Season of Greetings
Dear Greeters:
I'm happy to report that themail's correspondents have not been
infected with any gooey, goopy, sticky sweet seasonal sentimentality. We
aren't dispensing any of that indiscriminate good will and forgiveness.
We're more like a tough minded Santa Claus — taking names, checking
them twice, finding out who's been naughty and nice, and getting ready
to issue indictments. Auld lang syne isn't going to be forgot by us, and
neither are any auld quarrels, wrongs, or slights.
Are you ready to rumble?
By the way, in case you've always wondered, “auld lang syne”
means simply “old long ago,” or “old times.”
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Why I Won’t Be Voting For Tony Williams Next Year
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
As I look at the performance, and mostly nonperformance, of Mayor
Tony Williams over the past three years, I have concluded that I will
not vote for him next year. The Mayor has done some good things, like
closing DC General and providing needed health care via outside
contracting. Setting up a hybrid School Board and eliminating that
elected School Board packed with self-serving nonentities, looked like
another good thing, but that gang has been the overseers of a $100 M
deficit and now claim that the deficit does not exist. They are trying
to make up for this nonexistent deficit by cutting the school year short
and decimating some programs that help the kids in the public schools.
The Mayor has also done some very dumb things like using funds collected
under the name of a charitable cause for his own political purposes
instead of using them for the intended charitable purposes. If, as the
Mayor claims, he knew nothing about this, then he should accept
responsibility since it occurred on his watch.
The primary reasons I will not vote again for Anthony Williams are:
he has done absolutely nothing to help improve the educational system in
the District; he has made no progress in improving the policing in DC;
he has made no effort to reform the inefficient and ineffective
bureaucracies under his command; he has not even tried a single pilot
program to reform any of the dysfunctional units in the District
government. No, I will not be voting for any those usual suspects, the
empty suits from the “family circle,” who come out of the
woodwork every four years. I would, however, vote for a challenger who
had the background and courage to try to make things in the DC
Government work better. That notwithstanding, I'll pass on the next
mayoral election.
###############
Taxi Fares: Zone or Meter?
Joan Eisenstodt, jeisen@aol.com
In the last few days, I have taken taxis to similar locations from
the Hill and gone more ways than even I knew existed! The zone fares
may, as was pointed out in the Post, may be more expensive for some
rides than what was reported for potential meter fares. My concern is
that rarely do any taxi drivers go the same route, sometimes because, on
the Hill or elsewhere, streets are blocked.
With zone fares, I know what I'm gonna have to pay. With meters, it's
gonna take a lot of second guessing to get a driver to go the way that
may be the best fare, and then hope one will be driven that way. What
can we do?
###############
Trash from Metrobuses
Gloria White, GMarieW@aol.com
Recently my street, which is a bus route, has been the site of an
unusual trash problem . . . torn Metro transfer slips. Several times in
recent weeks our street has been liberally sprinkled with these. It
looks almost as if the driver takes the used transfer slips, tears them
in half and just tosses them out the bus window as they drive down the
street. Is anyone else experiencing this? Comments, suggestions?
###############
Starpower Bait and Switch?
Phil Greene, pgreene@doc.gov
Has anyone had a situation similar to mine occur over the past few
weeks? On December 3d, I got a call from a Denver-based telemarketer
representing Starpower Digital Cable. He was offering what seemed to be
a great deal, digital cable service, all the basic channels plus nearly
a dozen premium channels (such as HBO), digital music channels, first
month free, all for $34.95 a month, first converter box free, $3.99 a
month for extra boxes. It sounded like a good deal, so I agreed to set
up an appointment, however I asked him to fax me the details of the plan
so I could make sure what I was getting into, and he promised to do so.
He handed the call to another Denver-based scheduler, who made an
installation appointment for Thursday, December 6.
Of course, the 6th came and went, no Starpower, my wife having stayed
home all day for nothing. I called the next day (it took me many calls
to figure out whom to talk to), got a run-around for several days, and
have since learned that the local folks have no idea who authorized the
Denver people to offer this deal, what the deal is, etc. Apparently, the
headquarters of the parent company up in New York/New Jersey, RCN, may
have hired this Denver outfit, but there is some kind of disconnect
between Denver and DC. So what is Starpower DC now offering me? A
similar package for $45 a month for the first six months, at which point
the cost jumps another $10 or $15. In short, it's nothing like the plan
that was promised to me over the phone from Denver. I'm still in the
process of talking with them, they're still trying to get to the bottom
of this Denver promotion, however I wanted to know if this has happened
to anyone else.
###############
What Does It Take to Shut Down a Licensed Establishment in DC?
Nick Keenan, Shaw, nbk@gsionline.com
I was a little surprised to read last week that the Foxy Playground
had been shut down -- I thought I read that the place had been shut down
years ago. But the Foxy Playground is an example of how liquor is
regulated in DC — there is almost nothing that will cause a licensed
establishment to be closed, and they never seem to stay shut long. The
article in the Post mentioned in passing that the Foxy Playground had
its building declared structurally unsound in February, was found to be
violating the terms of its liquor license in June, and was shut for
health code violations in July. By the evening of the day it was shut in
July, it was operating again, and a patron was shot, leading to another
temporary closure. In November, it was closed again, for violating the
terms of its certificate of occupancy. It should come as no surprise
that he owner was quoted as saying he plans to reopen.
The Foxy Playground has attracted trouble for years. I did a search
for “Foxy Playground” on the Post web site, and here is a
sample of the headlines returned: “Council Member, Club Owners
Embroiled in Dispute” (8/23/01), “Two Killed, Four Hurt in
District Attacks” (7/14/01), “Chief Soulsby's Plan Targets
Seven Neighborhoods” (3/7/97), “$10 Incentive Helps Club Draw
Support at Hearing; Liquor License at Issue for NW Strip Lounge”
(3/6/97), “SE Man, 19, Killed in Greenway Shooting” (9/4/91), “Man Killed in NW Club, Guard Said to Be Involved” (9/1/91),
“22 DC Businesses Hit in Alcohol Crackdown, Stores Allegedly Sold
Liquor to Minors” (3/31/91), “Body of Hyattsville Woman
Identified” (12/2/87), “An Infant's Disturbing Death,
Questions Raised on Handling Child Abuse” (7/26/87), “Officer's Handgun Was Not Registered, Questions Arise About
Nightclub Shooting” (10/15/86), “DC Officer Kills Man Outside
NW Nightclub, Off-Duty Policemen Left Bar with Victim” (10/7/86).
###############
A Couple Images of Christmas Past in Washington City
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
Apparently, in the early 1800s, “idle” Washington City
residents enjoyed playing with gun-power this time of year. In 1828,
Mayor Joseph Gales, Jr. issued the following Proclamation: “A
PROCLAMATION. Mayor's Office, Washington, Dec. 23, 1828. WHEREAS it has
been too much the habit of idle and inconsiderate persons, on Christmas
and New Year's Day and Eve to indulge in firing off guns, pistols,
squibs, and crackers, and burning of gun-powder in divers other ways, to
the great annoyance of the peaceable inhabitants of this city, and to
the manifest danger of their persons and property — all which
practices, where they are not contrary to the express ordinances of the
corporation, amount to ‘disorderly conduct,’ and as such are
punishable by law: Now, therefore, with a view to prevent such
disorderly practices, I, Joseph Gales, jr. Mayor of Washington, do
enjoin upon all Police Constables, Ward Commissioners, and others, whose
duty it is to preserve peace and good order, to be diligent in the
execution of their several duties, and to apprehend and bring to justice
all persons so offending against the laws. Given under my hand, at the
City of Washington, this 23d day of December, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight. Dec 24 — JO. GALES, jr.
Mayor.” (From An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of
Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera, Library of Congress)
For three great photographs of Christmas at the main Washington post
office, taken by Arthur Rothstein in 1938, go to the American Memory
collection at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ammemhome.html
and type into
the “search” box the words “Washington, DC Handling
Christmas packages at the main post office.”
###############
Support for Cut in School Year
Larry Gray, liberal47@juno.com
As a lead opponent of the School Board Governance changes last year,
let me suggest your attack on the Board of Education for the “unanticipated” annual shortfall in the DC school budget is
excessive if not dead wrong. During last years school debates I said the
financial management structure of this city is designed to fail to
deliver for our children. They are victims of this system but so is the
hybrid school board. I fully support the unanimous vote of the Board
which declares for all to see, that 183 days of high quality education
for every child may not be possible within allowed finances. We may be
forced to shorten the school year rather than gut school reform efforts
and fire up to 600 newly hired teachers. This option still only saves
$9.8 million but it affects everyone equally. Alternative selective cuts
of either 6 percent or 3 percent in combination with firings of teachers
would have disproportionately affected our largest schools in our
poorest neighborhoods where most of our children reside. That approach
violates fairness and District law. The school system does not control
its own financing through local tax authority, as do 75 percent of all
school districts. It cannot obtain reliable spending information from
the school system CFO. He works for the city's CFO who works for the
Mayor. This is a chronic problem which has yet to be corrected.
Half the Board of Education is selected by the Mayor and half
elected. We were told this combination would lead to budget transparency
and accountability. We must support this group of well intentioned
citizens to arrive at the truth. Pending the results of an independent
audit requested by the Board, the only alternative available was to
enact standby budget cuts which would cause the least harm to the
District's children. This they did. Direction for these cuts was
provided by the Council in budget hearings last year when a
Patterson/Ambrose amendment eliminated twice-a-year testing and funds
for Summer School. The Council also directed reductions of $17 million
dollars in transportation costs and cuts in Special Education funds.
Central Administration funding has been reduced from almost 11 percent
of the annual school budget to around 3 percent. Still the Mayor
undercut the Superintendent's budget by $31 million.
An increase in the school budget request for SY 2002-2003 can be
expected to exceed $100 million to reflect the actual spending of DC's
schools plus Superintendent transformation initiatives. There must be a
commitment to education in the District that lasts more than 365 days at
any one time. Only the Board of Education, the Education and Libraries
Chairman Kevin Chavous and the Mayor working together can bring that
about. Medicare payments have been disallowed ($38 million). A long
overdue teacher pay raise is taking effect ($9.5 million). An
arbitration award to support staff has finally been ordered ($9
million). Coupled with increased costs for Charter Schools exceeding
those allowed neighborhood schools and burgeoning special education
needs; the school system under Dr. Vance deserves relief. The blame game
must end! We must support “every child” with “one
voice.” Full funding of education must be the District's top
priority to truly become a world class Capital City.
###############
Gabe Fineman pointed out that the new section of Porter Road was
built in accordance with FHA standards for roads with 50 mph speed
limits. I suspect that the city, in true Orwellian fashion, will address
this problem by raising the speed limit from 25 to 50!
As for the mayoral decision not to rebuild Klingle Road, maybe
themail should sponsor a contest so we can guess which celebrity donor
the refurbished Klingle Valley will be named in honor of. Will it be Tim
Russert? Mary McGrory? Whoever it is, I hope they don't mind if we
riff-raff park in their driveways so that we can visit their own
personal nature preserve.
###############
Klingle Road Redux
Ann Loikow, Cleveland Park,
Gabe Finerman stated that “(B)ecause Klingle Road is
closed” his street (Porter) “is being structurally rebuilt to
promote speeding in order to increase traffic flow,” “neighboring streets are filled with frustrated drivers trying to
bypass this needless traffic bottleneck,” “the District is
even more divided between east and west that it need be,” and “a few people have a calm place to walk their dogs while I and
hundreds of my neighbors have the roar of traffic racing over
innumerable concrete groves.”
As the Mayor and DPW recognized in making their decision to keep the
closed portion of Klingle Road closed to automobile traffic, development
and traffic in the Cleveland Park area have dramatically increased over
the ten years that Klingle Road has been closed to traffic for reasons
that have nothing to do with Klingle Road’s closing (it was flooded
out 11 years ago as it is a very narrow right of way just a few feet
from the creek running through Klingle Valley). In addition to the
current development on the Cathedral Close (which includes the 100,000
sq. ft. athletic center for NCS currently under construction and,
according to the 1999 Cathedral Master Plan, will include a conference
center, additional offices for the Diocese and tourist facilities,
parking garages and improvements to the three Cathedral schools), GFS
Realty, Inc. (Ahold/Giant Food) is redeveloping the Friendship Shopping
Center at Wisconsin and Newark Streets, NW, the Sikh's are building a
temple on Mass. Avenue and Alban Towers, a major apartment complex at
Wisconsin and Massachusetts Avenues, is reopening after being closed for
years, with additional townhouses being built in back. There also has
been significant development along portions of Connecticut Avenue,
particularly around Van Ness, along Wisconsin Ave. in Glover Park, in
Tenley and Friendship Heights, and the International Center at Van Ness
and Reno Road (34th Street extended) is almost at capacity with several
new embassies to open soon.
All this development adversely impacts the road system in the area.
The issue is much more than a few people losing a shortcut and being
diverted onto Porter Street. As a 22-year resident of the area, I can
say from personal experience that there are more cars in the
neighborhood than there were when Klingle was closed. This is most
likely due to there being more cars per household and per dwelling (due
in part to an increase in the number of single family houses adding
legal or illegal apartments or becoming group homes). Problems with
finding on-street parking, even on streets with residential parking
restrictions, are a indication of this. Most of the traffic on Porter
and other neighborhood streets is not traffic diverted from Klingle
Road. Traffic generators and traffic patterns have changed over the past
decade as described above and traffic volume will be intensifying due to
the other development in upper northwest and Chevy Chase under
construction or being planned.
DPW has been working with the community on ways to calm the traffic
and divert through traffic back to major arterials such as Connecticut
Avenue. One recent example is the restriping of the lower portion of the
34th Street/Reno Road corridor. This has had the effect of slowing
traffic and making the corridor less of a “shortcut” than it
has been in the past. DPW is working with the ANC and residents of
Porter on how to include traffic calming devices on the rebuilt Porter
Street. I should add that Porter Street was not rebuilt to promote
speeding but rather because, like many DC streets, it was falling apart.
###############
Peoples Involvement Corp. Cuts Ribbon on Rittenhouse Condos
Malcolm L Wiseman. Jr., wiseman@us.net
Peoples Involvement Corporation, a Community Development Corporation
(CDC) focused on the Georgia Avenue corridor in DC, held a
ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday to welcome new homeowners to the
Rittenhouse Condominiums (www.piccdc.org).
The occasion was
well-attended by community leaders, councilmember Adrian Fenty, Mayor
Williams, and regular Joe-citizens. The brand new units are spacious and
bright and feature walk-to Safeway shopping, post office, and other
services. Chief among the amenities is an overlook onto the historic
Fort Stevens Civil War battlefield, where occurred the only instance of
a U.S. president (Lincoln) being fired upon in battle.
The condo has sold briskly and only a few of the 17 units remain. The
prices are affordable, so you better hurry. As I stated in a previous
post to themail, some CDC's, however troubled with finances and
paperwork they may be, do get the job done and deserve your support.
###############
Public Art
Malcolm L. Wiseman, Jr., wiseman@us.net
[In reply to Anne Heutte's post, themail, December 19]: Speaking of
the art that decorates the H Street overpass just east of N. Capital
Street: it is colorful, to me cubistic and gives one pause to ponder.
It's been there for years. To Anne Heutte I say, “Everyone won't
like everything.” I could be wrong, but I believe some local school
or organization had something to do with its production.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Conservationists: Live in Nature While You Work to Save It
Mary Vogel, maryvogel@yahoo.com
Conservationists wanted to share 3BR, 2.5BA home only ten minutes to
downtown DC. Huge bedroom with walk-in closet and balcony. Finished
basement, large screened porch, hardwood floors and beautiful woodwork
throughout. Clothesline, storm windows, composter, water and shower
filters, houseplants, native plants and low-e light bulbs are
resource-conserving amenities. CAC, DW, FP, W/D as well. Available
January 1. Current lease is through June 2002. Rent is $475 plus
one-third utilities. Strongly prefer vegetarians. Must be willing to
compost vegetable wastes and to conserve, reuse, and recycle resources
and share housework and yard work, including English ivy removal.
Best of both worlds: heavily wooded backyard of big native shade
trees, 1 block to large forested nature park with trails. Clean, safe
neighborhood, with strong sense of community and environmental ethic,
yet convenient to so much. Lovely .8 mile walk or bike ride from Metro
(Orange Line, New Carrollton to Vienna); 20 minutes to Annapolis, 10
minutes to Beltsville, 30 minutes to Baltimore, 7 minute to Beltway;
only 5 minutes to the National Arboretum or Aquatic Gardens. We're
especially convenient to Capitol Hill. I'm active in Sierra Club,
Maryland Native Plant Society and The Potomac Conservancy. I'm also an
environmental planner for the county. I'd like you to be doing your part
too. Call me 301-772-9276 or write maryvogel@yahoo.com.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
Volunteer Recruiting
Susan Russell-Smith, pcamw@juno.com
Prevent Child Abuse of Metropolitan Washington (PCA/MW) is dedicated
to empowering children and families to live in a safe and nurturing
environment, free from violence, and to reducing the circumstances that
lead to child maltreatment through public education, community
partnerships, and supportive services. PhoneFriend is a free and
confidential telephone support line for children in metropolitan
Washington, between the ages of 5 and 15, who are home without adult
supervision. It provides comfort and support to children who are lonely,
afraid, or just want to talk. PhoneFriend operates weekdays from 3-9
p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. The Crisis & Family Stress Hotline
is Washington’s oldest 24-hour telephone counseling service, providing
comprehensive crisis intervention, support, referrals and information to
anyone experiencing a crisis or stress.
I am writing to request your assistance in recruiting volunteers.
Since both of our phone lines are staffed exclusively by volunteers, it
is critical that we find conscientious, concerned Washingtonians to aid
us in providing support and counseling to the hundreds of needy callers
we talk to each month. Volunteers are provided with extensive training
in counseling, listening, and problem-solving skills, as well as with
supervised practical experience. The next training sessions for both
PhoneFriend and the Crisis and Family Stress Hotline will begin in the
end of January.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at
223-0020. Thank you for your support on behalf of the children and
families we serve.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Yet Another Suggestion, Please: Mover
Dru Sefton, drusefton@hotmail.com
The good news: I've finally found a great apartment on Dupont!
Huzzah! So I won't need to be pestering all you good people anymore
about real estate, etc. The bad news: I need one more recommendation,
please — anyone know of a reliable yet inexpensive mover? And happy
holidays!
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, or to
switch between HTML and plain text versions of themail, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should also be submitted to themail@dcwatch.com,
and should be about life, government, or politics in the District of
Columbia in one way or another. All postings must be signed in order to
be printed, and messages should be reasonably short — one or two brief
paragraphs would be ideal — so that as many messages as possible can
be put into each mailing.