Weaknesses in Financial Management
Dear Managers:
Tomorrow, Monday the 14th, at 10:00 a.m., the City Council will hold
a hearing on the General Accounting Office's recent report on
“District of Columbia: Weaknesses in Financial Management System
Implementation,” issued on April 30 (http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/cfo010430.htm).
It seems like a dull and specialized topic, but it raises the question
of how real and sustainable the apparent improvement in the DC
government's management of its finances has been — and the answer to
that question isn't immediately apparent. Mayor Williams is scheduled to
testify before the Council tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see
whether his testimony and the Council's questioning shed more light than
heat on the answer.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Apparently in an effort to remake its negative image, the Control
Board staff has been calling around town directing people to refer to
the Board as the “Authority” or the “Financial Authority,” but
never as the “Control Board.” Since it started in 1995, everyone has
referred to it as the Control Board. With only nineteen weeks to go
before the Board goes out of business on September 30, one wonders how
effective this last-minute spring makeover will be.
Also undergoing a spring makeover is the senior management of the
Williams administration. Communications Director Lydia Sermons is
leaving, and will be replaced on May 21 by Joan Logue-Kinder (currently
Vice-President for Investment Development at OPIC and former Assistant
Secretary to the US Treasury Department in change of Public Affairs).
Peggy Armstrong is also out as the Mayor's press secretary, and will
“transition” to a position in policy development and implementation.
Meanwhile, Milton Bailey, who was confirmed as Director of the
Department of Housing and Community Development in December 2000, will
return to his previous position as head of the District's Housing
Finance Agency. Furthermore, there is rampant speculation that several
other of the Mayor's longest-term associates and closest advisors in the
administration (Darlene Taylor, Director of the Office of
Intergovernmental Affairs; David Howard, scheduling; Jim Wareck,
environmental policy; Gregory McCarthy, director, Office of Policy and
Evaluation; and Jackie Randolph, Deputy Director, Office of Boards and
Commissions) will soon leave their positions, either to “transition”
to other positions in the District government, to work in the Mayor's
reelection campaign, or to “pursue other opportunities.” At the same
time, Max Brown, who was squeezed out as Deputy Chief of Staff in March
2000, has resurfaced as the Mayor's chief strategist, principal campaign
adviser, and hatchet man. In recent weeks, he has been involved in
selecting a new Chief of Staff to replace Abdusalam Omer; in soliciting
people to join the Mayor's campaign; and in making calls in the Mayor's
name to opponents of Ward 4 Democratic Party chairman Norm Neverson,
threatening them and their jobs if they don't support Neverson in the
upcoming Ward 4 Democratic party election.
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Here is my memory of the 1968 insurrection. I was twenty, and I had
just arrived at the airport from Boron, California, in the middle of the
Mojave desert on leave from the military before my next assignment; Viet
Nam, when I heard on the P.A. system that D.C. was on fire! I was
shocked , and I could not understand why. I had not heard that Martin
had been killed (the radio stations had not said anything when I was
getting on the plane). When I heard that I was stunned! I did not know
what to do; I had not been home for a year and a half, no busses were
running, no Metro, no way to get home to my mom who was a single parent
living on Benning Road, NE, and I had this big duffle bag. I put the bag
in a locker and walked home stupidly in uniform (Air Force 1505's)!
After I got home I really started thinking about what was happening and
I understood very well. What was most amazing, and the Euro-Americans
reading this should think about is the number of Whites not killed. In
the history of this country white riots have always resulted in many
deaths in black communities, by hanging shooting, burning and
mutilation. There were very few white casualties, and none from hanging
or burning. I stayed in the house and close to home until my leave was
over, then I dutifully reported back to the military and dutifully
murdered Viet Namese.
I now know a lot more about why things are the way they were and are,
and the insurrections of 1968 were the right thing to do. What we failed
to do was wrest the economic and political control of this city from the
malign forces, internal and external, that continue to make this city a
certain kind of hell for everyone, even the powerful and wealthy,
because they still have the homeless and poor asking them for money,
they still have fear that someone is going to rob them if they are out
at night. And if they are smart they should fear the possibilities of
airborne diseases that the poor get and that circulate through all of
the air!
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While at Harris-Teeter (a NC-based grocery store) in Arlington over
the weekend, I was told by one of the employees there that the chain is
hoping to move into NW DC before too long. This would be a major
improvement for this area (in my opinion)... Does anyone have any more
info about whether/when this may happen?
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History of the Federation of Citizens
Associations
Janice H. Hopper, magpietai@email.msn.com
I should appreciate hearing from anyone who has saved materials
relating to the pre-1997 history of the Federation of Citizens
Association. My E-mail address is magpietai@msn.com.
Mail can be addressed to Janice H. Hopper at 3603 R Street, NW,
20007-2333. I currently am one of the three Burleith representatives to
the Federation.
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How Do You Throw Away a Boomerang?
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
Despite possessing incredible mechanical skills and expertise, which
I fully used in trying to make one of my two Super Cans functional, the
unit is deemed unworthy (by the trash collection folks) of emptying into
their big truck. It sits there full to the brim with old furnace filters
and some lawn debris but has been unemptied for three weekly trash
cycles. Like my other Super Can, it is ridden with holes, has a broken
handle, and is beyond economical repair. So, I have put a large note on
the worse of the two cans, pleading with the trash persons to remove
this unusable Super Can. Not so. The can remains at the curb after each
Tuesday's pick up. It's like trying to throw away a boomerang.
Our written request to the Dept. of Public Works, along with a check
for payment, for a new Super Can, was returned with the note that new
Super Cans would be delivered in April. I should have kept that note to
see which year it said the April delivery would be made. It surely was
not in April of 2001. Has anybody in NW DC seen a new Super Can?
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For those few of us reading themail who don't see a scurrilous
villain inside every duly elected official's skin, I would like to
suggest that Ms. Morella's trial balloon could be the opening move in a
very important shift in the relations between Congress and the District.
Congress has a Constitutional “right” to oversee DC, and DC has a
democratic responsibility to accept such oversight. The issue is how
best to do it without inciting paranoia. With the forthcoming
deactivation of the Control Board, the time is right to openly and
deliberately look for a mechanism by which to satisfy the needs of both
parties and help make DC a better capital city at the same time. It's a
rare opportunity for positive and constructive participation.
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NARPAC Missing the Point (Again)
Mike Livingston, mlivingston@greens.org
Len Sullivan writes, “Did you know DC has more than seven times its
share of the metro area's homeless?” Okay, I'll bite: how many
homeless people should we have?
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Displaced from a Legal Space
Victor Reinoso, vreinoso@yahoo.com
While I have respect for the concept of diplomatic immunity, there is
no question that the Nigerian Embassy and the Secret Service both cross
the line when they fine a citizen who is both literally and figuratively
within the bounds of the law in a legal parking spot.
Several years ago, my wife and I unwittingly parked in front of the
home of World Bank President James Wolfensohn when we were unable to
find parking in Adams Morgan. The next morning we received a telephone
call at home from World Bank Security informing us that the President of
Romania would be having breakfast at Mr. Wolfensohn's house and that our
car needed to be moved by 7:30 a.m. or it would be towed. While the
notice was short, we scrambled and got to the circle in time to move our
car. I remember grumbling to myself that morning, that the least they
could do was invite us to join them for breakfast.
My wife and I were both pleasantly surprised when we arrived home
from work that day to discover that we had received a cheese and fruit
basket along with a card thanking us for moving our car on such short
notice. I don't know if that gift basket is standard procedure for the
World Bank in these situations, but the simple and elegant gesture
recognized the inconvenience of the request and removed any bitterness
we might have felt toward the Bank or Mr. Wolfensohn. While my story
does little to help J. Smoak, it stands in stark contrast to the smug
attitude of Sgt. Bradey and the cavalierness with which both the Secret
Service and the Nigerian Embassy disregard the rights of citizens in
favor of the convenience (not protection) of diplomats. Perhaps it was
only a matter of time before foreign governments, taking the lead from
our own federal government, began to assume that their wishes ought to
supersede the rights and laws of the District and its residents.
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Response to “Towed from a Legal Space”
Taylor Simmons, ttsimmons@aol.com
I'm with you, Mr. Smoak. I'd stick with the course you're on: public
embarrassment of improperly behaving officials. Try to get it in the Post
and/or on a D.C. Politics Hour, the Friday edition (12 Noon) of WAMU's
Public Interest (pi@wamu.org).
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Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
Scott McLarty, scottmclarty@hotmail.com
By the way, the best part of that tune “Spring can really hang you
up the most” is a trick the composer [Tommy Wolf] does with the melody
in the transition from the bridge back to the main theme (i.e., the
transition from B back to A within the song's AABA structure). At the
beginning of the song, the first two bars of the melody are (I think
it's published in the key of C):
e g c g | e g c
Both of these measures are over a C major chord. But when this theme
returns after the bridge, we hear the first phrase transposed to the
dominant, over a G chord, and then back up to C in the second bar:
b d g d | e g c
The effect of this is to give the tune a lift, but also a little
emotional twist. For me, it's what makes the song. (Let me know if my
clumsy e-mail analysis makes no sense!) I've written lots of songs, and
in the early 80s I was composer for an Off-Broadway musical called The
Brooklyn Bridge. It ran for a month, got lukewarm notices, but the music
was praised. I also had a string of local shows when I lived in
Cincinnati.
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This is to advise that the May, 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 complete issue (along with prior issues back to January 2001)
also is available in .pdf file format, and will be uploaded by the
beginning of the week for direct access from our home page at no charge
by clicking the link provided. The next issue will publish on June 8,
and the website will be updated shortly thereafter.
To read the lead stories, simply click the link on the home page to
the following headlines: (1) Mt. Vernon Square East to Reveal Itself
During Tour of Homes & Gardens, June 3. (2) Dupont Merchants Seek to
Participate in “Main Street” Program With DC Gov't Support. (3)
Barney Senior Center Hailed as Model Meeting Clients' Needs.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
There is an interesting show of Jack Hannula's Washington
“cityscapes” at the Taylor Art Gallery at 666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE
for the rest of May. He was the first local artist to show his work in
the 'art gallery' on NARPAC's web site at http://www.narpac.org,
and is beginning to get some overdue recognition. Well worth a look or a
purchase.
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Chime Invites You to a Free Taste of Armenia
on May 19
Dorothy Marschak , dmarschak@chime-dc.org
All ages are invited to listen and learn about the history, culture
and music of Armenia in an interactive performance-demonstration by
Christine Kharazian, acclaimed professional Armenian violinist. (Sorry,
the taste cannot be literal — the library does not allow food!). This
is the last of five programs this season in our family series “Music
Around the World.” We hope to continue the series next year at Mt.
Pleasant and other neighborhood libraries. Mt. Pleasant Library, 16th
and Lamont Streets, NW, 2-3 p.m., Saturday May 19.
CHIME (Community Help in Music Education) is an all-volunteer
organization that promotes and provides music education for DCPS
schoolchildren, during and after school. In addition to our library
series, we recruit and place qualified volunteer music instructors in
classes during and outside of school; collect and distribute instruments
in good repair to schools; train teachers; organize “music buddies”
to increase exposure of children and their parents to different kinds of
music by taking them to performances, and conduct an advocacy campaign
to put standards-based music education in the required curriculum of
DCPS elementary school (as it used to be!). For more information, call
Dorothy Marschak, 232-2731, or E-mail, info@chime-dc.org.
You are also invited to visit our website at http://www.erols.com/chime-dc.
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In “The Homecoming” (1965), by Harold Pinter, a philosophy
professor introduces his beautiful wife to his all-male working-class
family. They instantly see her potential as a prostitute, and start
negotiating. “Brilliant” and “outrageous” (New York Post),
“sexually taut and really weird” (Los Angeles Times), this
“one-of-a-kind masterpiece” (Chicago Tribune) established
Pinter as “the most significant playwright now writing in English” (Newsweek).
Footlights — DC's modern drama discussion group — will discuss
“The Homecoming” on Tuesday May 22 in Bethesda with director Richard
Romagnoli. Attendance is free; you order dinner if you like from the
menu. We'll attend a performance of the play at the Olney Theater Center
at 2 p.m., Sunday, June 10 ($19). You can attend our May 22 discussion
(with or without dinner), our June 10 theater trip, or both. Carpooling
and maps are available. For details go to http://www.footlightsdc.org.
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Bancroft Elementary School Knitting Program
Peg Blechman, blechman@access-board.gov
Thanks again for all the community support that has helped the
Bancroft Elementary School Knitting Program continue! Our “pilot
program” in one 3rd/4th grade class is still going strong! The
students love knitting! The 4th graders have been knitting multicolored
bags for their recorders. The 3rd graders have been learning how to knit
and knitting different animals to be stuffed — chicks and cats.
Seventh graders from the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda have been
coming to this class to help the students with their knitting.
On May 19th, the 3rd/4th grade knitting students will be strutting
their stuff at the Bancroft Spring Multicultural Fair. Please stop by
and see them knitting! Also, this July 24-26th, their knitting teacher
will teach a 3-day workshop, “Teaching Knitting to 1st - 5th
Graders,” at the Washington Waldorf School. This workshop will be
based on the Waldorf School handwork curriculum and the developmental
age group characteristics of 1st - 5th graders. Contact me if you'd like
more info about the course and costs. We would like to train knitting
teachers so that we can expand the Knitting Program to other Bancroft
classes.
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Have a Ball Supporting Hoop Dreams!
Alan M. Salgado, alsal@dcitymag.com
Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund Spring Gala, Saturday, May 12, 9 p.m. -
1 a.m., Georgetown University Conference Center Ballroom at the Levy
Center, 3800 Reservoir Road, NW. Complimentary parking available. Live
band “Phaze II” and DJ, open bar (beer, wine, and soda), special
light buffet $50 per person (may be purchased at the door). Help make
students' dreams come true! All proceeds go directly to academic college
scholarships for hardworking DC public high school students. Call
414-4774 for more information and visit our website, http://www.hoopdreams.org.
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John Eaton Science Expo
Madeline LaCore, mlacore@wusatv9.com
The Science Expo is coming to John Eaton Elementary on Thursday, May
17, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It's not a Science Fair . . . it's an
opportunity for you to see classroom work from all grade levels in the
areas of science, math, and/or technology. Activities planned include a
guest speaker, hands-on presentations, and exhibits from all classes.
The community is welcome to see science at its finest. John Eaton is
located at 34th and Lowell. For more information, please call Karol
Biglow at 282-0103.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
I have a furnished one bedroom apartment to sublet on a really quiet
easy parking street in McLean Gardens, July 1- Nov. 1. My phone is
244-5559 and cell phone 841-0081.
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Looking for a professional female to share a two-bedroom apartment in
Rockville, MD. Near Metro and shops. Please call Diana at 301-468-4802.
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CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS SOUGHT
Restore the Marilyn Mural
David White, Restore Marilyn Committee Chair, wpcadc@hotmail.com
Join your neighbors in restoring the Marilyn Monroe Mural that graces
the corner of Calvert and Connecticut Avenue. The Woodley Park Community
Association is working with the mural's original artist, John Bailey, to
spruce up this aging (20 years old this summer!) neighborhood icon. The
project will cost us $5,000, so we appreciate any support you can give.
For lots more interesting information on this project, see this week's
(May 9) front page story in the Northwest Current!
Please mail your check made, payable to "Woodley Park Community
Association," to Treasurer, Woodley Park Community Association, PO
Box 4852, Washington, DC 20008. WPCA is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3)
corporation. Your contributions are tax-deductible and will be
acknowledged with a receipt.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Wanted, recommendation for a good TV-VCR repair shop.
Ten-plus-year-old RCA models in need of repairs.
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