Speak Up
Speak Up in themail, June 8, 2003
Dear Speakers:
This is the perfect time to speak up, both in and out of themail.
Several important citywide issues are pending before the City Council,
and this is your opportunity to testify at hearings on them. On
Wednesday, June 11, at 1:00 p.m., the Committee on Education, Libraries,
and Recreation will hold a public roundtable on the appointments of
Carrie Thornhill (http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-218.htm)
and Robin Martin (http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-217.htm)
to the DC Board of Education. On Thursday, June 12, at 10:00 a.m., the
Committee on Finance and Revenue will hold a public hearing on the
“Baseball Revenue Amendment Act of 2003,” http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-270;
and at 3:30 p.m., the Committee on Economic Development will hold a
public hearing on the appointments of Marie Johns (http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-219)
and James Hudson (http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-220)
to the National Capital Revitalization Corporation Board. On Thursday,
June 17, the Committees of the Whole, Judiciary, and Government
Operations will hold a joint hearing on the pay raise for MPD Chief
Charles Ramsey, http://www.dcwatch.com/council15/15-273.htm,
which has become an issue both of police department performance and
spiraling pay levels in DC government.
If you've never testified before the City Council on an issue that is
important to you, this is a good time to start.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Structural Imbalance
and Management Issues
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com
Following is a very brief overview of the report, “District of
Columbia: Structural Imbalance and Management Issues” (GAO-03-666, in
PDF format at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03666.pdf),
issued this week by the US General Accounting Office (GAO). The report
examined the assertion that a good part of DC's service costs are
structural and beyond the local government's ability to control, even if
all management efficiencies could be successfully implemented. This
follows GAO's preliminary report in September 2002 and the 2002 Federal
City Council report by McKinsey and Company, which found that DC is on a
path to a $500 million budget deficit by 2005. Hopefully, the GAO will
give public presentations to explain the report — it is tough to wade
through without a tutor! The main finding seems to be that in DC, due to
a variety of factors such as poverty, the cost of government services is
expensive and outstrips DC's ability to raise the amount of revenues
needed. As for methodology, the 145-page report established benchmarks
and made comparisons using different methodologies and assumptions to
suit differing opinions, including comparing DC to dense urban areas and
to states. Regardless, the report confirmed a DC structural imbalance
ranging between $470 million and $1.1 billion. Whatever the amount is,
it is the difference between what the DC government can collect in
revenues at average tax rates (including federal grants) and its ability
to provide average services. Due to the structural imbalance, DC must
have higher tax rates than average simply to provide average services.
Government waste only exasperates the problem. The GAO report concluded
that DC's actual 2000 spending was five percent below that needed to
fund an average level of services for urban areas. The net result of the
structural deficit is that less money is available to invest in the
future, capital spending for infrastructure. These costs have been and
continue to be deferred.
The report found that the per capita cost of funding average services
in DC is 75 to 85 percent more than average (DC services cost more than,
but compare with New York, California, Massachusetts, Texas, and New
Jersey). When GAO adjusted for DC's service cost and workload factors,
but not the cost of the federal presence or special circumstances, it
found DC spending 18 percent more than “what would be necessary to
fund an average level of services.” GAO also estimated DC to be
spending 18 percent more for average elementary and secondary education
costs, but said that if management problems and special education costs
were taken into account, DC may actually be spending less than what is
needed to fund an average level of education services. GAO found that
the cost of providing police services four and a half times higher than
the national average, but, when adjusted for the DC high-cost
environment, spending on police was 40 to 66 percent below “what would
be necessary to fund a national average level of services.”
Why do DC services cost so much in DC? GAO identified waste in
Medicaid, elementary and secondary education, and public safety totaling
“tens of millions of dollars annually.” But waste isn't the only
problem. GAO highlighted costs that show up in Medicaid, health and
hospitals, special education, fire, and police and corrections spending
that cannot simply be wished off the budget books. These costs are
mostly associated with special populations, the high rate of poverty
(and low-income children), crime (associated with the high 18- to
24-year-old population), the high proportion of people without private
insurance, and the high proportion of people with chronic health
conditions (including HIV/AIDS). GAO also discussed DC's “legacy of
deteriorated infrastructure and its responsibility for funding its 40
percent share of the metropolitan area's mass transit system.” The
cost of the federal presence is also an unknown factor.
DC is a revenue-rich area: GAO estimated DC's total revenue capacity
per capita is 47 to 60 percent more than other areas. Other states with
higher revenue capacity than DC are Alaska, Connecticut, Wyoming,
Massachusetts, and Delaware. Nevertheless, between 2000 and 2003 there
have been declines in DC tax revenues: franchise (-27.2 percent),
individual income (-18.8 percent) and sales (-4 percent), which have
been mostly offset by other taxes (+37 percent), property taxes (+22.6
percent), and gross receipts taxes (+11.9 percent). The federal
presence, which creates indirect benefits, is a double-edged sword. If
DC didn't have constraints imposed by Congress, such as the law
prohibiting DC from taxing the DC-source income of nonresidents (like 41
states and cities like Philadelphia, Detroit, and Cleveland), DC would
have more money. One persistent problem GAO identified is that data is
not available or properly tracked to tabulate how much DC spends to
provide special services to the federal government that are not
reimbursed or the cost of federal prohibitions. GAO roughly estimates
the commuter service cost between $44 to $77 million, not including road
costs. GAO also estimated that DC's sales tax revenue capability is
lower than 31 to 49 states, in part due to exemptions for the federal
government, embassies, and military personnel. The economic loss from
not having voting Congressional members was not discussed. Although DC
has a higher per capita debt load compared to the fifty states (at
$6,501 per person), its bond rating has improved since 1998, and DC
reduced its debt in 2001 thanks to tobacco settlement bonds.
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Senior Service at Department of Motor Vehicles
Edward Cowan, edcowan1114@yahoo.com
[Ed Cowan asked the DMV about its policy regarding expedited service
for seniors at the automobile inspection station. He received this reply
from Anne Witt, Acting Director, DC Department of Motor Vehicles.]
“The procedures for seniors (62 or older) is they are required to get
in the inspection line and a greeter will pull them out and direct them
to the shortest line to have their vehicles inspected. We require them
to get in line to eliminate confusion from other residents waiting in
line. (Sad fact — some of our residents don't feel that seniors should
be given priority treatment). At one point, there were special dates and
times for seniors; however, the station manager felt that seniors should
be given special consideration every day. When we had special dates and
times seniors were required to go to the office to have their vehicles
inspected. This practice has not been in place for more than a year.
“In order to address your concern, I've met with the Inspection
Station Manager and his supervisor about the need to be consistent and
predictable in our administration of this policy, and the greeters have
been advised and are being more closely monitored. I appreciate your
bringing this to my attention. I believe it's very important for us to
improve and achieve consistent quality and experiences.”
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Speaking of Selective Enforcement
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
I chuckled at the commentary about picking and choosing which laws to
obey. It makes sense, since MPD clearly picks and chooses what laws to
enforce. Among those that don't make the cut are traffic laws. My
commute takes me through downtown DC each evening. Traffic is bad, of
course. But the bad situation is worsened by the lack of enforcement.
The worst problem: cars that enter intersections that are already
blocked, and wind up stuck in the box when lights change, blocking
traffic on the cross streets. The result: gridlock for blocks. This
isn't exactly hard to enforce, but I've never seen it actually being
done.
Last night was particularly bad. Intersection after intersection was
completely blocked, not a police car in sight. Here's a great candidate
for camera enforcement, or even just putting a few officers at key
intersections. People would learn pretty quickly that blocking the box
leads to fines, and stop. (Last I heard, in New York it was a $200
violation.) But of course this would require the police to enforce the
law, which apparently is no longer part of the job description. After
getting through a series of blocked intersections, I did finally see a
police car, running a red light at 16th and P.
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Clusters vs. PSAs
Richard Black, pea dot nut2 at verizon dot net
I live within the northeast boundaries of the Capitol Hill Historic
Zone but also on the southern border of the area served by the 5th
District MPD. The last time I visited the 5th District station to get
the report on an accident that left one car leaning on my front wall, I
was told by the officer on duty that where I lived wasn't part of the
5th District. She was mistaken, of course. In the last couple of years
I've called 911 several times to report ongoing drug dealing on the
corner near my house and a man who consistently used my back alley as
his toilet. As often happens in this town, from what I'm told, I got no
response from the police. No squad car was sent out and no follow calls
were made to me explaining why my calls were ignored. A neighbor tells
me she was mugged in broad daylight, got immediately on her cell phone
to report the crime and a description of the perpetrator, only to wait
over two hours for the police to show up to make the report which
subsequently got lost in the shuffle.
With the new cluster plan, I am now slated to be moved into the 1st
District. I can at least hope that having officers who patrol most of
the Hill and are more used to responding to these types of crimes will
translate to an improvement for me in this most basic quality-of-life
service. The MPD needs to get its act together if we are ever going to
make this the first class city it should be. Perhaps neighborhood norms
and expectations, as represented in the cluster idea, will help
rationalize the process. One thing I refuse to contemplate is more of
the shoddy same.
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PSAs: Clusters Versus ANCs
Richard Layman, rlaymandc@yahoo.com
Lars Hydle's arguments about Kingman Park and its assignment to a
particular Ward and ANC in a way that separates it from the adjacent
neighborhoods, actually prove, counter to his arguments, why ANC
boundaries are not a logical organizing mechanism for PSA districts. ANC
boundaries change, and they have to, to ensure “one person, one
vote.” These boundaries change as the population changes within the
various neighborhoods of the city. Say what you will, but the cluster
boundaries don't change because they reflect broad neighborhood
boundaries that don't change. Kingman Park will always be in Cluster 25,
even as the ward boundaries move west to reflect increases in population
in the western part of the city.
The ANC that I live in, ANC6C, now has four SMDs in NW, west of North
Capitol Street. Crime in my neighborhood has nothing to do with
activities at the forthcoming Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue NW or the
Starbucks across from the Archives Metro Station. But they would be in
the same PSA if it followed ANC boundaries.
It would make little sense to have downtown split up into different
PSAs to reflect Ward and ANC boundaries, because these boundaries have
little to do with the geographic and other factors that influence
criminal activity and the means to deal with it. I have to presume that
is true for the rest of the city. Just because Ward 4 jumped west of
Rock Creek Park, or Ward 7 west of the Anacostia doesn't mean that we
should change police districts to cross those boundaries.
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Master Business License Scam
Chris Kelly, Hanover Place, dcreardon@aol.com
I was caught in the scam. About two months ago I got an invoice from
the DC government for $113.00 for a Master Business License (I am a
landlord). If the invoice was not paid by X date, the fee went up
$100.00 I believe, so I paid on time. Now I hear that the Council has
rescinded the MBL legislation, but the $6 million they have already
collected will not be refunded.
What's up with this? Happen to anyone else? I want my money back!
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Like David Sobelsohn, I am also having problems with my DC income tax
refund. The Office of Tax and Revenue web site indicates that they
received my DC tax return on March 3. By May 2, having not seen my
refund, I called OTR and discovered that they believed I owed them a
substantial amount of money, rather than the other way around. This
problem turned out to be that OTR had no record of the checks I had sent
them to pay estimated 2002 taxes (though OTR had no problem cashing my
checks quickly after I had mailed them). Even after I faxed OTR the
canceled checks showing I had paid the estimated taxes, it took ten more
days before OTR would acknowledge that the error was on their part. At
that time, OTR said it would take two more weeks to send me my refund.
Now nearly four weeks have passed, and there is still no refund in the
mail. Calls to the OTR representative who assisted me on this issue
earlier are not being returned. I think in the end I will get my refund,
but I suspect I will have to badger and call OTR many times about this,
and it is a big waste of time for all concerned. By contrast, I have had
absolutely no problem with respect to my federal refund.
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I filed my return on April 10, and also have not received my refund.
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I had something of an opposite experience to that of David Sobelsohn,
who is still waiting for his DC income tax refund. We owed money to DC,
mailed it on April 14, and then waited for a month or so before our
check was cashed. Moral to this story may be that if want to maximize
use of your funds, make sure you don't overpay your DC income tax.
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Regarding Ralph Blessing's post regarding Giant Bonus Bucks and the
schools in the District. I volunteer tutor for Good Shepherd After
School Center in Adams Morgan. (They always need volunteers during the
school year, hint, hint). I asked the program's Director to give me the
name of some of the schools in the neighborhood that the children
attend. I designated three schools (the maximum) for my Giant and
Safeway card purchases. In February I received postcards from Giant
notifying me that the schools I had designated had not signed up. I then
telephoned each school individually (Adams Elementary, HD Cook, and
Marie Reed), and explained that there was money in escrow for them and
all they had to do was sign up. I just now checked Giant's web site.
None of the three schools is registered. Another round of phone calls
today. Adams said they are aware of the program and that they have tried
on register on line at least four times, but she didn't seem surprised
that none of the attempts was successful. (Twenty-eight designations for
$120.72). Marylee from HD Cook said that she couldn't remember exactly,
but she remembered getting something from Giant at the beginning of the
school year and that the application was different from in years past,
and she thought they didn't sign up because they felt uncomfortable
giving a bank account number to Giant. She also indicated that programs
that offer free money to schools should come to the schools. I replied
that it is a school's job to go and get what is theirs and not wait for
money to be handed to them. (Fifteen designations for $60.31 — money
that could have gone to another school, but it won't because it is
designated for Cook and someone there feels “uncomfortable” filling
out the form, not to mention intimidated because this year the form
looked different. Top that off with feeling entitled to have money
approach her and wants it handed to her without filling out some
paperwork.) The call to Marie Reed was answered in an unintelligible
mumbled voice and resulted in the telephone equivalent of a blank stare.
When she finally understood what I was talking about, she asked me if I
had a number to call. She didn't even want to make the effort to find a
phone number herself. (Twenty-three designations for $121.60.) Compare
those three (grand total of $302.63) with the top earner, which was
Eastern High School for $12,227.87! Apparently Eastern didn't feel
uncomfortable filling out a form and giving Giant the information they
needed to give the school money. Great job, Eastern!
So it's not only the parents who are not involved in supporting their
own children's schools by signing up for cards and designating schools,
but also the administration of the schools themselves who have a
resource to tap into. Some won't even make a simple effort to sign up
for the programs. Here I am thinking I am doing something good for kids.
But they go to some schools where the administration won't spend a few
minutes to apply for what is theirs. So the answer to Mr. Blessing's
question is a simple “yes.” “Something as simple and painless as
signing up for free money for the schools is too much of a bother” —
both for the parents and for some of the administrators of the schools
themselves.
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Beach Drive Is My Lifeline
Dawn Dickerson, ddd668@aol.com
I too support the efforts to keep Beach Drive open to vehicles. I
live in the District and work in Rockville, MD. Had it not been for
Beach Drive, I would have quit my job three years ago.
I tried using Wisconsin Avenue when I first started working in
Rockville and the commute was unbearable. And, although I was always
taught that Beach Drive was not supposed to be used as a shortcut
through the city (I am a native Washingtonian and learned early on about
protecting the ecology in the park), the fact that it is open and
available to me has helped my mental health. I can't tell you how
relaxing it is to drive through the park after a stressful day at work,
taking in nature, no traffic, no lights, no stop and go. (Although they
could stand to pave some of the roads. Beach Drive can be a bumpy
commute in a car with bad shocks.) But Beach Drive has really saved my
life (and sanity) as far as I'm concerned, and I couldn't afford to
loose that.
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Closing Beach Drive
Michael Bindner, mikeybdc at yahoo dot com
Am I the only one on this list who is wondering why Rock Creek
Parkway is still federal, not to mention Dupont Circle or Farragut
Square or a thousand other little bitty parks in this city? Frankly, the
answer to this whole question might be to give most of the federal
parkland in the District to the District (with restrictions on
development for non-park use). There is nothing national about most
national park property in the District. It is time for the feds to give
it up. The competency of the current Mayor to manage it is a separate
question to be left up to the voters (the same group who gave us Mrs.
Kelly).
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[In the last issue of themail, I wrote: “It would be interesting to
get an official response to Rae's suggestion, but I would disagree. If a
crime is ongoing, if it can be prevented, or if the perpetrator is still
on the scene and can be apprehended by a quick response, then I would
recommend calling 911 regardless of whether you regard the crime as a
major or minor one. Contrary opinions?” — Gary Imhoff]
That's exactly the distinction that the police from our PSA have made
to us in community meetings: 311 if it's after the fact but 911 if
something is still in progress. I agree.
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Regarding “A 911 Call”
Rae Kelley, rkelley@asprs.org
I'm not defending the actions of the 911 operator; this person should
consider rethinking a career which causes him to deal with the public.
But wouldn't this tree situation been more suited for the non-emergency
number? I agree that the system is in shambles, but we as citizens take
a part in the problem. If we flood the emergency number with
non-emergency situations, the real emergencies will not be able to get
through.
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What's better than trying to solve DC's structural imbalance by
packing 100,000 middle-income residents into DC, especially with
children? Why are any groups trying to force major changes in HUD's very
successful HOPE VI program when it's done so much to help DC's public
housing situation? How can we turn St. Coletta's
transit-oriented-development-defying site alongside the Stadium/Armory
Metro entrance into a revenue producer for the city? What do DC's
juniors and seniors want to do to fix their high schools and surrounds?
NARPAC's answers can be found in the June update of its web site at http://www.narpac.org/INTHOM.HTM.
Try a new approach to making DC better. Get positively involved. It
might help.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
An Evening with Robert Prosky, June 9
Isabel Barranzuela, ibarranzuela@arenastage.org
Don’t miss this very special, one-night-only event: “A Life in
the Spotlight: An Evening with Robert Prosky.” Arena Stage legend and
former company member Robert Prosky recounts personal stories and shows
video clips highlighting his amazing forty-five-year acting career. As
an award-winning actor, Robert Prosky has been in thirty-five feature
films, more than two hundred plays, and numerous television shows, and
has shared the spotlight with some of the greatest actors of our time.
Join us for a compelling evening, which will stir your memory, make you
laugh, and celebrate the extraordinary talent of this Washington
resident. This special benefit performance by Robert Prosky will support
the artistic mission of Arena Stage.
Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kreeger Theater. Tickets are $65
per person. ($50 is tax-deductible). To purchase tickets, click http://www.arenastage.org
or call 588-3300 today!
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DC World War Memorial Meeting, June 11
Krista Schreiner Gebbia, DC Preservation League, krista@dcpreservation.org
Beginning in 1996, the DC Preservation League has announced annually
a list of Most Endangered Places to draw attention to Washington DC’s
historically, culturally, and architecturally significant places that
may be threatened with destruction, ill-advised alteration, or
demolition through neglect or abandonment. Modeled after the National
Trust for Historic Preservation’s program, DCPL solicits nominations
for its annual list from individuals and organizations and evaluates
nominations through its Landmarks Committee. Each site has a task force
that works throughout the year to host programs to raise awareness and
develop possible preservation solutions for each resource.
This year's list includes the DC World War Memorial. Completed in
1931, the temple is located on the National Mall in West Potomac Park.
It was the first memorial on the Mall to list all Dc residents who lost
their lives in the war, regardless of their race, class, or gender. The
Dc War Memorial is the only local Dc memorial on the National Mall. On
Wednesday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. the DC Preservation League is holding a
meeting to discuss the preservation of the DC World War Memorial. If you
are interested in attending please call 783-5144 or E-mail info@dcpreservation.org.
For more information about the Memorial visit http://www.dcwatch.com/richards/020526.htm.
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Human Needs Not Baseball Schemes Rally, June
12
Parisa Norouzi, parisa@wishdc.org
Do you think DC has higher priorities to invest in, rather than give
away precious local assets to lure Major League Baseball to town and
make already wealthy wannabe team owners even wealthier? Do you feel
that it is an affront to the people of DC that Mayor Williams pledged
$338 million for baseball just days after closing a $323 million budget
shortfall for 2003, and passing a 2004 budget that reflected over a
hundred million in cuts to local programs? Raise your voice! Come
represent the issues you think are more important than baseball!
Join us for the “Human Needs Not Baseball Schemes” Rally! Let
Mayor Williams and the Council know that we want a safety net, not a
stadium! Thursday, June 12th, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Freedom Plaza, 14th and
Pennsylvania, NW. The Rally is sponsored by: Washington Innercity Self
Help, MANNA Inc., Institute for Local Self Reliance, Fair Budget
Coalition, Coalition for Homeless and Housing Organizations, National
Coalition for the Homeless, DC Statehood Green Party, Community Council
for the Homeless at Friendship Place, and many other concerned citizens!
For more information contact Parisa at WISH, 332-8800.
Directly following the rally, the City Council Finance and Revenue
Committee will be holding a hearing on the financing plan for baseball.
To testify call 724-8058. Sign the online petition against public
funding for baseball in DC at http://www.leagueoffans.org.
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Women in Film Creative Citizens Forum and Gala
Awards Dinner, June 12
Dorinda White, dorindaw@aol.com
Join us for the Creative Citizens Forum: “Ms. Smith Goes to
Washington,” at The Washington Club at 15 Dupont Circle, Thursday,
June 12, 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Breakfast session topic: “Runaway
Productions,” 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Panelists will discuss the role
federal and state governments play in determining if film and television
producers keep their US productions in this country or not. Panelists:
Rita O'Brennan, President, Maryland Production Alliance; Dawn Keezer,
President, Film US; Stephanie Antosca, President, ThinkFilm, Inc.;
Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn. Panel discussion topic “Hollywood’s
Global Impact”: 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Panelists will discuss how
the US film and television industries impact on global perceptions,
politics and cultures. Panelists: Caroline Baron, President and Founder,
FilmAid International; Preston Padden, Executive Vice President,
Worldwide Government Affairs, The Walt Disney Company; Laura Lane, Vice
President, International Public Policy, AOL-Time Warner, Inc.;
Congresswoman Diane Watson. Luncheon Session Topic: “Ready, Set,
Activism,” 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Panelists will discuss the
responsibility of the creative citizen in this country to work with
government at all levels in supporting and protecting those rights that
are essential to a creative culture and society. Panelists: Mary Jean
Collins, Vice President, National Field Director, People for the
American Way; Marie Gallo Dyak, Senior Vice President, Government
Relations, Entertainment Industries Council; Congresswoman Louise
Slaughter. Please note that all Congressional representatives have been
invited and are subject to change.
The 10th annual Women of Vision Awards Gala will be held Thursday,
June 12, at the Capital Hilton, 16th and K Streets, NW. Reception and
silent auction, 6:30 p.m.; dinner and awards ceremony, 7:45 p.m. Women
of Vision honorees will be Ruby Dee, Ricki Green, Sharon Percy
Rockefeller, and Carole Simpson; the Women of Vision leadership award
will be presented to Amy DeLouise.
WIFV members' fee with gala discount, $75.00; WIFV members' fee
without discount, $100.00; nonmembers' fee with gala discount, $125.00;
general registration fee, $150.00. Registration fee covers continental
breakfast, lunch and materials.
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Free Blogging Workshop, June 14
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
For those who might be interested, I'm teaching a free workshop on
blogging (blogging is a rapidly growing form of personal journalism on
the Internet) in the computer training center, room 315, of MLK library
in downtown DC. The workshop will take place Saturday, June 14, from
10:30 a.m. to noon. This workshop will explain the various choices you
can make in setting up a blog, and we'll take a look at how to do
blogging via a blog I set up for myself at http://teachme.blogspot.com.
The workshop will also explain why blogs are one of the best tools for
nonprofit organizations to get their ideas out in front of the public.
Kindly send me an E-mail if you'd like to attend. There are currently
fourteen open slots. For those who can't make the workshop, but want to
learn the material covered, an excellent book on blogging is We Blog,
by Paul Bausch.
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The Sanchez Sisters at Woman’s National
Democratic Club, June 24
Pat Bitondo, pbitondo@aol.com
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who represents the 47th district of
California and Linda Sanchez, who represents a district in southern
California will be luncheon speakers at the Woman's National Democratic
Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, on June 24 at 12:30 p.m. Loretta
Sanchez works on bipartisan projects relating to the Homeland Security
Act and plays a central role in the fight against terrorism. She is the
ranking woman on the House Armed Services Committee. Linda Sanches,
serves on the Judiciary Committee and her areas of focus include civil
and judicial reform, immigration, and trade protection. Don't miss them!
This is an Educational Foundation event and is tax deductible. For
more information, telephone 232-7363, Ext. 3003, E-mail pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org.
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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING
Mt. Pleasant/16th Street, NW. Huge first floor 2 bedroom/1.5 bath
apartment in prewar brownstone. High ceilings, 6 ft. bay windows, oak
floors, washer/dryer, air conditioning, five huge closets, Metro, buses.
Pets OK. Parking available. $1800/month. Available in June. Call
986-2745 or 468-2638.
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House or Apartment Needed for a Week in August
Sid Booth, SidBooth1@aol.com
For a family event the first weekend in August, we are seeking a
house or large apartment to accommodate up to five very responsible
adults visiting Washington from overseas. If you plan to be out-of-town
at that time and would consider renting your place, please contact me to
discuss details.
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CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
A group of District of Columbia tenants is seeking pro bono legal
counsel for tenant rights, real estate contracts, environmental cases.
Tenants have volunteer paralegals to assist legal team. Contact by
E-mail at arthurjackson@blackplanet.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — WANTED
Looking for Minolta XD series camera. Please E-mail me with
“camera” in the subject line.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES
Consultant to Small, Minority, and Women Owned
Businesses
Arthur Jackson, Jr., arthurjackson@blackplanet.com
District of Columbia small, minority, and women-owned businesses
seeking certification as SBE, MBE, WBE or LSDBE certified contractors,
suppliers or consultants can visit our website to learn about how to get
your business certified. Also, we can assist startup or existing
business in preparing business and marketing plans. Web address: http://www.ahjgroup.com.
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CLASSIFIEDS — DONATION
I have a refrigerator, electric stove with double oven, and
dishwasher available for donation, located in Silver Spring. Does anyone
know a nonprofit that could use these?
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