Fundraising

Dear Donors:

In the past few days, Mayor Williams's administration's under-the-table, unethical, and in many respects illegal fundraising for the “independent” nonprofits and political action committees that the Mayor controls has come under scrutiny from conscientious reporters Tom Sherwood of WRC-TV, Jonetta Rose Barras of the Washington City Paper, and Yolanda Woodlee of The Washington Post. Even more will come out on this story in the next few days. In response, Mayor Williams has claimed that he was unaware of his fundraising activities, and assured us that his practice is to be kept ignorant of and to have no control over anything that his staff does on his behalf or in his name. To show his good faith he will, he says, appoint a committee to determine what he knew and when he knew it. He also says he will appoint a panel of lawyers to give him ethical advice. This shows that the Mayor has kept his sense of humor; next he will appoint a group of morticians to give him health advice.

I often criticize District of Columbia institutions in themail, and the public school system is one of my most frequent targets. However, I have never been as sweepingly damning as Councilmember Vincent Orange, who offered the following definition in a bill he recently introduced in the Council: “'Student' means a person enrolled in the District of Columbia Public Schools who has been arrested for a reportable offense.” (http://www.dcwatch.com/council14/14-37.htm) Not even I thought things were that bad.

I must point out that in the last issue of themail I misquoted badly the adage, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Since I had both key words wrong — I thought that the phrase was “history are doomed” — I couldn't even look up the correct wording until I recalled that the author of the sentence was George Santayana. There, I caught my own mistake before you did. That's a first.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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DMV Hits a Pothole
Lorie Leavy, lleavy@email.usps.gov

After years of smooth sailing renewing tags and residential parking permits via mail, I too had the experience Yoma Ullman described, receiving tags and registration but no parking sticker. About a week before the existing sticker's punched expiration date, I began making calls to try to track down the errant sticker. None of the numbers I found on various “official” web sites rang through to a live human, nor did the number provided by the central operator. I finally reached the correct office using a number from an extremely useful and up-to-date listing of D.C. municipal services numbers (http://www.panix.com/~eck/dcphones/dcphones.txt). Unfortunately, the irritable and exasperated person I spoke with offered no help and insisted I had to pick up the sticker in person. I did learn, however, that D.C.'s computer showed my expiration date to be 12/31, while my printed residential parking permit had 12/25 and the sticker itself had 12/20. Go figure! In any event, entirely independent of my inquiries, the sticker turned up in the next day's mail.

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Half a Year
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

One of the biggest problems with Mayor Williams's failure to fill top-level vacancies in his administration is that some of those positions have been filled with temporary appointees for over a half year — for example, Leslie Hotaling as Director of the Department of Public Works and Carolyn Graham as Director of the Department of Human Services.

Mayor Barry used to refuse to send his appointees to the City Council for confirmation, especially when he knew that the Council wouldn't confirm some unacceptable appointments. Because of that, the Council passed a law that no one could serve in a position that required Council confirmation for more than 180 days unless his name is submitted for confirmation. The Williams administration is pretending that this is just a “technical” violation of the law. When Councilmember Catania asked Carolyn Graham about it at a Council hearing this week, she claimed that the law didn't apply to her because she had been named “interim” director rather than “acting” director, even though neither term is mentioned in the law.

But the fact is that any actions taken by temporary or acting or interim directors who have served more than 180 days aren't legal. Just as ex-President Clinton can't issue executive orders anymore, because his term in office is over, Leslie Hotaling and Carolyn Graham can't legally sign any contracts, hire or fire any employees, or even draw their salaries as agency directors, and any of their official actions can be successfully challenged in court by a dissatisfied contractor, employee, union, or citizen.

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One-Can Ban
Alex McRae, admcrae@erols.com

I sympathize with anyone who has cans, be they beer, soft drink, or any other kind, dumped on their property. It's inconsiderate, ugly and, of course, illegal. However, proponents of the “one-can ban” may be unaware of or indifferent to the purchasing problems of the poor and unfortunate in our city. A savvy old cop who spent many years patrolling the streets explained it this way:

For many of the poor their only social venue is the outside. They have limited purchasing power and may only be able to buy one can at a time, even though they pay a premium for doing so as opposed to buying in quantity. Even if they can afford a six-pack, they have nowhere to store it safely and they know full-well that if they carry a six-pack around they will soon be surrounded by others less fortunate who will want a share and so they will end up with one can anyway. These folks can't afford to go to bars and so, in a sense, the liquor store becomes their bar and the liquor store server is their bartender for which they pay a premium per can.

Some of these one-can consumers may suffer from alcoholism or low impulse control. Would we prefer that such unfortunates would buy larger quantities of beer or malt liquor at one time with perhaps the perception that they have to drink it in a hurry or lose it? Alcoholism is a very serious problem for the poor and unfortunate in our society. It is also a very serious problem for the rich and famous and for the aspiring middle classes as evidenced by the toll to society caused by those driving while intoxicated. In the 19th century the upper crust coined the phrase, “Drink is the Curse of the Lower Classes,” as if they themselves were immune to it. In the 21st century in our city, do we really want to address this kind of problem by further limiting the already low purchasing power of the poor, or is it possible to take a more enlightened and constructive approach? What about treatment programs, counseling, employment, housing?

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The Case Against Statehood: Not Proven
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso@capaccess.org

In the most recent issue of themail, Timothy Cooper claims that it “certainly was not the case for Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, as well as with the territories of Washington, Montana, and the Dakotas,” that at least some of these jurisdictions needed massive assistance from the federal government as they entered the union as states, and that at least some were not yet “economically self-sufficient,” the requirement Mr. Cooper imposes (with no constitutional basis) on DC statehood. I haven't replied thus far to any of Mr. Cooper's historical postings on this subject because, if one reads them carefully, they don't support his argument. But I also have neither the time nor the desire to combat Mr. Cooper's arguments against DC statehood, a cause I support only reluctantly. If, rather than support statehood or retrocession — the most efficient means of acquiring voting rights for DC — Mr. Cooper wants to waste his time trying to convince two thirds of Congress and three quarters of the states to support a constitutional amendment more poorly worded than the one a more liberal Congress approved but only six states ratified in the 1970s, at least that will keep him off the streets.

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History Is Bunk
Thomas Smith, smith1965@hotmail.com

I am not sure what Tim Cooper is suggesting about the economic hurdles that D.C would face in this quest for statehood and justice, but it sounds like excuse number four. That is, “D.C. doesn't have enough money or a large enough economic base to be a state.” Well, the IRS says that D.C. pays more income tax than most states! So please erase that as a reason to continue to deny justice to D.C.

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Food for Thought
Timothy Cooper, Worldright@aol.com

From a speech by Senator Ted Stevens on the occasion of his being named “Alaskan of the Century”: “In the fifties… working under the direction of Fred Seaton, then Secretary of the Interior, and under the tutelage of Bill Snedan, who was the publisher on the Fairbanks paper, and Bob Atwood, who is a publisher of the paper here [Anchorage]… all three outstanding newspapermen, I received an education second to none. Statehood was achieved, in my opinion, because of those publishers. They went to publisher William Randolph Hearst, publisher of the Hearst newspapers. They went to Henry Luce, publisher of Time-Life magazine. They went to publishers of dailies, of weeklies, of monthly papers, to magazine publishers of all descriptions, and to those who broadcast the news in movie houses, and on television, and on radio. Our state was born, in my opinion, because the news media came together to support Alaskans led by those publishers, and by the Statehood Committee and by Bob Barkman. The media joined our fight. They urged the admission of Alaska and Hawaii to the union of states. Just imagine this: It’s the turn of the century, a territory unorganized, with 64,000 residents, connected only by boat to the contiguous states, and by 1958 had only 226,000 residents, they succeeded in becoming a full partner in the greatest nation in the world. We did that because we were, are, and must continue to be a team.”

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Developing Arguments in Favor of a Remedy to Achieve Equal Rights in DC
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

On December 27th, 2000, Harris/Excite.com posted a question on its website: “Should the District of Columbia be granted statehood? Results: Yes (28%), No (66%), or Not sure (4%).” These results are meaningless, even though nearly 75,000 people “voted.” While they called this a poll, the fine print reads: “This poll is a voluntary survey for our users, and is not scientifically projectable to any other populations.” Meaning, it is not scientific poll. The participants were not randomly selected — they were self-selected. (The method used to conduct the poll is more important than the number of people who participated.) In any case, it makes more sense to get a reading of whether people feel D.C. citizens should have equal (political/constitutional/voting) rights before asking about which remedy (statehood, retrocession, amendment) they support. When I've asked about whether DC should have equal voting rights in Congress using representative samples of U.S. public 18+, between 72%-79% support equal voting rights in Congress. Of those who supported equal rights, 57% would support DC citizens if they sought statehood as a way to accomplish that.

Back to Excite.com: readers could also offer comments about their opinion. While one cannot know the “weights” or “distribution” of responses from the Excite.com “poll,” the types of comments people made are likely typical of those one would hear in an open-ended question (“Why do you feel that way?”) on a nationally representative survey. The comments (http://news.excite.com/news/poll/history/   search under “discuss other polls,” about three screens in) are useful to explore the kinds of things people are thinking about D.C. for developing arguments in support of DC's preferred remedy.

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Re: Recruiting Managers by Quotas by Len Sullivan
Naomi J. Monk, NMonk10501@aol.com

I differ with [Mr. Sullivan's] E-mail. Why? All races are not given equal opportunities to become “your concept of proven managers.” What you consider a proven managers might not be what others or I consider proven managers.

Governing DC is like no other proven manager job that I know off, since it is the only territory as well as the Capital of the United States of America or elsewhere. I believe that there are numerous African Americans and other minorities to include myself (if I were to apply) that can fill upper level positions. I believe to select Minorities as well as Caucasians is not recruiting managers by quotas. It is giving the minorities the same equal opportunities as the Caucasians. Also, it is in the eyes of the beholder. Whoever is selected to any position should be accountable, efficient and effective as well as productive and civil when performing duties at the lower to the upper level positions. Further, I cannot relate hiring a surgeon to Major Williams hiring staff to unique manager positions — jobs like no others in the USA or elsewhere.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Computer and Desk (Separately or Together)
John Whiteside, john@logancircle.net

The Original Bondi Blue iMac — this is the original iMac, not as souped up as the later ones, and only came in one color, but a great machine for writing, E-mail, web surfing, etc. It's just as it came out of the box — 32 MB memory, keyboard and mouse, built in modem, CD-ROM, hard disk wiped and original software reloaded (AppleWorks, Quicken, other odds and ends) and oh so cute. Plus a copy of MS Office 98. $400.

An Ikea “Jerker” computer desk — nice work area, two sliding shelves for mouse, coffee cup, whatever, and two upper shelves to hold printers, paper, speakers, and other odds and ends. Requires slight assembly/reassembly to get out of my house but nothing major. Shelves are white, held together by dark metal frame. Sturdy, handy, but just too big for the tiny room I've got it in. $100.

For both items, you pick up at my house in Logan Circle. Call John (up till 9 p.m. evenings) at 387-7291, or E-mail john@logancircle.net.

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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING

Room Wanted
Natalia Martin Cantero, nm7a8@mizzou.edu  

I'm looking for an apartment/efficiency/room in a shared apartment in D.C. (or nearby area) from mid-February until the end of April/mid-May, preferably furnished. I'd really appreciate any suggestion or witty idea. You can reach me at 483-1844, or by E-mail.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

Good Place to Donate Books?
Christina Samuels, casamuels@earthlink.net

Like many folks doing late winter/spring cleaning, I find myself with a box full of mostly paperback books that I would like to get rid of. They're in nice condition, but it's not like there's a vintage gem in the bunch. Before I truck them off to the Salvation Army, are there any suggestions of nonprofit groups or other organizations that might need a library enhancement?

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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com

From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this Friday:
HAVE MERCY: Mayor Anthony A. Williams and his backup crew at One Judiciary Square publicly say, “Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa,” suggesting that, to a certain extent, they regret their questionable use of nonprofit organizations to help raise funds for special events and apparent political activities, as reported by LL (1/26) and other media. But sources close to the mayor's office say that privately Williams and his team are thumbing their noses at the press and District residents.
“They think they are invincible,” says one of several sources interviewed.
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:
FRIDAY: Laurie Mylroie discusses her book Study of Revenge: Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War Against America, at 7 p.m. at Olsson's Books & Records, 1239 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free
TUESDAY: Steven Michael Selzer reads from and signs copies of his book By George: Mr. Washington's Guide to Civility at noon and 7 p.m. at the National Archives Theater, 700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Free.
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html

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