Closings
Dear Closers:
The initial round of school closings was announced on Monday. The
announcement and reports are available in PDF format on the DC Public
Schools web site, http://www.k12.dc.us, and in text format on the
DCPSWatch web site at http://www.dcpswatch.com/dcps.
What do you think about the plan, and what does it mean for future
closings that are to be announced? The Post and Times have
both editorialized in favor of these closings (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/16/AR2006051601816.html
and http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20060516-085749-4021r.htm),
and both papers look forward to more school closings in the future. Marc
Fisher provides a thoughtful reaction, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051501719.html.
Fisher’s conclusion: “Only the DC schools could come up with a
downsizing that involves no personnel cuts and excludes the possibility
of selling off unused properties, but still carries the potential to
stoke the embers of the city’s racial and class tensions.”
Marc Borbely, who runs FixOurSchools.net, reacted by posting a
petition urging the Board of Education to vote against the school
closings at http://www.rightsize.org.
I suspect that Superintendent Janey has started with the easiest and
least controversial closings, postponing the more controversial ones for
the later rounds when fewer people will be paying attention. What do you
think?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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DC’s Civil Defense Plan: Make a Will
Victoria McKernan, victoriamck@mindspring.com
This past Sunday afternoon, while walking from Archives Metro to the
National Gallery, I saw an unattended car parked in the middle of
Pennsylvania Avenue at 7th Street, directly by the crosswalk. No flat
tire, no raised hood, no note indicating trouble, no person in sight.
Probably just a bonehead, I thought, but on the other hand, since bomb
barriers protect the actual buildings downtown, why not park your bomb
at the busiest crosswalk by one of the most popular museums on the Mall
on Mother’s Day?
Having no cell phone, and not managing to wave down two passing
police vehicles, I entered the museum and asked the guard if he could
please phone or radio the police to report it. “Not my jurisdiction”
he replied as he rifled through the diaper wipes and juice boxes of a
tourist’s diaper bag. I asked if I could borrow a phone to call
myself. “I can’t do that. Can’t let you make a phone call.”
We went back and forth for a couple of minutes. I politely explained
my concerns, (car bomb, terrorists, guts exploded across Pennsylvania
Avenue) but he steadfastly held his ground. "Well what would you do
if there were trouble in the museum?" I asked. “Call the
police,” he said. “So what would you do if there was a big pile of
dynamite and a timer in a crosswalk a block away?” “Not my
jurisdiction.” Over and over, all he offered was the adamant (and
rather DADA) “Not my jurisdiction.”
I’m hardly the paranoid type; I’m still planning a scuba-diving
trip to Egypt in September. But having traveled a lot in Europe,
particularly Great Britain during the “Troubles,” I am perhaps a bit
more aware of unattended packages, etc. than the average American, but,
hello — aren’t we all supposed to be a bit more observant these
days? This is the third time since 9/11 that I have reported very
tangible suspicious activity. (The others were someone breaking into a
clinic garage adjacent to a Metro station, and a long unattended, bulky,
square backpack near a ride at Six Flags) All three times the various
authorities, DC police, park attendants, and now Smithsonian security
guards have acted like they have never heard of terrorism. I thought I
was pretty well-prepared for the next terrorist attack, wind-up
flashlight, solar-powered radio, extra dog food, extra water, extra gin,
but now I realize that the most essential thing any resident of DC
really needs is a will. Any recommendations for a good estate lawyer?
###############
On Thursday morning at 9:35 a.m. (yes, that is the specified time on
the DC Public Library’s web site) the DC Board of Library Trustees
will hold a special meeting at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Library
“to vote on a new Director” of DCPL. It is widely rumored that
Ginnie Cooper, who has been the executive director of the Brooklyn
Public Library system for the past three and a half years, will be
named.
An Internet search indicates that Cooper has been the subject of
several negative articles in New York newspapers regarding her
contentious relationship and “political tussles” with the Brooklyn
library board, her recent effort to take a "lavish" one-week
$20,000 trip to Singapore and Hong Kong (at a time when the library
budget was being severely slashed and library hours shortened), and her
being docked $27,000 for taking unauthorized leave.
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DC DMV Still Not All There
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso-at-capaccess-dot-org
My DC driver’s license expired on May 13. On May 12, I received a
letter from the DC Department of Motor Vehicles. It urged me to renew my
license by postal mail. DMV’s letter also advised that, if I hoped to
renew by postal mail, “you should do so at least 15 days prior to the
expiration of your current driver’s license” — i.e., no later than
April 28. The letter was postmarked May 11. It’s great that DMV can
afford to waste paper and postage.
That same day, Friday May 12, I tried to renew in person. I arrived
at DMV at 12:50 p.m. I had another appointment scheduled for 1:30,
related to the trial of the apparent assailants in my recent assault and
robbery — during which my license disappeared. But I figured, heck,
DMV’s across the street from the prosecutor’s office. Also, I
remembered some encouraging postings to themail. But by 1:35 I was still
eleventh in the driver’s license line (the “C” line). It was
taking at least five or ten minutes per driver’s license. Five minutes
times eleven is nearly an hour. I gave up and met with the prosecutor
instead.
On Saturday the 13th I tried again. This time I arrived at 1:25. Just
in case, I planned nothing else for the afternoon. What a way to spend
one’s birthday! DMV was not very crowded. I waited maybe ten minutes,
which was plenty of time to fill out the paperwork (if I hadn’t saved
it from Friday). At 1:50, I received my new license and walked out the
door. Next time, if I can choose, I’m going to DMV on Saturday, not
during the week — and I’m not expecting to do anything with DMV via
postal mail.
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I am rapidly becoming a convert to preferential, or instant run-off,
voting and I am curious to know how many others think this approach
would be of benefit to the District. All the way back to the beginning
of so-called home rule here, there have been tepid, abortive efforts to
replace our plurality balloting system (where whoever gets the most
votes cast wins) with a two-round system (top vote-getters advance to a
second, run-off round.) Usually these mumblings and rumblings about
ballot reform in DC are heard after a particularly (usually racially)
divisive election. The mayoral and council chair elections of 1978, and
the 1986 and 1998 mayoral elections come to mind offhand. The most
commonly heard objection to this particular ballot reform is that a
second, run-off round would cost too much money and would open the
balloting process up to greater potential for fraud or some other forms
of election day rascality.
IRV obviates the need for a costly second round by asking (note that
I did not say requiring) voters to rank all candidates for each office
on a single ballot, rather than to cast one unitary vote for a single
candidate as we do now. The electoral mechanics can get a little
involved after that. But the essence of IRV that each voter’s
preferences for each elective office are the basis for allocating votes
so that the winner really wins. In other words, he or she gets a
majority of the votes cast. Or, if you will, a majority of the voters’
preferences expressed. While I don’t argue for IRV on the basis of
“monkey see-monkey do,” I would mention that, a number of local
political subdivisions in the US and Canada, Vermont (whose legislature
is debating a bill that would implement statewide IRV as you read this),
and a number of countries including Australia, New Zealand, and several
European Union member states, use or are adopting this system. It is
also used for local elections in a number of nations in the
"South," including Argentina, Azania (South Africa) Brazil,
Chile, Namibia and Uruguay. One food-for-thought item: had we had either
conventional (two-round) run-off balloting or IRV back in 1978, a
certain highly controversial candidate probably would never have been
elected mayor of this town. Come to think of it, a run-off election in
1998 might also have been instructive.
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Fenty the No-Show Candidate at Mayoral Forums
Kerry Stowell, Johns for Mayor Ward 2 Coordinator,
kstowell@erols.com
Well, he did it again. Fenty has become the "no-show
candidate." Last evening was the Georgetown citizens forum, with
about two hundred citizens in attendance and with Councilmember Jack
Evans as the moderator. As soon as the announcement was made that Fenty
would not show, you could hear the muffled “boos” from row to row.
This is the second time he has done this. One opinion was that he was
afraid to answer unrehearsed questions from the floor. Who knows?
###############
In the May 14 edition of themail you published “Marie Johns
Show,” Liz Rose, Johns for Mayor Campaign, Lizrosej@aol.com.
This gave the air dates for Marie Johns’ show on DCTV. I was just
wondering about the legality of such a show on DCTV. How could this
possibly be legal given the provisions of the “Hatch Act?”
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I respectfully disagree with Bob Summersgill’s suggestion [themail,
May 14] as to who should be left out as a legitimate candidate. All
candidates are legitimate, no matter what they spend. In my case, I am
spending $500.00 and less but the reason is that I have an E-mail list
of 11,000 voters in my ward which is possibly worth $15,000 to $20,000
to a hungry candidate. Why? Simple, it would save a candidate that much
money in printed yard signs, brochures, envelopes, stamps, and staff
that one E-mail letter will accomplish, as it has done in my case. I
just simply sent E-mails directing people to my web site and bingo,
14,800 hits to my web site were realized.
The fliers I had done for under $500 were just a light frosting on
the cake of my E-mail list, word of mouth, and voters telling other
voters of me and my web site. It is not what you spend, Bob, but how you
spend it. Often, candidates with the most amount of money lose to those
who had far less.
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Church Parking in Residential Neighborhoods
Tolu Tolu, Tolu2Books@aol.com
[Re: church parking issue, themail, May 14] My question again is
where are the statistics from each church in DC on what percentages of
their “flocks” are DC residents? Without that information, I don’t
want the DC elected folks asking church leaders about anything that
affects my life style as a native Washingtonian and DC resident.
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Will the Real Partisan Please Stand Up
Chuck Thies, chuckthies [at] aol [dot] com
Ed Cowan’s accusation of “undisclosed partisanship” [themail,
May 7] is both preposterous and hypocritical. First, let me address his
partisanship claim. A truly nonpartisan figure, the Washington City
Paper’s Loose Lips columnist James Jones, had this to say, “Ed
Cowan, the referee at a May 6 Cleveland Park Citizens Association joust
featuring DC Council at-large hopefuls, just couldn’t resist attacking
candidate A. Scott Bolden” (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/2006/lips0512.html).
Civics 101 teaches us that debate moderators are obliged to
neutrality. Mr. Cowan betrayed those standards and in doing so tainted
the campaign environment in just the way he claims to defend it.
With regard to his “undisclosed” finger-pointing, the mere fact
that Cowan has knowledge of my paid position on Scott Bolden’s
campaign is testimony to full disclosure. One need only check with the
DC Office of Campaign Finance to view campaign reports detailing my
compensation.
[I’ll comment only on the themail’s policy. If you have a
personal interest in an issue or candidate, you should disclose it in
any message you send to themail. For example, if you are employed by a
candidate and criticize that candidate’s opponents, you should
disclose your employment. I do not expect readers of themail to have to
research the candidates’ financial reports at the Office of Campaign
Finance to discover the connection, and that cannot reasonably be
considered full disclosure. — Gary Imhoff]
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Trying to Distinguish the Exceptional from the
Mundane
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
The draft Comprehensive Plan offers a lot of “thou shalt not...”
proscriptions concerning DC’s multitude of row houses. But they do not
distinguish between the exceptional ones that are an asset to the nation’s
capital city and those that were never intended to be closer to downtown
than a trolley ride from its outskirts. While it may sound cogent to
pronounce that row house modernization should not be “out of
character” with the neighborhood, what happens when the neighborhood
has already gotten out of character with 1940s’ family demographics
and lifestyles? If you take a look at http://www.narpac.org/PWROHO.HTM,
you’ll see how NARPAC thinks the typical ordinary row house block
might change to keep up with changing (and increasing?) residential
demands. You might also note what creative but compromising redevelopers
have done with an old-fashioned row house block that also had an
old-fashioned, surplus school in it. Janey should be so lucky, or
plucky.
For those who like to help define and solve some of DC’s basic
problems, you can scan the seven ideas we offered DC Appleseed, from
reducing poverty to creating an “International Mall,” at http://www.narpac.org/LRSIDEAS.HTM.
We tried (unsuccessfully) to help get the Army to transfer Walter Reed
AMC to DC for redevelopment, and have prodded the Nats’ new owners to
improve public transportation access to, and fan survivability around,
their new baseball stadium, at http://www.narpac.org/INTHOCOR.HTM.
Is there any power in positive thinking?
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
US Commission on Fine Arts Hearing on North
Portal Estates Construction, May 18
D. Royster, droys123@yahoo.com
The Civic League of North Portal Estates will appear before the US
Commission of Fine Arts on May 18 at 10:00 a.m. to formally oppose the
construction of two new houses on North Portal Drive, NW, that were
illegally constructed under federal and District of Columbia law. The
Civic League maintains that these structures were built without the
required review by the US Commission of Fine Arts and do not conform to
the standards of the North Portal community in terms of architectural
design and siting. One of the houses sits in the backyards of two other
houses, which is obviously inappropriate. The residents of our community
are outraged that the city has allowed these projects to continue
without the review required under federal and DC law, and says that
these structures must be torn down to preserve the integrity of our
neighborhood.
Under the federal Shipstead-Luce Act, the District of Columbia is
required to submit proposed construction projects that border federal
property, including Rock Creek Park, to the US Commission of Fine Arts
for architectural review to ensure that such projects are consistent
with the aesthetic and cultural characteristics of the geographic area.
In this case, the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA)
failed to submit the project to the US Commission of Fine Arts prior to
issuing construction permits for the properties located in the 1700
block of North Portal Drive, NW, in accordance with federal law and the
city’s zoning requirements. After neighbors recently discovered this
error and demanded immediate corrective action, DCRA initiated steps to
revoke the construction permits; however, the agency has allowed
construction of these projects to continue over the strenuous objections
of the citizens whose interests DCRA is charged with protecting. Public
officials, including all of the mayoral candidates and candidates for
council chairman, have been invited to submit testimony supporting the
Civic League of North Portal Estates on this important community issue.
The US Commission of Fine Arts is located at the historic National
Building Museum, 401 F. Street, NW, Suite 312.
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The Fairfax County Public Library invites caregivers and people with
disabilities to a free event on Friday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 2:30
p.m. in the Fairfax County Government Center, located at 12000
Government Center Parkway in Fairfax. There will be presentations by
industry experts, equipment demonstrations, and refreshments. At 10:30
a.m., Eddie Timanus, a USA Today sports writer and former
"Jeopardy" winner who is blind, will discuss life with vision
loss; at 11 a.m., Dr. Joey Wallace of the Virginia Assistive Technology
System will talk about creative solutions for independence; at 1 p.m.,
Dr. Suleiman Alibhai, the head of Inova’s Low Vision Center, will
speak on rehabilitating visually impaired people; and at 2 p.m. Frank
Kurt Cylke, the internationally renowned director of the National
Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, will present
“The Digital World: Broken-Field Running With a Touchdown in Sight.”
For the list of participating organizations, go to www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library.
For reasonable ADA accommodations, call 703-324-8380 or TTY
703-324-8365.
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Evening at the Embassy of Barbados, May 19
Michael Karlan, dc@prosinthecity.com
Professionals in the City is hosting an evening at the Embassy of
Barbados on Friday, May 19, from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Enjoy a Caribbean
evening of rum tasting, live music, open bar and a buffet dinner of
Caribbean delicacies at this walk-around style event. Meet the
Ambassador and his staff. This event is just $60; all tickets must be
purchased in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit
http://www.prosinthecity.com,
E-mail dc@prosinthecity.com,
or call 686-5990. The Embassy is located at 2144 Wyoming Avenue, NW, in
Dupont Circle.
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ERCPCP to Host Third Annual Man2Man Conference
at Ballou SHS, May 20
Rahiel Tesfamariam, rahielt@standforalumni.org
In May 2005, young men attending Ballou Senior High School decided
that now was the time to move toward establishing a better and brighter
future. At the second annual Man2Man Conference, “Making Moves. The
Time Is Now,” these young men were exposed to a wealth of information
intended to help them increase self-awareness and make conscious
decisions today that would benefit them tomorrow. We are pleased to say
that we have had seen much growth from our young men and look forward to
watching them reach new heights.
The third annual Man 2 Man Conference will be held at Ballou SHS on
Saturday, May 20, from 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Ballou Senior High School is
located at 3401 Fourth Street, SE. For this year’s conference, a
fantastic group of young people at Ballou SHS have decided to shake
things up a little bit by demonstrating the leadership skills acquired
from previous conferences and assisting with conference planning. A
Youth Leadership Council (YLC) comprised of both female and male
students at Ballou was formed and has helped us to effectively plan
every aspect of this year’s conference activities. Thanks to their
significant input and hard work, we now present Time to Break the
Stereotypes, the third Annual Man2Man Conference for the young men of
Ballou SHS.
The Man2Man Conference is a gender specific school-based conference
held exclusively for the young men of Ballou SHS. This day long event
features multiple experiences for these youth including speakers and
workshops on issues that are relevant to young men, catered meals that
encourage good nutrition and meet their nutritional needs, opportunities
to engage in positive interaction with other men of various backgrounds,
a keynote speaker to share a powerful and relatable story, an exhibit
hall filled with resource providers to share information that will help
address their needs, entertainment, and a fashion presentation. A
special guest from Black Entertainment Television and various recording
artists are a part of the day’s scheduled events. As you may know,
past years have brought many trying times for our students at Ballou.
Therefore, for the third year in a row, the East of the River Clergy
Police Community Partnership (ERCPCP) has decided to step forward to
present these youth with this positive and exciting learning opportunity
that will counter those negative experiences and have a powerful and
lasting impact on all those involved.
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Shepherd Park Garden Tour, May 21
Ralph Blessing, rblessin88@hotmail.com
The second annual Shepherd Park Garden Tour will be held on Sunday,
May 21, from 1-4 p.m. Tickets will be available in front of Shepherd
Elementary School at the corner of 14th Street and Kalmia Road, NW,
starting at noon on the day of the tour. The cost is $15 per ticket ($7
for Shepherd Park Citizen Association members). The tour will feature
eight wonderful gardens in the Shepherd Park, Colonial Village, and
North Portal Estates neighborhoods. This is a self-guided tour and
visitors are welcome to tour the gardens at their own pace. Several of
the gardens have been featured in national garden tours. For more
information and photos from last year’s garden tour, please visit http://www.shepherdparkgardentour.org.
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African American Civil War Memorial Awards
Luncheon, May 22
Frank Smith, franksmith@afroamcivilwar.org
Mayor Anthony Williams will be presented the Drummer Jackson
Partnership Award by the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom
Foundation at its awards luncheon Monday May 22. The Awards ceremony
will take place at the Freedom Foundation Museum located at 1200 U
Street, NW. The award will be presented by Beverly Perry, chairman of
the board of directors of the organization. The Drummer Jackson Award is
named for a young drummer boy who risked his life to join the Union Army
to fight for his freedom. His courage and sacrifice have come to
represent all those who fight for freedom, justice and adequate
education.
At the awards luncheon, Bruce Pendleton, a Social Studies teacher at
Cardozo High School, will receive the Teacher of the Year award, and
Patricia Tyson will receive will receive the Preservationist of the Year
award. A special award will be presented to Jon Ledecky, a local
businessman who has supported many youth and cultural groups in
Washington and who is the primary funding source for the Washington
Community Baseball Trust.
For more information contact Frank Smith, Director, 202-667-2667
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Metro’s Many Creators at National Building
Museum, May 22
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org
Monday, May 22, 6:30-8:00 p.m. DC Builds: Metro’s Many Creators. A
rapid transit system is not the creation of a single individual, agency,
or profession, but a collaboration among planners, engineers,
architects, and citizens. Zachary M. Schrag, assistant professor of
history at George Mason University, will present some of the
interactions and debates that resulted in the Metro system we know
today. After the lecture, he will sign copies of his new book The
Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro (Johns
Hopkins University Press). $10 Museum members and students; $15
Nonmembers. Registration required.
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Researching House Histories, May 23
Matthew Gilmore, dc-edit@mail.h-net.msu.edu
Have you ever wanted to know more about your house than its age? Join
local historian Matthew Gilmore for a hands-on workshop in which he will
show you how to utilize the resources of the Washingtoniana Division and
other public records to uncover the mysteries of your home’s past.
Tuesday, May 23, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the Washingtoniana Division, DC
Public Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room 307, Gallery Place Metro (Red
Line). The workshop is free but space is limited and registration is
requested, so that enough handouts can be prepared.
For a peek at some of the sources discussed, check out http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~dclist/neighNew4.pdf.
For more information and to register, please E-mail dc-edit@mail.h-net.msu.edu
or call783-5144.
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Small Businesses in Ward 7 Networking Event,
May 25
Julius Ware II, Jware2@starpower.net
Mark your calendars for a Ward 7 event next Thursday. Cleo’s
Brothers Electrical Contractors invites you to a Ward 7 Business
Networking Event on Thursday, May 25, from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Join Ward
7 small businesses in our first networking event of 2006! If you are a
professional or small business owner and are interested in learning more
about how you can increase your business and keep informed of changes
and new businesses that are coming to Ward 7, then this is the
networking event for you. There will be refreshments and door prizes.
Our cosponsor, Planned Parenthood, is hosting us at 3933 Minnesota Ave.
NE. To RSVP, please contact Julius Ware II at 396-0751 or by E-mail at jware2@starpower.net.
This event is being sponsored by Planned Parenthood and Citibank.
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CLASSIFIEDS — SPACE
Meeting Space on Capitol Hill
Patrick McClintock, mcclinto@umbc.edu
The Taverna Restaurant at 305 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, is making its
second floor dining room available for groups of up to 200 at
competitive rates. There is a full bar available and a full kitchen. The
calendar is currently open. Consider this prime location for private or
political events. For more information, call Patrick McClintock at
546-0226 or Zack at 547-8360
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