The Campaigns Are Here
Dear Campaigners:
The political season is upon us, and the candidates' campaigns are
sputtering into gear. The cardinal rule of politics for incumbents, or
at least one of the cardinal rules, is that you either run unopposed or
you run scared. Several incumbent politicians are running unopposed, and
a few are running with healthy opposition, but none seems to be running
scared. That is not necessarily because DC's incumbent politicians have
satisfied the electorate, but because the incumbents can be assured that
their challengers will receive little or no attention in the press.
Let's give all the candidates some attention here in themail and on
the DCWatch web site. DCWatch will publish all the campaign materials
(except for fundraising appeals) that any candidate publishes and
provide links to the candidates' own web sites (the election home page
is http://www.dcwatch.com/election2002).
If you get any letters, flyers, brochures, or position papers that we
haven't published, please forward them; and if you want to praise or
condemn any candidate, or publicize any campaign event, please let us
all know by writing to themail.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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District Government Giveaway
Jonetta Rose Barras, rosebook1@aol.com
The District government can’t finance this year’s summer school.
But it is allowing the Jos-Arz Therapeutic Public Charter School to keep
millions of dollars for students who were never enrolled in the
Northeast-based institution. Further, last week the DC Council’s
Committee on Economic Development gave preliminary approval for a $16
million bond sale that would benefit the Jos-Arz school. This all occurs
as the DC Board of Education is expected to approve a recommendation to
place the school on probation, according to government sources and
documents.
The Jos-Arz, founded by Gwen and Rollie Kimbrough — apparently
major political players — claimed in 2000 through 2001 that it would
serve 190 special education children, who would have been diagnosed with
emotional disturbance/behavior disorders and who required residential
care. Following the charter school laws, the city allocated more than
$10.4 million to fund the education for that number of children. But
there was never any residential facility at Jos-Arz where children could
spend the night. Further, during the 2000-2001 school year, only 18
students were actually served by the school, according to government
documents. Consequently, Jos-Arz was obligated, by law, to return, a
portion of its advance. When the DCPS went to collect, the council and
mayor came to its rescue. Emergency legislation was introduced and
approved by the full council that protected the charter school against
any demand for the return of all funds. Instead the school was required
to reimburse the city for only half of the original allocation. The
legislation also allowed for advance funding, which meant in the end
Jos-Arz had to pay back only about $3 million or $4 million. It still
has not made that reimbursement, according to school and executive
branch sources. There are other financial arrangements that are
troubling and have caused some DCPS officials to recommend probation.
Among issues of concern is an $882,000 rental payment for the building
where the school is located that was made to a nonprofit organization on
whose board Rollie Kimbrough sits. And, a contract to provide
transportation services went to a company that is owned, at least in
part, by Gwen Kimbrough. For the full story, log on to the Barras Report
at http://www.jrbarras.com.
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It Won’t Make Any Difference
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
The plan to redo all the schools in the District, one in each ward,
over the next several years is a flawed plan. Admittedly many of the
schools are in poor condition. But you could make all of the schools in
the District a collection of Taj Mahals and it would not make a damn bit
of difference in the quality of the educational programs, nor would it
make any of the students better educated. The school system needs to
find the best ways to spend its limited budget and to spend it most
wisely. The wasted money spent on special education is a clear case of
getting no bang for our tax bucks.
A far better plan is to refurbish those schools that need
improvements in safety/security, and energy efficiency. The rest of the
capital budget should be spent in acquiring and supporting the best
teachers we can hire — teachers who know how to teach. To spend moneys
on making the schools new and nice won't make any difference in what is
really important — educating our kids. The secret to quality education
is what happens in the classrooms, not what the buildings look like.
Take a look at some of the successful charter schools. They are
achieving good educational outcomes in facilities that are substandard
even when compared to the District's public schools.
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The New Little Blue Thing on the Light Pole
Mark Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
When a little blue “hockey puck-like” thing appeared at the top
of the ugly steel highway light pole in front of my condominium, my
first thought was that DC might be putting in a civil defense/alert
system. Was it a blue light similar to those on police cars? In fact, my
imagination is working overtime. I believe this device controls the
timing of the streetlight! I suppose I would never have thought this
“little blue thing” might relate to emergency planning before Sept.
11. But after Sept. 11, I notice and wonder about things. I have also
read that insurance rates appear to be rising. I'm wondering how other
people are feeling in the post-September 11 era-how are people living,
reacting, preparing — or not. Apparently, I'm not the only one with
this topic on the brain. Are we prepared?
The Washington Post poll of DC residents that I cited in the
previous issue of themail revealed that Washington, DC, residents are
the most nervous of residents of all cities nationally about a new
terrorist attack. Twenty-seven percent feel not too or not at all safe,
and only 27 percent feel very safe. But most (70 percent) feel at least
somewhat safe. Sixty-three percent said they are concerned about another
terrorist attack in the Washington area. And 5 percent have seriously
considered leaving DC because of concerns about terrorism; 11 percent
talked about it; and 84 percent have not considered the issue seriously.
I understand that some are postulating a scenario in which an area of
a few blocks gets hit with a dirty bomb with radiological, chemical, or
biological agents. God forbid. Planning ahead with common sense measures
is worthwhile, if only psychologically. We definitely don't want panic
in the face of an emergency. I believe the first thing to do in case of
such an (hopefully) unlikely event is to take shelter. In most cases of
contaminants in the air, it may not smart to immediately flee on the
emergency exit routes (“event routes”) that are being printed in the
newspapers these days. I think it is probably smart to keep tape in your
home so one can seal any leaky windows; have water; a battery powered
radio to find out what is happening and what to do; flashlights/lights
with extra batteries, etc. . . . items one should have for any type of
emergency. As a reminder, the DC government's emergency planning
information is located at: http://www.washingtondc.gov/citizen/preparedness/index.shtm.
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Stolen Medals at the Vietnam Wall
Annie McCormick, amccormick@itic.org
We went to visit the Wall on Monday, May 27, around 4:15 to 5:45 p.m.
As you know, many things are left at the wall. We noticed that someone
had left a Purple Heart, a Silver Star, and a Distinguished Flying
Cross. There were also two other medals — one I think was the Vietnam
Service Medal and another medal in one box. When we went back on Tuesday
around 5:45 p.m. the medals were gone! Someone had ripped the Medals off
their ribbons in their boxes and taken them, leaving the ribbons in the
boxes. To get to the Purple Heart, they had to open the plastic zip lock
bag, and open up the box to rip it off the ribbon. Has anyone ever heard
of something this despicable happening? No one saw this happen? Aren't
there Park Rangers to watch out for these type of low life scum? Isn't
this a crime?
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Why the DMV Can’t Succeed
Shaun Snyder, Chevy Chase, shaunsnyder@starpower.net
Here's why the DMV can't be a popular agency: no one needs it! My car
would still run even if it didn't have valid registration stickers on
it. Actually, it would run if it didn't have license plates. And I would
still know how to operate a motor vehicle if I didn't have that little
piece of plastic called a driver's license. The problem is that a
successful trip to the DMV produces no net benefit, just a continuation
of the status quo for me. How can that ever be something people like?
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Bring Back Tippett
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
A few years ago, when it was time to replace the last Fire Chief for
fraud and other crimes, we had a very sound candidate in the ranks of
the DC Fire Dept. His name was Tom Tippett. He was a cinch to be
selected as the new Fire Department Chief until he drew a line in the
sand about the number of persons who should be riding on fire trucks
responding to a call. Push came to shove and Tippett resigned. He seemed
to be an ideal candidate with great support from the ranks of the Fire
Department. Perhaps he is available to come back to DC as the next
Chief.
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The Capitol Hill Dawgs opened their 2002 maiden season in the Prince
George's County Senior Babe Ruth League with a resounding 17-2 win over
Fort Washington in a game played at Cosca Park (PG County). Clyde
"CJ" Bailey led the Dawgs with a sterling mound performance,
allowing only four hits in a complete game victory (seven innings).
Bailey struck out nine batters and walked only two, exhibiting excellent
command of his fast ball. Leading the Dawgs' 18-hit offensive attack
were Justin Lazenby (three hits, including a double and triple, three
runs scored, along with three RBIs) and Aaron Scott (two hits, two RBIs,
two runs scored). James Freeman, Kelvin Bigesby, and Calvin Bigesby also
chipped in with two hits each.
The Dawgs, playing with only one practice session behind them, also
displayed strong defense: Calvin Bigesby played strongly behind the
plate, throwing out one of two runners at second; Justin Lazenby and CJ
Bailey executing a perfect relay and cut set of throws to nail a runner
attempting to advance to second base on a single to right field; and the
team consistently executed infield throws on close plays and run-downs.
Also apparent was the fantastic team speed up and down the Dawgs lineup
that resulted in fifteen stolen bases (three from James Freeman and
Kelvin Bigesby and two each from Franklin Davis, Aaron Scott, Justin
Lazenby, and Calvin Bigesby). Third base coach Al Scott conveyed to the
Dawgs' players a very aggressive offensive philosophy.
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Jack Fletcher wrote some stuff last issue that I take issue with. As
someone from a broken home, I have some experience with the child
welfare system, and I am often uncomfortable about opposing residential
care facilities — especially because neighbors across the country tend
to oppose these kinds of projects as a matter of course. I am also not
knowledgeable about the specifics of the Boys Town issue — it's enough
to keep track of issues in my immediate neighborhood. However, as a
thinking person I do have some serious concerns about some aspects of
the Boys Town project.
First, too many times in this city, form trumps substance in zoning
decisions, usually to the detriment of the impacted neighborhood. Form
may be that these are four separate dwellings and that they could avoid
review as a result, but reality or substance clearly indicates that
these four separate buildings function as one facility. That is how they
should be evaluated from a zoning perspective, and the neighborhood
group was right to press that issue.
Second, the amount of money to be paid to Boys Town for care for each
placed child is $150 or more each day. That seems outlandish to me —
it's over $4,000/month. That should be looked into as well.
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In the May 29 issue, Ms. Dickerson commented favorably about Blue
Plains and wondered what had happened. What's happened is that the
District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority has invested over $100
million in capital improvements, including modifications to the way we
store and handle biosolids (the smelly materials that are a byproduct of
wastewater treatment). Along the way, we've also modified a number of
our chemical storage and handling systems, including eliminating the use
of tank-car delivered chlorine and sulfur dioxide. More improvements are
underway, including updates of our screening and grit removal
facilities, other periodic sources of odors.
We thank Ms. Dickerson for noticing and commenting upon our
improvements. I anticipate that you may well receive other
communications that indicate that we are not completely odor free. This
is true -- no outdoor wastewater treatment plant can fully achieve this
objective. But please be assured that the 1100 DCWASA employees are
working hard to continuously improve our operations and to construct
updated facilities to serve the public and protect the environment. By
the way, tours of Blue Plains are available by calling our Public
Affairs office at 787-2200. You can also take a virtual tour of our
plant at our web site — http://www.dcwasa.com.
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If nothing else, those opposed to reopening Klingle Road have
mastered the art of deceptive language. For example, the two May 30
postings on that subject contain zingers such as “pave Klingle
Valley” (surprise! there's already a paved road there — or are they
suggesting that road advocates want to see the valley's hillsides
covered with asphalt too?) and the one claiming that road proponents
want “Klingle Valley for cars, not people.” Gee, must be those
newfangled, robotic cars they have in mind, certainly none driven by
humans.
I also find their environmental claims a bit specious. For instance,
how would repaving the existing road threaten mature trees, unless the
road were to be widened in the process? And why do they feel that the
runoff from cars on Klingle Road would cause more environmental damage
than the harm resulting from the excessive idling from cars waiting for
lights at, say, Connecticut and Porter — especially since they
maintain that very few cars would use the valley road anyway? Finally,
there's the argument that this topic has been discussed for too long and
that it's now time to move on. I wonder if they'd propose the same to
advocates of DC voting rights/representation. After all, the courts have
ruled on that issue a number of times, so maybe we should all just
accept our colonial status and roll over and play dead.
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To clarify a previous post, the small group of bicyclists that was
referred to in a previous post is not trying to close Rock Creek Park to
autos during the week. They are looking for a test closure during
non-rush hours, a proposal that the Mayor has supported. The group held
morning bike commute rides on Fridays beginning after the morning rush
hours. The group abandoned the late morning rides after several
experiences of automobiles passing the group, crossing the double yellow
line around blind corners, at speeds in excess of 45 mph (note, it's a
designated bike route and a national park, folks). In the interest of
safety for the bicyclists and other road users, the rides were stopped.
However, it's good to hear that those that use the national park for its
intended purpose — as a commute route for single occupancy vehicles
— are not cab drivers, don't run red lights, are good drivers, and
don't drive overheated SUVs. That would make it unique among roads in
this city.
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For Dorothy: Kudos Redux
Barbara Bode, bb@cashcares.com
I agree with John Olinger, and I want to add my praise for Dorothy's
commitment and advocacy. Before Few, there was Newman, and before him,
that trash talker (with no accompanying action) from Illinois, and in
every instance, Dorothy Brizill has done our town's homework and warned
of incompetence and pending problems. I recall a comment from Gary some
time ago that Dorothy's optimism -- her belief that things can be
changed for the better — is what drives her . . . and often leads her
to disappointment. Well, as John notes, Vindication Day!
Virtue triumphs! Thanks, Dorothy, for all you do for all of us.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The 2002 Capital Pride Guide is Available Now
Randy Shulman, rshulman@metroweekly.net
The Official 2002 Capital Pride Guide is available free of charge all
over town at your favorite GLBT (and GLBT-friendly) bars, nightclubs,
restaurants, retail establishments, and nonprofit organizations. For a
look at this year's Pride Guide cover online, please click on http://www.metroweekly.net/covers/prideguide.jpg.
Inside this year's 136-page edition you'll find listings of all the
official Capital Pride Events (as well as some additional events of
interest) beginning on Sunday, June 2, and culminating a week later on
June 9, with the day long festival on Pennsylvania Avenue. You'll also
find a map of the new Saturday night Parade Route; a story on why
changes in the parade took place; a listing of parade participants; a
guide to the Festival Site; a complete listing of festival booths and
vendors; and the entertainment and speaker lineup for both the main
stage and the arts stage; and more.
You'll also find interviews with Hollywood's most outrageous gay
icons, Bruce Vilanch, lesbian folk sensation, Catie Curtis, and dance
diva Pepper MaShay. And don't miss the in-depth story on the volunteers
who continue to make Pride a roaring success. And you'll not want to
miss the 140+ photographs, many in full color, from last year's Pride
Parade and Festival — who knows, you might see your friends... or
yourself!
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June Stein Meeting Room Change
Kurt Vorndran, Kvorn@nteu.org
The Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, NSD, will hold its next meeting
on Monday, June 10th, at 7:00 p.m., at 441 4th Street, NW. The room will
be the first floor conference room (formerly the Council Chambers).
Items on the agenda include endorsements for the Office of DC Delegate
to Congress, Shadow Senator, and Shadow Representative. The Club will
also be addressed by Chad Johnson, Executive Director of the National
Stonewall Democrats. For more information, call 667-0105.
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