to
shovel the sidewalks. HELLO! In sum, we have a city full of princes. They're not like the
“Princes of Maine” who would not think it beneath them to do a little cleaning.
The city should let everyone know its their responsibility to clean up the sidewalks in
front of their homes and their stores. Forget about letting Mother Nature melt it away.
Keep the streets safe for all of us.
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I witnessed today our garbage guys throwing in all our alley's garbage
from the past two or three weeks in with an equally impressive amount of recyclable
materials — all ground up together! Is recycling over? Did our garbage guys really
want to give themselves more work? The truck today was orange and did not have the
Supercan loading capacity. My suspicion is that the recycling trucks were the only ones
which could easily navigate the alleys. Hence they were the ones that picked up everything
today. Ah, efficiency.
I called various DC phone numbers and got no response. The man in charge
is named Easley and has left a message saying he is on jury duty and unavailable all week,
but his colleagues say he is in the office. Actually they said he was out to lunch when I
called. A Ms. Klem from D.C. Public Works office called me later in the day to confirm my
suspicions and said the order to mix the recyclables and the garbage came from the mayor's
office. She assured me it was a one-time thing. Maybe she could get some work for the
nuclear power industry.
Here's a suggestion to the mayor for the next time, and believe me, there
will be a next time: tell everybody you are collecting garbage only. The recycling can
wait. Our block alone had a couple of hundreds of pounds of newspapers wasted, plus
several hundred cans and bottles.
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Towed by the Secret Service
Bill Rice, Ricebill@aol.com
On Saturday, I parked on 10th Street N.W., just north of G Place, near the
back of Martin Luther King Library, to attend the D.C. Democratic party presidential
caucuses at the Convention Center. Came back and no car — towed even though there is
no tow-away sign. It seems I parked in back of the new Secret Service building, whose
front (with the wing sticking out) is on H Street. The sidewalk is marked by square
pillars. It's a $20 parking ticket.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The Association for Women in Computing National Capital Chapter, with the
DC Association of Internet Professionals, will be sponsoring a panel presentation on the
topic of “Universal Web Access: Current Reality or Futuristic Dream?” discussing
the hows, whys, costs and benefits of making the web accessible to people with
disabilities. It will be held Wednesday, February 16, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, in the
American Association for the Advancement of Science auditorium at 1200 New York Avenue,
NW. For more information visit http://www.awcncc.org
or call 202-452-5557.
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Chevy Chase Citizens Association, February 15, 2000
Evelyn Wrin, evbobwrin@aol.com
Andrew Altman, Director of the D.C. Office of Planning, and Deputy
Director Ellen McCarthy, a resident of the Chevy Chase DC area, will speak at the February
15th meeting of Chevy Chase Citizens Association. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at
the Chevy Chase Community Center, Connecticut and McKinley NW. The primary focus of the
meeting will be the development planned for Friendship Heights and its impact on the Chevy
Chase, DC area, with time available for discussion of other areas of interest to
neighborhood residents. This will be the first meeting of the Association in the newly
renovated Community Center. All interested persons are invited. For information call
202.244.5744.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Part Time Computer Help Wanted
Carl Bergman, cbergman@radix.net
I'm looking for a part time person to help support my active computer
consulting practice. This would be a good position for a student who's familiar with
configuring Windows 95/98 for others, installing standard packages, running utilities,
setting up E-mail or answering users' how to questions. Hours and days are flexible. The
work environment is pleasant. Pay is competitive. Call SilverSoft, Inc., 291-8212, or
E-mail.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
1991 Honda Civic DX - MUST SELL! Only 64,000 miles. $4,000; 3-door
hatchback; automatic; AC; front wheel drive; new tires; maintained; tilt steering wheel;
AM/FM/cassette; color: blue; clean; 1 owner, non-smoker; VA inspection. Call (703)
933-1957 or E-mail AysegulA@aol.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
“Out of Obscurity” Documentary Nominated
for a Rosebud Award
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
“Out of Obscurity,” a powerful and moving new documentary about
the courage of the organizers of 1939 library sit-in in Alexandria, Virginia, was
nominated for a Rosebud Award last week. This documentary was written by Matt Spangler,
co-directed by Adams Morgan filmmaker Eddie Becker, and narrated by Dr. Julian Bond, who
narrated Eyes on the Prize. I sat spellbound when I saw this documentary at the Black
History Resource Center of Alexandria, a sponsor of the documentary. Further info,
including “slideshow” video clips, at http://stories.simplenet.com/outofobscurity/.
Independent filmmaking at its very best.
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Using the Internet as New Way of Saying Thanks
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
If you run into any persons or organizations wanting to say thanks, an
interesting new way of saying thanks is via photo/voice on the Internet. Some explorations
can be found at: http://stories.simplenet.com/thanks/.
(Created using a Sony Mavica digital camera and QuickTime Pro.) Hope this is of help to
others.
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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com
From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this Friday:
LONG-TERM CONTRACT, PART TWO: Taxpayers who wonder just what the District is getting for
its outlays to financial consultants ought to take a look at Contract No. GS-23F-9796H.
Approved by Chief Financial Officer Valerie Holt last July, the $145,000 contract with
KPMG Peat Marwick was intended to help the Department of Public Works' (DPW) street and
alley cleaners “effectively and efficiently compete with the private sector.”
That goal sounds worthy enough — until, that is, you wade into the techno-babble of
KPMG's contract proposal. Here's a nice excerpt: “Throughout this pilot project, the
Contractor will work closely with the R*STARS implementation team to ensure that the cost
allocation module is designed so that the methodology defined in this pilot project can be
supported by the new financial system.”
LL may have an M.S. in B.S., but he's clueless on that one.
Read the entire Loose Lips column here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/lips.html
From washingtoncitypaper.com's CITY LIGHTS page, here are a few early
warnings for upcoming events:
SATURDAY: Randall M. Miller reads and discusses his book “Dear Master”:
Letters of a Slave Family, accompanied by dramatic readings of some of the book's
letters by a Cast of Thousands, at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 12, at the National Postal
Museum's Discovery Center, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Free.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY: The Kids in the Hall, at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, and 8 and 11
p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, at the Warner Theater, 13th and E Streets NW. $29-$35.50.
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html
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