Defacing the Flag
Dear Defacers and Refacers:
The DC flag, the simple three red stars above two red bars on a white
field, is spare, elegant, attractive, and historic (it's based on George
Washington's family crest). In the last issue of themail, Wynn
Wagen called attention to the likelihood that the City Council will vote
to turn this distinguished flag into an advertising banner. Whatever
your position is on statehood, home rule, or congressional
representation, I would hope that you wouldn't want graffiti vandals to
deface our flag. For the other side of this issue, see the advocacy
materials from DC Vote at http://www.dcwatch.com/issues/flag030613.htm.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
The Ramsey Solution
Ron Eberhardt, rge1022@aol.com
The solution to the mayor and council's impasse on the raise in
compensation for police Chief Charles Ramsey is quite simple. While I
personally believe that Ramsey should not be retained because of gross
failure to properly manage the department and its resources — mainly
human — nonetheless it seems that neither of the controlling interests
see it that way. So the answer is simple. Ramsey's new contract should
not provide a base compensation increase. It should contain an annual
bonus earning capability of up to $50,000 for his outstanding
performance and/or completion of highly specific and measurable goals.
The bonus would be tiered in such a way that he need not complete all
items to receive a bonus. That way, Ramsey's compensation is directly
tied to his performance and production. If I were writing the criteria,
I have little doubt that he personally would ever obtain a bonus. That
is not to say someone more competent and driven would not! This is the
council's opportunity to put its mark on his performance.
The DC Chief is already one of the better compensated police chiefs
in the nation. Now we learn that a new provision would give Ramsey a
lifetime pension of $60,000 per year if he remains with the department
five more years, or a total of ten years. Sweet. One had better ask if
that $60k includes COLA's? Add that to Ramsey's retirement from the
Chicago Police Department, and his relatively youthful age, as to the
likelihood of his obtaining another senior level job, and he is making
himself comfortably set for life. No problem if he earns it! That
retirement benefit should not be a given. Tie that to provision to his
performance over the next five years too, i.e., must have completed at
least 60 percent of annual goals and objectives in order to earn the
guaranteed retirement deal. For example, over five years, 20 percent of
the retirement capability could be obtained each year. If he was
successful in each of the five years he would have lifetime coverage. If
not, he would only earn that portion of retirement, based upon actuarial
tables, that he earned.
###############
Parking Enforcement Assaults Mount Pleasant
Jack McKay, jack.mckay@verizon.net
For the past year, the rush hour parking prohibitions along two long
blocks of Park Road in Mount Pleasant have been suspended, initially in
association with alley repair work, then as a test to demonstrate that
those prohibitions were unwarranted. The test was successful. Traffic
flowed well even at the peak of the morning rush as long as no one
parked in a third block, where interaction with a traffic light caused
great problems and the parking prohibitions continued in force.
Residents were glad to have sixty-odd new overnight parking spots from
which they did not have to move their cars at 7 a.m. On Friday, June 6,
that suspension of the parking prohibitions abruptly disappeared, as an
ill-informed DDOT contractor mistakenly reset the "No Parking
7:00-9:30 a.m." signs. Of course few residents noticed the change,
and 7 a.m. Monday arrived with dozens of cars parked along these two
blocks. DPW's Parking Enforcement people scented blood, and descended
upon these cars with an avalanche of $100 tickets. That rush hour
traffic flowed well despite the parked cars meant nothing. The fine was
as heavy as if the cars were blocking a crucial thoroughfare downtown.
DDOT wouldn't undo what the contractor had done, and Parking
Enforcement wouldn't stop handing out big tickets. (The concept of a
“warning” escapes them.) Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, Tuesday
afternoon, and again on Wednesday morning, Parking Enforcement was back,
piling up the $100 tickets on cars whose owners were unaware of the
assault. Wednesday they began towing the offending vehicles and dumping
them on our neighborhood side streets. That the Parking Enforcement tow
trucks interfered significantly with rush hour traffic, while the parked
cars did not, did not disturb them. Late Wednesday, upon intervention by
Councilmember Jim Graham, DDOT Director Dan Tangherlini decreed an
immediate end to the rush hour parking prohibition, and notified DPW and
DMV that all tickets issued should be voided. But on Thursday morning,
Parking Enforcement was back, handing out still more $100 tickets, and
towing more cars away to be “disappeared” into our side streets. I
showed them the E-mail from Director Tangherlini, and suggested that it
wasn't too useful to write tickets that would be nullified, nor to tow
cars from a place where parking would no longer be prohibited. The
Parking Enforcement personnel dismissed my objections — we ANC
Commissioners don't get much respect — and kept on ticketing and
towing. Later Thursday morning a DDOT crew physically removed the No
Parking signs, and that finally brought the Parking Enforcement assault
on Mount Pleasant to a stop.
I estimate that $8000 in parking tickets were handed out for parking
which for a full year had been legal, which is now legal again, and
which never was a significant obstacle to traffic. Because this was
obviously a case of miscommunication and uncertainty, and because rush
hour parking had been legal for a year, DPW could have backed off and
waited for the matter to be sorted out. But they did not, instead
attacking the residents of Mount Pleasant with full force, without
warning, clearly taking advantage of the situation to extract as much
money from the residents as they could. Their action had nothing
whatsoever to do with promoting efficient traffic flow, and everything
to do with jacking up their tickets-issued scores. (Speaking for myself
only, not for the Mount Pleasant ANC.)
###############
Medicaid Hearing: Money Bags and Millions Lost
Rene Wallis, DCPCA, rwallis@dcpca.com
Tune in on the Council web site or Channel 13 on cable to see Council
grill the Department of Health — it promises to be quite a lively
hearing [Wednesday, June 25, at 10:00 a.m.]! DC Medicaid, which will be
on the hot seat, has a FY04 budget of $1.4 billion -- that's bigger than
schools, police, and even the DC Sports Commission. Look for
Councilmembers Allen, Catania, Evans, Schwartz, Graham, and Mendelson to
take on DOH. These councilmembers are getting pretty savvy about the DOH
budget, and won't let DOH to get away with dissembling, half-truths, and
“I'll have to get back to you” non-answers.
For those of you who give money — and a lot of you do — to the
outstanding organizations that work with dedication to keep our broken
health care system operating, know they will be out in full force: La
Clinica del Pueblo (primary care clinic in Mount Pleasant/Columbia
Heights) and ADAPT (a disability rights group) are bringing patients to
deliver fake money bags to the Mayor, Koskinen, Carolyn Graham, and
Council to symbolize the millions of dollars the Department of Health
wastes through poor management. Bread for the City, SOME, Whitman Walker
and Mary's Center will be testifying. These are four more committed and
hardworking DC clinics serving carrying money bags as they testify. Iona
House, serving seniors, and the Kennedy Institute and Help Yourself,
serving the mentally retarded and disabled, will also be demanding DC
Medicaid does a better job.
Everyone will be wearing the stickers: Promises Made, Promises
Broken. The patients of these organizations could not get services
without the support donors who give millions each year to these and
other organizations. The providers are working together so that we can
make sure your dollars will improve the lives of DC's vulnerable —
both your gifts and your taxes. And, if you get as outraged as we are, a
phone call or E-mail to your Councilmember and the Mayor will help. On a
personal note, I used to work at Bread for the City in fundraising, and
was always amazed and moved by how much DC residents care about the
vulnerable, which is why, as a DC resident, I get so upset when the
District government betrays that trust.
###############
Under the Court, Vulnerable Become Victims
Tolu Tolu, tolu2books@aol.com
[With reference to the Washington Post series on DC Probate
Court] I have written about the DC Probate Court abuses to alert all who
would listen from September 2001 through today. In addition I have a
link on my web site, http://www.Tolu2Books.com, to post abuses by the DC
Probate Court. The relationship of DC Probate Court judges and court
appointed lawyers for DC wards is a much more complex and sinister than
the Washington Post has been able to uncover. I said it before,
and I'm saying it again. A lot of people are being paid to appoint, turn
their heads, and rule on behalf of institutions that financially rape
wards of DC.
###############
In an unnamed Washington neighborhood, there are two city sidewalk
trees. Emergency no parking signs are punctured onto the trees. The
emergency no parking signs are legal and read in part, “By the
Authority of Metropolitan Police Department.” The trees and signs are
in front of a building wherein resides a community leader, ANC
commissioner and chair of his neighborhood ANC commission. To puncture
or damage a city tree is a criminal offense and is punishable by a $500.
If our leaders do not “get it” in front of their own homes, can we
expect anyone to get it?
Congress passed the original city tree protection law in the late
1800s. The fine was $50. Then, fifty dollars was equal to months of pay.
After over a century, Carol Schwartz initiated a bill that raised the
fine to something meaningful.
People and the DC government talk about planting and protecting city
sidewalk trees. Yet the DC government does not publicize the $500
criminal offense for damaging city trees. And if responsible ANC
commissioners are not aware of the criminal offense for damaging city
trees, can we ever expect the average citizen to value and protect our
city’s trees? Why isn’t the DC government emphasizing the need to
protect our city trees? Why isn’t MPD properly instructing residents
on the use of their signs?
###############
Tree Management
Patricia Violante-Cassetta, pvc@mac.com
Trees falling on your head? Call your insurance company or sue your
neighbor perhaps. The DC Council passed an Act that truly misses the
forest for the trees. The impressively titled initiative (Urban Forest
Preservation Act of 2002) may have been well intentioned in its early
drafting stages, but the final result requires, among other things, that
homeowners obtain permits and pay fees for cutting down trees on their
property unless the tree is dying or dead. A “Tree Board” makes a
determination of what trees are “dangerous.” My husband and I tried
to bring some attention to the proposal before it was passed, but those
who hadn't read the fine print were adamantly espousing concepts of
“preservation” and “conservation.” See also the May 19 issue of
themail about saving the canopy at taxpayer expense. For a text of the
Act: http://www.anc3f.org/urbanforestact.pdf.
###############
Two Questions
John Whiteside, johnwhiteside at earthlink dot net
1) Fascinating bit on the cab driver with the cell phone. Question:
cab drivers are licensed by the city. How does one contact the licensing
authority with complaints? My cab story from last week was this: during
an afternoon drive home, I was nearly hit by a cab making a left turn
out of the middle lane of traffic on E Street — he turned across a
lane of through traffic. Apparently he did not feel like waiting in the
slower left lane. He came within inches of me and I honked in hopes of
alerting him to my presence and avoiding a collision. This led to him
screaming at me from his cab at the next light (it was a beautiful
roll-down-the-windows day): “Don't honk at me! You can't do that! Why
was your car there!” It's one thing when a driver pulls a stunt like
that and knows that he's breaking the law. It's another when the driver
is convinced that he is allowed to make turns across lanes of traffic
without regard for the cars he's about to hit. This is a cab driver who
obviously doesn't know the traffic laws of DC (and every other city and
state in the US) and is a danger to his passengers and other drivers,
and shouldn't be a licensed cab driver. Who do you alert about this?
2) Does DC have any regulations about providing sidewalk access near
construction sites? I'm endlessly appalled by how many places in this
city pedestrians are forced to walk in the traffic or cross to the other
side of the street (sometimes mid block) because construction is
underway. In most cities there are temporary pedestrian walkways
constructed in these situations. I'm not talking about something that's
there for a day or two — these are sites where sidewalks wind up
closed for months on end. (The 1400 block of P Street, NW, is a great
example, but there are plenty.) Shouldn't construction companies be
providing safe access for pedestrians? It happens occasionally, but not
most of the time. Are they ignoring the rules or are there in fact no
rules?
###############
On Sunday, in the last issue of themail, I wrote about an E-mail from
the Office of Latino Affairs that asked its grantees and Latin American
embassies to lobby the City Council on behalf of Chief Ramsey's raise.
On Monday, Christia Alou, the interim director of OLA, sent the
following E-mail, which I reprint without further comment: “Last
Friday, June 13, 2003, my office sent out an E-mail to a broad
distribution list that should not have been sent out. The E-mail message
urged recipients to contact members of the City Council and express
support for the proposed salary and benefit increases to Chief Ramsey's
employment contract. The Council will hold a hearing on this matter
tomorrow.
“The message was intended for distribution to the Mayor's
Commission on Latino Community Development and to the employees of the
Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (OLA). Unfortunately, an employee in
our office mistakenly forwarded the message to a much broader list of
contacts which should not have happened. To add to the problem, the
factual information in the message was also incorrect. Chief Ramsey's
base pay is currently $150,000. The new contract calls for a base pay of
$175,000.
“If you received this earlier message and you are not a member of
the Mayor's Commission on Latino Community Development or an employee of
OLA, please disregard the message and accept my sincere apologies.”
###############
E-Mail for Williams and Ramsey
Bob Summersgill, summersgill@yahoo.com
[In the June 15 issue of themail, John Whiteside asked for E-mail
addresses for the Mayor and Chief of Police.] Here are the E-mail
addresses that I have. Don't expect a response if you use them. I never
get one, and Ramsey even seems to like me. Anthony Williams, mayor@dc.gov;
Charles Ramsey, charles.ramsey@dc.gov.
###############
This is to advise that the June 2003 on-line edition has been
uploaded and may be accessed at http://www.intowner.com.
Included are the lead stories, community news items and crime reports,
editorials (including prior months archived), restaurant reviews (prior
months also archived), and the text from the ever-popular “Scenes from
the Past” feature. Also included are all current classified ads. The
complete issue (along with prior issues back to January 2002) also is
available in PDF file format by direct access from our home page at no
charge simply by clicking the link provided. Here you will be able to
view the entire issue as it looks in print, including the new ABC Board
actions report, all photos and advertisements. The next issue will
publish on June 13. The complete PDF version will be posted by early
that Friday morning, following which the text of the lead stories,
community news, and selected features will be uploaded shortly
thereafter.
To read this month's lead stories, simply click the link on the home
page to the following headlines: “Preservation-Minded Neighbors Decry
Decayed State of Zoo's Historic Adams Mill Road Site”; “Once Home of
Influential Black Educator in Shaw Expected Soon to be Historic Site”;
“Outdoor Art Livens Shaw Neighborhood Playground — June 'Garden
Party' Event to Celebrate First Year.”
###############
Yes, there was a time when DC Public Schools were uniformly
good-to-excellent, instead of predominantly
dangerously-inadequate-to-substandard. But then, there was a time when
the entire community — not just those families who included DCPS
pupils — were proud to support not only our schools, but the place we
called home. It's hard not to feel disappointed and rather hopeless
about the future of public education in a place where public school
graduates can't compete for jobs and extracurricular enrichment
activities with young people who hail from everyplace but here. I live
in the house my family bought in 1953 — there's only me, now — and
it's a very different block than it was when I was growing up. There
used to be people under eighteen in nearly every house, and a network of
neighborly relationships created by the contact between and among the
kids. With the exception of those who chose parochial education, most of
us went to Powell or West elementary, McFarland or Gordon Junior High
(yes, busing existed in DCPS, only it was by DC Transit!), and Roosevelt
or Western High School. And, regardless the school we attended, early
evenings, before the homework we all had and were expected to do and
weekends were spent in the company of our peers in the neighborhood.
Older kids baby-sat or looked out for younger ones; teens practiced new
dance steps in each others' basements; we knew each others' parents and
they knew each other, if only by name (first and last).
I have no problem with my new neighbors, and I understand shifting
demographics. Young families replace elderly singles or couples, and
there new partnerships replace what we used to call traditional
families. But the sad truth is that not one of the homeowners who came
to my block within the last five years is likely to stay for twenty, or
even ten. They'll do like the nice couple down the street, who bought a
row house for around $400,000 when she was pregnant, and sold it two
weeks ago for $625,000. They moved to "the County" with their
daughter, who just turned three. They said it was "for the
schools," so I guess they meant Montgomery County. I felt like I
was intruding by asking at all, one day when we were unloading groceries
at the same time. They left no forwarding address or phone number. There
were no fond farewells waved from the front porches that line the block,
or help carrying things to the car, or snips of a favorite plant handed
to a neighbor who admired it. Landscaping, after all, conveys. The house
they left was once part of a community. To them, it was part of a
portfolio.
That house used to be home to Stan and Julia. She was a caterer. When
kids were unkind to each other in front of her house she'd lean out the
door and say, “God don't like ugly,” and the kids would apologize
and quiet down, at least until they were two or three houses away, out
of earshot. He became even more active in their church after she died of
breast cancer, having refused the radical mastectomy that might have
saved her life. I knew these people. Not because they had kids my age;
they didn't. I knew them because we were neighbors, and neighbors know
each other, because they moved into a neighborhood to know and be known
by the people who shared their block. Since two houses on our block sold
for over $600k, we've had complete strangers drive up the street and ask
things like, “What's this area called?” They're doing what the real
estate biz calls “trading up” from Adams-Morgan condos or Columbia
Heights fixer-uppers. I used to think of them as newcomers, but I
stopped when I realized that I think of newcomers as people who
eventually become old-timers. That's what I am, I guess.
What the DC Public Schools lost is exactly what the city lost — the
continuity, security and accountability found in Neighborhoods. People
who aren't looking for that can't really justify complaining about how
the standards of our schools have declined. You know the “DC Thang”
you may have seen on T-shirts from time to time? Well, it wasn't as much
about black and white, Republican, Democrat, or Statehood-Green, or even
rich and poor as you might think. It was just about belonging to a
place, and some people, on purpose. It used to come with a lot of
benefits. One was access to a fine public education that prepared you
for a job, possibly in the community where you lived, and to be a
self-supporting, responsible citizen wherever you landed. We even got
graded for “Citizenship,” and it weighed as much as math and
science. Another perk was a local government committed to serving the
people who were already here, instead of conjuring up ways to make
outsiders of them while restocking the pool with new “stakeholders”
under the guise of economic development. Maybe “old school” could
work with the young and committed-to-DC folk to get it back. It's worth
the effort.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DC Citizen Atlas Test Drive, June 21
Neil Richardson, neil.richardson@dc.gov
We want to know what you think! Late last year Neighborhood Action
pulled together a cross section of residents to take a look at the DC
Citizen Atlas and go for a test ride. The DC Citizen Atlas will provide
detailed GIS mapping capability to all citizens and make access to vast
amounts of information easy to find and use. This will be an amazing
addition in our quest to provide the public better and more informative
government. We received a lot of good feedback regarding what the site
should do, how it should look and feel and much, much more . . . well,
now we've got what we hope is the final version and we'd like to get
your or your constituents feedback on how the Atlas works. If you would
like to be part of test group or know of someone who would like to be
part of this, please contact me. We are looking for tech savvy folks and
ordinary people (like myself) for the test run; if you can point and
click, we want you!
The session is Saturday, June 21, at the MLK Library from 1-3 p.m. in
the Computer Training Room. Seating will be limited. Neil Richardson,
Deputy Director, Neighborhood Action, Executive Office of the Mayor,
727-2823.
###############
Forming Joint Ventures and Strategic Relationships, June 21
Barbara Conn, bconn@cpcug.org
For some, a joint venture or strategic alliance may sound like the
territory of a Fortune 500 company. In truth, a venture might be as
straightforward as collaborating with a colleague on a children's book,
teaming up with another company on a marketing campaign, or licensing a
product you've developed. This seminar will explain the business and
legal issues triggered by joint ventures and strategic alliances and
prepare you to enter such arrangements with your eyes wide open.
During the presentation, attorney, author, and principal of Sashay
Communications, Joy Butler, will address selecting the best business
structure for your venture; establishing your status in the venture as
an employee, independent contractor, or partner; determining ownership
of the product and/or business information generated by your venture;
calculating the division of expenses and profits; and setting
expectations with respect to control of the venture, project schedule,
and division of work.
Gather your questions, friends, and colleagues and bring them to the
Saturday, June 21, 1:00 p.m. (check-in: 12:50 p.m.), meeting of the
Capital PC User Group (CPCUG) Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special
Interest Group (SIG). Meetings are free and are held each month, usually
on the third Saturday, usually at the Cleveland Park Library (Second
Floor Large Meeting Room) at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW -- just a block
and a half south of the Cleveland Park Metrorail station, half a block
south of the Cineplex Odeon Uptown movie theater. This month we'll also
have a smaller, informal post-meeting gathering with the speaker across
the street at Nanny O'Brien's for good conversation, networking, and
refreshment. For more information about the seminar, the speaker, CPCUG
(a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization), and to register for
the meeting, visit http://www.cpcug.org/user/entrepreneur/603meet.html.
###############
Latin Jazz and More at Free Westminster Garden Party, June 22
Alexander M. Padro, PadroANC2C@aol.com
The Westminster Neighborhood Association will present the first
annual Westminster Garden Party, on Sunday, June 22, from 1:00 to 4:00
p.m. at the Westminster Playground, 911 Westminster Street, NW.
Admission is free. As part of the DC Commission on the Arts and
Humanities' weekend-long Fete de la Musique, the Latin Jazz Allstars
will be performing during the party. Come enjoy an afternoon of fun,
food, martial arts, arts entertainment, and music. In addition to music
by the Latin Jazz Allstars, there will be martial arts demonstrations by
the Hung Tao Choy Mei Academy, and an art program from the founders of
the DC Children's Arts Festival.
Delicious and tempting desserts, most of them homemade, will be
available. You will also be able to bid on auction items from local
artists and a long list of local businesses, including: Maison 14;
Georgetown Refinishing; Pet Essentials; Flowers on Fourteenth, Go Momma
Go!; Body Smith; Hamburger Mary's; Raven Arts; Garden District; One
World Yoga; Home Rule and many, many more. All proceeds from sales will
go to the Westminster Playground Maintenance Fund. Local Artist Anne
Marchand will be available to sign custom-made posters of the
Westminster Playground Mural, “Community.” Westminster Street is
located between Ninth and 10th Streets and between S and T Streets.
Metro: Green Line to Shaw/Howard University or U Street/Cardozo/African
American Civil War Memorial stations. For a schedule of Fete de la
Musique events, visit http://dcarts.dc.gov/services/programs/fetesched.shtm.
###############
Rally to Save Section 8 Housing, June 23
Parisa Nourizi, dcparisa@aol.com
Join Section 8 tenants from across the US for a national day of
action to save Section 8, hosted by the tenants of an at-risk building
right here in DC! Rally and press conference, Monday, June 23, 10:00
a.m., at Cavalier Apartments, 3500 14th Street, NW. You can do something
to save affordable housing. Act now! Come out and raise your voice for
affordable housing. Join your tenants' association.
Sponsored by the National. Alliance of HUD Tenants (NAHT), Cavalier
Tenants Association, and Washington Innercity Self Help (WISH). For more
information, call 332-8800.
###############
Transforming Organizations: Moving from Service to Justice
Parisa Nourizi, parisa@wishdc.org
As a next step to the March Service to Justice conference, the Fair
Budget Coalition is holding a further discussion regarding the nuts and
bolts of how to implement change in service based organizations. All
interested non-profits are welcome, and it may be of special interest to
both directors as well as board members who would be instrumental in any
type of structural change.
The Service to Justice Working Group is excited to present a
roundtable discussion on the theme of “Transforming Organizations,”
how to make the move from service to justice, and the structural changes
that are necessary to facilitate this. June 26, 12-2 p.m., Arthur
Flemming Center, 1426 9th Street. Gustavo Torres of CASA de MD, Charlie
Parker of Emmaus Services for the Aging, Jeannine Sandford of Bread for
the City, and Linda Leeks of WISH will engage in a discussion on how to
take steps towards a more justice based organization. Please contact
202-745-1200 x12 with any questions.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — PETS
Consider a cat, a contented squat of fur and purr. A languid liquid
pour of pet! Even if you never considered having a cat, (as I did not
before they started arriving unbidden at my various doorsteps and
stayed) you should now, because there appears to be a fecundity of
felines in the shelters right now. This I discovered upon trying to find
a place for a stray I picked up last week and still need a home for. (No
place for her in the present menagerie) So if you just don't have enough
fur in your life, now is the time to get to one of the shelters.
Or adopt “Blackie!” She is about six months old, a sleek black
supermodel with a bold and curious personality. Very friendly,
affectionate without being cloying, she needs an active household with
plenty to interest her. I think she would be good with kids. She has
demonstrated perfect house manners for the past week and is comfortable
with dogs. (mine anyway, except for the little dog-biscuit incident.) If
you prefer a more languid model, “Xena” is a five-year-old
gray-and-white tabby who fancies herself empress dowager. She is very
shy and would do best in a quiet household with plenty of lap time.
Sprawls quite decoratively across most styles of desks as well. I can
keep one or the other, but not both. E-mail ASAP.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
I have a couple of friends who keep kosher who'll be visiting this
weekend. We plan to meet for brunch along their route from Rockville
towards I-95. I'd prefer a place at least as close to DC as Bethesda or
Wheaton or Silver Spring (no need to go to Rockville when they'll be
driving south towards DC to get to I-95). They don't need a kosher
restaurant, as long as it has “traditional fare — omelets,
croissants, that sort of thing. Someplace with good coffee, hot
chocolate, etc.” I think they want to meet on the early side, 9 or 10,
anyway. Any suggestions? It's this Sunday, so although you should copy
themail on your suggestion, please also copy me directly, since the next
issue of themail will come out too late for me.
###############
I too called Claudio Condori based on an earlier posting.
Unfortunately, he didn't show up at the time we scheduled and never
returned my phone calls. I'm still looking for a good handyman who works
on Capitol Hill.
###############
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