The Early Leader
Dear Leaders:
News reports continue to get it wrong. In the past week, television
channels 5 and 9 have both reported that Mayor Williams is running for
reelection without opposition, when in fact twelve other Democratic
candidates, four Republican candidates, and two Statehood-Green Party
candidates have picked up petitions to run for Mayor. There is no doubt
that Mayor Williams is the leader in the horse race, since he is the
incumbent and has raised $1.4 million in campaign funds, the great
majority of which he will never use, but he isn't unopposed.
However, the leader in campaign literature, by far, is Steve Donkin,
one of the Statehood-Green candidates. Williams hasn't distributed any
campaign literature to date, and most of the candidates for any office
have just distributed the blandest of flyers: “Vote for Joe. Joe's for
good things. Joe's a swell fella. Vote for Joe.” Two of Donkin's
flyers, however, have actually been substantive and persuasive on
issues. Look at his flyer on baseball, http://www.dcwatch.com/election2002/donkin05.htm,
and on the Olympics, http://www.dcwatch.com/election2002/donkin06.htm.
Donkin's arguments on both issues are, to paraphrase, that unbiased and
disinterested economists agree that sports are a poor economic
investment for cities, that public funds spent on a baseball stadium or
the Olympics would benefit a few rich investors at the expense of DC
taxpayers, that the money could be better spent on higher and better
priorities, and that the decisions on these issues are being made in
private and by the people who will profit without the participation or
even knowledge of the public. You may agree or disagree with these
arguments, but they are serious and substantive, and deserve to be
addressed and not ignored in an election campaign. At the very least, a
campaign race should be about something aside from how much money
candidates have been able to raise from big-money donors.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Kids-1, Teacher’s Unions-0
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
In a Super Bowl equivalent of a victory the kids of Cleveland, Ohio
will be able to attend private schools using state supplied vouchers.
This means that many more kids will be able to access a decent
education. The people who fought this Supreme Court ruling the hardest
were the Teacher's Unions who sought to protect their jobs, despite the
fact that the public schools are doing a miserable job in providing a
decent education the kids of Cleveland. It is timely for the Feds, who
control the finances of DC to institute a similar voucher program for
the District's kids to allow many more of them to get a good education
offered by many of the area's private schools.
And let's not ignore the results shown in the elementary school in DC
that has achieved some spectacular improvements in test scores. This
school segregates classes by gender, thus eliminating a major
distraction factor. It seems to be working based on the test scores and
mirrors what many single gender schools have been accomplishing for
years. Other DC schools should emulate this practice on a trial basis to
see what the results would be over a two-year period.
###############
DCPS Investigates Wilson HS Grade Changes
Erich Martel, ehmartel@starpower.net
The DC Public Schools has been conducting an investigation into
reports of grade changes and violations of graduation requirements at
Wilson H.S. Here is what their investigation consists of: 1) The
investigators are current or retired DCPS employees. Such an in-house
investigation is not independent of DCPS influence and can make no claim
to disinterested objectivity. 2) The investigators have posted no
clear-cut standards that will guide them in objectively determining
whether questionable courses or grades meet specific Board of Education
graduation requirements. The existence of multiple, often contradictory,
files in the electronic database and hard-copy transcripts with
whiteouts and type-overs and the somewhat disorganized state of records
management at Wilson H.S. mean that decisions will often be arbitrary.
3) The investigators used Wilson H.S. counselors, some of whom are new
to DCPS and Wilson and have admitted their limited knowledge of database
files, to do much of the actual research in student files. An
investigator reportedly told a Wilson teacher that the investigators
were not permitted to look at students' files. 4) The investigators did
not interview me or other teachers who had reported unauthorized grade
changes. On Monday, June 17, I was invited to be interviewed the
following day. When I arrived, I was told by the head of the team that
they would not need to hear from me. To this day, seven weeks after I
sent the first reports of violations to Supt. Vance and his Chief of
Staff, Dr. Seleznow, not one DCPS official has spoken with me. A
colleague reported that the principal told him, that he and presumably
the investigators and all above him have been ordered not to speak with
me about this matter! This is not encouraging. I have taught in the DC
Public Schools since 1969, sixteen years at Cardozo H.S. and since 1985
at Wilson H.S. I have served on national history and social studies
standards panels and reviewed state standards as a consultant for
educational policy organizations, yet top DCPS officials are not allowed
to speak to me!
The absence of an independent investigation and the refusal to seek
information from the teacher who researched and analyzed the information
does not describe a genuine fact-finding investigation. It is fair to
ask how the school system can implement major publicized reforms, when
this is how it responds to reports of serious problems from the schools.
It is also suggests a response in the form of administrative action
aimed at the messenger, instead of taking the message seriously. I must
take this possibility seriously. Teachers and all public servants need
to know that the public wants them to feel empowered to report
mismanagement and corruption to superiors. I have been reliably told
(but without confirmation) that only 43 of 100+ Spingarn H.S. 2002
graduates met all requirements legitimately; the others were graduated
by means of "a last minute shuffle, extra credit assignments, and
retests."
I must again ask all readers who are concerned about this matter to
contact public officials, including: Superintendent Paul Vance,
442-5885, paul.vance@k12.dc.us;
Dr. Steven Seleznow, Chief of Staff, 442-5026, steven.seleznow@k12.dc.us;
Board of Ed President, Ms. Peggy Cooper-Cafritz (so far, the only person
in a leadership position related to DCPS who has expressed concern and
solicited information from me), 442-5194, peggy.cafritz@k12.dc.us;
Mayor Anthony Williams, mayor@dc.gov;
Council Member Kevin Chavous (chairman of the Educ. and Libraries
Comm.), 724-8068. Members of Congress and members of the business
community with an interest in education. My requests are for a genuine
and independent fact-finding investigation: 1) An independent
investigation empowered to examine all relevant documents and interview
staff members who have information relevant to the reported violations;
2) Institute measures to protect student academic records against
alteration and misrepresentation; 3) No disciplinary actions against me
or any other teacher.
###############
Had a mixed experience with the DC DMV during the last week of June.
I noticed that my car registration had expired. Is it a given that
renewal notices are not being mailed to residents? Is this part of the
revenue enhancement program of our Mayor? I went to the Georgetown DMV
office after work, where I was treated courteously and swiftly, and left
in about ten minutes with my renewal and parking sticker. The only delay
I saw was for the guy who wanted to pay cash and had been waiting quite
a while -- seems paying in cash must be a problem and something the DMV
wants to discourage. I then obliterated the "02" stickers on
my plates, and installed the new sticker, after laboriously scraping off
the old zone parking sticker. I still needed a safety inspection.
The next morning, having noted that the DMV web site said that
“senior” lanes were operated between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. for
those over 60 with private vehicles, I reached Half St. at 7:00. The
attendant in the street told me it was only for those over 65, and sent
me to the rear of the three block line. Ninety minutes later I was
through the rat-maze, noting that not one of the DMV personnel there had
smiled or been polite. I'd hate to think how they react to the citizenry
later in the day.
###############
Has anyone else recently received a ticket from the Department of
Public Works' Public Space Division, citing you for “Improper Use of
Public Trash Receptacles”? My notice indicated that I had never paid
my original ticket (dated from March 2002), and that for this reason, my
fine had been doubled to $70. If I didn't pay or protest within fourteen
calendar days, a lien would be placed on my property. My initial
confusion comes from the fact that I never committed the stated
infraction (which, if I understand correctly, consists of putting a big
bag of household trash in a public street trash can).
But my primary frustration lies in the fact that not only did I
receive such a notice of infraction in my name, but the new resident of
an apartment I recently moved out of received one in his name also, as
did the guy who owned my condo a year ago (and whose mail I still
sometimes receive). The odds of the three of us receiving the same kind
of letter (regarding infractions at different addresses on different
dates) by simple coincidence within a few days of each other are
unlikely. Are hundreds of these things just flooding the city? Any
recommendations on how to get them canceled out?
###############
DC EMS Will Bill You
David Sobelsohn, dsobelsoatcapaccessdotorg
On the subject of Emergency Medical Services in DC, something not all
of us may realize: if an accident on a DC city street causes you to lose
consciousness, and EMS takes you to an emergency room, you will receive
a bill for the service. The charges will exceed $300, the bill may be
sent to the wrong address or with the wrong name, and if you don't pay
promptly (even if you haven't actually ever received a bill) you will
get harassed by a collection agency. Does anyone know if it's routine
around the country for local EMS to bill those who use EMS services?
###############
What's a mayor to do? Faced with the stiff-necked brethren of Kingman
Park who refuse to be appeased by "such things as day trips out of
the area during the Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington" (to quote The
Washington Post) the Mayor must feel life is terribly unfair. Here
he is laboring day and night to bring such high toned events such as the
Cadillac Grand Prix to the Anacostia Riviera and all he gets is
questions about contracts negotiated in secret, questions that he cannot
answer because, well then, they wouldn't be secret contracts would they?
Though I can't help with the secret contracts, or the pollution or
the noise either, I think I can help solve the problem with Kingman
Park. Why stop at day trips? Why not just send the quarrelsome Kingman
Park folk to a reservation? Or, since the Cadillac Grand Prix has the
cachet of all things European, why not a concentration camp?
###############
Luring Tourists to DC
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aol.com
With the announcement that the DC police have spent $2M for gas masks
to distribute to Federal employees we have taken another great step in
luring tourists to DC. Perhaps an even better lure would be to offer
free gas masks to a family of four who agree to spend at least $2K on
their next vacation to DC.
###############
Flag Slogan
Jerry Van Dyke, jvdc@mris.com
There was a relatively long refutation/discussion of three slogans to
attach to our simple, elegant flag. I agree since we have a slogan on
the license plates repetition is not going to peak much more interest in
the hinterlands and in the press. Why not get down to brass tacks? “NO
vote, NO taxes,” suits me just fine, as it fits on one line and is
easy to read as flag whips in the wind (in response to a previous
concern). I'm happy to pay, I'm happy to serve USA, but only as a fully
entitled, fully engaged citizen. You want my money, give me a vote!
###############
Taxation Without Representation
Joan Eisenstodt, jeisen@aol.com
I moderate an international Listserv for people in the
meetings/hospitality industry. Sometimes we have an off-topic
discussion. The pledge of allegiance issue this week raised many
hackles, and I thus brought up that Congress was so upset about that but
we can't get them to rally for rights for we who live in DC. A list
member from Germany wrote the following, which I thought you'd find
interesting: “I am surprised to learn that citizens of the District of
Columbia do not have a vote on the floor of Congress. . . . Is DC not
represented at all? If it is, who appoints representatives? I am
surprised to learn that representation should be bound to taxpaying. . .
. One Dollar = one Vote? How much does a vote cost? I am sure there are
citizens in DC who do not pay taxes for whatever reason (living from
welfare etc.) Are those not suppose to vote too?”
###############
Where Is George?
Bill Leonard, bl43a@nih.gov
George Washington can be found, standing tall, in the circle
intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Nebraska just outside American
University.
###############
Don’t Worry, Just Clarify
John Whiteside, john at logancircle dot net
I don't want themail to be sunnier and brighter. (Nor do I object to
it being so, if people submit brighter and sunnier things.) I think it
serves a useful purpose by bringing to screw ups of our city government
to light. I just suggest that readers remember that there is more to
life in DC than the bad things we read in themail — thank heavens!
I think it would be interesting to hear Gary and Dorothy tell us what
they like about life in DC. I'm not being sarcastic — I don't believe
they'd be here, and put the work they do into trying to improve the
city, if they didn't genuinely care about this place. And few of us care
about places where we like nothing.
###############
Corruption and Negativity Limited to DC?
Star (formerly Jean) Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
I have lived in the Phoenix area for six years now, after 35 years in
DC. In a perverse orgy of Shadenfreude, I read themail regularly, and I
got to thinking: if such a publication existed in this area, would it
contain a constant stream of municipal crinks? Yes, probably; that's my
conclusion. People here, though far from the seat of government (love
that term), are obsessed by politics and civic matters. They hate
environmentalists, they awarded themselves huge tax breaks so they and
their friends could buy SUVs 90 percent off. Remember Keating, remember
Fife Symington? All we lack here is a version of themail to air it all.
Oh — and a basic grasp of noun/verb number agreement and single
negatives.
###############
[In the June 26 issue of themail, David Hunter wrote] “Does anyone
have the rules for what is legal and illegal about posting signs on
light poles? Also, what are my rights about tearing the ugly things
down?”
I am the campaign manager for the campaign to reelect Phil Mendelson,
At-Large Councilmember. The Board of Elections has a web page that
explains the regulations for posting political signs/posters: http://www.dcboee.org/htmldocs/posters.htm.
Based on your inquiry, articles 108.9 and 108.10 may be of particular
interest.
Our campaign understands the potential for eyesore and/or voter
fatigue in as much as signs are concerned. You will see our signs
appearing around town in the coming weeks, but rest assured they will be
posted according to the law and with consideration for appearance and
overkill.
###############
My neighbors and I adopted our block and had our first cleanup just
recently. A few days after we cleaned up our street, our wonderful
council member posted his reelection posters on the street poles. You
can imagine how insulted we felt. To go through all of this trouble,
only to have the people who are suppose to be helping us improve our
community, cause us more problems.
This was taken from the DC Clean City web site: “Many citizens
throughout the District of Columbia have expressed displeasure at the
proliferation of signs and posters placed in public space. The
undesirable advertising messages, debris in the public space, and the
visual blight they cause are ongoing problems that the city has not had
a lot of success in abating. Posters left in the public space that end
up being removed by city employees also consume financial resources that
could be used for more positive programs.” Here is the web address, http://cleancity.washingtondc.gov/current_issues.htm.
###############
DC Police Department and Chief Ramsey
Janice H. Hopp, magpietai@msn.com
Before condemning our police department and Chief Ramsey, why not ask
the opinion of recognized criminologists? They might agree with those of
us who, like me, think our Police Chief has done an outstanding job.
Yes, there are problems; there always will be problems. But there also
is a solid record of achievement and improvement, and a noteworthy
attention to contemporary problems, and a choice of outstanding,
qualified people to design and implement needed change.
###############
NW Party Animals
Michael Bindner, mbindner at aol dot guess what
Tim Cline notices that most party animals are in Northwest. There is
a good reason for this. Northwest is the largest quadrant in terms of
both land area and commercial space. The party animals are located
outside institutions and businesses, rather than homes. Most of these
are in Northwest, as Southeast and Northeast has been successful in
retaining their almost suburban flavors (dating back to when Anacostia
was a majority white enclave and Georgetown and the West End were
African-American).
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
1987 Volkswagen Golf GL. Good condition. 114,000 miles, blue,
standard transmission, sunroof, 4-door, am/fm/cassette. New muffler,
battery. $1700 or best offer. Perfect car for living in the city.
###############
1987 Chevy Blazer for sale, $3500 or best offer. Brand new engine was
installed in 1995, new transmission in 1998. Under 100,000 miles. Runs
very well, in excellent condition. Selling car to live the Flexcar
lifestyle full time.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — HELP WANTED
Seeking House Sitter
Harold Goldstein, dcbiker@goldray.com
We are seeking a house sitter, specifically for August 14th through
September 5th, but that person(s) could stay for a few weeks on either
or both sides of that time frame; we are pretty flexible.
Our neighbors will help feed the cats but we have a dog that needs to
be walked and some plants that need to be watered.. If anyone is
interested or knows someone who might be interested (or has suggestions
for finding a reliable house sitter) please contact me.
###############
Executive Director Search for a New DC
Advocacy Group
Rene Wallis, rwallis@dcpca.org
Executive Director sought for Advocates for Justice and Education,
Inc. AJF provides educational advocacy services to families of children
with disabilities residing in the District of Columbia. We are seeking
to hire an Executive Director who serves as the organization's primary
leader, spokesperson, chief fundraiser, and manager. Responsibilities
include overall leadership and management of the organization,
fundraising and ensuring financial viability of the organization,
community building and relations, board relations, and program
administration. Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit leadership in the
area of advocating and negotiating in the education system. Experience
working in African-American and Latino communities and DC agencies. To
apply send three copies of your resume, cover letter including salary
requirement, and three professional references (name, organ., address,
phone and E-mail) to: Mary Ann Stein, AJE Board Chair, One Farragut
Square South, 1634 I St. NW, Suite 1000, WDC 20006. AJE is an EOE.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES
Wanted Printing Company to Barter Services
Eli Haynes, ccadadc2@aol.com
We are seeking a Printing Company to barter printing services in
exchange for our assistance in preparing your certification as a local,
small, minority, women or veteran owned business, qualifying to bid on
government contracts. Contact Eli Haynes at 271-5522
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — CAUSES
Analysis of DC’s Budget as It Relates to
Children and Youth
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
In late July, DC ACT will release its ninth annual analysis of the
District budget, “What's in It for Kids?” This is the only analysis
of its kind, providing valuable information about budgets and programs
that impact children and families in the areas of welfare, child
welfare, child care, homelessness, mental health, and maternal and child
health. New this year: we will make the book available on CD-ROM in
addition to the printed version and it will also be posted on our web
site, http://www.dckids.org. The
book is free, however, there is a $5 per copy fee (print and CD-ROM) for
postage and handling. There is a 10-book limit on printed copies; there
is no such limit for the CD-ROM version. If you are interested in
viewing the book on-line or in ordering a copy, contact DC ACT at
234-9404 or dcaction@dckids.org
to get an order form. Note: copies (hard and CD) will be distributed to
all schools, colleges and universities, and public libraries where they
can be reviewed.
###############
Human Needs 1st Elections 2002
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
Concerned individuals and organizations have come together to form
Human Needs 1st in an effort to ensure that the basic human needs --
such as housing, food, health care, jobs, education, economic security,
child care -- of all District residents are met. Toward that end, we
call on our elected officials to put human needs first. Human Needs 1st
wants to ensure that DC elected officials and voters are aware of the
critical human needs issues facing our community. To this end, we will
be sending a questionnaire to all candidates for DC office asking about
a broad range of human needs issues. We will use the results of this
questionnaire to create a nonpartisan voter guide. We will also
participate in candidate forums, promote voter registration efforts, and
connect those who wish to conduct voter registration with the tools they
need to do so.
We are encouraging others to sign on to this effort. If you do, your
name or your organization's name can be included on the candidate
questionnaire and on the voter guide. Please send the following
information to Jabrina Robinson (Center for Law and Social Policy, 1015
15th St., NW, Suite 400, 20005, fax 842-2885. Include name, organization
(if applicable), address, phone, fax, E-mail. Direct questions to
Jabrina by calling 906-8041.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — DONATIONS
Bancroft Knitting Program: A Great Success!
Peg Blechman, blechman@access-board.gov
The Potomac Craftsmen Guild knitting program has just completed its
third year at Bancroft Elementary in Mount Pleasant! Many thanks to
members of the Washington Metropolitan area community for their
contributions which paid the salary of the Waldorf-trained knitting
teacher. She worked with one third/fourth grade class at Bancroft for
the entire year. The beginners learned how to knit and made little
stuffed animals- chicks, cats and frogs. The students who learned
knitting last year knit beautiful multicolored woolen caps for
themselves. The students loved learning how to knit and were so proud of
what they made. If you're interested in contributing to this great
program, please send donations to The Potomac Craftsmen Guild, c/o Gayle
Roehm, 8028 Fenway Road, Bethesda, MD 20817-4559.
###############
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.
