Running the Race
Dear Runners:
Please help me out. The message from Leo Alexander, below, warrants a
response. Is DC’s politics stuck on race? Is there a black agenda for
this city, and does it differ from an agenda that is held by non-black
Washingtonians? Can Mr. Alexander define the agenda for black people,
and are people who disagree with him on issues not sufficiently black?
Are the citizens of DC best represented by politicians of their own
races? Do Vincent Gray and A. Scott Bolden, who Mr. Alexander implicitly
endorses because of their race, invite and welcome support based on
their race? I want to hear what you have to say. Where do we stand in
this city?
Correction: in the last issue of themail, I made a mistake in the
headline in the notice about the deadline for property tax appeals. The
deadline for appeals is April 3, as it was correctly given in the body
of the message, and the headline in the online version of themail has
now been corrected to April 3.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Six months from now, Washingtonians will go to the polls to elect a
new mayor and city council chair. If there are no new challengers for
these positions, that means we have seven [Democratic] people vying for
the top two political posts in this city. As much as I would like to see
a woman of color on the city council, sadly it doesn’t appear that
that will be the case. This brings up the issue of the 800-pound gorilla
in the room — the matter of race in two District-wide elected offices.
Ward 3 Councilmember Kathy Patterson is white and Ward 7 Councilman
Vincent Gray is black. Both are running for council chairman. The other
race where this is relevant is in the seat of At-Large Councilman, where
the two-term incumbent Phil Mendelson is white and his challenger is a
black man, A. Scott Bolden. Race is important in this election cycle
because if the two black candidates were to win and the replacements for
Ward 5 and 7 follow suit, the nation’s capital will have a black
majority on the council. This is significant because all of the
candidates for mayor are black, and soon the city council could very
well have a black majority legislative body.
I make this a point because in this city of have and have nots, it is
clear that the majority of the white community has very different issues
of concern than their black counterparts. All you have to do to witness
this difference is attend the meetings for the proposed National Capital
Medical Center (NCMC) and look at who’s having the conversations
around the city about vocational education in our public school system.
They are overwhelmingly black folks. It’s not that white people don’t
care about health care or about education; it is just that those two
particular areas don’t resonate within their community. Let’s be
brutally honest, all of the District’s trauma centers are currently
located in the western sector of this city, which just happens to be
where the majority of the white community lives. As far as education is
concerned, ironically, the best public schools are also located west of
Rock Creek Park. It’s my contention that this isn’t by accident. It’s
just that white folks know how to politically engage the system and get
what they want. Less learned, it has never been more critical for the
black community to participate in the political process in mass.
Now when our new mayor takes office next year, he or she could have a
council to work with that is closer to representing the racial make up
of this city. Then we will see if we have learned anything from our
white neighbors as it relates to getting our agenda passed: i.e., NCMC,
vocational education, affordable housing, and jobs. After all, these
aren’t just black issues. Everyone benefits when a majority of the
District’s citizens can find affordable housing and are encouraged to
live healthy, educated, and productive lives.
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Bogus Assessments
Ed Dixon, Georgetown Reservoir, jedxn@yahoo.com
The city clings to annual public school test scores as if they were
tea leaves to tell all about the nature of public education. However, if
there is anything that the last several years of SAT-9 scores has told
us, it is not about the education going on in the schools that are being
forced to administer them. Parents and community members of schools that
have been labeled "in need of improvement" or are forced to
give up local school revenues as a result of corrective action should
rise up in protest. Certainly, if your school is threatened with closure
based on these numbers, there should be a revolt or at least a law suit.
The premise of the use of the SAT-9s was to show whether or not the
schools were educating their students. However, based on the norms of
test administration, there is and was no way that the SAT-9 could have
ever achieved that result. The tests failed to measure what has been
going on in the schools on two levels. One is that the tests were never
aligned. That is to say, what the students were learning in the
classrooms was not necessarily what was on the tests. The tests were
based on what students were learning somewhere else and not on what was
being taught in DCPS. If one is to measure the accuracy of a machine
that makes bolts, than both the machine and the measure will use the
same units for measurement. This alignment did not happen on the SAT-9s.
The other problem is that the tests were based on a national sample
completely different from the DCPS student body. The results reflect
that clearly. Had the SAT-9s been based on a majority low-income
African-American sample, than the measurement would have been more
valid. But it wasn’t. As it stands, those same kids are poised to lose
access to public education in their communities based on tests that were
biased against them. Who cares?
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There has been some discussion recently of circumventing the
certificate of need process for the National Capital Medical Center. The
Mayor has advocated doing so, saying that a review by the Federal
Housing Administration, which will consider some of the financing, is
sufficient. Let me suggest three reasons why it is not:
First, the CON process would be public. Proponents would have to put
their plans and supporting materials on the table for everyone to see.
DC citizens and the Council would be able to evaluate any evidence the
city has concerning whether the National Capital Medical Center is
needed, whether it would be the best way to improve health, and whether
it would be financially viable. Second, the CON review includes a formal
process for citizen input. There would be public hearings at which
people could testify. Finally, if we truly are interested in
self-government, we should not rely on the federal government to make
important decisions for us. As Councilmember Vince Gray said Friday on
the DC Politics Hour with Kojo and Jonetta about another issue,
“Anything that allows us to make the decisions about ourselves, I
would support.” He and his colleagues should do just that with respect
to the CON.
The certificate of need process is the standard way the city
evaluates changes in health care services, even if they are minor.
Recently, for example, there was a certificate of need review when one
company bought two dialysis centers from another. Certainly, the impact
of the National Capital Medical Center would be much greater. More than
half the Council is on record supporting the certificate of need
process. We should encourage them to remain firm in their resolve.
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When DC had its water quality crisis three or four years ago, the DC
Water and Sewer Authority sent countertop water purifiers to residents
in the affected areas. Even though the EPA gave the city a clean bill of
health not that long after the crisis, WASA has continued to send out
free filters to homes that received purifiers. We received our latest
shipment earlier this week. Now, I’m not complaining about getting
something for free, but I have to wonder what kind of legs this program
has. It smells way too much like a sweetheart deal for someone, but I
can’t figure out whom. Can anyone shed light on this matter?
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AU Not in Compliance With Zoning Laws
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
Over a year ago, American University bought the house next door for a
megabuck, in cash. Over the next sixteen months the house was expanded,
gutted, and completely renovated to the tune of an estimated $500,000.
Ostensibly, this renovated property was to be occupied by visiting
professors and their families. In fact, however, the property is being
used as a conference center by AU. Groups of ten or more people, some
wearing visitor badges to AU, have been entering the house and staying
for several hours during the daytime. There have also been groups in
that house in the evening. That use is in violation of the existing
zoning for the property, which is zoned as a single family residence. It
is likely that the property has been taken off the tax rolls since it is
owned by AU. That’s bad enough. I sent a note to AU telling them of
their noncompliance with the zoning laws two months ago and have had no
response. I subsequently sent a letter to the property folks in DC,
again with no response.
I have been told by a Spring Valley Association member that sending a
letter to the Zoning authorities in DC would not be responded to in my
lifetime. It is likely that a lawsuit will have to be filed to force AU
to use the property as it was intended to be used, as a single family
residence, in compliance with the existing zoning.
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Etherly Launches Council Campaign
Raymond S. Blanks, brsb20002@aol.com
Curtis L. Etherly, Jr., a former legislative assistant to
Councilmember Carol Schwartz, announced his candidacy for the Democratic
Party’ nomination to serve as the Ward Six representative on the DC
city council. Etherly declared before nearly 100 residents at the
historic Syphax School in Southwest. The young Washington native is the
vice president for public affairs with the Mid-Atlantic Coca-Cola
Bottling Company, asserted that, “To be a great ward in a great city
means safe streets and strong schools, affordable and quality housing,
economic development that provides quality jobs at living wages and
adequate health care.” He remarked that progress in the District will
only be realized when, “The government is responsible, responsive and
above reproach in terms of its ethics and efficiencies.” He indicated
that his campaign will seek to inspire a public conversation on critical
issues and viable solutions that “especially reflect the views and
wishes of residents in the ward rather than only special interests.”
Etherly, 37, is a native Washingtonian and a 1986 graduate of Ballou
Senior High School. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Yale
University in 1990 and his law degree from Georgetown University Law
Center in 1995. He has an extensive record of public service on several
community nonprofits. He serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls
Clubs of Greater Washington, DC, Action for Children and the Greater
Washington Urban League. He serves as well as on the advisory boards of
two community organizations, Friendship House and the Horizons at Maret
School Program. Etherly also chairs the Board of Trustees for the
Washington Mathematics Science and Technology Public Charter High
School, a nationally acclaimed public charter school located in Ward 6.
Etherly’s involvement in public service is complemented by his
experience in government at both the state and local levels. He has
served as legislative assistant to At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz
and as a policy advocate on behalf of community-based service providers
in New York City. Additionally, he serves as a two-term mayoral
appointee on the Board of Zoning Adjustment. He has been extensively
involved in public policy issues in his executive role at Coca-Cola that
involves working with local and state elected leaders in seven states.
For further information, please contact 548-8278. [The complete press
release is at http://www.dcwatch.com/election2006/etherly01.htm]
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Myth About Georgetown Metro
Rob Marvin, dcbubble@gmail.com
In his new book, Great Society Metro, Zach Schrag debunks the
myth that the powers-that-be in Georgetown killed the proposed Metro
station at Wisconsin Avenue and M Street, NW. According to Schrag, Metro
decided against a station in Georgetown based on a cost/benefit
analysis, not local opposition from the Georgetown elite. A Georgetown
station just would have been too complicated to build and would not have
produced enough relative benefit. For more detail and a link to the WAMU
broadcast click http://dcbubble.blogspot.com/2006/03/busted-myth-georgetown-metro-killed-by.html.
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Stadium Analysis
Predicting Windfall Is Too Good to Be True
Ed Delaney, profeddel@yahoo.com
“Even after the initial excitement over the new stadium wears off,
the Nationals can anticipate grossing $190 million from ticket sales,
concessions and parking in the 2011 season and seeing that amount grow
by 2.8 percent annually from there, said the report prepared by
Economics Research Associates for DC CFO Natwar Gandhi” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202306_pf.html).
Once again, District officials come up with dubious numbers regarding
the ballpark project that don’t add up, but fit an agenda. This time,
it’s Natwar “Don’t question my integrity” Gandhi at it again,
working on a loaded report he commissioned containing revenue
projections that don’t remotely correspond with reality but fit his
agenda of getting the bonds he wants from Wall Street with minimum
impact to his precious bond rating — something which he’s already
been shown in detail to prize far above public revenue, given his
preference for a ballpark plan that would’ve cost the city at least
$1.2 billion, half of which was the price of shielding the bond rating
per the Deutsche Bank plan.
The ticket sales drop-off currently being experienced by the club is
in stark contrast to what the CFO is hilariously proposing, that
interest in a new ballpark will increase over time instead of wane,
though the latter is logical and has been proven out in ballpark after
ballpark from Jacobs Field to Coors Field and even at Camden Yards.
Nowhere else but in the fantasyland known as DC ballpark economics would
the scenario be painted that a 2.8 percent increase in team revenue
would occur annually at a ballpark after the novelty had worn off,
especially when the ballpark in question has no unique vistas (and no,
slivers of the Capitol visible from special upper-deck viewing platforms
doesn‘t count) and is so cut-rate in design that even walls have been
value-engineered out of it, leaving a bland design usually reserved for
indoor arenas and airports.
“The doubling in revenue projected for the new stadium ‘is
attributed to a combination of increased attendance, higher ticket
prices, premiums on suite and club seat leases, and increased per capita
spending,’ the report said.” Even in the Nats’ inaugural season,
during most of which the team had a winning record, “Nearly 250,000
tickets sold by the Nationals have gone unused at RFK Stadium, a no-show
rate that is slightly higher than normal for professional teams and
could mean that the District earns less revenue than expected in taxes
from parking spaces, hot dogs and all the other things fans buy at RFK.”
(Post, June 30, 2005). And from the same article, we see a
crystal-clear case where high projections like those DC’s CFO is using
now didn’t pan out: “Julia Friedman, deputy CFO in the DC Office of
Revenue Analysis, said District planning officials received a report
last year from consultants who estimated that a baseball team playing at
RFK would sell an average of 36,000 tickets a game in its first season.
(It ended up being 33,651.) But the average number of people who
attended those games was 24,679, according to data provided by the DCSEC.”
That’s nearly 12,000 fewer a game, which would force a serious redo of
any revenue projections vis-a-vis stadium-generated taxation. It’s
also questionable whether the parking revenue has been properly factored
into the new numbers. Unlike RFK Stadium with its 10,000 parking spaces,
it’s uncertain how many of the patrons will choose to use what remains
an extremely uncertain number of parking spaces at or near the ballpark
that the city can tax.
As far as “premiums on suite and club seat leases,” it’s
unclear how surefire those revenues will be, especially as the stadium
ages and the team‘s performance factors in more and more over the
novelty of having a team and a stadium. A October 8, 2004, Post
article discussed these uncertainties: “Verizon already leases suites
at MCI Center, Camden Yards, and the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium and
holds a block of Redskins tickets, but isn’t ready to commit to
leasing a luxury suite at the planned ballpark. ‘A lot will depend on
our budget,’ said a Verizon spokeswoman. ‘We’ll cross that bridge
when we come to it.’ Like many companies, the spokeswoman said,
Verizon doesn’t have a limitless budget when it comes to buying
premium sports tickets or leasing luxury suites. And with a new sports
team coming to town, the question arises: how many $100,000 to
$200,000-a-year suites does a telecom company, law firm, or lobbying
group really need — or can it afford? Some corporate executives
already are expressing a sense of skybox fatigue and wonder if current
investments in tickets to entertainment venues are worth the price.”
The nature of this outdoor stadium whose calendar is slated to be filled
almost exclusively with MLB games (at which the product might not always
be up to par) is also a potential negative as far as appeal: “Matt
Williams, a spokesman for WSE which owns the MCI Center, said ‘The new
baseball team is going to make it more of a challenge for some companies
to buy suites.’ Williams added that the MCI Center, which leases
suites on a year-round basis, appeals to a wider clientele than sports
fans. ‘Our suite holders want a more broad range of events. They also
get to see concerts, family shows, WNBA, and Georgetown basketball —
as opposed to the hard-core baseball fan.’” I doubt this latest
report factors this in properly.
These new unbelievable numbers also conflict directly with what the
CFO has argued before. In June of 2003, Gandhi testified concerning the
2003 Ballpark Revenue Bill, calling the ticket sales tax “a bit
uncertain” because of the lack of DC’s ability to tax ticket sales
via the Internet, and said the annual figure yielded from ticket taxes
could run as low as $4.1 million, while the stadium schemers were giving
$10 million for its estimates. The CFO also said that "a DC-based
team could face a $2 million annual shortfall if the team played poorly
and that overall revenue could run as low as $13.1 million a year,
nearly $2 million less than administration officials say they need to
pay off bonds" (Post, June 13, 2003). Gandhi further
testified: “There are other factors, both positive and negative, that
influence attendance, such as the attraction of a star player, the state
of the economy — it may have reduced overall sales 10 percent or more
in 2002 — and possible players strikes.” Other factors that would
certainly negatively affect attendance would be building a cut-rate
Buick, Ford, or Schwinn greenhouse that loses its appeal quickly, as
well as placing the structure at a site with insufficient road
infrastructure, parking, and Metro accessibility, which even the Brigade
have indicated are likely at the current site. Now that the CFO’s
office has a particular agenda, it will hardly be surprising when such
factors are largely discounted in the final analysis.
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[Re: “Flock Privacy,” Clyde Howard, themail, March 22] I would
agree with you if it were not for the fact of too many circumstances
that effect my life, if as a DC resident I were not impacted by what DC
ministers say and think of the every DC proposition, under the premise
(I guess) that these ministers are representatives for their flocks who
are DC residents.
If their flocks are not DC residents, then I do not care what they
want and are demanding for DC and me.
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Patterson: Her Vote and Her Record
Jonathan R. Rees, jrrees@peoplepc.com
While I will agree with Keith Jarrell of Ward 6 about Kathy Patterson
in general terms [themail, March 22], Keith ignores the fact that Kathy
Patterson and her wonderful ideas has always come with a very high price
tag for businesses and individuals. Kathy always thinks that the
solution to all our needs and problems is with a new or increased tax
instead of looking for ways of budget shifting or trimming away those
massive levels of DC government fat, like 10,000 workers we do not need.
When our beloved mayor this week spoke of our new budget, a surplus,
and no longer being in the red, let’s never lose sight of the fact
that this only came to pass not because of proper planning and frugality
but with new and steeper taxes across the board, which has resulted in
Washington, DC’s becoming the most expensive city on the east coast to
live in, exceeding New York City. Is taxing its businesses and people
into a state of becoming the most expensive city on the east coast
something to brag about? I think not, but something to be ashamed of;
and Keith Jarrell needs a reality check.
Next time we cry about our high income and property taxes, we can
give thanks in great part to our great patriot Kathy Patterson with a
little help from her friend Phil Mendelson; the king and queen of taxes,
taxes, and more taxes.
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The Tenleytown Tower and the Bethesda House
S.E. Reuter, Rtlreuter@aol.com
In reply to Phil Carney concerning the Tenleytown Tower [themail,
March 19] the city is paying for the tower’s dismantling because all
the needed permits for the tower were issued by the city, and then
rescinded when the NIMBYs staged a protest. Since the cancellation of
valid permits was not the fault of the constructor, why should the
company have to pay for the city’s errors or belated political
decisions? The lawsuit was about the justice of the city’s actions,
and (shades of New London’s Keho Supreme Court case) the city was
permitted to continue its cancellation of legally enacted permits. But
actions have consequences, and stupid actions can get expensive.
There’s a parallel situation in Bethesda, where the neighbors got
properly issued permits canceled, putting a homeowner in risk of
bankruptcy with a partially completed home rehab costing about $100,000,
and giving the owner only the option of tearing down the whole house and
moving it about two feet in one direction and seven feet in the other,
or walking away from the entire investment (and his home.) Shouldn’t
the county have to pay to correct their error? The neighbors who forced
this action are not going to volunteer to pay, I’m sure.
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Moving the District of
Columbia Forward
Kathryn A. Pearson-West, wkpw3@aol.com
Washington, DC, is a phenomenal city getting better and better and
greater by the day. We are ever evolving as we try to move forward in
the global community. Yet we are so far away from being real leaders
internationally. There is still so much more work needed to make the
nation’s capital a world class city and to make its citizens proud,
safe, and happy.
In this pivotal election year, to push forward to continue to make
great strides now that are positive, we must seek action to change those
policies and behaviors that hampered our efforts toward achieving
excellence in all that we planned to do. This year on the September 12
primary ballot will be the following seats up for election: mayor, chair
of the council, at large council member, Ward council seats for Wards 1,
3, 5, and 6, and the delegate to the District of Columbia. Beyond that
date, on the school board, there will be at least two open seats with
the incumbents not seeking reelection, the president and District 3
(Wards 5 and 6 together) And, once again — every two years — we will
elect Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, our leaders at the grassroots
level.
As we move toward building a world class city, uniting communities,
and building bridges to whatever, we must make public education all of
our responsibility, our obligation to this and future generations. We
need to put the rhetoric to rest and take the needs of the school system
and our children seriously. In the nation’s capital, there is no
excuse for poor test scores and under-performing schools. We can no
longer offer excuses like poverty and the like. Too many of our
foreparents grew up in poverty and are doing well. Granted, the values,
expectations, and mores may have been different, and the drug culture
wasn’t so widespread, but making it through school was a call to
action, a community partnership and goal. With so much more available to
this generation, we should be doing so much better. We must put the
excuses to rest. And we can’t always blame the situation or lack of
excellence on money. Put whatever money is available to good use and
take a comprehensive approach to education so that we recognize and
combat the social ills that drives our schools on a downward spiral.
To move our schools along, we must have quality, well functioning
libraries. Our young people and adults, too, need access to computers
and the Internet in the hours outside of the school/work day. They need
access to an abundance of books and they need quiet places to study. Too
many of our libraries are not up to par and the facilities are in need
of a major upgrade. Libraries must go hand and hand with our schools.
And the libraries with our schools could use some help too.
There are plans to one day close Oak Hill Juvenile Detention center.
What will happen to those young people in these types of facilities,
especially when many people (myself included) frown about the
possibility of having inadequately supervised and ineffectual
residential facilities saturate their communities? Yet the issue of
youth criminals and rehabilitation must be addressed and resolved. We
must deal with our youth that have lost their way and that bring harm to
others. What are the answers to youth and crime and ensuring the safety
of the public?
We need to focus on the issues and problems impacting families today
that throw them in harm’s way; the need for increased workforce
housing, more job opportunities and training, affordable child care,
increased supervision for recreation center, more quality recreation
center programs late in the evenings and all through the weekend. We
need to keep property taxes down so that families can continue to reside
in the places that they have purchased.
Additionally, we have to keep places of worship open and available to
improve the communities in which they reside. Our city welcomes all
newcomers and respects those that have been here for a long time.
However, a battle seems to be brewing over parking with the faith
community and those coming to the town in new luxury condominiums. It is
easy to say that the devil, the enemy is trying to have its way with
Christians, but parking is a real problem for both worshipers and the
secular community. Yet churches must remain or become the pillar of
communities. They must use the means at their disposal and their mission
to help improve communities. Not all churches are like that or equal,
but many give back to the communities in which they are located. Don’t
chase out the churchgoers; even if some live in the suburbs, they spend
in the District and add value to it. However, I do understand the desire
to want to be able to park near one’s home without being blocked in
every Sunday. We’re looking to DC becoming a Sodom and Gomorra because
all the churches have gone or there’s no place to park.
In this city of great churches, the federal government, mammoth
embassies, and so forth, we also have exemplary colleges and
universities within our boundaries such as Georgetown, Howard, George
Washington, Trinity, Catholic, Gallaudet, Southeastern, and American.
Also within our borders are the University of the District of Columbia.
Its enrollment has declined over the years for a host of reasons. UDC is
in the nation’s capital and it should have a public university on par
with public institutions of higher education in states like California,
Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Ohio. If we are going to talk about
statehood and voting representation, let’s make sure that we have a
flagship public land grant university like UDC. DC talks the talk but
does not always walk the walk. UDC should not be viewed as competitors
to these schools but as complements to these other schools. DC should
have its own niche with specialty programs not found at the other
schools or at least not as expensive as the other schools. UDC needs the
city’s help and it could use a significant endowment like the big
schools.
This is our year to continue the progress made thus far by each
mayor, each administration before us. Each has helped build a credible
and valuable foundation. In this extremely important election year, let’s
look at the candidates for office. Who will be an effective advocate and
leader? Who will continue to move us forward to becoming a world class
city and at the same time keep those here that have been here during the
bad times and who look forward to more of the good times. They have
weathered the storm, now let them continue to enjoy, live in, and do
business with the magnificent, the mighty, the magnanimous, memorable
District of Columbia. A hometown worth boasting about.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Fair Budget Coalition Budget Training, March
28
Martina Gillis, martina@legalclinic.org
Come out and learn what’s in the Mayor’s FY 2007 proposed budget
for human services. Learn how to advocate for funding for programs that
you care about. Learn to use the DCFPI Budget Tool Kit. Tuesday, March
28, 9:00 a.m., registration; 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., training; 1200 U
Street, NW, 1st floor conference room.
$8 Fair Budget members, $12 nonmembers, fee waiver available upon
request for low and no-income community members. Registration is
required. To register contact Martina Gillis, 328-5513 or martina@legalclinic.org.
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Condensed Mikado, March 29-April 9
Kathleen Mitchell, kmitchell@savoyards.org
The Washington Savoyards, Washington’s premier Gilbert and Sullivan
light opera company, is delighted to participate in the National Cherry
Blossom Festival by presenting the under-one-hour Condensed Mikado at
the Atlas Performing Arts Center, March 29-April 9. Tickets are
available online at http://www.savoyards.org.
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Candidates for DC Mayor Forum, March 30
Jan Eichhorn, ward6dems@aol.com
The five major candidates for mayor will debate issues of concern to
our community on Thursday, March 30. Michael Brown, Linda Cropp, Adrian
Fenty, Marie Johns, and Vincent Orange have confirmed their
participation in the Ward 6 Dems candidates’ forum. Tom Sherwood of
NBC-TV Channel 4 will serve as moderator. Eastern High School
Auditorium, 1700 E. Capitol Street, NE. Doors open at 7 p.m. with a
brief Ward 6 democrats meeting. The candidate forum will begin promptly
at 7:30. Free parking in RFK Stadium Lot 3 (adjacent to Eastern) from 6
p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
A non-binding straw poll of Ward 6 residents who are registered
Democrats will be held at the forum. (The Ward 6 Democrats organization
cannot officially endorse candidates for the September Democratic
Primary until candidate petitions are turned in and candidates are
certified for the ballot. An endorsement meeting for all primary
candidates will be held in July or August.) Come early to get a good
seat. Members of the audience may submit written questions for the
candidates. Questions will be read by the moderator.
For questions about the forum, call Jan Eichhorn, President, The Ward
6 Democrats, 547-8855. For questions about the straw poll call Charles
Allen, second Vice President, Ward 6 Democrats, 210-5192. This forum is
being co-hosted by The Ward 6 Democrats and The Voice of the Hill
newspaper and cosponsored by The Capitol Hill Restoration Society,
CHAMPS (The Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals), DC
for Democracy, Hill East Waterfront Action Network, Stanton Park
Neighborhood Association, and The Ward 6 Mini Commission of the DC
Office on Aging.
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National Building Museum Events, March 30,
April 5
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org
Both events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW,
Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
Thursday, March 30, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Building in the Aftermath: The
New Orleans Levees: What Went Wrong and What Do We Do Now? The multiple
breaches of New Orleans’s levees in the immediate wake of Hurricane
Katrina constitute one of the most spectacular and consequential
failures of urban infrastructure in modern history. What went wrong? Is
it possible to build a levee system that will reliably protect the city
from future disasters? What is required to create such a system? What
lessons can be learned from sophisticated flood control structures in
the Netherlands and elsewhere? A panel of engineering experts, including
Dr. Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Hurricane Center at
Louisiana State University, will address these and related questions.
$12 Museum members; $17 nonmembers; $10 students. Prepaid registration
required.
Wednesday, April 5, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Emerging Voices lecture: dECOi and
George Yu Architects. The London, Paris, and Cambridge,
Massachusetts-based dECOi Atelier utilizes a computerized working
practice and an extensive network of local collaborative affiliations to
open "the boundaries of practice by a fresh and exploratory
approach to design." Founding principal Mark Goulthorpe will
discuss the firm's award-winning, innovative work, which ranges from
pure design and artwork through interior design to architecture and
urbanism.
The work of Los Angeles-based George Yu Architects includes the
recently opened creative workspaces of the Sony Design Centers in Los
Angeles and Shanghai. In his practice, founding principal George Yu also
examines the formal aspects of commercial space through installations
displayed at the SCI-Arc Gallery in Los Angeles and the Tokyo Designers
Block. He will discuss his firm's exploration of the formal aspects of
commercial space, including Shop Lift, a hybrid consumer environment
that is strategically integrated with open public spaces and private
dwelling units; and "Transcending Type," designed for the U.S.
Pavilion at the 2004 Venice Biennale.
###############
Multifamily Yard Sale, Cleveland Park, April 1
Leila Afzal, Leila.Afzal@verizon.net
There will be a yard sale on Saturday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at 3122 Ordway Street, NW. Please come and check out all the wonderful
things for sale. Plenty of children’s books (many new), toys, puzzles,
a bicycle, clothing, etc. Also for sale is a beautiful designer crib,
Craftmate double easel, a stroller, a car seat, and several formal
gowns, children’s size 8-12, perfect for a bar or bat mitzvah. Many
household items include matching living room chairs (wood and cloth), a
5,000 btu air conditioner only used one season, adult clothing, and many
books perfect for your summertime reading. And much more.
Rain date will be April 2. No early birds please.
###############
Mary Cheh for DC Council, April 2
Dave Zvenyach, cheh4ward3@gmail.com
You are invited to the campaign kickoff party for your neighbor and
Ward 3 Democratic candidate for city council, Mary Cheh. Sunday, April
2, from 2-4 p.m., at Murch Elementary School Playground (moved to
auditorium if necessary), 4810 36th Street, NW. Complimentary cakes and
refreshments will be provided by Warren Brown, owner of CakeLove and
Love Cafe. The event is open to the public, and all are encouraged to
attend!
Mary Cheh is a tenured George Washington University law professor,
with professional experience working with the DC Council. Mary is known
as a commonsense investigator with a firm belief in the power of
oversight and accountability. She has a record of providing real
solutions and making government and institutions work better. Mary
believes that every child in the District is entitled to a quality
education, that quality schools are the key to keeping families in the
city, and that giving every child a first-class education is a moral
imperative. She will be a council member who uses the oversight function
to ensure that services, especially safety and emergency services, are
performed well all of the time. And she will insist that the District be
a good steward of the people’s money, because although government is
more than a business, it shouldn’t be run as less than a business.
"Mary served as special counsel to the Judiciary Committee in
its investigation of police handling of protests and demonstrations.
Mary’s energy and leadership, and her knowledge of the law and the
legislative process, were critical to our success," Kathy
Patterson, Councilwoman, Ward 3. Come meet Mary Cheh on April 2, enjoy
some cake, and learn more about her ideas on the issues that concern
your neighborhood. To learn about Mary and her campaign, please visit
her web site at http://www.marycheh2006.com. If you have any questions
or would like to RSVP for the event (not required), please send an
E-mail to kickoff@marycheh2006.com.
###############
The Cultural Institute of Mexico, April 2, 6
Barbara Ruesga-Pelayo, bruesga@sre.gob.mx
Sunday, April 2, 4:00 p.m., and Wednesday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. Music:
Songs in Springtime, in collaboration with IN SERIES, at the
Cultural Institute of Mexico, 2829 16th Street, NW. General admission,
$22; senior citizens, $19; students, $13. A recital of French, Spanish
& Mexican love songs by Bizet (Carmen), Massenet (Manon), Fauré
Turina, Ponce and more, with soprano Rayanne Gonzales, tenor Peter
Burroughs, and pianist Carlos Cesar Rodrí.
Thursday, April 6, 7:30 p.m., Music: Nortec at La Maison Franc, 4101
Reservoir Road, NW. Reservations recommended: culture@ambafrance-us.org
or 944-6091. $20, $15 for members. Limited parking. Mexican-French
reception after concert: Mexican beer and tequila, French wine and
appetizers.
###############
UDC Open House, April 6
Michael Andrews, mandrews@udc.edu
The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) will host its third
annual UDC Community Day Open House on Thursday, April 6, on the Van
Ness Campus, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, for area high school students
and their families, as well as neighbors of the University in order to
explore the exciting educational offerings of the only public university
in the nation’s capital. This year, the day-long affair is the second
in a series sponsored by the University’s Office of Recruitment and
Admission and has a goal of surpassing the 1,200 total number of guests
that visited the campus during the 2005 event. UDC Community Day begins
at 10:00 a.m. Festivities and exhibits for the general public will begin
at 12:00 noon in the University Auditorium and Gymnasium and will
continue until 6:00 p.m.
While the activities of UDC Community Day are primarily designed to
attract current high school students who may look to the University as
their choice for a high-quality, affordable college education, the UDC’s
Registrar and Director of Recruitment and Admission Laverne
Hill-Flanagan also views UDC Community Day as an open house to District
of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia neighbors. A wide range of activities
will be available to students and other guests on April 6.
Representatives of the University’s faculty and staff will inform
visitors about the seventy-five different degree programs available at
UDC through its College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, and School of Business and Public Administration.
Additionally, information provided to prospective students will give
them a chance to apply for admission on the spot, and details on how
they can apply for financial aid and scholarships.
The lineup for UDC Community Day includes campus tours and an array
of special presentations designed to make the college experience a
successful one. Among the presentations will be a discussion on the
"Seven Habits of Our Highly Effective Students," presented by
the University’s Counseling and Career Development Center. The day
will also feature performances by the Peace O Holics, the UDC Players
(directed by Professor Lennie Smith), and “The Voices UDC Gospel
Ensemble,” (directed by Gerry Gillespie). For more information about
UDC Community Day Open House, call the University’s Office of
Recruitment and Admission at 274-6333.
###############
Council Chair Candidates Forum, April 8
George Idelson, g.idelson@verizon.net
The Cleveland Park Citizens Association will hold a candidates’
forum for the position of Council Chair on Saturday, April 8, at the
Cleveland Park Library (Connecticut Avenue and Newark Street, NW)
beginning at 10:15 a.m. The candidates at the forum will be
councilmembers Kathy Patterson and Vincent Gray. ANC3c Commissioner
Bruce Beckner will moderate the forum. This is likely to be a hotly
contested race, and your vote will make a difference. We will also have
a presentation and a critique on the proposed new National Capitol
Medical Center. If you don’t know where you stand on this issue, this
discussion may help give you some new insights. All welcome.
###############
The Fairfax County Public Library invites you to a special event on
Monday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Paul
Rusesabagina will present “An Ordinary Man: The Story of Hotel
Rwanda.” Rusesabagina is credited with saving the lives of more than
1,200 people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. For details about this
free event, call 703-324-8414 or E-mail LibraryEvents@fairfaxcounty.gov.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES
Utility Discount Program Assistance
Artee Milligan, arteemilligan@aol.com
The Metropolitan/Delta Adult Literacy Council (M/DALC) will assist
low income residents in completing the application for the Utility
Discount Program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
offered by the DC Energy Office. During the intake process, the Program
Director will help low income residents complete the application and
mail them directly to the DC Energy Office. Anyone needing help
completing the application should call our office, 234-2665, to schedule
an appointment. There is no cost for this assistance.
In 2005, the average payment per household for the basic benefit was
$330 from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Customers may
receive a total discount up to $189.08 under the Residential Essential
Service Program.
M/DALC is a twenty-year-old adult literacy provider. Its mission is
to help individuals solve problems they encounter in their daily life.
For some, assistance in completing an application can make all the
difference. Also, M/DALC provides literacy training so individuals can
complete job applications, pass the GED Exam, improve their reading
level skills, or obtain basic PC skills.
###############
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