Don’t Drink the Water
Dear Aqua Imbibers:
The question about DC's drinking water in the last issue of themail, and the reply in
this issue, remind me of a story. In the summer of 1996, the city's top public health
official announced that the city's drinking water was unsafe, that it had a high level of
bacteria, and that people who were elderly, very young, or who had a compromised immune
system should not drink the water unless it had first been boiled. There was practically
no public response; the announcement was pretty much taken in stride, and the official was
soon pressured to withdraw his announcement. Further federal and independent tests showed
that the water supply was indeed infested with a high level of bacteria, but there still
was no major reaction from the public.
However, Mayor Marion Barry was outraged that the public health official had issued the
safety warning without his approval, and he was disturbed that it would blemish the city's
good name. So on July 9th he held a press conference at which he announced the city's
drinking water was completely safe, and he drank a glass of water on-camera to demonstrate
his confidence. That night, there was a tremendous rush on bottled water. All the stores,
not only in DC but also in the surrounding suburbs, sold out of water as people panicked
over what they now regarded as a real health threat.
The only strength that a politician in a democracy really has is his word, his
reputation for honesty and trustworthiness. Without that, he cannot lead and he cannot
make deals. In the past few years, many politicians have claimed that honesty wasn't
important, have discounted and devalued the importance of truthfulness, but in the end
both the public and your colleagues have to be able to trust you. Or they won't drink the
water — not in spite of, but just because you tell them the water is safe.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Yes it's safe to drink. It's complied with federal drinking water standards for quite
some time. Note that the Potomac River dams and processing plant are owned and managed by
the Army Corps of Engineers. The distribution system across the city is owed by the
District's Water and Sewer Authority. For more compliance information call the latter or
EPA's Region 3 office in Philadelphia (215-566-2300).
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My Neighborhood Services Coordinator is Leo Pinson and the Ward 6 Planning Coordinator
is Karina Ricks. They have only been in place for a few months but I think they are great.
They have attended many an evening ANC and neighborhood association meeting at their own
initiative in my neighborhood. They met with residents of Emerald street when a neighbor
complained to the Mayor about rats. They walked the alleys with us and took notes and
action. Leo Pinson has lots of work to do in my neighborhood to fix chronic problems that
have lingered in some cases since the riots. In other cases, like the surplused Kingsman
school, it has only been a problem with trash, fires, loitering, rats and a huge pool of
water for fifteen years. I hope that the Neighborhood Services Coordinator is given the
resources to really fix problems.
I have to agree with Gloria Mobley, Kathy Chamberlain, and others who say that city
services have gotten better since Mayor Anthony Williams took office two years ago. I've
seen improvements in getting my car inspected, renewing my driver's license, car tag
renewal, tree trimming, alley cleaning, abandoned cars removed, and snow removal. My route
to work on the other side of the Anacostia river on Pennsylvania SE and Branch Avenue is
much, much cleaner, graffiti and posters are removed, new city trash cans emptied, trees,
sidewalks, and new pavement installed. Hopefully we will see improvements on H street NE,
Benning Road, and Bladensburg Road in the very near future.
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It is a joy and pleasure to read about the great strides that our Mayor Anthony
Williams has made in improving the vitality of Washington, DC. I wish others as I do join
you [Gloria Mobley, themail, February 11] in being a part of the solution rather than the
problem. Like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a city to be diligent
participates in shaping the destiny of DC to become the model capital/city of the World.
Lastly, it would be wonderful to read about what numerous constituents do and ask others
to likewise assist our Mayor, Metropolitan Police Chief, Department of Public Works,
Department of Motor Vehicles.
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Have city services improved in my neighborhood? Some have, some haven't. Trash pickup
is definitely much more regular, as is recycling. Water and sewer seems definitely
improved. I returned home this past Sunday evening and found a small river running out of
the alley and into the street. I found a small hole about 50 feet up the alley which was
bubbling water at an impressive rate. My 10:15 p.m. call to the 24 hour water emergency
line was answered on the third ring. When I got home from work Monday evening a work crew
was finishing up the repair on the broken pipe — less than 24 hours. This is in
marked contrast to our experience about seven years ago where it took months to get a
response to a leaking main in the street in front of a neighbor's house. These
improvements are welcome, noticed and appreciated.
On the other hand the ABC board remains a wholly owned subsidiary of the liquor
industry and the convenience store lobby. The police have adopted a Potemkin patrol car
strategy. They prop up an officer in a car, park it for a while at the corner, and make
believe it is law enforcement, as the corner drug market enters its eighth year in
business. All the while, the police report that crime is down in the neighborhood. So, no
change there, just a chief with a better PR touch.
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The Orifice of the Public Advocate
Mark Eckenwiler, zarf@eckenwiler.org
In the latest issue, Gary comments on the seemingly duplicative function of the
Neighborhood Action Coordinator program and the Public Advocate's Office, and inquires
whether anyone has had experiences with either. I'll bite: About 2-3 years ago, when
Hizzoner was still in office, I had gotten to the end of my rope with DPW/Trees and
Landscape. There was a deader-than-dead tree on my old Hill block that wasn't merely an
eyesore; no, it was also a safety hazard, like the time a heavy ice storm (January '98?
'99?) brought down more than one large limb. Repeated service requests to DPW/T&L were
ignored.
I called the office of Councilmember Ambrose, and the staffer put me into a three-way
call with someone (Marshall Brown, I think) from the Public Advocate's office. His
response reminds me of the old joke about Ma Bell customer service, the one that goes,
"Let me put you in touch with a sympathizer." No substance, no specific promises
of action -- just lots of Boy They Sure Don't Have Their Act Together and The Mayor Is
Sure Gonna Give Them What For. Nothing ever happened as a result, and the problem only got
fixed when I started calling Vanessa Burns's office directly. (Less than two weeks after I
spoke to Burns's assistant Radeena Washington, the limbs were lopped off. It took another
seven months for the trunk to come down.)
Now, things may well have changed at OPA in the past few years. I know that at least
one gung-ho, can-do staffer — Eric Hauser — from the Mayor's Office of Emergency
Preparedness (or whatever; it's the folks at 727-6161 who handle service requests on
nights/weekends) went on to OPA a year or so ago. Whether he reformed them
single-handedly, I cannot say.
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OPA’s Mission
Lawrence Hemphill, Director, Office of the Public Advocate, lawrence.hemphill@dc.gov
As Director of the Office of the Public Advocate within the Administration of Mayor
Anthony Williams, it may be helpful to clarify the role of OPA as currently outlined. The
mission of the OPA is to play a vital role in identifying issues in the community, build
community support for new initiatives and facilitate the flow of communications between
that community and the Office of the Mayor. As such, CPA serves as a critical link between
citizens and the District of Columbia government and non-government agencies. We continue
to serve as liaison between the Office of the Mayor and Advisory Neighborhood
Commissioners, community groups and citizens to hear community concerns. Under
Neighborhood Action, the role of CPA is to initiate Community outreach efforts on behalf
of the Mayor's Neighborhood Services initiative and his Neighborhood Planning initiative.
These efforts by CPA, identified as Neighborhood Outreach, facilitate ward-wide citizen
engagement events, support citizen engagement for neighborhood planning and more
importantly citizen engagement strategies designed to address persistent services
problems. The Office of the Public Advocate is clearly not in the business of providing
services, however, we will continue to play a role in facilitating the delivery of those
services. Therefore, there is no duplication of work between this office and the Office of
Neighborhood Action. In fact, that office will primarily focus on large citywide events
while CPA will continue to concentrate on ward events. The charge of duplication is
woefully misinformed.
While I am not aware of the actions of previous administrations, this office under the
leadership of Mayor Williams will remain in the forefront of facilitating initiatives that
will enhance the effective delivery of services to our neighborhoods, plan special events
to further citizen engagement and continue maintain open lines of communication with our
citizens. OPA is not charged, nor will it be engaged in “political work” as
suggested by your correspondence. If you define working with the community to enhance
service delivery efforts and to maintain dialogue with the community as
"political," I would question that interpretation. Through input from the
community, we have been notified that they are very appreciative of the citizen engagement
activities that increases their interface with the Mayor.
Further, my vision of the OPA is that this office continue to perform the proper
researching of information, conduct community outreach and response functions that serve
citizens, running parallel to the customer service standards of Mayor Williams. OPA will
be uncompromising in its pursuit of excellence and will be known throughout the city for
integrity, reliability, consistency and results. Finally, the Office of the Public
Advocate is open and public. You may contact this office at any time to identify any staff
identified as Neighborhood Outreach Coordinators. You may contact us on 442-8150.
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Ask What the Mayor Can Do for You
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@erols.com
Len Sullivan, in Sunday's “Ask Not What Your Mayor Is Doing For You, But What You
Are Doing For Your Mayor,” complains that “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.” He says that
these officials should not limit the mayor's ability to act. First, the suggestion that
ANC Commissioners limit the Mayor's ability to act is a joke. No matter how much great
weight they are given, that doesn't change the fact that they are ADVISORY Neighborhood
Commissioners. Second, the Board of Education is elected by the voters to oversee and set
the policies of the public schools. The idea that the mayor is limited to act by these
board members is by design — executives are not supposed to have the power to act
unilaterally and in this city the school system was designed to be somewhat removed from
the D.C. Government. Finally, we cannot forget, as the mayor and his staff so often do,
that the Council is an equal branch of government. The Councilmembers were elected by the
same people who elected the mayor and they are charged with setting the policy of the DC
Government by writing the laws and overseeing the executive branch through oversight
hearings. No matter how much people may love Anthony Williams because he is not Marion
Barry, he should not be the King of the District of Columbia. Checks and balances are what
keep one branch of government from becoming too powerful and unaccountable. It worries me
that too many people don't understand checks and balances and are very quick to grant
enormous power to an executive.
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I just got a postcard reminding me to renew my driver's license. The postcard said
“Check our web site at http://dmv.washingtondc.gov
for opening dates” and listed three supposedly future facilities, including one at
the Georgetown Mall. So I followed the postcard's suggestion and went to the web site.
Here's what a site search turned up: “Sorry, there were no matches for Georgetown
Mall.” I tried calling 727-5000, the number on the postcard, but gave up when I
realized I would never reach a live human being. Anyone got accurate info on the DMV's
pending new locations?
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Bruce Sunderland mentioned that city workers cleaned up many of the campaign posters in
the city. I don't know if it is true, but I had no intention of waiting for them. The day
after the election I went through my neighborhood and tore down every poster I could
reach.
While I realize that it is a campaign's responsibility to remove their posters after
the election, I also realize that my neighbors and I would have to look at them until they
did. So if there are still any posters in your neighborhood, believe me, it is easier to
hoist yourself up there and tear them down than to grip about it for the weeks or months
it takes to find a city or campaign worker to do it for you.
While the city may take credit for cleaner neighborhoods, it could also be that people
are making more of an effort to make their neighborhoods cleaner too!
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New Voting System
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@erols.com
As an addendum to my previous note on the District's new voting system, I want to add
that if the power did fail on election day, the machine has a battery backup. And even
better, the ballots still exist inside the machine, so they can be counted at election HQ
if necessary. And if for some reason the results from that precinct cannot be sent
electronically to the Board, the tallying device can be taken downtown and read by
computers at the Board. In my opinion, our elections, which are already run superbly, will
be even better after the new machines are put to use.
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At a meeting about public services in January at The Emory Methodist Church sponsored
by Adrian Fenty someone from DPW said that all citizens would receive new supercans in
March.
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Harrison Square Windows
Paul K. Williams, pkelseyw@aol.com
Thanks for all the concerns, E-mail, calls, and the conversation at the last
Cardozo-Shaw Neighborhood Association meeting concerning the low cost vinyl windows
currently being installed at the new Harrison Square townhouse project at 12, 13, V and W
Streets, N.W. I have asked project developers, Donatelli & Klein, to update us on the
situation and how the windows came to be as a reviewed project under the rules and
regulations of a city Historic District project, and years of promises at public meetings
on quality materials and workmanship. They will be at the March 8th CSNA meeting (location
TBD) to explain their position and take questions from citizens.
In the meantime, I urge all of you to direct your questions and concerns to Larry
Clark, project director at Donatelli & Klein, as a volunteer who chairs the Greater U
Street Historic District Committee, this outcry is already overwhelming me, and I can no
longer answer questions one on one! It's better to go to the source to express your
opinion as suggested by Mr. Clark. He can be reached via E-mail at: LClark@dkdevelopment.com or phone at
301-654-0700. I will post the March 8th meeting location to themail shortly.
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Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
And a strike it might well be (or a lockout by the owners) when the current contract
between the players union and the major league club owners expires at the end of October.
Major league baseball is a real mess with the huge salaries paid to the best players and
only a little less huge salaries being paid by the top level teams to journeymen
ballplayers. The “have teams” in large market areas dominate in attendance , TV
income, and in the final standings (save for the Orioles) each year. Major League baseball
is headed for another major league confrontation that will leave the sport bloodied and
even less attended than it has been since the last lockout.
It is timely for DC, local MD and Northern VA to work together to get a good minor
league club in this area. Downtown DC would be a good choice if it can be reached by
Metro. A brand new 7000 to 8000 seat stadium would fill up with families and baseball fans
from the region. For under 40 bucks a family of four could get to the park, have great
seats, enjoy a good ball game along with a beverage and a hot dog. That same menu at
Camden Yards would barely cover a family of two, not four. In addition that size stadium
would be one more facility that could be used in the D.C. bid for the 2006 Olympics. One
thing I have not yet figured out is why D.C. is pairing up with Baltimore for an Olympic
site bid. It seems that it would make a great deal more sense to team up with local MD and
Northern VA on a bid. These combined entities have plenty of venues for the games and for
which transportation could be enhanced.
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Thanks for the correction! I can't recall where I got the number six [states that
ratified the DC statehood Constitutional amendment], but I've been using that number for
years without eliciting any response from anyone. Now I'll use the correct number. Thanks.
I also like your idea of establishing a DC Office for Equal Constitutional Rights. I'm a
little surprised there's no central place in the DC government already for something like
this.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Calligraphers who do lettering for presidents and government agencies will be
discussing their work at a meeting of the Washington Calligraphers Guild on President's
Day, Monday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Concord-St. Andrews Church (intersection of River
and Goldsboro Roads in Bethesda). Free and open to the public. See http://www.calligraphersguild.org/meetings.html
or E-mail me at swerdloffs@erols.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
1995 Toyota 4-runner SR5 Limited 4x4. It is in great condition. Includes Black/Tan
Leather, AM/FM/CD/cassette, and alarm/keyless entry. Price $12,900 or best offer. Must
sell this month. To get more information or see the vehicle, call Christine at
301-530-1899 or E-mail beancst@aol.com.
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Great-sounding full-size cello for sale. Great condition — needs no work. Comes
with bow and soft case. Great for student or just fiddling around. $1400 or best offer.
Call Karin at 986-2408.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
DC Board of Education
Sara Cormeny, Banneker HS class of 1987, sara@paperlantern.com
Regardless of what many of us may think of the DC Board of Education, I know all of us
would like to see the best people working for the schools. These look like mid-level
administrative or high-level clerical positions, with competitive salaries, and I thought
that this information would be worth passing along!
Positions Open: Committee Clerk for each of these Committees: Teaching and Learning,
Charter Schools (a subcommittee under Teaching and Learning), Facilities and Finance,
Operations and New Ideas, Special Education and Student Support Services. Responsibilities
include: providing clerical and administrative support to committee, working with policy
analysts to research and report on best practices, writing summaries of research,
communicating with all members of the Board and Superintendent's staff as needed,
attending meetings as representative of Committee, providing clerical and administrative
support to two members of the School Board. Qualifications: minimum of a Bachelors Degree
in a related field (paralegal certification will be considered); excellent communication
skills, especially writing, proven organizational skills and ability to work on deadline;
word processing skills; ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, for committee
hearings. Salary, benefits and condition of employment: mid to high $30K, full benefits.
This is a non-bargaining position. The DC Board of Education does not discriminate on the
basis of race, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
Please mail resume and cover letter (writing sample encouraged) to DCPS Board of
Education, 825 North Capitol Street, NE, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20002. Specify the
committee for which you are applying. Positions are available immediately. Closing Date:
February 23, 2001, or as filled.
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