Cutting the Waste, Fraud, and Mismanagement
Dear Cutters:
It's a lot easier for the Mayor and the City Council to raise taxes
than it is to cut the cost of government. Taxpayers squeal when they're
squeezed, but only in a muted and diffuse way, and their dissatisfaction
at excessive taxation is spread over all government officials. On the
other hand, somebody who has a government contract will contribute to an
elected official's next campaign, and if he loses his contract he'll
take revenge. Nobody admits his share of the government budget is waste
or fat, or that it is mismanaged. Mayor Williams and several members of
the City Council — led by Mendelson, Graham, Brazil, and Fenty — are
high taxers, strongly biased in favor of raising taxes rather than
cutting government expenses. Other members of the City Council, led by
Evans and Catania, are making the argument that it's not only unfair,
but also dangerous to increase the burden on DC taxpayers who are
already heavily taxed, and that the emphasis must be on cutting
government expenses. The balance of power on the Council shifts between
these two groups, and as a result it's very uncertain where we'll end up
at the end of this week — with a leaner and better structured
government, or just with leaner pocketbooks ourselves.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Predatory Government, Or Just Unconscious
Government?
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
It's clear from the last issue that government services versus
government appetite is a hot topic. It's one where perspective helps,
and I had a chance to get some last weekend in the form of a house guest
visiting from Houston. This old friend is, like me, a homeowner in a
major American city, who gets his services from that city government
(not a suburban entity). We got into some discussions about how things
work and it was interesting how shocked he was by the inconsistency and
low quality of DC city services. Bear in mind this isn't someone from
Fairfax County of some equivalent affluent suburban place; this is a
resident of Houston, one of the largest cities and one that faces many
of the same sorts of challenges that we do here in DC.
Yet his garbage gets picked up, his street isn't littered with trash,
traffic signals work, and he was actually shocked by the level of
lawless driving on our streets — and it's not like Houston is some
kind of automotive picnic! I realized how well trained we are — we
accept this. Many, including myself, argue that Mayor Williams has done
a better job than his predecessors — and I think we're right. What's
scary is that Mayor Williams' lackluster performance is, in DC, a
remarkable achievement. That's how low the bar is.
That said, I don't think the DC government is any more predatory than
any other government. It's just the natural tendencies of governments,
combined with particularly incompetent performance. I don't believe the
Mayor or most city employees are bad people out to suck the citizens dry
— it's just what happens when your enforcement is kinda-sorta working
and your service delivery is crap, and it doesn't require bad
intentions.
###############
I am not trying to be an apologist for the DC government, and just
about everything Dorothy Brizill suggests for cuts sounds good to me.
But it's unfair to blame the Administration for all this. I don't know
why Jack Evans is getting credit in the press now for bringing this to
our attention, as Natwar Gandhi has been talking about the impact of
9/11 on tourism and tax revenues ever since last fall. Philip Dearborn
gave a presentation about this at a DC Environmental Network meeting in
June as well. Working in the hospitality industry as I do, I know how
much my income has been impacted and is still. Extend this across the
board to restaurants, hotels, etc., and this makes for a terrible
revenue loss both in income tax and sales tax revenues.
The Post hasn't helped much because ever since last fall,
they've been writing stories about how the local tourist economy is
turning around. Instead, you have to read the Baltimore Sun or the LA
Times to get confirmation that the number of high school class trips was
down as much as 40 percent, while the Post editorializes about how nice
it is to see people taking pictures in front of the White House, and
they quote some owner of a restaurant about how his business increased
after the Restaurant Week promotion. Meanwhile, the number of airplane
travelers to the region is still down, etc.
Combine this with the structural restrictions on the revenue side of
the DC budget and you have a dire situation. Keeping that income tax
decrease on the books, as Mr. Evans and others want to do, doesn't help.
(Mr. Dearborn pointed out that if you look at all aspects of taxes —
property, personal property, etc. — in the surrounding jurisdictions,
not just income taxes, then the DC tax burden is no greater, and in fact
less than, some of the other jurisdictions.)
###############
Balancing the Budget, Part 2
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
Because the Control Board existed during a good and growing economy,
it didn't really have to economize or to rationalize the DC government.
Now that we're cutting in a slow-growth or non-growth economy, we need
to take this as an opportunity to make cuts that really restructure the
government. Since nobody else has sent in any suggestions for cutting
government expenditures, I'll add a dozen more. 1) Impose a hiring
freeze for mid- and senior-level management positions. DC department and
agency heads keep hiring expensive senior staff for their front offices,
including an overabundance of executive secretaries and special
assistants. Many special assistants cannot explain in a few sentences
what their duties are or what they do. If you can't explain your job,
your job shouldn't exist. 2) Impose a spending freeze on
non-program-related expenses. Expensive office relocations, renovations,
and office furniture purchases abound. The DC Department of Mental
Health, which skimps on services, overspends its budget on relocations
and office renovations. Nearly every office that moved back to the
Wilson Building chucked out all its old furniture, and the delivery
trucks continue to come. It's time for a new rule: find your desks,
chairs, and bookcases in the DC warehouse.
3) Impose a freeze on new contracting until the government proves
that current employees can't provide the services. For example, the
Office of Emergency Management has contracted with Kroll Associates,
which subcontracted to Max Brown, former Counsel to the Mayor, to do
community outreach regarding homeland security. What are all the
neighborhood outreach offices in the Executive Office of the Mayor
doing, and why can't any of them handle running community meetings on
security? 4) Eliminate the various mayor's offices that exist primarily
to gather votes from special interest groups — the Office of Religious
Affairs; Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs; Office of
Veterans Affairs; Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender
Affairs; and Office of Latino Affairs. 5) End the duplication of offices
and staffs that have the same purpose. One example among many: the DC
Department of Health has an Environmental Health Administration that
does the same work as the mayor's Special Assistant for the Environment.
6) Decrease the production costs and size of the Office of Cable
Television. The mayor's channel does little but provide full-time
publicity for the mayor, much of which is produced through expensive
contracts with private companies. The only useful programming it does is
cover the mayor's press conferences and town meetings, which is never
more than a couple hours of programming a week. Close the mayor's
channel, and run the real news items on the remaining city channel.
7) Reclaim all the DC properties awarded by the Homestead program and
the former Redevelopment Land Agency that have never been developed, but
instead of giving them back to the Homestead program and the National
Capitol Revitalization Corporation (the RLA's successor) to mishandle
again, sell them on the open market and take the profit. 8) Use the
federal Homeland Security funds to purchase police and fire department
equipment that are priority needs, rather than to start unnecessary new
feel-good programs. 9) Recover Medicaid funds. Maximus Corporation has
failed to do this for the past several years, and in the face of its
failure its contract was inexplicably renewed this past spring. Fire
them, and hire a company that can do the job. 10) Defund the Children
and Youth Investment Fund. Nobody will complain, because it's not doing
anything useful with the money. 11) Over the past decade, several giant
DC departments have been broken into smaller units with the hope that
the new units will be more manageable. For example, the Department of
Public Works has spun off the Department of Transportation and the
Department of Motor Vehicles, and earlier it lost the Water and Sewer
Administration. But management costs rise every time a new department is
created, because each new department creates a bureaucracy that
duplicates and rivals the agency it left. Bureaucratic support functions
— legal services, public relations, etc. -- should be shared by agency
clusters, rather than duplicated over and over again. 12) Stop agency
and department overspending by making it known that the government will
actual enforce the limits and punish any administrator who overspends.
###############
Documenting the Failures
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
Have you submitted service requests to the city's call center or web
site, only to have them vanish into a black hole? I can't be the only
one. So, I am now keeping a list of requests and the results, or lack
thereof. Once I have a decent list, I'm going to post it on my web site.
My hope is that we can publicize the list in order to do two things: get
some attention to the specific requests that are being ignored, and
shame the mayor into spending less time talking about the improvements
in service delivery, and more time looking into the reasons that the
systems for service delivery are fundamentally broken. I've decided to
do this because if I have to continue to hear the mayor talking about
how much better things are while the city is unable to fix a traffic
light in my neighborhood, I'm going to scream. Just E-mail me the date
of your request, what it was (general terms, no need to give out your
address or anything), how you submitted it (web or phone), the
confirmation number if you received one, and the results of your
request. Only send me information you'd be comfortable having appear on
the web some day. No names will be attached to the requests. I can show
you the spreadsheet I've started if you'd like.
###############
Does anyone have any experience with successfully contesting speeding
tickets in the District? Not by some nefarious method, but by just going
down there and saying, “It didn't happen this way” and having the
whole hearing and all. Just last week I got a $100 ticket as a
“reminder notice” that my plates were expired — I paid because it
was foolish of me to think that DC DMV would be able to manage something
as complex as reminder notices, though every other place I've lived
managed this. Regardless of the lack of reminders — it was my fault,
they were expired, no question I was at fault. But today I got another
$100 ticket, for going 45 in a 25 mph zone. The officers pulled over two
other cars at the same time as me, and I strongly suspect I wasn't
traveling that fast. Though no way was I going to argue the point at the
time. I'm sorry to whine. I'm just beginning to wonder if I can afford
the privilege of living in this fine city.
By the way, regarding Mr. Tannenwald's post: I'm sorry he's tired of
the DC bashing. I grew up in Northern Virginia and I still work there,
so you better believe I've heard my share of it. But should we just keep
silent in the face of bad treatment? Should we say, “Well, this is the
best we can do?” I'm sorry, I can't accept that defeatist attitude. I
suspect that's not Mr. Tannenwald would really want, either. Endless
undirected complaining is tiresome, yes, but I don't care two figs about
David Letterman or George Bush saying nice things about us. I want this
to be a nice place to live.
###############
Open Letter to the Mayor
Mark Eckenwiler, fifth at ingot dot org
Dear Mayor Williams, I am writing to urge that your budget for the
coming fiscal year include one source of income that was imprudently
thrown away a few years ago: higher taxes on abandoned real property.
Prior to 1999, the District's tax laws recognized a separate tax
category (Class 5) for vacant and abandoned properties. These
nonproductive, blighted properties were taxed at a substantially higher
rate, $5.00 per $100 of assessed value. (By contrast, commercial
properties were taxed at the rate of $2.15/100.) Through The Tax Parity
Act of 1999, however, the District unwisely abolished the Class 5
classification and began taxing abandoned properties at the same rate as
productive commercial properties (current rate: $1.85/100).
This windfall to the city's least-deserving property owners (and
corresponding loss of revenue) was ill-advised then, and is all the more
painful in light of the District's impending $325 million deficit for
the coming fiscal year. Restoring the higher rate would produce a
twofold benefit: 1) generating higher revenues and 2) motivating owners
of abandoned properties to rehabilitate the properties or sell them to
buyers interested in doing so. Tax policy in the District should
encourage urban renewal, not reward neglect of the District's hundreds
of boarded-up houses. Restoring the Class 5 real property tax would
bring in more revenue and promote neighborhood revitalization. As the
District faces a growing budgetary shortfall, I urge you to undo the
mistake of 1999 and reimpose the higher tax on abandoned properties.
###############
Clean Government, Inexpensive Healthcare,
Interim-Disability
Michael Bindner, mbindnerdc at aol dot guess
I read with interest calls to create cheaper health care, preserve
interim disability assistance and have a government that is not corrupt.
I suggest to all themail readers who want this to seriously consider
voting for Steve Donkin, the nominee of the DC Statehood Green Party for
Mayor and the Party's candidates for Council. They support these things,
and will start the ball rolling for single-payer health care for DC
residents. The current Mayor and Council do not. If you really want to
be heard on these issues, vote based upon them. If enough people do so,
these candidates might actually win, or at the very least the author of
the disastrous tax cut which put you in this mess, David Catania, will
be off the Council (since the demographics supporting his reelection are
tenuous at best). When Hilda Mason was on the Council, and Julius Hobson
before her, the DC Statehood Party contributed a much needed voice for
change to the halls of government in DC. It is time to restore that
voice with a vote for Michele Tingling-Clemmons for Council At-Large
(you get two votes). Although, like I said, if you want to make a really
strong statement, vote the entire slate.
###############
I noticed in the election results that the unopposed candidate for
mayor in the Statehood party had fewer votes than “write-in.” Did
Tony Williams win the Statehood party like he did the Republican party?
Or did somebody else? It seems to me a little disconnected with their
own party to run an unopposed candidate who can't get the majority of
the primary votes.
[The final and official vote count, including absentee votes, won't
be announced until Tuesday, but Donkin has won the Statehood-Green party
primary. Unofficially, and as of now, Donkin was credited with 279 votes
on the primary day, and in addition he got 45 write-in votes (people who
wrote in his name rather than filling in the arrow by his name printed
on the ballot), for a total of 324. Williams got 192 write-in votes,
Wilson got 132, and Moore got 17. — Gary Imhoff]
###############
District Three School Board Race
Eric Rosenthal, Capitol Hill, ericr@gwu.edu
Tom Wells' reelection kickoff for the Wards Five and Six School Board
slot was interesting, especially compared to his first campaign two
years ago. Last time, he launched his effort in Lincoln Park on Capitol
Hill and attracted a small group of supporters headlined by Ward Six
Councilmember Sharon Ambrose. This year he held his kickoff Saturday at
the Langston Golf Course in Ward Five, a public course important for its
role in desegregating the sport. This time, Ward Five Councilmember
Vincent Orange endorsed Wells. Orange was scheduled to speak personally
but, due to the funeral of a family member, was represented by a
high-level staff member. Ambrose also was there to speak on Wells’
behalf.
Wells’ major opponent is Benjamin Bonham, a former school board
member probably best known for “forgetting” to return his school
system-owned computer when the voters tossed him out of office.
###############
One More Halloween Night
Charles Stevenson, info@geotrees.com
". . . I dare anyone on themail's list to tell me that Barry or
Kelly did a better overall job than he did in terms of city agency
performance. . . ." Well, at least in Marion's day we had some
GREAT Halloween parades in Georgetown -- very creative, lots of fun, and
far more civil, I might add, than some of the celebrations back when we
had a great football team. Sort of a combination of Carnival, Mardi
Gras, and Grand Guignol. This is one custom I'd like to see revived.
###############
I needed to renew my DC driver's license recently, and having read
the postings here and the news stories in the papers, I dreaded the long
wait I would face. On Friday, September 6, I went to the Georgetown Park
DMV Office, book in hand. I got there at 4:16 p.m. I was in the elevator
heading to my car with my new license at 4:30 p.m. Total time at DMV: 14
minutes. Moreover, everyone there was helpful and friendly. Given all
the negative publicity about DMV these days, I think a compliment should
be given when one is due.
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Nondelivery of Mail
Bruce Snyder, Adams Morgan, besnyder@hotmail.com
David Hunter's posting has caused me anxiety: I've just sent four
pieces of mail in response the demands of the IRS. I recently received a
note from the Arlington Court requesting nearly $200 and my drivers
license due to an unpaid speeding ticket. I wrote the check, sent the
check; the check never cleared. Is the mail worse or does it just seem
to be?
###############
Since the early summer, we too have been missing mail in zip code
20015, including important (college tuition) bills and birthday cards
(with the all-important monetary gift). We also sometimes receive what
seems to be several days' worth of mail all at once. Is this because
Brentwood has never recovered? But why does it seem to be just our zip
code? We don't know where to direct our concern — this is one we
cannot lay at the doorstep of the DC government!
###############
What Happened to Democracy?
Juan Mendez, juanmendez@yahoo.com
Where is Mr. Mendelson's apology for the bad behavior of his campaign
manager attacking those who support keeping Klingle Road open? These
people are doing a stellar job with their campaign. They have worked
hard and have tremendous support from major entities of this city. It is
unfortunate that they have to do it at all. This city is responsible for
maintaining all roads and Klingle Road is no exception. Until the mayor
sends a resolution to the Council to close Klingle Road, it remains open
and ready for repairs.
The mayor and Mr. Tangherlini said nine months ago that work would
begin on the sewer remediation, but nothing has been done. So much for
them calling themselves environmentalists, while we sit for ten years
and watch (smell) waste slowly drip into the valley. Now Mr. Tangherlini
has earmarked $2M in the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) for a
study for a Klingle Road Bicycle Facility. What justified this? Why is
DDOT including estimates in the TIP for a discretionary project (the
Klingle Road Bicycle Facility), to the exclusion of a nondiscretionary,
statutorily-required repair of an existing public road (Klingle Road)?
It is quite clear that the majority of ANCs, civic organizations, and
public safety officials want to keep Klingle Road open, yet the
Executive Office moves quietly forward with someone's agenda that hasn't
been publicly defined or even justified. Where is the earmarked money
for the repairs? Why do the Mayor and Mr. Tangherlini want to continue
to play these games?
###############
Do They Even Have a Telephone?
Richard Worthington-Rogers, strngman20001@aol.com
I got a lot of stuff from Phil Mendelson in the mail. At one point I
wanted to call, but nowhere on the Phil Mendelson mailing was a phone
number to call. Did they even have one? Doesn't matter anymore. I need
to call Catania and Kinlow and get a yard sign instead.
###############
Mendelson and His Campaign Manager
Bill Bradley, billbraddc@yahoo.com
What did Mendelson know and when did he know it? Mr. Mendelson says
he regrets the situation of his “former” campaign manager's fraud,
but for me and others, its Kinlow and Catania for Council in November.
###############
Misguided Attack on DC Voting Rights
Jason Juffras, jjuffras@aol.com
Ron Eberhardt's posting on the proposed purchase of CareFirst
BlueCross/Blue Shield was useful and interesting — until it
degenerated into a nasty and gratuitous attack on people who care about
DC voting rights. It's disappointing to see a worthwhile discussion
degenerate into another ad hominem attack, with Mr. Eberhardt
castigating “stupid, crybaby Taxation without Representation
slogans” and dismissing the work for DC voting rights as simply an
attempt to put more Democrats in Congress.
DC's lack of representation in Congress is a gross violation of civil
rights, pure and simple. It's no wonder that Mr. Eberhardt's lobbying on
health insurance hasn't achieved any results, if he shows so little
respect for others and the things they care about.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DC Council Passes CareFirst Giveaway
Wayne Turner, actupdc@aol.com
At the close of its legislative session in July, the DC Council
passed an emergency resolution exempting CareFirst from sales and use
taxes, and granting employment tax credits for the Blue Cross/Blue
Shield health insurance giant. Sponsored by Ward Six Councilmember
Sharon Ambrose, who is chair of the Committee for Consumer and
Regulatory Affairs, the hefty tax breaks are designed “to encourage
CareFirst to keep its headquarters building in the District.” In fact,
CareFirst had already signed a ten-year lease for the site located at
840 First Street, NE, with developer Greenbaum & Rose Associates
three months earlier. Stated William L. Jews, CareFirst's president and
CEO, “The business-friendly atmosphere and appreciative attitude of
government and civic leaders really made this an easy decision,” (CareFirst
press release, May 3, 2002).
Activists point to the tax giveaway as just the latest example of
substantial public investment and taxpayer subsidies that have gone to
CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield since it was first formed back in 1937
as a health insurance provider for low-income residents. The proposal to
convert CareFirst into a for-profit corporation to be then sold to
WellPoint Health Networks, Inc., is pending before the Insurance
Commissioners in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. It will also require the
approval of the DC Council. CareFirst is now a $6 billion corporation,
with $789 million in cash reserves. CEO William L. Jews takes home an
annual salary and benefits package of $1.2 million. The company reported
$97 million in profits for 2001. The District of Columbia is facing a
$323 million budget shortfall in FY 2003.
Public hearings on CareFirst: the DC Office of the Corporation
Counsel will conduct public hearings on the proposed conversion and sale
of CareFirst. Please call Health Care Now! at 452-5999 if you and/or
your organization is planning to testify at these important hearings:
Tuesday, September 24, Allen Chapel AME Church, 2498 Alabama Avenue, SE,
7-10 p.m. (W-6 shuttle from Anacostia Metro Station, W-4 shuttle from
Deanwood Metro Station, and bus lines 32 and 92); Thursday, September
26, One Judiciary Square, first floor, 441 4th Street, NW, 7-10 p.m.
(Judiciary Square Metro Station). To participate, sign up in advance by
contacting Tina Ang at 955-0612 or E-mail: tang@manatt.com.
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Dupont Circle Community Association Events
Mike Fasano, mfasano@fasanoassociates.com,
forwarded from DCCA
There are two very special DCCA events coming up in the near future
and we want to bring these to your attention: 1) Continuing its
commitment to help raise funds for charitable organizations that operate
in or serve Dupont Circle citizens, the Dupont Circle Citizens
Association is joining with La Tomate Restaurant to host a fundraiser
for Hospice Care of DC on Tuesday, October 1. La Tomate has generously
agreed to donate 25 percent of food and drink sales that evening to the
hospice, and DCCA members are urged to dine out that night at La Tomate
to support the fundraising. Hospice Care of DC, an affiliate of the
Hospice and Palliative Care of Metropolitan Washington, Inc., has
provided compassionate care to terminally ill residents of the Nation's
Capital, their families and loved ones since 1977. A raffle will also be
held at the fundraiser. Prizes include dinner for two at La Tomate, a
$100 gift certificate to The Palm restaurant, two tickets to the
upcoming DCCA House Tour, and DCCA T-shirts designed by Nicolas Shi. La
Tomate is located at 1701 Connecticut Avenue, NW, one block north of the
Q Street Metro exit. To make your reservation phone 667-5505 and
indicate that you are Dining Out for Hospice Care of DC.
2) The Annual House Tour is scheduled for Sunday, October 20 from 12
noon-5 p.m. We have eleven wonderful houses on the tour this year, along
with the Victorian Tea at the Church of the Pilgrims. Please visit the
DCCA web site for further details: http://www.dupont-circle.com/housetour.htm.
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Michael Blake, who adapted his novel Dances With Wolves into a film
that won Academy Awards for both himself (as screenwriter) and director
Kevin Costner, will present a special Center for the Book program on
Wednesday, September 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Harris Theater on the
campus of George Mason University in Fairfax. The program is free but
there is a charge for parking; call 703-324-8321 to register. Books will
be available for sale and signing.
This program is made possible by Michael Blake, Empty Chair, American
Library Association, Newmarket Press and Friends of Libraries USA.
Funding provided by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library and the
Friends of the Fairfax City Regional Library, in cooperation with George
Mason University.
###############
Chime’s Upcoming Library Programs
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com
Almost any Saturday afternoon between now and May (except for holiday
weekends and year-end), you and your family can enjoy a program of live
music representing different styles and cultures and learn something
about their historical and cultural context too at a DC branch public
library (at least one in each Ward). These programs, organized by CHIME
(Community Help in Music Education) in partnership with the DC public
library system, are grouped into those with US, Hispanic, Asian, African
and European roots, and end next May with three under the heading “Music
to Dance to Around the World” (at which you are invited to dance!).
The first three programs, representing US roots, are “History of
Gospel Music” on September 28 by singer/actress Angela Polite at Watha
T. Daniel library (8th St. and Rhode Island Avenue, NW). Angela was
featured in “The Gospel According to Fineman” at the Signature
Theater last spring. This is followed by “Great Women Singers in
Jazz” by singer/actress Cynthia Lin on October 5 at Benning Library,
and “Traditional Appalachian Folk Music and Tales” with Ralph Lee
Smith on dulcimer and Lea Coryell on banjo on October 12 at Mount
Pleasant Library. Other participating libraries are Lamond-Riggs,
Northeast, Petworth, Washington Highlands, Francis Gregory, Shepherd
Park, Cleveland Park, and Martin Luther King, Jr. For more about these
programs, and the complete schedule, visit CHIME’s web site at www.chime-dc.org.
The series, now in its third season, has received partial support from a
matching grant from the Humanities Council of Washington and
contributions from Friends Organizations of some of the participating
libraries. CHIME is still fundraising for the programs, and your
contributions are welcome.
CHIME is a DC volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission
is to mobilize community resources to promote and provide access to
music education for DC public schoolchildren, both inside and outside of
school. Its activities include, besides the library series: 1) Providing
professional or professionally-trained volunteer music instructors or
assistants (including music students receiving academic credit) for
ongoing school or after-school classes; 2) Sponsoring in-school and
on-site performances for DC public schoolchildren and professional
development workshops for teachers through the DC Arts and Humanities
Education Collaborative; 3) Distributing donated musical instruments in
good repair; 4) Advocating for including music in the required K-6
curriculum; and , its newest program, 5) Music Mentoring, in partnership
with Big Brothers Big Sisters. CHIME Bigs are paired with Littles whom
they see at least twice a month and, among other activities, take to
music performances for which CHIME gets free tickets from partnering
performing organizations. For additional information about the Music
Around the World-In Your Neighborhood library series, our Music Mentors
program or other CHIME activities, or to volunteer or make a donation,
contact CHIME at 232-2731, at info@chime-dc.org,
or visit the web site at www.dc-chime.org.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE
Crate and Barrel desk for sale, excellent condition. 4’w x 2’d x
2.5’h; the desk top is curved outwards and is 2 feet deep at the
middle. Light veneer with metal ladder style sides and partly open back.
Shelves under the desk include a sliding keyboard tray as well as two
adjustable shelves on either side and one stationary shelf in the
middle. On lockable wheels. $100 or best offer, 289-1741.
###############
Semiannual community lawn sale, Saturday, September 28th, 8:00 a.m.
to 2:00 p.m. Porter Street two blocks west of Wisconsin on the lawn at
McLean Gardens. Lots of household articles, toys, clothes, CDs, books,
etc. Rain date October 5th.
###############
1994 Plymouth Voyager 7 passenger 6-cylinder van. 125,000 miles.
Transmission rebuilt last summer, new water pump and hoses. A/C. Good
but not great condition. One owner. First $2000 dollars gets it. call
Susan Gushue, 526-1632.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE
Retail Space Needed for Furniture Store
Robert Marvin, Rob@ustreetasiahouse.com
I am starting a furniture import business and need a small (500 to
750 square foot), aggressively priced retail space in the city near a
Metro station. I am open to creative ideas and concepts.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — INVESTOR WANTED
Business Development Firm Needs Investor
Anthony Boroughs, Ccadadc2@aol.com
District of Columbia minority-owned business development firm
certified as a L.S.D.B.E. contractor, consultant and vendor needs
capital to continue startup phase. Will consider loan or angel investor.
Needs $15-$25k.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Video Tape Recycling
Michelle Treistman, mtreistman@yahoo.com
Can anyone recommend a video tape recycling service provider in the
DC area, preferably one that does not charge a fee for the service?
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