Accountability Never

Dear Accountants:

Last year, a number of people campaigned to replace our democratically elected school board with the present system. Then, the proponents of Charter Initiative #3 used the slogan, “Accountability Now.” The Mayor and the Councilmembers who supported the Initiative begged to be held accountable for the condition of our schools. Just dump school board members elected by the people in favor of members appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Council, they said, and then hold us accountable.

This year, those campaigners are ducking and weaving. Last month, Superintendent Paul Vance announced that the standardized test scores for DC students had dropped again, and the accountable people said the usual thing that we have come to expect from them, “Give us more time; it's too soon to expect results.” Last week, Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi announced that the public schools had run up an $80 million deficit in this fiscal year. That terrible, irresponsible, democratically elected school board we got rid of never ran such a high deficit, or hid it until the last few weeks of the fiscal year, the way our shiny new hybrid board has. Last week, the accountable people were nowhere to be found. "Who, us?" they ask, "Don't look at us. That was just campaign rhetoric. You didn't think we meant it, did you?" At the press conference announcing the deficit, the Mayor was nowhere to be seen; he was hiding away, and he still hasn't come forward to bear the responsibility. The Councilmembers who campaigned for the new system — Council Chairman Linda Cropp, Kevin Chavous, Kathy Patterson, and Sharon Ambrose — claimed complete ignorance. “Nobody tells us anything,” they said, “we're not accountable for the schools.” Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, who pushed hard to eliminate elected school board members, was quiet as a mouse, although if she did make a statement I'm sure that it would be that the schools would never have run a deficit if she had a vote on the floor of Congress.

Well, Mr. Mayor, Councilmembers, Madame Delegate, if you're too shy to step forward to accept the accountability that you begged us to give you, then let us step forward to award it to you. You're accountable. This is your system, your responsibility, and your fault. What are you going to do about it now?

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Question on 27th Street, NW
Greg Jones, gmon6612@aol.com

I've been out of town for a couple of weeks, so this question may have already been asked and answered. If so, I apologize. After the heavy rains of last month the city closed 27th Street, NW, at its intersection with Broad Branch, NW. It is still closed. As this street is one I (and many others) have used for commuting for several years, I'd like to know: why the street is closed; and whether there are any plans (or a schedule) to reopen it. Is this going to morph into another Klingle Street situation, where the street is closed (apparently) permanently for the benefit of a favored few? Keeping it closed will not have any significant impact on traffic. Since the street's closure, I (and many others) have simply been taking the right hand turn immediately prior to 27th Street (Grant Road?), which takes us directly through Rock Creek Park to Military Road, instead of along its perimeter.

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Taxing Maryland Commuters
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com

There's a simple, and legal, way of extracting some dollars from Maryland commuters to add to the D.C. coffers. The source of this revenue will come from those Maryland drivers who have made Dalecarlia Parkway the Indianapolis Speedway during the morning and evening rush hours. This two lane divided road, between Westmoreland Circle and Sibley Hospital has a speed limit of 40 miles per hour, not shabby for an inner city roadway. You'd never know that the speed limit is 40 based on observations in the morning and afternoon as commuters from Maryland routinely fly along at 55 and more miles per hour in both the passing lane and in the right hand lane.

A very simple speed monitoring device, set up westbound in the a.m. and eastbound in the p.m., backed up by a couple of strategically hidden police cars, would result in about $100 to $150K over the first month of operations. Set this up a few times a year and we will have some real cash to help pay for that incredible, outrageous, out of control school budget overrun of $80 million.

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Rider Report
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

It’s that time again! Like clockwork, a yearly event to bring out the feistiest residents, to form phone chains, etc. The current federal review process of local DC tax money is insulting to DC’s elected officials and to the citizens who elected them. This year, I prepared a “Citizens’ Guide to the Congressional Appropriations Process for Washington, District of Columbia,” which is posted at http://www.dcwatch.com/richards/010907.htm. It is part of a larger effort by Stand Up for Democracy in DC Coalition’s campaign to “Free DC’s Budget,” (http://www.standupfordemocracy.org) being kicked off with a press briefing on Monday at noon at DC’s Capitol building, the John A. Wilson Building, at 1350 PA Avenue NW. (The Council moved back to the Wilson Building this weekend.) After, residents will walk to Capitol Hill and deliver a bipartisan consensus letter calling on Congress to eliminate all riders.

In the “Rider Report” I sorted some of the annual riders by category (as I saw it) and tried to explain them in plain English. For exact legislative language, go to http://www.thomas.loc.gov and read the 2001 bill. In Round 1 of FY2002 House Appropriations Subcommittee review, 35 riders were cut — fewer than half. I don’t know which ones yet. More riders could be added in full Committee this week — we’ll see. My purpose for writing this report is to encourage discussion about the details of the current federal review process of DC’s laws and budget and to encourage DC citizen involvement. I have cited the work of other scholars liberally, but any errors are mine. I don’t claim this to be a perfect report. Others sources may have other facts and points to add and further the discussion -- I welcome information. Many of the riders, in fact, look like things that should be done routinely, and some are. But, legislating by rider is not acceptable. DC residents shouldn’t sit on the sidelines and let this continue year after year. We need to learn as much as we can about this and figure out how to level the playing field. It’s time to make the phone lines ring in our Congressional oversight committees.

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Trees
Richard Layman, Northeast DC, richlaymandc@yahoo.com

What happens in AU Park doesn't happen everywhere in the City. I always have problems with over-generalizations, and postings to themail are no different. A few weeks ago, Marc Fisher of the Post wrote almost exactly the same column about trees that Ed Barron recreated in his post to the most recent issue of themail, talking about “tree guardians.” Fisher contrasted what happened in AU Park, where a bunch of recently planted trees died, and in another part of Northwest, where the community association assigned helpers to each tree, and where each tree still lives. (Note: Georgetown seems to be doing something as well for the recently planted trees on M Street, NW; each of which has a “treegator” device which provides a means for slow watering.)

I wrote to Fisher stating that none of the trees in my neighborhood planted either last year or this year have guardians, and all are thriving. The one in front of my house doesn't get watered enough by me, because I don't have an outside faucet. But it has doubled in height (almost) in sixteen months. So have the others planted at the same time. And the trees planted this year, also on 6th Street, NE, seem to be doing just as well. I am in favor of tree guardians. And I was just about to go buy a tree myself, when the City planted one in the tree box directly in front of my house. But don't assume that all the trees planted are dying because they don't have assigned helpers.

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Oversight, Overlooked, and Over-based
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net

If you have kids in area colleges, perhaps they can win a prize in a contest to propose better ways for the Congress to perform its oversight of the District. Anything would be an improvement. If you have kids in DC public schools, you should take a good look at Vance's new “business plan for strategic reform.” It is a big improvement, even though it overlooks the need to try to “reclaim” some of the 40,000 high school dropouts over the past twenty years that are now the parents of current enrollees. And if you are a taxpayer with kids, perhaps you should get interested in encouraging Congress and the Defense Department to close their surplus military bases in urban areas, such as those East of the Anacostia that prevent DC economic growth. These and other somewhat offbeat perspectives (as well as photos of Dr. Omer's award ceremony) enliven the September update of the NARPAC web site at http://www.narpac.org. Let up on the negatives. Get positively involved.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

Beth Chai’s Jewish Humanist High Holiday Services
Peggy Robin, probin@adlerbooks.com

Interested in celebrating your Jewish identity without having to conform to a particular set of beliefs? Beth Chai is a Jewish Humanist congregation in the Washington, DC metropolitan area that welcomes participants who have a diverse range of views on their Jewish heritage. What characterizes Beth Chai members is not a prescribed attitude about a supreme being, but a shared sense that the power to change the world for the better comes from the inhabitants of this earth, rather than from anything supernatural. Many interfaith couples and families have found a home in the Beth Chai community.

You are welcome to try out Beth Chai's uniquely warm and inclusive services for the High Holidays with $25 tickets for first-time visitors. All services held at River Road Unitarian Church 6301 River Road, Bethesda (entrance on Whittier Blvd.). Rosh Hashanah, Family Service: Tuesday, September 18 at 9:30 am. Rosh Hashanah Adult Service: Tuesday, September 18 at 10:30 am. (Free childcare is available) Kol Nidre Service: Wednesday, September 26 at 7:30 p.m. Yom Kippur Family Service: Thursday, September 27 at 9:30 am. Yom Kippur Adult Service: Thursday, September 27 at 10:30 am. (Free childcare is available) For more information or to learn about Beth Chai's Sunday School leading to Bar/Bat Mitzvah, visit www.bethchai.org or call 459-2122.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

From Hither to Yon
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com

Need to get from where you are to some other place in D.C. and don't know how to get there via public transportation Metro Bus and Metro)? Just log onto http://www.wmata.com/, click on Riderguide, and fill in the to and from blanks, and you'll get a customized routing with bus numbers or Metrorail Stations.

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CLASSIFIEDS -- CAUSES

Knitting Program at Bancroft Elementary
Peg Blechman, blechman@ACCESS-BOARD.GOV

Now that the school year has started, the Potomac Craftsmen Guild Knitting Program at Bancroft is all set to go for its third year! Last year, our Knitting Teacher worked with one 3rd/4th grade class from January - June. Thanks to your support and a generous donation from Abe Pollin, we paid the Knitting Teacher for her work last year, and we can pay her to work twice a week with the 3rd/4th grade class for three months. The Knitting Teacher is a certified Waldorf Handwork Teacher - she's a wonderful teacher who has a solid curriculum of projects that the students have loved knitting. Last year the beginners learned how to knit by making stuffed animals -- a chick, a cat and a frog. The experienced knitters knit a multicolored bag for their recorder. We also started a partnership with the Washington Waldorf School; their 7th graders came to the school to help teach knitting to the students.

This year, we'd considering expanding the program. We'd like to add one second grade class so that we can evaluate the role of knitting in learning how to read and do math for elementary students. We'd also like to add one fifth grade class so that we can teach crocheting to the students who know how to knit. This Knitting Program has been a huge success - the students are so proud of their work! But we need your assistance to pay the Knitting Teacher and expand the program. Please consider donating to the program — even $5 to $25 a month for this school year (October - June) would really help. Send your tax deductible donation to the Potomac Craftsmen Guild c/o Gail Roehm, Treasurer, 8028 Fenway Road, Bethesda, MD 20817. Contact me if you have any questions.

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Fair Taxes for D.C.
David Schwartzman, dws@scs.howard.edu

Fair Taxes for D.C. is building a grassroots campaign to make our local tax burden more progressive and capable of meeting essential needs of our residents, including restoring and expanding the safety net, full funding for our schools, and programs for affordable housing. We want to come to your ANC and community/social service organization to discuss our proposals: 1) Repeal the Tax Cut that gives most of the benefit to wealthy individuals and corporations (Tax Parity Act of 1999); this fiscal year it will reduce revenue by $150 million, for FY 2002 the CFO projects a reduction of $200 million, nearly a $1 billion cumulative reduction when fully phased in by FY 2004! 2) Lower sales tax rate on essentials, the most regressive of our local taxes, Raise the DC Earned Income Tax Credit to 25% of the federal credit, which we expect to be implemented this year, pending Congressional approval. 3) Calculate the District income tax as a percentage of the federal income tax payment, thereby making it more progressive and capable of giving tax relief to low income and working class residents while generating badly needed revenue.

The Fair Taxes for D.C. Plan has been endorsed by the following organizations: Center for Community Change, DC Alliance for Democracy, DC Coalition for Housing Justice, DC Statehood Green Party, Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington, Metro DC Committee of Correspondence, Project South, Stand for Our Neighbors. For more information, E-mail FairTaxesforDC@union.org.za or call 829-9063 (ask for David).

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