Re-Hatched
Dear themailers:
In the last issue of themail, I praised the Hatch Act for giving DC
government employees some redress when they are dragooned into
supporting an official's election campaign. Eric Gaull and Bill Mosley
write, below, to take issue with me. They attack the Hatch Act because
it is a federal law and disapprove of it because it prevents unelected
government employees from running for office while they remain on the
public payroll. They imply that requiring government workers to resign
in order to run for elected office is almost all that the Hatch Act
still does. Actually, the Hatch Act forbids quite a bit more, and
protects government employees quite a bit more, than Gaull and Mosley
admit. The main activities that are forbidden are using official
authority or influence to interfere with an election; soliciting or
discouraging political activity of anyone with business before their
agency; soliciting or receiving political contributions; being a
candidate for public office in partisan elections; engaging in political
activity while on duty, in a government office, wearing an official
uniform, or using a government vehicle; and wearing partisan political
buttons on duty. This revision of the Hatch Act is now a decade old, and
it strikes a neat balance: the government employee who wishes to engage
in legitimate political activity may do so, and the bureaucrat who is
coerced by his bosses into participating in a political campaign isn't
breaking the law, unless he solicits or collects political contributions
himself. But the political official who coerces government employees
into campaigning or contributing commits a crime.
Most of these forbidden activities happened during Mayor Williams's
reelection campaign. Chief of Staff Kelvin Robinson was in charge of
organizing government workers into a campaign staff for the mayor, as
well as of intimidating them to contribute; he also provided internal
government personnel information to the campaign. Robinson is now
firing, or trying to remove from office, government employees whom he
believes either informed the Office of the Special Counsel of his
activities or who are cooperating with its investigation. But Robinson
was not the only official who participated in that effort, or who
threatened and coerced employees. When the highest local government
official benefits from the lawbreaking himself, and his chief aide
organizes it, who is going to enforce ethical standards?
Mr. Mosley says that, “Begging the federal government to police the
ethics of our local officials is disempowering,” but that is deceptive
rhetoric. The call for home rule is often used to argue that the elected
officials of DC should be free from any oversight, and that is simply
irresponsible. The ethics of our local officials must be policed, since
they are certainly not going to police themselves. In any US city except
for Washington, if local officials failed to live up to or enforce
ethical standards, that city's state would intervene to impose them.
(Okay, maybe not in Louisiana, but that's an exception.) If a state's
officials were to run corrupt election campaigns, the federal government
would intervene to enforce ethical standards. And since we are the
national capital, the federal government does have that job for us. I
hope the Office of the Special Counsel, which enforces the Hatch Act,
does that job thoroughly and well.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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The mayor and the City Council are now in the middle of their annual
springtime dance, deciding who gets and who loses low license plate
numbers. As I wrote in themail a few weeks ago, the plan had been to
have all those whose low-number tags were issued by the mayor's office
reapply by writing a two-paragraph statement of what they had done to
benefit the mayor. When that idea become public, the mayor's office
dropped the application form. But now there's another outrage — the
new low number plates issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles have
added the mayor's 2002 political campaign slogan, “One City, One
Future.” The low-number plates doled out by the Council — even those
issued by Councilmember Carol Schwartz, the mayor's opponent in last
year's election — will also bear the mayor's campaign slogan.
Last Sunday the Adrian Fenty 2004 reelection committee held a kickoff
fundraiser at the home of Cynthia and Bill Lightfoot in Ward 4. The
finance chairs of Fenty's reelection committee are Bill Jarvis and John
Epting. The printed invitation asked invitees to make a contribution in
various amounts: “Host, $2500; Patron, $1000; Sponsor, $500.”
Members of the host committee, who presumably have contributed $2500
each, include Pedro Alfonso (former Charlene Drew Jarvis campaign
treasurer and DC contractor); developer Doug Jemal; Cynthia and Bill
Lightfoot; and Joe and Desa Ruffin. There may be a problem, however,
since the maximum allowable contribution to a ward council race is $500
(DC Code Sec. 1-1131.01(a)(4).
As the District goes through its FY2004 budget process, many
departments and agencies are engaging in severe belt-tightening, but the
DC Public Library can't seem to get its priorities straight. During a
visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr., central library this week, none of
the new laser printers worked because no toner cartridges had been
bought. In addition, the Black Studies room and the Popular and Young
Adults room were closed and locked because the temperature in them was
under 50 degrees. At the same time, new carpeting was being laid in the
third floor hallway, where it had already been replaced about a year
ago.
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My car has passed DC inspection . . . yay! But I am writing not to
celebrate but to tell my tale of woe. The process consumed seven hours
of my time and other's time, spread over three days. Here’s how it
went. First, having heard horror stories of three-hour lines, I called
the DMV, waded through the voice mail to speak to a real person, and
asked about the best time to bring the car in. Answer: midweek, midday.
So I went in on a Thursday, around 11 a.m. It was hot that day, so to
save gas and pollute less, I turned my engine off whenever the line wasn’t
moving. Result: two and a half hours later, my car was at the emissions
test, and it failed. I was upset, but not as upset as when the
inspection people told me that I couldn’t have the engine rechecked at
a licensed reinspection gas station. I would have to go through the
inspection line all over again for an official retest.
Although I was pretty sure there was nothing wrong with my car's
engine, I first decided to have to go to a mechanic and have the
emissions checked out. Sure enough, my car was fine. However, that
assurance cost me $38 and three hours of my time (though at least I was
not required to stay and wait in a line while the test was performed).
The mechanic did give me one good piece of advice that I think may have
been worth the price: He said the reason my car failed was that I hadn't
kept the engine running while waiting. Apparently, turning the engine on
and off repeatedly throws the emissions results off. Next time, he
advised, no matter how long the line, keep the engine running. Now for
the re-inspection. This time around, I was not willing to spend three
hours of my time inching down a hot asphalt street. Instead I paid a
business, the US Vehicle Registration Service, to take the car down and
wait in the line for me. That didn’t go any faster, but the
service-person knew to keep the engine running for the whole time —
from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This time the car passed.
So I got my sticker. Now for some questions: Do top officials in the
Williams administration have to go through this when their cars are up
for inspection? If so, do they consider it a good use of their time? If
not, what do they propose to do about it?
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Even opponents of the mayor's plan to build a baseball stadium in DC
must feel put off by the constant badmouthing of the District by the
contingent trying to lure a major league franchise to northern Virginia.
Apparently they don't have much to offer major league baseball if so
much of their proposal rests on bashing DC. Oh, and where would they
expect their team to play while a stadium is being built in northern
Virginia? RFK, of course. Right smack in the heart of DC where, to hear
them tell it (as again reported in the Washington Post), no
self-respecting Virginia would dare venture after dark. My suggestion to
DC officials is that they retract any offer to allow use of RFK by a
team awarded to northern Virginia. Then let's see how viable their
proposal is.
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Let ’em Have Them
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom
Virginia has made a strong pitch for being the new home of the
Montreal Expos Major League baseball team. One of their key arguments is
that folks from Virginia will not come into DC to watch a baseball game
here. Based on all the folks I know in VA, I think that might just be a
very credible assumption. On the other hand, I think that many folks
from DC would find it pretty easy, depending on the location, to go to a
major league game in nearby Arlington or Alexandria. Surely some
enterprising bus companies would emerge to take folks to the game if it
were not at a stadium located near a Metro stop.
The benefits of a new stadium in DC, or even a renovated RFK, do not
justify the costs that would be incurred. Let VA have the big loser.
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This is in reply to D.C. Reardon's message in April 6 issue of
themail. Why are the cops in your neighborhood? It is part of a public
relations gimmick to show they are doing something. They can't fight
crime but they are sure good with the smoke and mirrors. Don't worry --
in a few weeks they'll leave. They're incapable of any sustained effort,
even a fake one. What can you do? Call the ACLU.
This is in reply to Naomi Monk's criticism of John Aravosis. Naomi,
since when is holding a public official accountable “creating
negativity?” This is yet another example of the twisted victim
mentality in DC. Citizens who are victimized by an incompetent official
embrace the official and attack the reformer.
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With regards to John Aravosis' comments on Chief Ramsey: From the
history of the 911 staffing and the question of whether the Chief lied,
there are only three possibilities: 1) he lied, 2) he was given
erroneous information and does not have control of his staff, or 3) both
of the above. What I find really disturbing is the practice of charging
those who are calling for change and drawing attention to gross
inadequacy in city government with “creating negativity.” This is
true in the case of Aravosis and others in this discussion forum who
have insisted on accountability, responsibility, and civility by civil
servants. Far too often what they get is rude, arrogant, condescending
statements and half-truths from governmental officials. These attacks by
city employees are forceful statements of and demonstrations of the
facts of the conditions and situations being challenged.
Charles Eliot once pointed out the habitual critic gets a darker or
less cheerful view of the social and political state than one does who
is actively engaged in efforts to improve that state. John Aravosis is
willing to give up a considerable amount of time and expense to try and
make this city a better and safer place to live. I do not always agree
with his tone, but I certainly admire and am grateful for his efforts on
our behalf. I cannot help but wonder about those who believe that there
is no need to criticize or question the police, as a local liquor store
worker once told me, since 911 always answered her calls on the first
ring and the police responded immediately and always wrote up a report
for her.
My reaction, regrettably, is the wish and hope that such people get
to experience first hand what so many of the rest of us experience. Not
nice, but then neither is lying.
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Reply on Drug Free Zone
Karen Alston, kalston266@aol.com
To dcreardon@aol.com: I too
live in the area a few blocks up in Eckington. We are hoping to get a
Drug Free Zone in our area to help the residents with the drug trade
that still exists in our area even after the disassembly of the R Street
Crew. I know all too well the problems of the North Capital Street area:
three methadone clinics, crime, robberies, public urination and
defecation, and no Starbucks!
Several of my colleagues and friends worked very hard to get the area
to be a Drug Free zone. As a community we are very anxious to see the
North Capitol corridor turn around, i.e., 7th Street and 14th Street.
However, no one wants to see police brutality.
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Drug Free in DC
Steve Rynecki, North Capitol Main Street, srynecki@ncnd.org
Drug Free Zones are just fine with me. If a few innocent folks get
detained, that's fine with me. I can't believe that any law abiding
Hanover resident would complain about a drug crackdown! I work and live
in the area and note the steep reduction in drug dealing, loitering, and
public drunkenness (and urination) so common on North Capitol Street
between New York Avenue and P Street, NW. This strip is commonly
referred to as the skid row of North Capitol Street. Suburban kids,
mostly young white males, cruise this strip to purchase drugs in full
view of the entire community, which is truly sickening to watch.
If some folks are detained temporarily, I'm afraid that it is a small
price to pay for the greater good the crackdown has brought. Besides, if
they are innocent, then they have nothing to fear. Community residents
have made clean and safe streets a priority for North Capitol
communities like Hanover Place. I am certain that most residents support
the Drug Free Zone and I take my hat off to the fine officers of PSA 312
and 314. Our children have the right to play on Hanover Place without
being subjected to the drug menace and the excessive loitering and
intoxication of area homeless attracted to the food and methadone
programs located in the area. This is the first of many great strides in
making this neighborhood safe and clean again, like it was fifty years
ago.
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Better than Going to the Dentist
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom
Finally got an acknowledgment of my filed assessment appeal (up 63
percent) and actually had a face-to-face meeting with a live, educated,
and experienced person in the Property Tax Office. It was a very
civilized meeting for which I was fully prepared (can't use the word
armed). I had good reliable comparative sales data for all the homes in
AU Park that have sold over the last calendar year to back up my appeal.
Not sure what the results will be but I have the option to take it to
the next level if I am unsatisfied with any reduction offered in the
proposed assessment for 2004.
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Riding Bikes Is Our Right and So Is Protest
Adam Eidinger, adam@mintwood.com
In the last edition of the themail, John Whiteside's, “They Doth
Protest Too Much” complained about the twice weekly bicycle rides that
leave from Dupont Circle on Mondays and Fridays at 6:00 p.m. His letter
included inaccurate statements about me and the bike rides which require
my correction. Whiteside claimed that the Bikes Not Bombs rides are
designed to block rush hour traffic. This couldn't be farther from the
truth. Besides the fact bikes take up far less space on the road than
cars, the bike rides have not been designed to block traffic. Rather,
they are designed to maintain resistance to the war in Iraq and
America's reliance on foreign oil in the street. In fact, as most bike
riders will tell you, bikes travel much faster than cars in rush hour
traffic. Riding a bike doesn't produce air or noise pollution and is a
good way to stay physically fit. The rides actually go somewhere,
whether it be Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's Kalorama casa, Ari
Fliescher's Capital Hill townhouse, or the British Embassy, these rides
bring peace activists to people waging the illegal and bloody war on
Iraq.
Another statement by Whiteside alleges that I am the spokesperson of
Bikes Not Bombs. In fact, I am one of about one hundred people who
participate in these rides, but to be exact we have no leaders or
spokespeople. Each ride has one or two people who volunteer at the
previous ride to design the next ride's route. So far this year I have
only planned one ride.
Finally, I did run for US Shadow Representative on behalf of the DC
Statehood Green Party, receiving about 14 percent of the vote and
placing second. I am proud to be a DC resident and I will likely run
again for office because I am not satisfied with the level of action our
current shadow officials are making to get DC residents long overdue
equal rights. If standing up for what you believe in is crime, then I am
guilty as charged. Considering the obscene amount of police harassment
we experience week after week for holding these rides, Whiteside should
reconsider who is wasting taxpayers time and money. (For more on the
police harassment see my story at http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=60656&group=webcast).
Far from being an inconvenience to DC residents, Bikes Not Bombs is in
the forefront of standing up for sustainable transportation, peace and
the dignity of all people. If Whiteside truly supports antiwar
positions, then he should come to the ride this week and see for himself
how we conduct ourselves.
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I was one of those “fortunate” people who are “protected” by
the Hatch Act. Its protections meant I had to resign, rather than take a
leave of absence, to run for political office in DC. The oppressive and
anachronistic application of the Hatch Act to DC employees, when it
applies to no other local government employees anywhere else in the
United States (except those paid for directly from federal funds), hurts
our employees and the residents/voters of the District.
As Tom Briggs and I well know, often the people who are in the best
position to know what is wrong in the DC governmental machinery and how
to fix it are the people who work in the government. The Hatch Act
raises a high economic hurdle to entry of DC employees in a
participatory democracy because not many can afford to quit their jobs
to run for office. DC voters should be able to choose from among the
widest possible field. Prohibiting the entry of DC employees in the
elective process denies voters this choice and effectively limits the
field of candidates to people with substantial economic means only.
Moreover, advocating the continued application of the Hatch Act to DC
employees runs counter to seeking parity of status for DC residents with
those of the rest of the nation.
I advocate repeal of the provisions of the Hatch Act, especially as
they apply to the ability of all DC employees (not just teachers) to run
for partisan political office. If the protections of the Hatch Act
against coercive behavior are valuable, the DC Council should pass a
similar act (again, not prohibiting DC employees from running for
office). However, simple reliance on an outdated federal law that
applies to DC and no other sub-federal government is a painful reminder
of our lot as second-class citizens of this nation.
###############
Gary Imhoff's posting in support of the federal Hatch Act's
continuing imposition on DC employees betrays an ignorance of the Hatch
Act and a disregard for home rule. The Hatch Act, substantially
liberalized from an older version, essentially only 1) forbids covered
employees from running for partisan office, and 2) bans these employees
from raising campaign funds from the general public. (As a federal
employee, I've had reason to learn this). But they can volunteer for
political campaigns; therefore, none of these provisions would have
prevented the pressure tactics Imhoff describes.
The real effect of the Hatch Act on DC residents is to deny DC
government employees the right to run for office. I'm not aware of any
state where schoolteachers and professors risk their jobs when seeking
elected office. Because of the Hatch Act, UDC professor Howard Croft had
to resign to run for council several years ago; and DC schoolteacher Tom
Briggs lost his job for the same reason (but subsequently was rehired).
Yes, there should be protections for DC employees to protect them
from pressure from political appointees; but no, the Hatch Act is not
the vehicle. Begging the federal government to police the ethics of our
local officials is disempowering. Let's demand our local government do
its job rather than invite the interference of the feds, who don't
represent or care about DC public employees.
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100,000 New DC Residents: Boon or Bane?
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
Just how much fuller would DC's coffers get with 100,000 new
residents, and how confident could the mayor be of getting a profitable
demographic mix? Which are growing faster, revenues from residents or
from businesses? How many cars do DC residents have now, and why don't
they have as many as other regional jurisdictions? Are DC residents
better commuters, and how many work outside the city limits? And would
you base DC's key future infrastructure planning on having no more
traffic 25 years hence than we have now? NARPAC's answers can be found
in the April update of its web site at http://www.narpac.org/INTHOM.HTM.
Try a new approach to making DC better. Get positively involved. It
helps.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
The e-Cycling event will be held rain or shine on Saturday, April 12,
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the White Flint Mall, 11301 Rockville
Pike, in North Bethesda (about 2.6 miles north of NIH). The collection
area will be in the Mall Parking Lot #3 across from Bloomingdales.
Assistance will be available if needed to unload heavy or bulky items.
This electronics equipment recycling (e-cycling) event is the time to
dispose of that obsolete computer or get the old black and white TV out
of the basement. All types of personally owned electronic equipment —
cell phones, TVs, computers and peripherals — in any condition will be
accepted at the event for recycling free of charge. This is a special
opportunity, as few other environmentally safe disposal outlets are
available for recycling of some types of electronics.
This event is part of NIH's Earth Day 2003 celebrations. E-cycling
keeps electronics and the toxic materials in them out of landfills and
municipal waste incinerators, and assures that they will be reused or
recycled in a manner that is protective of the environment. Almost all
of the materials in electronics, ranging from plastics and glass to
precious metals, can be extracted and reused. E-cycling also helps
reduce the pollution and energy use tied to the production of new
electronics. Finally, it can put a computer, TV, or cell phone in the
hands of someone who really needs it. Additional information on the
event, maps to the collection area and links to other e-cycling
resources are available on the Division of Safety, Office of Research
Services web site http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/ds/ecycle.
This event is sponsored by the EPA, Maryland Department of the
Environment, in cooperation with NIH and White Flint Mall.
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Household Hazardous Waste Collection, April 12
Mary L. Myers, mary.myers@dc.gov
Just a reminder, the household hazardous waste collection is this
Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Feel free to visit the DPW web site (http://dpw.dc.gov/info/house_haz_waste.shtml)
or contact the Mayor's Citywide Call Center (727-1000) for more
information.
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CHIME Upcoming Programs on Opera, April 12
Dorothy Marschak, chime-dc@erols.com
Join us at a different DC neighborhood public library every Saturday
at 2:00 p.m. through May 10 for the remainder of CHIME's 2002-2003
“Music Around the World” series of twenty-two programs for all ages.
Two programs will be held on opera with Washington Opera docent Betty
Byrne. On April 12, “What is Opera?” at Northeast Library, 330 7th
Street, NE, is a multimedia program with the presenter in costume and
engaging the audience in her demonstrations. No one is too young or old
to enjoy this one. On April 19, “The Making of an Opera” at Petworth
Library, Georgia Avenue and Upshur Street, NW, is a behind-the-scenes
look at making an opera — from the box office, costume studio, and
production, to the performers, illustrated with video clips.
Ms. Byrne has developed and presented programs on opera to thousands
of area students. She is a member of the Washington Opera Guild Board
and is the Opera representative to the Kennedy Center. These programs
will be followed by three programs of music to dance to around the
world: April 26, klezmer music with the Hot Kugel Klezmer Band at
Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library, 7420 Georgia Avenue, NW; May
3, folkloric Afro-Cuban rumba, with Ivan Navas and friends, at Mount
Pleasant Library, 16th and Lamont Streets, NW; and May 10, dance music
from Scotland, with Ian Lawther (bagpipes, whistle, flute) and Liz
Donaldson (piano, accordion), at Washington Highlands Library, 115
Atlantic Street, SW. Whatever the weather, for our programs April is the
Coolest Month . . . and May is hot!
For a complete schedule of these programs, and to learn about other
CHIME activities, visit our web site, http://www.chime-dc.org.
We are a volunteer organization, and rely on donations and volunteers
for support. There is information on how to help on our web site, or
contact info@chime-dc.org or call
232-2731.
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Free Schubert and Mozart Concert, April 22
E. James Lieberman, elieberm@earthlink.net
The FMMC Orchestra Concert, on Tuesday, April 22, at noon, at the
Church of the Epiphany, 13th and G Streets (1317 G Street, NW, Metro
Center Metro stop), free admission. Schubert Symphony No. 5 and Mozart
Symphonia Concertante. Violin, Melissa Rauf, and viola, Carl Rubis.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Vinyl Records to CD Transfer Service
Steven E. Levy, slevy@kalorama.com
I am seeking a firm or individual who can transfer the contents of my
old vinyl LP records to a CD format. Any suggestions?
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