The Story So Far
Dear Faithful Listeners:
When last we visited Happy Valley, the Inspector General had begun
investigating an illegal fundraising operation in the Mayor's office. As
faithful listeners with long memories will recall, the Mayor's office
set up phony nonprofit organizations to solicit political donations and
used preexisting nonprofit organizations, like the Church Association
for Community Service, to funnel donations to its political causes. This
hid the contributions from public inspection and allowed political
contributors to get illegal tax deductions. When the operation was
exposed, the Mayor's office hoped to place the blame on lower-level
staffers, and to cut off any evidence that the Mayor or his Chief of
Staff directed the fundraising, or even that they knew where the money
was coming from.
After numerous press reports, the Mayor asked the Inspector General
to conduct an investigation. This kept the bad news out of the public
eye for six to eight months, and gave the Mayor's office an excuse not
to open any of its records to the public. But now the IG's investigation
is done, and the report is almost ready to be released. This has been a
top-secret, closed-door report — absolutely confidential, and
certainly not to be shared with the targets of the investigation. So,
dear listeners, imagine the surprise when at his staff meeting on Monday
the Mayor discussed the report's findings with his top-level office
staff. He told them that they would take some hits from the press when
the results were disclosed, but assured them that it would just be a
one- or two-day story, quickly forgotten by the public.
And so, dear listeners, as we open today's episode, new questions
have been raised -- who leaked the findings to the Mayor? Were the final
findings all that were shared with the Mayor's office in the course of
the investigation? How independent was the investigation all along? Stay
tuned for more exciting developments in our continuing story.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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My wife and I got up this morning, looked at each other, and realized
that we are both suckers. It turns out that, according to the Post,
only 1 in 5 of those summoned to Superior Court for jury duty actually
appear. Whether it is because of bad mailing lists or just people who
blow off their summons, that means that my wife and I and the rest of
the suckers have to appear 5 times as often as would otherwise be the
case. Superior Court Judge Rufus King may do a good job in fairly
administering justice to those who appear before the bench. But he
certainly doesn't do a fair job in treating citizens who are willing to
do their public duty. It may be too much to wish for, but a little
integrity would go a long way here.
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It’s the Management, Stupid, Part 3
Jonetta Rose Barras, rosebook1@aol.com
[Parts 1 and 2 appeared in my past Loose Lips columns.] Maybe Mayor
Anthony A. Williams can be forgiven for some things that have not quite
hung together during his three years as leader of the nation's capital
city. But it's hard to fathom the former chief financial officer's not
understanding the importance of his agency directors' collecting every
nickel on the street. Well, in this case, on the sidewalk. But that's
exactly what's happening. Dozens of sidewalk cafes throughout the
District are breaking city laws that require them to secure a license
from the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Public Space Office, an
occupancy permit from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs
(DCRA), and a license or variance from the Alcohol Beverage Control
(ABC) Board. The businesses are required to renew their certificate of
use annually, and pay an annual rental fee. In Adams Morgan, alone,
there are more than two dozen businesses that appear to have violated
the law during the past six months. Among the scofflaws is the Diner
(which is owned by the head of the Adams Morgan Business Association),
the Blue Room, Crush, Columbia Station, Toulouse, Jyoti , Rocky's and
Cashion's Eat Place, according to a list obtained from the DOT. Actually
nearly all of the business along 18th Street from Florida Avenue, NW, to
Columbia Road; and on Columbia Road from Connecticut Avenue to 16th
Street, appear to be in violation. The city is losing tens of thousands
of dollars in fees for the private use of public space. If violations
are this widespread in one area, what's happening in other neighborhoods
and downtown?
Last month, following a push from a couple of Ward 1 Advisory
Neighborhood Commissioners and a week of telephone calls by yours truly,
during which I was shuffled between the DCRA and the DOT, the Williams
administration finally realized that it was supposed to be managing the
proliferation of sidewalk cafes and, yes, collecting the fees. Denise
Turner, a spokesperson for the Public Space Office, calls the matter a
"preexisting problem," which would be an acceptable excuse if
this were year one, rather than year three, of the Williams
administration. She says that she has begun an evaluation since the
problem was brought to the agency's attention. She doesn't know how much
money the city has lost because of its failure to enforce its own laws.
And she says that, “We have to look at our options; we're asking for
input from all the stakeholders.” Which leaves me wondering: when did
District bureaucrats decide to ask people who owe taxes and fees whether
they want to pay? Does this mean that next week we can all weigh in on
whether we want to pay our parking tickets or income taxes?
Meanwhile some folks are trying to figure out just what is happening
at the city's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD),
where Stan Jackson, the former chief of staff of the chief financial
officer, recently took over. Jackson, who is respected for his work in
the financial cluster, doesn't have a background in housing and economic
development. But instead of selecting a second-in-command who could
compensate for that apparent shortcoming, Jackson has selected Carlynn
Fuller as his second in command. Fuller was passed over as the head of
DCRA, where she had worked for nearly a year in an interim capacity.
Does this mean the Williams administration demands excellence for big
business, and, well, second best for neighborhood development? One last
thing: the facts are finally being revealed about the departure of
DHCD's former director, Milton Bailey. Bailey received high marks from
residents and some businesses, but was targeted for removal by community
development corporations (CDCs) because he demanded that they perform
for the hundreds of millions of dollars they receive from the local and
federal governments. Sources at One Judiciary Square say that after
Bailey suspended a couple of CDCs the mayor's office received a visit
from business leader Dana Stebbins. Stebbins talked, and Bailey walked.
Will Jackson withstand that kind of political interference?
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Over the past three years, Mayor Williams has often complained about
how difficult it is to attract people to fill top positions in the
District government, and frequently blamed the “low salaries” in DC
government and the press and public scrutiny of government bureaucrats.
But perhaps greater blame should be placed on how people are treated in
the Williams administration. Continuing a practice he used when he
served as Chief Financial Officer, Williams often fires people
mercilessly. With no warning and no opportunity for discussion, victims
are summoned to the Chief of Staff's office and told to resign or be
fired that very day. They are then escorted, usually by security guards,
back to their offices, where they are watched while they pack their
personal possessions, and then they are marched to the front door of One
Judiciary Square. So ended Darlene Taylor's last day on the job as
Director of Williams's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, last Friday.
Do you think people consider this kind of treatment when they
contemplate working for the DC government?
After being on the job for three weeks, Kelvin Robinson, the mayor's
new chief of staff from Tallahassee, has reorganized the Executive
Office of the Mayor. Under the plan, Gregory McCarthy, Director of the
Office of Policy and Evaluation, will also handle relations with the
Council, Congress, and the federal government. Robinson himself will
serve as the Mayor's principal lobbyist, and he is already bragging that
he will garner the required seven Council votes to pass any
administration initiative. Although the reorganization plan has been
distributed and discussed widely on the eleventh floor of One Judiciary,
don't try to get a copy of it. Tony Bullock, the Mayor's interim press
secretary, claims that the plan doesn't exist -- which is absolute
confirmation that it does.
Paula Perelman will become Executive Secretary to the School Board on
September 4, the third Executive Secretary the Board has had in the nine
months since January. Perelman, a DCPS employee since 1985, has held a
variety of positions, including senior aide to Superintendents Franklin
Smith and General Julius W. Becton. She also served as General Counsel
and Chief of Staff for the Control Board's Emergency Transitional
Education Board of Trustees. Perelman will be paid $94,000. (Resume at http://www.dcwatch.com/schools/ps010904.htm.)
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Dorothy Marschak experienced an atrociously long wait and other
difficulties when she recently visited the Washington Hospital Center's
Emergency Room. She wrote about this experience in themail on August 20,
asking, "Is anyone collecting statistical information as to what
the consequences of the shutdown of DC General are?" We are.
My office has been compiling statistics monitored by the D.C. Fire
and Emergency Medical Services Department, and those statistics
demonstrate that Ms. Marschak's experience is hardly unique. Sadly, it
is all too common. The Fire & EMS Department totals hours in which
emergency rooms are not available to ambulance traffic. (Typically, the
emergency room remains open when this occurs, but not to ambulances.)
The closure/diversion rates are a good shorthand measure of how
overloaded our area's emergency rooms are. There are numerous reasons
why this can occur even under ideal circumstances, and the situation was
not unheard of prior to April 2001. Since the signing of the contract
with Greater Southeast Community Hospital, however, the situation has
taken a dramatic turn for the worse.
A summary of our findings can be found on my web site at http://www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/catania/dcgeneral.
There you'll find three charts, each proving a substantial increase in
diversions and closure since April. As I wrote above, the closure and
diversion rates are a good shorthand measure of the situation at our
hospitals, but they are useless without details like those from Ms.
Marschak. If you have any questions about the health care system, or if
you have your own experiences to share, please contact my office at
724-7772.
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My sister worked at Greater Southeast as a PRN contract nurse. After
three weeks of doing contract work she has decided to call it quits.
She describes poor patient care, doctors who do not visit patients,
and nurses who are uncaring and overworked. Patients are allowed to stay
in bed all day. For example a gentleman who had undergone surgery was
not taken out of his bed for two weeks. While she has not witnessed any
deaths from neglect she has indicated that it is bond to happen anytime
soon. Greater Southeast is not prepared to handle the new influx of
patient care. Has the Mayor done a walk through to see how the new
system is working. My sister has reported that nurses have to mix there
own prescriptions and that equipment failure is commonplace. Do the
residents of the District of Columbia deserve this sort of treatment? I
think not. Mr. Mayor please take a walk though to see what you have paid
for!
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The thought of being an Oregonian again after eleven years lacking
Congressional representation does bring a warm glow to my heart.
However, Oregon does have income tax. No sales tax, though; is that
enough to commend it?
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Water and Sewer
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
In the recent floods, some District residents learned a bit about the
water and sewer system. Here’s some info, mostly drawn from Wilhelmus
B. Bryan’s A History of the National Capital, from 1914. Until
1831, DC citizens got their water from "the rich gifts of nature of
underground springs." At that time, water was brought to federal
buildings from a spring two miles north of the capitol and from springs
in Franklin Park. As the population grew and water supplies became
tighter, some residents tapped into the federal flow. Until 1850, the
sewers from the White House and federal buildings in that area drained
onto the mall “where the flow stagnated and made a marsh.” (Now you
know the real reason people imagined a "swamp" there.) In
1851, sewers were directed down 17th Street to the canal. The sewers
from the post-office and patent office crossed 9th St. and dumped into a
branch of the Tiber Creek. City leaders were concerned because the
waterways were unfenced and people occasionally fell in. The city first
built sewers for drainage purposes by enclosing open streams into brick
conduits. In 1860, a third of Washington City sewage drained into the
city canal through these surface drains. Luckily, Bryan reported,
“there was no outbreak of disease until the spring of 1857. . . . It
was caused by poisonous gases from obstructed sewers and was confined in
its extent to those in the building.” Bryan says the relative “good
health of the city” was because residents used the box rather than
vault privies. “Night soil” was dumped away from population
concentrations at 15th and R, NW, until in 1855 it was taken to 14th and
Florida and Georgia Ave. to be treated for "agricultural
purposes." (Yards in these areas may have mighty rich soil!)
Between 1853 and 1863, the Washington Aqueduct System -- composed of
a conduit, two sedimentation reservoirs, and water mains -- was
constructed. Montgomery C. Meigs of the US Army Corps of Engineers was
chief engineer. The total cost was about three and one-half million
dollars, but problems with getting approval for funding, malaria, the
Civil War, etc. delayed construction. The Aqueduct System was expected
to last 200 years, but capacity was rapidly exceeded. We can thank
"Boss" Shepherd was installing sewage services to DC
residents. From 1871 to 1873, he and the Board of Public Works built 80
miles of sewers, the B Street Canal and Tiber Creek were covered, and
the open trench know as the James Creek Canal was provided to carry
sewage from South Capitol to the Anacostia River. The Army Corps added
the McMillan Park Reservoir and the Washington City Tunnel (10 meters in
diameter and 4 miles long) between 1882 and 1902. In 1905, a slow-sand
water-filtration method was added at the McMillan Reservoir, and
additional improvements were continually made. In 1918 the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) was formed after DC residents had
started complaining about “fouling streams within the Nation’s
Capital by waste from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties” (http://www.wssc.dst.md.us/about/history.html).
Over the years, a regional system was developed. According to Dr. Myron
Uman, until 1938 when the Blue Plains treatment plant (http://www.weta.org/potomac/regions/region8/detail7.html)
was completed (for DC and MD suburbs), raw sewage was dumped into the
rivers. Even after that, the system was overburdened and raw sewage was
— and is — still dumped into the rivers from time to time. Even so,
conditions are better now than before. Uman said that in the 1970s
treatment technology was improved and recreational boating and bass fish
returned to the river. By the early 1980s, bottom vegetation returned
and fish populations increased.
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WASA Worked
Howard Ways, Office of Planning, Howard.Ways@dc.gov
Kudos to Libby Lawson of WASA for getting a water meter manhole cover
replaced in less than twenty-four hours a couple of weeks ago. The hole
was in a very heavily pedestrian traveled section of Minnesota Avenue
and was an extreme safety risk.
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Uh-oh... None of those hallowed entertainers [“Still Performing
After All These Years,” August 19] were from DC. Did that violate your
ground rules on comment? Can't argue with, indeed I applaud, your
choices except possibly Wally Cox. However, if you zero in on DC musical
entertainers, consider such as Al Jolson, Duke Ellington (and his
original band members), Kate Smith, John Philip Sousa, Charlie Rouse,
Sonny Stitt, and many guys who played in bands like Woody Herman's and
Stan Kenton's. Others gigged often in DC like Emmylou Harris, Roberta
Flack, etc., etc.
When the demise of One Step Down was noted last year, it made me
wonder where to hear local jazz when I visit DC.
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Re the sale of WDCU. The fault, blame or praise (most believe the
former) lies squarely with then-Control Board Chairman Andrew Brimmer.
He approved the sale to C-Span for about $13 million. It was part of the
plan to erase the UDC financial problems. Then-CFO Anthony Williams
supported the sale. But for most people, it was a tragic loss to UDC and
the local, multicultural, and gospel communities of hometown Washington.
Think of the number of students who learned something of broadcasting,
radio, etc. who have not been taught. What's that worth?
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Before it was WDCU it was WGTB — now that was a great radio
station!
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Techie Life after the Flood
Gabe Goldberg, gabe@gabegold.com
Watching recent storm/flood events, with people not so far from me
devastated by damage, it's been hard to imagine what they're going
through. Diane Lee Schulz's note made it clear that recovery isn't over
when the rain stops and the sun shines. Coincidentally, I'm writing an
article for the Post on personal disaster preparation and recovery
regarding home technology: PCs, networks, etc., perhaps even other home
electronic equipment. I'm interested in hearing what people have done to
prevent damage, how people recover/repair/replace damaged equipment. How
do stores, manufacturers, insurance companies, landlords, whoever,
handle damaged/ruined expensive equipment? Any lessons learned,
wish-I'd-known, wish-I'd-done, insights to share?
Compared to what's happened recently, I had a small event a few years
ago: several cartons of records suffered water damage. I've carted them
through several moves, haven't yet investigated having them
reconditioned. Since the record jackets warped and bonded to the
records, I suspect that the records are either ruined or beyond economic
recovery. Any insights or experiences with that sort of damage would be
relevant. Please reply directly to gabe@gabegold.com
in addition to the list, so I can be sure of catching all responses.
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Just a brief but vital addendum to the recent flood cleanup advice.
Sloshing Clorox around is a good way to disinfect, but please don't mix
it with any other cleaners, particularly ammonia, or anything with
ammonia in it. This creates a poisonous gas which, in a confined space
like a basement, could kill you.
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On DC Statehood and the Constitution
Tom Matthes, tommatthes@earthlink.net
George S. LaRoche asks, “Mr. Matthes, why do you think statehood
requires a constitutional amendment?” First, Article One, Section
Eight empowers Congress to exercise “exclusive Legislation in all
Cases whatsover” over the capital district and this power must be
removed by constitutional amendment for DC to have a legitimate state
legislature, even if a future Congress and president vote to detach part
of it as a state. As a practical matter, such a state would be in danger
of being nullified by a future Congress every two years. Second, the
Constitution only enumerates specific powers to the federal government
and denies it all other powers, so Congress only has the power to assume
jurisdiction over the capital district, not the power to use that
district to create new states. That lack of power holds even if Maryland
consents to DC statehood, unless the Constitution is amended. The
congressional power over the capital district is not plenary; it is
granted for the sole purpose of making Congress independent of any
state, a power compromised by creating a state out of all or part of the
national capital and a matter of concern to every other state in the
Union.
As to which authorities support this viewpoint, there is no authority
higher than the plain words and intent of the Constitution, the
“supreme law of the land,” which every US legislator, executive,
civil servant, soldier, sailor, judge and justice is bound by oath to
uphold. While I have not consulted him, I endorse the “thick
constitution” described by Georgetown Law Professor Mark Tushnet, who
holds that the judiciary has little to add to certain basic parts of the
Constitution. To repeat, he has not endorsed my constitutional viewpoint
and I do not necessarily endorse all his views.
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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
1991 Infiniti G20 -- 4-door deluxe sedan, 106,000 miles. Good, safe,
dependable car, runs well, some body damage, passes DC inspection.
$3,600 or best offer. 364-8897, trudyr222@yahoo.com
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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED TO BUY
Audio Equipment
Michael Johnson, mhcj1@yahoo.com
Does anyone out there know where I might find a used turntable,
amplifier/tuner, and a set of speakers? I've been looking for a while
with no luck.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Parking Space Needed in Dupont
Hillary Brill, hillbrill@hotmail.com
I am in need of a parking space near 17th and Q. Please contact me at
hillbrill@hotmail.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — CAUSES
Volunteer Assistance Corps in Chevy Chase
E. James Lieberman, ejl@gwu.edu
Perhaps Zeke’s house in Chevy Chase would arouse less turmoil and
even encourage neighborhood pride if more people were aware of VAC, the
Volunteer Assistance Corps. Hosted and sponsored by the Chevy Chase
Presbyterian Church since 1980, VAC helps people obtain documents needed
for jobs (birth certificate; non-driver’s ID), transportation to new
jobs, social service referrals, clothing, and food. The clients are
mostly homeless, many in recovery and/or in transition from the
corrections system back to independent living. VAC is open four mornings
a week (closed Thursday and weekends), and serves the first 12
individuals who come — and they come from all around, mostly from the
district, some two or three bus rides away. Each year over 1,500
individuals are assisted by a group of volunteers supervised by the
director, a professional social worker.
Most clients come only once or twice. All but a few come from the
inner city, from shelters or halfway houses or the streets. The vast
majority are courteous and considerate. Rarely is there a problem, and
then only minor ones. VAC exemplifies the workability of social service
programs in diverse settings. Hundreds of people who have no other
reason to come to Chevy Chase are served there, in a setting of dignity,
comfort and practical value. It goes without saying that this is an
appropriate function for a house of worship wherever it may be. Chevy
Chase Presbyterian Church is proud of VAC and the Chevy Chase community
can be also. Your support is invited for the Help the Homeless Walkathon
sponsored by Fannie Mae, to take place downtown on the Mall, on
Saturday, November 17, 2001. For further information call 363-4817.
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Political Outsider to Challenge Mayor
Williams's Ex-Aide in Ward 8 Race
Arthur Jackson, jacksonahjgroup@aol.com
Denise Covington Lewis, a wife, mother, and activist against
ineffective government, is challenging Mayor Tony Williams's ex-aide for
Gay, Lesbian and Transsexual Gender Affairs, Phillip Pannell, for the
presidency of the Ward 8 Democrats. Covington Lewis, a leader in the
Coalition to Save D.C. General Hospital, shocked Ward 8 Democrats on
Saturday August 18, when she announced she is challenging the Mayor's
candidate, Phil Pannell, based on the need to stop the pushing of low
and fixed income African Americans out of Ward 8 and the William's
Administration failure to address issues of concern to the people of
Ward 8, such as D.C. General Hospital, closing of Ward 8 Public Clinics,
decaying schools, holdup of the awarding of a contract for management of
the Senior Citizens Wellness Center and the closing/elimination of 5,000
affordable housing units for low to fixed income African Americans in
Ward 8.
Phil Pannell is expected to run on a handpicked slate organized by
Mayor Williams's advisors, and this slate will be challenged by a
coalition of organizations, tenant and health care activists opposed to
Mayor Williams's handpicking a President and Officers of Ward 8
Democrats. The election is scheduled for Saturday, September 15th, and
volunteers are needed to transport elderly and physically challenged
residents to the polls. Contact Ward 8 Democratic State Committeemember,
Arthur H. Jackson, Jr., 508-1059 or E-mail ahjgroup@earthlink.net.
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