Constituent Services
Dear Constituents:
Mark Eckenwiler in the last issue, and Gloria Mobley in this issue, both mention the
Neighborhood Action Coordinator program (also called the Neighborhood Service Manager
program) as one of the Williams administration's achievements. The District government has
always had an office of ward coordinators who are supposed to short-circuit administrative
red tape and smooth the delivery of services to residents. The office has been called the
Office of Constituent Services, the Office of the Ombudsman, and now the Office of the
Public Advocate. This office has always been defunded and abolished by the City Council
whenever it became too embarrassingly obvious that it was simply doing political work for
the Mayor, and it has always been revived under other names by Mayors who wanted to be
sure they had political workers who could do favors for constituents. The stated mission
of the Neighborhood Action Office largely duplicates the work of the Office of the Public
Advocate, so Mayor Williams now has two structures doing about the same work.
Have you had any contact with either office? Do you know the name of your ward
coordinator, either in the Office of the Public Advocate or the Neighborhood Service
Manager Program? Have you called either office for help, and has either office produced
for you?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Deja Vu All Over Again
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
Yogi Berra would likely characterize the odorous fund raising by key members of the
Mayor's staff with an oft quoted phrase “it's deja vu all over again.” Certainly
the monies raised and the purposes used for those monies smells much like the activities
of our prior notorious Mayor Barry. Mayor Williams claims to have had no knowledge of what
the other ducks in his administration were doing. Quack, quack. If it walks like a duck. .
. .
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School Crossing Guards
Susan Ousley, sousley@aol.com
At 11th and S, the school crossing guard routinely waves cars right behind the smallest
of children while they are still in the crosswalk. Just one stumble by a small one. . . .
I've gotten the same bureaucratic bounce Andrea Carlson reported. Do other people have
concerns about school crossing guards? Who is in charge?
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I moved apartments within the District in July 2000. At that time I applied to change
my voter registration. Guess what I got in the mail last week? My new voter registration
card. I was extremely ill and was hospitalized during that time, and so voting wasn't the
first thing on my mind, but if I had really wanted to vote, this tardiness effectively
kept my vote from counting. Has anyone else received their voter registration a full six
months after notifying them of a move?
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RFK DMV? OK (With an Aside on Funeral Processions)
Paul Penniman, mathteachingtoday@compuserve.com
“Lot 8” as it is called on the postcard renewal reminder, is accessible from
the SE freeway for games but not for DMV business, nor is it easily accessible from the
East. I approached the stadium, circled it, and encountered a huge Lot 8 entrance with a
barricade. Circling again I saw a tiny DMV sign in an outer circle, so I circled again and
found my way to the correct access road and the DMV trailer. (Incidentally, in my
confusion I intruded on a funeral procession breaking all traffic laws. Sorry about that,
but next time expect someone to be surprised next time that person sees you running a red
light and straddling a lane divider, even with your headlights on.)
Inside DMV everyone was friendly and helpful, although my clerk was a “low
talker.” It all took about fifteen minutes, but with all the prior searching I had a
need to go the bathroom. I was given hazy directions to the nearby hospital and ended up
finding the jail instead. It was fun getting frisked, though. Conclusion: an improvement
over C Street, but get better signs/directions and a bathroom! (Where do the employees
pee?)
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It may be a small thing but I think the city's initiative to remove campaign posters
after the last election is noteworthy for several reasons. It probably cost very little,
it stopped the ineffectual gripping of the likes of me and it got the street scene cleaned
up or at least back to normal promptly. Someone in the city government saw the perennial
problem and did something about it without a lot of noise, community meetings, council
person posturing or even laments in this journal. In a related vein, there is a
"cleancity.washingtondc.gov" web page and stuff is happening to improving the
cleanliness of the city. I think I see results.
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Board of Elections Optical Scan
Shaun Snyder, shaunsnyder@erols.com
The Board of Elections has a web page advertising the new “Precinct Level Optical
Scan System” voting system for the District of Columbia. Even though we currently
have a punch-card system, we don't have a problem with chads. Now we better hope that a
power failure doesn't occur on election day!
http://www.dcboee.org/htmldocs/optech.htm
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Sometimes I do not understand the arrogance of this Mayor and the total disregard for
the citizens. I am a member of The New Black Panther Party For Self Defense DC Chapter
and, as the Political Action Chair, I have been seeking a appointment with the Mayor since
November of last year with no luck. It would be nice to sit down with Mayor Williams and
discuss some concerns that not only affect African Americans but DC Citizens in general. I
would especially like some dialogue on DC General and other revitalization programs of
his.
This Mayor remains unapproachable by his citizens, and I find this unacceptable. One
group of organizers staged a sit-in at his office and he reluctantly made time to speak
with them. Citizens organizations shouldn't have to go to such drastic measures to be
heard by the Mayor. It is now February 2001, and I have yet to secure a meeting with the
Mayor. Since he is taking this attitude, I think a citizens summit on the Mayor is in
order! Anyone else who thinks so, give me an E-mail!
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Have things gotten better since Mayor Anthony Williams took office two years ago? Yes,
and there's still room for improvement. What evidence have I seen? Here's my list.
1. For the first time in the history of the City, citizen input was solicited to help
determine budget priorities. Everyone may not get what they want for the FY 2002; however,
it was gratifying to see such a diverse group of people come together to talk about
priorities for the District of Columbia. 2. While the City's youth have participated in a
number of convenings as a part of Marion Barry's Summer Youth Leadership Institute, Mayor
Williams has taken this to another level. The Mayor's Youth Summit was incredible, with
over 1,000 youth from around the city and in public and independent schools. He has
actively mentored his youth mayor, and included her in a number of town hall meetings
around the city. 3. Yes, there are some municipal employees who remain less than
customer-service friendly. However, the culture of municipal government has changed.
Implementing large-scale change in an organization's culture takes time. 4. Motor vehicle
registration has been streamlined and I believe will improve when the NE inspection
station reopens. The DMV inspection equipment has been replaced with state-of-the-art
computers. 5. In an effort to respond to citizen requests and complaints, each ward has a
Neighborhood Action Coordinator. There are wrinkles and bumps in the efficiency of the
office. I am just glad that I have one point person instead of being passed from office to
office. 6. There's an intangible that has occurred since Mayor Williams took office.
People are proud to say that they live in the District of Columbia. There was a time
during the previous administration when we felt as if we were the laughing stock of the
nation, and it was painful to see the personal and professional challenges of Mayor Barry
in the media constantly. 7. The philanthropic community has pulled together around new
initiatives as a result of Mayor Williams stewardship. 8. While there was a lot of
controversy about relocating UDC east of the river (something that still perplexes me in
terms of the opposition to such a proposal), projects that have been on the books for
years and needed a nudge are starting to move forward, including new home construction for
all income levels. 9. A collaborative relationship has emerged between the Mayor, the
Chief of Police, the Superintendent of DC Public Schools, and the President of the Board
of Education. Who can remember when this was the case in previous years? 10. As the Last
Colony in the United States, Mayor Williams and Congressional Delegate Holmes Norton have
managed to keep congressional meddling to a minimum, as much as that is possible. 11. Our
fiscal health has turned around dramatically.
The problems of the District of Columbia didn't happen overnight. They won't be solved
overnight. I think I would prefer using my time figuring out how to be part of the
solution instead of part of the problem.
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Ask Not What Your Mayor Is Doing For You, But What You Are Doing
For Your Mayor
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
I am disappointed by the anemic response to your query on the mayor's performance. I
take a far more upbeat view. I think DC is on the verge of a major reconstruction, with
many of the underlying bureaucratic/administrative foundation stones slowly being put in
place. The essential economic revitalization is well underway. And since DC is still the
nation's capital city, the barriers won't need to be lowered very much before energetic,
positive-minded, prosperous people flow in. Improvements in local services are indeed
proving slow, but that should not be surprising since their remedies require the deepest
penetration of an entrenched bureaucracy. And the mayor (even with over 30,000 employees)
should not be expected to purge the city of all those who litter parks, dig up streets,
knock up teenagers, foul up schools, shoot out street lights, dope up unborn babies, sign
up union obstructionists, hold up essential city improvements with petty protests, or
whine about communities' self-made shortfalls. Communities must accept a big role in
solving these problems. The mayor's biggest mistake may well have been promising to fix up
all the neighborhoods so quickly -- and the neighborhoods' biggest mistake may have been
assuming they could just watch him do it. Surely they can help themselves more, and help
the mayor shape up a motivated city workforce.
Furthermore, DC elects other officials who have neighborhood responsibilities without
the mayor's bigger burdens -- as well as officials who limit the mayor's ability to act.
Concerned citizens should turn up the heat on the ANCs, the School Board, and the Council,
and not just beat up on the man responsible for building up the city's image to the rest
of the world.
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I ordered a new supercan in early November. Was told that they were out of stock and
that if I sent in my check for $62.50, I would be put on the waiting list, and when they
came in I would get one. Well, on December 28th one was delivered. The old one wasn't
taken away, but I am slowly tearing bits of it off and placing the pieces in the new
supercan. So I would guess that the new ones are in but you will only get one if you order
one and actually pay the $62.50 for it.
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Question: how safe it the tap water in DC? I well remember the warnings to not drink
tap water in the District. I've been drinking bottled water since. Does anyone have some
knowledge as to the current safety of DC's tap water?
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Runner’s Fatigue
Agate Tilmanis, atil@loc.gov
Here is an incident that only a Washingtonian would understand. During my niece's visit
from out-of-town, she asked me where would be a good place for jogging. I told her to run
one block to Massachusetts, turn left and run to Wisconsin, maybe cross it and turn back
whenever she felt like it. With a truly shocked look on her face she asked me if I was
trying to get rid of her. And, does Charles Donnelly still have a job at the National
Labor Relations Board?
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Presidents’ Churches
Donald Lief, dwlief@cnnw.net
Don't know if it was routine, but FDR also went to services at St. John's Episcopal on
Lafayette Square. I saw him leave in the morning on the way to h is third inauguration,
January 1941.
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Double the Messages, Double the Fun
Kathy Chamberlain, kechamber@erols.com
The reason two identical messages were sent [to the last issue of themail] was a
computer issue. Tried to send on one computer through Netscape, and it didn't appear to
get sent. In the interest of time, tried the other computer in the household using a
different E-mail system and address. We live in the same household, had the same reaction
to the meeting discussed in the E-mail. Wanted the name to match with the E-mail address.
###############
I apologize to any and all readers, whether or not you were offended by the post of
February 7 bearing my name. I have apologized to Gary as well. I am truly sorry that I
communicated my vulgar and obscene words in a manner that allowed them to be received by
you. Please believe me when I say that I did not for an instant intend or contemplate that
the message to Gary would end up in a post. If I had known that it would, I would never
have written it. If I could reel back my words across reverse-cyberspace, I would do so.
But the damage being done, I pledge never to offend you again.
Finally, I cannot overemphasize that my employer, whose E-mail account I wrongly used,
had nothing to do with my ranting, does in no way condone it, and utterly disavows it, as
it should. It goes without saying that I should not have used that account for
communications that did not advance its expressed mission. It will never happen again.
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Drive for Alaskan Statehood, #3
Tim Cooper, worldright@aol.com
According to the author of Alaska: A Bicentennial History, William Hunt,
“[no] progress was made toward statehood in Congress in 1954 or 1955. President
Dwight Eisenhower favored statehood for Hawaii but opposed it for Alaska. Two
considerations influenced the president: he felt that, in a defense emergency, the
military could function better if Alaska remained a territory; and he also wanted to
protect the narrow Republican majority in the Senate.” Nevertheless, the territorial
legislature held a statehood convention in Fairbanks in November 1955 and after
“seventy-five working days” issued a new state constitution, which the National
Municipal League described as “one of the best, if not the best, state constitutions
ever written.” The delegates also approved the Tennessee plan, which designated local
representatives to lobby Congress for statehood.
While the Congress refused to seat the statehood delegation, they lobbied effectively
between 1956 and 1958. Yet despite the concerted efforts of the southern senators to
derail the statehood bill, on June 30, 1958 the Senate voted sixty-four to twenty to
support it months after the House had successfully passed the legislation. On January 3,
1959, President Eisenhower admitted Alaska into the Union as the nation’s forty-ninth
state, a journey which had begin in 1912 when the Second Organic Act established Alaska as
an incorporated territory, clearing the way to eventual statehood. Critical, however, to
the success of the statehood drive was a late 1955 Gallup poll revealing that the American
public supported statehood for Alaska by an astonishing 82 percent.
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Let’s Talk About Taxation Without Representation
Keith Jarrell, keithndc@bellatlantic.net
I am one person that is appalled that Mayor Williams and others are spending our tax
dollars to support this ridiculous campaign. We are citizens of the District of Columbia.
We are a federal city, we are blessed by many amenities that most U.S. cities never have
the opportunity to have. Our day will come with time that the Federal Government decides
how best to change the policy of our taxes. But, as Americans we all know that taxes are a
part of life. We are actually in my mind more represented than most cities in this
country. Both sides of the house has oversight committees on our city, and the President
both past and present have all been involved.
This spending is cruel and unusual punishment to the people of our city that have less.
It takes money from services and agencies that could be extending a hand to help those
that can lot do as much to help themselves. Frankly, I view this as yet another run away
antic of Mayor Williams and his out of control way of running out city and then telling us
that everything is better. We'll see just how much better things actually are. Eleanor
Holmes Norton is another one that is really fornicating the real issues of our city and
our relationship with the federal government. Her foul, out-of-place mouth and remarks are
long outdated and long overdue for a change. I can only hope that the days when civil
rights marchers strolling down the street represented change can now turn to sitting down
holding intelligent conversation and discussion of both sides of the issues. The real
reason that Congress doesn't listen to the District of Columbia is they are tired of
hearing her overbearing, unnecessary, overrated opinion. One that doesn't even reflect the
voters, but only hers and a few that just don't understand that change has occurred, and
they don't even realize it.
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Steve Leraris asks, assuming a grant of statehood, what the state legislature of DC
would look like. This is a more interesting question than he realizes. In 1982, a
constitutional convention was called, held and a constitution ratified which provides for
a forty-member, one-house New Columbia legislature, with single member districts. However,
because this constitution contained a rather expansive bill of rights — including the
right to a job, and several articles having to do with social policy, it was considered
too progressive to pass congressional scrutiny.
In 1987, the Council of the District of Columbia passed an amended constitution which
is almost identical to the Home Rule Act, except that it provides for a 25 member single
house legislature with 16 elected from wards, an elected president and 6 additional
at-large members. The 16 members could be elected from 8 wards or from 16, as determined
by the Council. Aside from the obvious flaw of being based on the current government, this
amended constitution has one major problem — it has never been put to a ratification
vote — so it has no legal standing whatsoever until this occurs.
Aside from the question of commuter taxes (and the non-viability of Virginia and
Maryland should we capture this revenue which they now collect), the major obstacle to
statehood is the fact that there is no constitution in place which both the people will
support and the Congress will accept. The Council knows that if their home fool
constitution is held up to the light, it will lose at the ballot box. Additionally, it is
in no hurry to upset the status quo, so don't look to them to change it without pressure
from the citizenry.
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Sixteen — Not Six — States Ratified DC Voting Rights
Amendment
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
According to a Washington Post article on July 4, 1984, Delaware became the
16th state to ratify the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, leaving the District 22 states short of approval. Time ran out on August 22,
1985. The Post wrote, “D.C. Voting Rights Amendment Remains a Long
Shot.” The amendment would have granted District citizens two Senators,
representation according to their population in the House, and the right to approve
Constitutional amendments. Other states that had approved since Congress approved the
amendment in 1978 were: Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia,
Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana, and
Hawaii. (David Sobelsohn said the number was six.) I agree with his premise that it will
be difficult to pass, but it is hard to predict the future. Also, one lesson conservative
groups learned from the ERA amendment was that it is important to stop an amendment horse
before it gets out of the gate-of immediately after. When the DC amendment passed
Congress, they mobilized quickly. In training sessions, they advised supporters nationwide
not to argue the merits of equality, but rather to focus on the fact that an amendment was
the wrong remedy. Of course, DC must get her message points in order and not get
distracted by the wrong remedy argument — that argument will appear no matter what
remedy is proposed. That's why it is important for DC to achieve consensus on the remedy
issue here at home.
Back in 1979, William Raspberry wrote, “The D.C. Voting Rights Amendment is in
trouble — not because there are no good arguments in favor of the proposal, but
because the American people (or their state legislatures, at any rate) aren't ready to
give us full voting representation in the House and Senate” (Post, 10/10).
He argued that DC should consider giving up its claim to representation in exchange for an
end to federal taxation, which he said would make the District immediately
self-supporting. He also argued for eliminating federal review of the District's budget.
“I'm only saying that if we cannot have federal representation to go along with our
federal taxation, why not get rid of both?,” Raspberry asked. So maybe we've come
full cycle again. (The original landowners made the first deal in the 1790s, and they
never saw the money either.) There is a lot to be done before DC is ready to move any
remedy, even if the political chessboard were properly aligned. This is an intergeneration
issue. DC elected officials could establish an Office for Equal Constitutional Rights
(which Congress will probably argue we shouldn't fund, a point we can use nationally to
explain the problem). The Office should be charged with establishing and updating factual
information on the issue and making it widely accessible to citizens (compiling in one
place info that already exists, identifying info still needed-good solid info), outlining
and implementing an educational strategy, such as including the subject in high school
curriculum and providing yearly updates to travel writers. It should monitor the national
political landscape.
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This is to let you know that the February 2001 on-line edition has been uploaded and
may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com. Included are the community news stories, crime
reports, editorials (including prior months archived), restaurant reviews (prior months'
also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from the Past”
feature. Also included are all current classified ads. The next issue will publish on
March 9, and the web site will be updated shortly thereafter. To read the lead stories,
simply click the link on the home page to the following headlines:
(1) Huge Algerian Embassy Fire Unnerves Kalorama Neighbors; Questions Raised,
Unanswered. (2) Adams Morgan Clinic at Marie Reed Closed Almost Without Warning. (3) 14th
& V Condo Plan Proceeding; Project Partner a Concern. (4) Bush Protest March from
Dupont Circle Runs Into Police Trap.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The next program in CHIME's monthly series for families at Mount Pleasant Library,
Music Around the World, will held from 2-3 p.m. on February 17. Angela Polite, singer,
actress and TV producer, will give a presentation on “The History of Gospel
Music.” Angela will be interviewed about her program and CHIME on Eyewitness News,
Channel 9, at around 9 a.m. on February 14. (Note that this program has replaced the one
previously announced for February). Future scheduled programs will be on third Saturdays
of the month through May (March: Caribbean music on steel drum; April: multimedia
presentation on opera May: music and culture of Armenia. We hope to continue the series,
and extend it to other venues, next year. Suggestions for program presenters are very
welcome, especially for African, Asian and Latin music.
CHIME testified this week at the Mayor's hearing on the 2002 DCPS budget in favor of
putting standards-based music education into the required K-6 curriculum. There is
tremendous popular support for doing this. If you are among the advocates, please let
Superintendent Vance, School Board members, the Mayor and the City Council hear from you
ASAP. A copy of our testimony can be sent by E-mail attachment to anyone interested —
you could just let the above officials know that you support that testimony. CHIME
(Community Help In Music Education) is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit that mobilizes
community resources to promote and provide music education for DCPS children, during and
outside of school. For more information, contact us at 232-8764 or info@chime-dc.org. Our web site is http://www.erols.com/chime-dc (we hope to have
our own domain address soon).
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Recorder of Deeds Building Tour
Alex M. Padro, padroanc2c@aol.com
Mayor Williams has asked the DC Council to approve an unsolicited proposal for the sale
of the Recorder of Deeds Building at 515 D Street, NW, one of Washington's most important
African American landmarks. The implied threat to this building is now a very real one.
The DC Preservation League, together with the Art Deco Society of Washington, is fighting
to save this irreplaceable part of our city's cultural patrimony.
I would like to invite you and your friends and colleagues to tour the building during
an open house scheduled for the evening of Thursday, February 15. I will be one of the
guides describing the history of the office of recorder of deeds, the building, and the
artwork inside. The building is also a stop on the 3rd Thursday 7th Street gallery tour
that night. I hope that once you have visited the Recorder of Deeds Building and
understand its significance, you will aid in the struggle to preserve this landmark for
future generations.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can answer any questions about the Recorder
of Deeds Building, the DCPL/ADSW effort to save it, or the event next Thursday night.
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Metropolitan AME Church Video Premiere
Matthew Gilmore, dcplgem@altavista.com
Friday, February 16, 7 p.m.: the city's oldest African Methodist Episcopal church,
Metropolitan A.M.E., 1518 M Street, is inviting the public to attend a documentary video
premiere of “If These Walls Could Talk: A Story of a Denomination, a Church, and a
People.” The event is free, and will be followed by a reception. Free parking also
available. Great names have been associated with this 162-year-old institution —
Frederick Douglass, advisor and friend to several 19th century presidents, and poet Paul
Laurence Dunbar, to name just two of so many too numerous to name here. For more info,
call the church office at 331-1426.
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What in the Mayor’s Proposed FY 2002 Budget Impacts Human
Services?
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
This briefing and interactive session will be held on Tuesday, March 20, from 9:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. at Beacon House, 601 Edgewood St. NE. What’s included in the training:
experienced advocates and budget experts will present: 1) an overview of what is included
in the Mayor’s proposed FY 2002 budget, 2) breakout sessions on specific issues, 3)
examples of effective advocacy strategies and tips on advocating on the budget, and 4) a
discussion of how to read the budget and an explanation of the budget process. In
addition, participants will have the opportunity to network with others who are concerned
about the human services budget.
Those who should attend the training include: service providers (at all levels of the
organization), advocates, residents, and budget advocacy newcomers and old-timers. There
is a $12 registration fee and preregistration is required. Scholarships are available. For
more information, contact Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org,
234-9404. This training is sponsored by the Advocacy Initiative to Meet Human Needs, a
project of the Fair Budget Coalition.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
Linda Bumbalo, lbumbalo@aol.com
I have one ticket for the fabulous San Francisco Symphony Orchestra's only performance
in DC, on Saturday, February 24 at 5:00 p.m. at the Kennedy Center. Great box seat $75.
SFO's annual visits are sellouts!
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Capitol Hill, NE — Short-Term Housemate
Mary Vogel, maryvogel@yahoo.com
To share with me a two-bedroom (both have own bath) row house through end of June. Rent
is $550/month plus utilities. Near Union Station (Red Line Metro) and across from grassy
school yard. Great sunlight in winter, shade in summer. Activist neighborhood. Prefer over
30, vegetarian, environmentalist, recycler, nonsmoker, relatively neat, friendly and
caring. Call Mary 547-7203 or E-mail maryvogel@yahoo.com.
Best hours are 6:30-8:30 a.m. and 9:30-10:30 p.m.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
If anyone is looking for a painter I can recommend Michael Johnson, who recently did a
paint job at our home in northwest. He did an excellent job and is easy going, neat and
considerate. His number is 667-6453 and his E-mail address is mj1@starpower.net.
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