Business Friendly
Dear Friendlies:
In Tuesday’s primary, one group of Democratic candidates has been
described as business friendly, and they have in fact received the great
majority of contributions from business interests. They are Linda Cropp
in the mayor’s race, Vincent Gray in the city council chairman’s
race, and A. Scott Bolden in the at-large councilmember’s race.
But what does it mean to be business friendly? A District politician
who was truly business friendly would promote all businesses, small as
well as large, politically uninfluential as well as well connected. That
kind of politician would be concerned primarily with making it as easy
to do business in the District as it is in surrounding jurisdictions and
with keeping business taxes at least within range of what they are in
surrounding jurisdictions. We live in a region with cumbersome
regulations and high taxes, so staying competitive with our suburbs
shouldn’t be hard. We don’t have to do away with business regulation
and licensing, and we don’t have to lower requirements dramatically;
we simply have to make it less torturous to navigate through the
District’s regulatory and licensing processes, so that small
businesses aren’t at such a great disadvantage to the businesses large
enough to keep lawyers and lobbyists on staff. We don’t have to have
low business taxes; we just have to bring them in line with the high
business taxes in the surrounding counties.
In District politics, we don’t use that commonsense definition of
business friendly. Here, a business friendly politician is one who does
special favors for special friends. Here, a business friendly politician
is one who doles out special tax relief, TIFF’s and the like, to the
richest and best connected developers, leaving the tax burden to be
shared by smaller businesses and middle-class residents. A business
friendly politician here confiscates land and businesses from disfavored
and small business people in order to award them to people with
lobbyists working the Wilson Building. (See Lynne Duke’s must-read
article on Skyland Shopping Center in today’s Washington Post
for a look at how this process works: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/09/AR2006090901407.html).
A business friendly politician gives city property and tax funds and
leases and contracts as rewards to a small group of insiders. By these
measures, Cropp, Gray, and Bolden are more business friendly than Fenty,
Patterson, and Mendelson. Is that a recommendation?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Outside of our famous Soviet Safeway at Corcoran and Seventeenth
Streets, NW, on a sunny Saturday afternoon (September 9), two young
white men were collecting ballot petition signatures “to raise money
for DC schools and to increase DC government revenues.” One was from
San Francisco and the other from Sacramento. They were gathering
petition signatures without mentioning that the real purpose is to put
legalized gambling on the ballot. One followed us down the block arguing
that since DC residents travel to California to sign petitions then
California residents have the right to travel to DC and get petition
signatures. He also claimed that he makes $800.00 per day collecting
signatures and that he already had earned $500.00 today.
I also watched a black woman sign the bottom of each petition page of
a stack of petitions. I assume that she is the alleged supervising DC
resident. She refused to identify herself. She refused to say where she
lives. She used petitions to cover her face when I tried to take her
photo.
[The gambling promoters behind the slots casino initiative have
imported out-of-town petition circulators again, and we expect them to
be out in force by the polling places on Tuesday. Again, as they did in
2004 and earlier this year, they are gathering signatures through a
deliberate and organized scheme of fraud and misrepresentation. This
time, as the E-mail above, and as other private E-mails and calls have
shown, they are saying that the petition is either to raise money for
schools or to protect our right to vote. It is neither -- it is purely
and simply to give the initiative’s sponsors a license to open a slots
casino. The circulators of an initiative petition should be free to lie
about the merits of their proposal as much as they want, and to claim
that it will benefit the city when it will really harm it. That’s
standard political practice. But they shouldn’t be allowed to trick
voters into signing a petition by fraud, by hiding the real subject of
the initiative and claiming that the subject is something else. Since
the DC Board of Elections and Ethics refuses to investigate this fraud
and to gather evidence while it is happening, it is up to citizens to do
it ourselves. Whenever you are approached by these petition circulators,
if they are not DC residents, if they claim the petition is for schools
or voting rights, if they refuse to show you the summary of the
initiative on the front side of the petition, please take a note of
where and when you were approached and a description of the circulator,
and describe how they attempted to trick you into signing the petition.
Photograph the circulators or, better yet, get video of them as they
make false claims about what the petition is about. Then send it all to
Ken McGhie, the general counsel of the DC Board of Elections and Ethics,
at kmcghie@dcboee.org, and
please send a copy to us. — Gary Imhoff]
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FOIA Bill Supporters
Ed Johnson, mvcorderito at yahoo dot com
While I’m still working on an eminent domain bill that will be
palatable enough to a majority of councilmembers get introduced, I
thought you all would like to know before Tuesday which incumbents
running for reelection or higher office have agreed to support the bill
that would make the National Capital Revitalization Corporation and the
Anacostia Waterfront Corporation subject to the Freedom of Information
Act. Mr. Catania, Ms. Cropp, Mr. Fenty, Mr. Mendelson, and Ms. Patterson
have all agreed to co-introduce the FOIA piece. Mr. Brown and Ms.
Ambrose are also on board. I’m indebted to the staff of Ms. Ambrose,
my council member, for all their assistance. Researching and writing
legislation is hard work (and trust me, not fun), and Mr. Mendelson’s
and Ms. Patterson’s staff also provided invaluable help. It’s
encouraging to see people who surround themselves with smart,
hardworking, and dedicated people.
Mr. Graham sent a staff person to a meeting I had with the other
councilmember’s aides, and I spoke with Mr. Gray’s legislative
person later that week and hope to hear from them both next week once
they have had a chance to review the bill. The plan is to introduce the
FOIA bill on September 18. I hope to have at least a scaled-back eminent
domain piece to accompany it. I focused my efforts to get support from
those who are running for office, but I plan to knock on doors next week
and get the others who are not running this time to join Mr. Brown with
their support. Mr. Orange was the only council member I repeatedly
contacted at both his office and campaign who didn’t bother to
respond. Perhaps I’m considered "morally unfit" to be an
activist citizen?
In typical fashion, NCRC has not responded to a single E-mail, and I
have been meticulous in sending them copies of everything. In stark
contrast, I met with Adrian Washington, the president of AWC, and we had
a thoughtful and very productive discussion. I’m looking forward as a
southwest Waterfront resident to working with AWC. Hopefully, under the
scrutiny of FOIA, the secretive corporate culture of NCRC will evolve
into something more open and community focused like the one that AWC has
demonstrated.
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Nader to Fenty: Do You Have a Plan to Fix the
Stadium Mess?
Shawn McCarthy, shawn@essential.net
[An open letter from Ralph Nader to Councilmember Adrian Fenty] With
the primaries fast approaching, many voters are waiting for a plan as to
what you would do to fix the baseball stadium mess should you become the
mayor of the District of Columbia. To be sure, during the DC council
stadium debate, you have stood admirably behind the two-thirds of
District residents who are against a deal to subordinate their life
necessities to developers and Major League Baseball.
But standing behind an overwhelming majority is one thing. DC
residents need and expect more from you. Many residents would welcome
more programmatic leadership from the leading candidate for Mayor, and
are unsure of your willingness to protect DC residents and lead the way
to end the stadium debacle. That is, stop the taxpayer giveaway and let
the capitalists behave like capitalists. Voters need to know if you
possess the desire to take on power-players like the stadium lobby.
Do you have a plan to get the District of Columbia out of
exploitation by the no-cap stadium freeloaders? Would you call a press
conference to denounce the stadium legislation? Would you leverage
resources behind community leaders, ANC commissioners, community-based
organizations, and residents who want an end to the stadium boondoggle?
Would you march in the streets with them? Would you be their leader?
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I’m Mad as Hell
Joan Eisenstodt, jeisen@aol.com
I know; noise is a fact of life of District living. However,
construction noise is not what it is about. In this election season,
trying to reach anyone on the council — at least those who are running
-- is silly. (I’ve E-mailed Mr. Fenty and Mr. Mendelson because their
offices have helped before. Ms. Ambrose, our councilmember, has never
responded to E-mails ever. I’ve just written to David Catania’s
office, since they have been responsive before. An excerpt from the
letter I sent: “You’ve responded in the past on other issues and I
am hoping you might be willing to help. We live in an apartment building
while we wait for our condo downtown to be finished. We have committed
to staying in DC. There is a huge office building being constructed at
777 6th Street, NW, the corner of 6th and H, that abuts our building. I’ve
been in touch with many people in the DC government, including David
Janifer, who is no longer with the DC government; Juan Scott; and a Mr.
Hubbard who now has Mr. Janifer’s phone number. I have left numerous
messages for a Ms. Stephanie Artis and a Mr. Larry Carr, both of whom
are with the Neighborhood Stabilization office. I’ve left messages for
Councilmember Ambrose, Fenty, and Mendelson. We’ve called 311 numerous
times to report the problems.
“They have continued to construct at illegal hours, sometimes
beginning at 5 a.m. and most often working until midnight or after. At
9:40 p.m. on September 7, the construction continues. They worked until
2:30 a.m. on the morning of September 7. A DC officer responded to one
of our 311 calls and secured a copy of a building permit that states
that construction is allowed for ‘after hours work from 7 p.m. to 12
a.m. using a tower crane to hang precast.’ The noise, literally
outside our window, is horrific. They are pounding, drilling, hammering,
sawing, and yelling. No one seems to want to do anything.”
Those on this list who have responded said to continue to call 311.
We have, and the do nothing, and nothing changes, and ear plugs don’t
do it. Ideas?
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Getting Schooled
Mark Eckenwiler, themale at ingot dot org
In the last issue of themail [September 6], Trish Chittams discussed
DCPS’s floating a trial balloon for the idea of year-round school. I
join her in declaring this a spectacularly ill-considered, ill-conceived
notion, for the following reasons. Year-round school won’t teach more
material; students will get the same amount of material spread out over
a longer period. (Numerous subjects, such as math and language arts,
involve sequenced courses. An Algebra I pupil is not going to dive into
geometry in late May.) Kids who can’t master the material under the
current system seem to me unlikely to benefit, but you can bet that the
talented students will be bored witless by the slower pace and/or
time-killing busywork.
Children need a summer vacation for any number of reasons. Some are
on swim teams; some need the income from a full-time summer job; some
travel abroad to visit relatives or experience other cultures; some will
take art, language, or dance courses unavailable through DCPS; and some
may just sit and read to their hearts’ content. DCPS has no monopoly
on summer enrichment experiences. Finally, two words: facilities repair.
Anyone who thinks that DCPS plant maintenance won’t interfere with
year-round classes needs a reality check. The real impetus behind the
year-round proposal, as far as I can see, is that it offers free
baby-sitting. Child care is undoubtedly a big issue for single working
parents, and I’d be happy to see DC government work to improve daycare
options for DC residents. Dragooning teachers (and students who don’t
need to be baby-sat) into year-round school is a foolish means to that
end.
For the record, I have two children, a high-schooler and a middle-schooler,
who have been in DC public schools since kindergarten. I’m generally
pleased with the education they have received and the progress they’ve
made, but I’d be lying if I said it has been easy or that DCPS is
anywhere close to perfect. I’d also be lying, as would anyone else, if
I claimed that year-round schooling is the cure for what’s wrong with
DCPS.
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As I wrote in themail last Sunday, September 3, most of the Voters
Guides mailed by the DC Board of Elections and Ethics to District voters
directed them to the wrong polling sites. Since then, all District
voters who are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s primary (those registered
in the parties with primary contests — Democrats, Republicans, and
Statehood-Greens) should have received postcards with the correct
locations of their polling sites. If in doubt, you can call the Board at
727-2525 or go to the Board’s web site (http://www.dcboee.org)
and click on “Find your polling station.”
With the exception of the elderly and disabled, District voters are
required to vote at their assigned precincts. However, if you find
yourself at the wrong polling site on election day on election day and
are unable to go to the correct precinct, you may request and vote a
“special ballot.” Simply ask to speak to the precinct captain,
calmly describe the situation, explain that you are a registered vote
eligible to vote in the election but unable to go to your assigned
polling place, and ask for a special ballot.
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I don’t care whether it is legal, moral, or thinning, but the
barrage of recorded telephone messages to voters from a variety of
candidates in this election made me wish a pox on all their houses. By
midday Sunday before the election, and just counting this last weekend
of the campaign, I had received eleven calls from two mayoral candidates
and supporters or candidates for my ward’s seat, Ward 3. This is worse
than telemarketing and very, very annoying.
That’s not counting Bill Rice’s biweekly spam to my E-mail
address (I hope DCWatch didn’t give my e-mail address to him — I
hereby declare my decision to opt out of being E-mailed from any
compiled list). Nor does it count the daily calls by one or two
candidates or some fakey endorsement by someone I’m supposed to know
for several weeks now. Rice lost my vote with his first E-mail to me.
Who the hell does he think he is? As for the others, enough is enough!
I was disappointed that the candidates I liked had repeated calls to
my phone. For all you present and wannabe politicians: next time, I will
automatically give my vote to someone else if you E-mail me or call me
without my permission. And face it, toy politicians, you are not major
political figures. This election amounts to nothing more than a choice
between political midgets (go ahead, call me a heightist). At best it is
a contest in which I will attempt to pick the brightest, least
connected, least corrupted of the lot — not an easy chore. This
pathetic reality is shown by the abusive barrage of private citizens’
phones and E-mail addresses when they are trying to relax. Some day
Washington will deserve leaders of statute.
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Pictures of Amazing Police Partnership and
Systemic Works
Naomi J. Monk, nmonk10501@aol.com
This E-mail is written to invite you to visit the DC Metropolitan
Police Department’s First District Police Headquarters at 415 4th
Street, SW. Under Commander Diane Groomes’ leadership, the Community
Room was recently decorated with lots of pictures that show some of the
numerous neighborhood partnerships and systemic prevention efforts in
which the police partake. It does not address law enforcement efforts
because it appears that far too many individuals throughout DC feel that
is all that the police men and women have done for the past eight-plus
years.
Under the leadership of Chief Charles Ramsey, the DC Metropolitan
Police men and women work vigorously with all three of the approaches of
policing prevention at the same time. You are invited to read on http://www.mpdc.dc.gov
about all the wonderful works that our DC Metropolitan police men and
women do and how you can join them.
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Cropp on Election Day
Norman L. Blumenfeld, nlblum@aol.com
Many have decided for whom they will vote. Others are still
considering the facts and the spin. The debate on Friday at George
Washington University may prove instructive. In the first big mayoral
debate months ago, Adrian M. Fenty couldn’t name the three bond-rating
agencies that are crucial to DC finances. To some, this pegged him as
being too uninformed or too unintelligent to run a big-time city like
the District. After all, a councilmember should know what agencies are
instrumental to the DC economy. At the GW debate this past Friday, Mark
Plotkin asked Fenty who is Steve Chabot. Fenty had no idea. Well, if he
wants to run this city, he should have known. Steve Chabot is a
Republican congressman out of Ohio who is on the judiciary committee,
which is holding a meeting next Thursday about DC voting rights.
Later Plotkin suggested that Fenty gets his head out of his
Blackberry. In essence, he said that Fenty is so busy pushing the little
buttons on his gadget that he does not take time to know and understand
vital information that effects the District. Councilmembers have
admonished for not paying attention to the proceedings Fenty while he
fixates on his Blackberry during council conferences. This may show why
he is often clueless about the facts regarding a piece of legislation.
Fenty should not be mayor. He is still a young person playing with his
Blackberry. He reminds me of the younger kids with their video games.
From time to time he introduces legislation, then abandons the time
consuming process to fine tune the bills, leaving it to others to work
out the deficiencies and problems with what was introduced. Cropp has
her faults. But she has exhibited intelligence, consensus building,
follow through, hard working on difficult tasks, meeting with
congressmen and Wall Street financial people, and leadership. She is
light years ahead of Fenty in working with others and tackling complex
problems. Fenty has flashy sayings and knocks on doors, but there is
very little to show that he can command the respect of others so as to
be a leader. It is just plain scary that so many people have been
bamboozled by this young man. He is not ready to lead the most important
city in the world. We have an obligation to not vote for him.
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Republican Running for DC City Council
Charlotte Hoffman, choffman@alum.haverford.edu
I saw this in the Weekly Standard last week and thought I
should share it with DC voters. I think it is time to support this next
generation of leaders. “A Republican Grows in DC: Young Tony Williams
Runs for City Council,” by Whitney Blake, September 4, Volume 011,
Issue 47, http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/626zumky.asp.
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DC Examiner
Endorses Me for Ward 5
Regina James, reginadc5@yahoo.com
On September 7, the DC Examiner editorialized: "Eleven
candidates running for Vincent Orange’s soon-to-be-vacated seat mean
one thing: Ward 5 will be the scene of some of DC’s biggest political
battles as the city attempts to spread economic development to an area
that only recently got its own grocery store.
“Frontrunners Harry Thomas Jr. and Frank Wilds would both make
excellent council members, but we favor long-shot ANC Commissioner
Regina James for her unwavering focus on public safety in a ward where
people still get shot inside the new Giant.
“The kind of dogged effort James displayed when she spent more than
three years trying to get the Metropolitan Police Department to close
down the open-air drug markets plaguing her neighborhood will be
invaluable on a council that too often pretends that the city’s
biggest problem will just go away on its own.” (http://www.examiner.com/a-268928~Editorial__How_The_Examiner_sees_the_D_C__Council_races.html)
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Last week, the media’s coverage of the mayor’s race in the
District of Columbia struck below the belt. On the cover of the City
Paper the question was asked, “Is Linda Cropp the worst campaigner
since home rule?” The very first line in their story took a personal
shot at her weight and later at her age. To summarize the Post’s
coverage of the two front-runners, for Adrian Fenty, they used the words
young, energy and bold; for Linda Cropp, the words were old guard,
status quo, and lacking stamina. The Post used a quote from a
Ward 3 Fenty supporter saying the reason she was backing Fenty was
because he was, “young and inexperienced.” If that’s the case,
then my three-year-old son Zachary is ready to run. After all, he looks
good in his church attire, uses the right utensils, and, if properly
coached, says the right thing. I think the world of my son and his
limitless potential, but because he lacks experience, he’s simply not
ready to be mayor. What happened to the issues? Have we grown bored with
debating competing visions on health care, affordable housing,
education, jobs, and public safety? How did a valued prerequisite like
experience get lost? Why aren’t we talking about who’s best prepared
to be mayor? I wonder how the publisher of the Post feels about
being compared to the City Paper. Does their coverage of the
mayor’s race honor the proud legacy of Katherine Graham?
Reading the Post, I have to ask, how do accomplished,
seasoned, and successful women feel about one of their own being labeled
"matronly"? Would that same term have been used to describe
Eleanor Roosevelt; the one woman many still think should have been our
first female President? For that matter, how about Oprah Winfrey, one of
the most influential women of our time, she has publicly chronicled her
struggle with weight. Is image without substance all that matters? Where
has our integrity gone in this city? Linda Cropp is proud of her record
before, during, and after her stint on the school board and city
council, but freely states, “I’m not satisfied.” Ask that same
question of Adrian Fenty and he says, “I’m looking to the future of
this city.” Why isn’t his record fair game? Don’t the voters have
a right to know why the court called him incompetent and negligent as an
attorney? Why haven’t we read or seen any follow up stories on the two
families who suffered those losses at Fenty’s less than capable hands?
I’d like to know whom they would vote for. The media has basically
allowed Fenty to dictate their coverage by branding his opponent’s
questions about his record as negative campaigning. This coverage makes
you wonder, how much the Fenty camp spent (advertising) with the Post
versus the others in this field of candidates?
The lesson learned in Election 2006 is that it is off limits to
attack a candidate’s record, because that’s negative campaigning,
and you can’t mention any perceived character flaws of their
associates, because then you’re mudslinging. So in the future, why don’t
we just dress up the candidates and call the race what it has become —
a beauty contest.
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Mary Cheh, A Trojan Horse
Pete Ross, pete@ross-usa.com
1) Mary Cheh, a full-time tenured professor at George Washington
University, desires to represent Ward 3 in the city council; this scares
me. How can she represent residents of Ward 3 when issues arise between
the community and the Mt. Vernon campus of George Washington University,
which is located on Foxhall Road in Ward 3? 2) Mary Cheh has a child at
Georgetown Day School. How committed can she be to our public schools if
she does not even send her child to public school?
If Mary Cheh wins the Democratic primary to be the Ward 3 council
representative and Kathy Patterson loses her bid to be the Democratic
candidate for chairman of the city council, I hope that Kathy Patterson
will save us residents in Ward 3 from self destruction by running again
for Ward 3 council representative as a write-in candidate. Kathy
Patterson is an asset that our city council and Ward 3 cannot afford to
lose.
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This is to advise that the September 2006 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
December 2002) also is available in PDF file format directly 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 appears in print, including
all photos and advertisements.
The next issue will publish on October 13 (the 2nd Friday of the
month, as always). The complete PDF version will be posted by the
preceding night or early that Friday morning at the latest, 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: 1) “Use of Public Space
Bordering Private Property Stirs Consternation — Approval Procedures
of DC Board Add Confusion”; 2) “Illegal Intrusion Into Public Space
Being Addressed by DDOT;” 3) “Once Controversial Project Now a Model
for Developer and Neighborhood Cooperation.”
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Adrian Fenty, Kathy
Patterson, Phil Mendelson, and Tommy Thomas
Albrette “Gigi” Ransom, Ward 5, gigir1829@yahoo.com
I am supporting Adrian Fenty for mayor. Since becoming a member of
the council, Adrian has continuously fought for, legislated, and voted
with the best interests of DC citizens first. No one can deny his
requirement for our agencies’ taking responsibility and accountability
when they fail to do their jobs. There is no denying that his vim,
vigor, and vitality, along with his principle-centered leadership,
vision, and commitment to public service, will inspire the masses to
grasp and engage in his vision, which will take our great city to
positive heights that many only thought was a dream.
If you listen to your heart, and act from a positive mind, you know
that your vote for Kathy Patterson will be the right choice for DC
council chairman. Again, her record, her efforts through legislation,
and scrutiny of agency heads and business leaders alike during committee
hearings is unquestionable. Responsibility, accountability, and ethics
first and foremost! Since her first term in 1995, Kathy has not let the
defeat by Congress of four critical pieces of legislation (which she
co-sponsored), which would have led to the reform of our schools into
twenty-first century masterpieces, to deter her from fighting for
change. I know, because I was there. Instead, we got the congressionally
mandate Board of Trustees, which set our efforts back. She has
continuously chipped away the layers of unaccountability through smaller
efforts. The media questioned her strategy to add additional taxes on
our businesses, but it was a strategy used by many public servants,
particularly men, to get people to see the bigger picture, to find
common ground, to get the desired results. Eleven years later, we now,
through other sources, have a funded, billion-dollar package to create
state-of-the-arts facilities for our children to learn. This is one
example of Kathy’s deft leadership, utilizing consensus-building. The
skills of principle-centered leadership, integrity, intelligence, along
with a no-nonsense approach, are not limited to men. Marian Anderson
once said, “Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the
needs of those who would be affected by it.” With twelve years of
public service experience, greater understanding gained with successful
leadership on three committees, unbought and unbiased, along with vim,
vigor and vitality, Kathy has what it takes, and has earned the
privilege to guide our great city into the next phrase of its evolution.
I remember in the 90s when Phil and I were ANCs, and many times we
testified on the same issues that affected our citizenry. Then, Phil was
principled-centered, educated on the issues, with no fanfare or
nonsense, fighting for better schools, quality public safety, and
accountability from our agencies. In the present, he is still the same.
Like Kathy, you will not find many contributions from the private sector
because special interests have to come right before getting support on
any legislation. I have followed his opponent’s campaign, and I am
really concerned about where he would take us if elected. He has
continuously presented a lack of knowledge of how our agencies work and
the current status of programs provided. His response to me was “when
I get in, then I will know.” Well, that’s not good enough,
especially with his special-interest background. Phil has over twenty
years of positive experience as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner,
along with his positive terms and committee chairmanships on the
council, placing our citizens first! True public service, with vim,
vigor and vitality, needed to continue to lead our great city in the
right direction.
Many Ward 5 residents expressed concerns that Harry “Tommy”
Thomas, Jr., is seeking a council position because of his late father’s
prior service. At first, I too had thought that way, and felt it was
time for a woman to represent Ward 5, but that would have been the easy
way out. When I looked at the bigger picture and assessed Tommy from an
up-close and personal perspective, I saw a person dedicated to public
service and change. I have also been highly impressed with his love of
and quiet effort to embrace and engage the youth of Ward 5, many from
troubled homes, through athletic activities and field trips to develop
character and interpersonal and communication skills, along with an
understanding of how to succeed in life the right way. Not many men have
accepted this challenge due to their fear of our young people. He is
knowledgeable of the issues that confront our city. I truly feel that he
will be his own person on the council. Yes, he will have a slight
learning curve, but this curve will be short due to having a father who
obviously shared his experiences with is son. Tommy also possesses the
intelligence, experience gained from being an ANC, along with the vim,
vigor, and vitality needed to deal with the rapid change and call for
public service. I expect there will be first-class constituent services,
which have been sorely lacking, and the ability to hold agency heads
accountable for providing essential services in our ward and for
businesses to respect our communities. I am willing to give him a
chance. Placing my trust in him, I sense he will work diligently to
prove his critics wrong, and in the long run, will gain their respect
and appreciation.
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ANC Commissioners Support Cathy Wiss
Carolyn Long, carolynlong@earthlink.net
A letter in support of Cathy Wiss, signed by thirteen current and
former ANC commissioners, was published in the Northwest Current
on September 6. Since the Current went to press, two more
commissioners have added their signatures. Please read their
endorsement: “In the crowded field of Ward 3 city council contenders,
Cathy Wiss, with her years of community service and experience, stands
out as the best. Each of us is a current or former ANC Commissioner who
has either worked with or watched Cathy Wiss during her many years on
the ANC. We support her candidacy wholeheartedly and want you to know
why. Cathy is smart, extraordinarily hard working, and dedicated to the
citizens of Ward 3. She is personable and easy to deal with as well.
Cathy has been a tireless advocate for issues important to Ward 3 voters
including development, public safety, education, and transportation. The
mother of two children who attended DC public schools, Cathy will fight
to improve our schools and perform diligent oversight of our educational
system. Long involved in development issues, Cathy will encourage
appropriate growth in our ward, as well as work with developers who will
maintain the character of our varied neighborhoods. Trained as a lawyer,
Cathy is well-qualified to draft or deal with legislation of importance
to her constituents.
“Cathy’s record of service to the Ward is unmatched by any other
candidate. In addition to being an ANC chairperson, she has served as
president and founder of the Tenleytown Neighbors Association and
president of the Friends of Tenley Library. While others tout professed
expertise and accomplishments internationally, nationally, and citywide,
Cathy can point to an actual record of service to this ward: working
with developers of the City Line/Best Buy project, improving the ball
fields at Fort Reno, keeping the Tenley Library open as long as
possible, and fighting for improved coverage from the DC Fire and
Emergency Medical Services Department.
“To those of us who know her, Cathy Wiss is the most qualified,
knowledgeable, experienced, dependable, and tested of all the Ward 3
contenders. She will dedicate herself to helping all Ward 3 citizens. We
urge you to vote for Cathy Wiss for Ward 3 City Council on September 12.
She really is the best candidate for Ward 3.”
###############
Cathy Wiss for Ward 3
Councilmember
Alma Gates, ahg71139@aol.com
Many have called me this past week to ask for whom to vote on
September 12. I have responded that I support Cathy Wiss for the Ward 3
Council seat. Residents of Ward 3 have not been well represented on the
council for the past four years. ANC commissioners have turned to
At-Large Councilmembers Phil Mendelson, David Catania, Carol Schwartz,
and Kwame Brown on issues that would normally be addressed by our
Councilmember, Kathy Patterson. She has remained on the fence on issues
like the Army Corps’ Dewatering Facility behind Sibley Hospital and
the deconstruction of Whitehurst Freeway. She has made shadow
appearances at council hearings on issues like the munitions clean up in
Spring Valley and the potential for perchlorate contamination of the
Dalecarlia Reservoir. Ward 3 deserves new direction and attention,
leadership and commitment, vision and experience because our roads and
infrastructure are deteriorating rapidly, we have intense development
and neighborhood identities are being lost; we have poor public
transportation, our parks are neglected, our police are being pulled in
too many directions and spread too thin, there is virtually no plan for
emergency preparedness, and our schools are failing. The level of city
services in Ward 3 is not terribly different from communities in other
areas of the city; however, we are paying about 62 percent of the
property taxes and the city assumes we will pay for undelivered city
services out of our own pockets.
Voters in Ward 3 have been provided with a rather varied buffet of
choices. I am writing to ask your support on September 12 for Cathy Wiss,
my candidate of choice for Ward 3 on the DC Council. Cathy stands out in
this race because she will bring practical experience to the position
and is the one candidate who will listen to and represent your concerns.
She is a well respected and very knowledgeable ANC Commission chair in
Ward 3 who has provided leadership in the Tenleytown community. Cathy
has always taken time to help when I have asked for her guidance and I
look forward to continuing that relationship when she is on the DC
council. She attends meetings, understands issues facing Ward 3, and has
experience working with District agencies, police, schools, and even
developers. She is the only candidate in the Ward 3 race who is
thoroughly versed on current city issues such as the new Comprehensive
Plan and proposed zoning changes and how they will impact you and the
future of the city.
Cathy Wiss, an attorney. will be a full-time member of the DC
Council. Her focus is on Ward 3 and community issues. Cathy has served
as a social worker for the aged and disabled; as a civil rights
specialist for equal treatment in hospitals and health care facilities;
and as a judicial law clerk on the DC Superior Court and DC Court of
Appeals. She is an advocate for public education and her children
attended DC public schools. The choice is clear. Please review Cathy
Wiss’ impressive record at http://www.cathywiss06.com.
I think you will agree that she is the candidate who can make a
difference for residents of Ward 3. Please cast your vote for Cathy Wiss
on September 12.
###############
I support Cathy Wiss for Ward 3 Council because I have seen her in
action for many years as the true civic activist she is. Cathy is the
type of environmentalist who doesn’t just talk a good game, but lifts
fish in buckets down by Peirce Mill; she researches the zoning laws of
New York City to disapprove a misconception of the Zoning Commission,
and studies the indigenous tree species in Rock Creek Park to help get
the Forest Hills Tree and Slope overlay adopted. She was the leader in
the Smart Growth project at City Line, at the old Sears and Hechinger’s
site, as well as at the corner of Nebraska and Albemarle where
environmentally sensitive and historic land was protected while six
(instead of twenty-four) new houses went up on a small parcel. Cathy
works hard and long and doesn’t play favorites. She doesn’t claim to
have all the answers because she has high academic credentials. She
works to look at all sides of an issue. She knows how to represent Ward
3. Her endorsement by a diverse group of respected Ward 3 current and
former ANC Commissioners shows that she has earned the respect of those
who know how the work gets done.
Thus I was puzzled when the Washington Post and the Northwest
Current endorsed Professor Mary Cheh, a newly minted, self-styled
"civic activist." For the many of us who spend several days
and nights each month on civic affairs in Ward 3 and across the city, it
is discouraging to see someone with so little interest or past
experience in Ward 3 affairs touted as best for our neighborhoods. At
the Ward 3 Dems forum on Wednesday night, Professor Cheh readily
admitted that she had never belonged to her citizens association or
attended a meeting of it, and had never even attended a meeting of her
local ANC. Are those prerequisites for running for the council? No, but
her twenty-year lack of interest in the civic affairs of her
neighborhood until she decided to run for council speaks for itself. She
did not disagree when one of her supporters added that citizens
associations are very parochial and are only interested in protecting
property values. (Yes she has done commendable volunteer work on
constitutional law issues that relate to her job, but I’m talking
about a broader interest in community affairs. She has said that her
only civic activism involved her daughter’s soccer playing.)
This lack of understanding of Ward 3 affairs was proven that same
night when she said that she thought that the new Comprehensive Plan of
the Mayor should be enacted by this council because the Office of
Planning stated it had been “fully vetted” at a meeting at UDC,
before anyone in the community had even been shown the part of the plan
affecting Ward 3. She did not realize that ANCs 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F have
each passed resolutions asking that the plan be considered by the new
council so that its many flaws can be corrected. That same position is
supported by the citywide Federation of Citizens Associations
(disclosure — I am its president) and the Committee of 100 on the
Federal City (disclosure — I am a trustee), the Cleveland Park
Citizens Association (via letter), and other ANCs and associations in
other wards. As one who has attended dozens of meetings about the Comp
Plan, testified about it before the council, and spent hundreds of hours
on the subject, I can attest that it is a very neighborhood unfriendly
document.
Professor Cheh also did not know that her employer, George Washington
University, wants to do away with the requirement in the current law for
campus plans that protect neighborhoods across the city, including
around American University in Ward 3 (this requires council approval).
But she does not think that she has a conflict of interest on any issue
involving GW because she does “not have an ownership interest in
it.” But it is her employer, the employer who will let her teach less
than a full-time load and retain her tenure so that she can sit on the
council and vote on issues directly affecting GW (let’s forget about
how she will pick between teaching a class and attending a council vote
when the times for them conflict). She says she will recuse herself
“if necessary,” but don’t we want a full-time councilmember who
will vote on issues that are important to Ward 3 and the entire city?
At the forum held by three citizens groups last Tuesday night,
Professor Cheh admitted that she had never been involved in any way in
any development project implicating so-called smart growth principles in
Ward 3. Nevertheless, she endorsed almost word for word the unusual
definition of smart growth used by the Washington Regional Network for
Livable Communities, which also believes that “transportation policies
should put walking, bicycling, and transit first,” and that our
transportation dollars should be used for these purposes instead of road
repair. The push to adopt the current draft of the Comp Plan is
co-chaired by one of the city’s most prominent development lawyers and
the head of WRN. The leader of WRN has also told the Comprehensive Plan
Task Force that as families diminish in size they should move out of
their “too big” houses to make way for more and smaller condos. WRN’s
head has also said that 85-year-old District residents should bicycle
around town because, “It’s done all the time in Europe.” Is that
the vision for Ward 3 or the city that you want your councilmember to
espouse?
Professor Cheh is a very capable constitutional scholar, but the
residents of Ward 3 deserve someone who has some practical knowledge and
experience with the issues as seen by the residents, not just special
interest groups. And they should have a councilmember who thinks our
neighborhoods deserve interesting and complimentary neighborhood serving
commercial areas, and not the intense development in a half-mile radius
around each Metro stop (including several blocks in off the Avenues)
called for by GWU, the Washington Regional Network, and the Mayor’s
Comp Plan proposal.
Vote for Ward 3. Vote for Cathy Wiss.
###############
Cathy is best known as a commissioner on ANC 3F and for her
involvement with development issues, but she is a multifaceted person. I
support Cathy because she is very bright, she has the utmost integrity,
she has an impressive record of results, and she is one of the hardest
working people I have ever known. I am impressed by Cathy’s
open-minded, fact-based, approach to issues and her insistence on
getting input from all stakeholders. With regard to issues, I am
particularly impressed by Cathy’s long-standing championship of
libraries and the environment, but she has expertise, interest, and
experience in many areas.
Cathy has served on the board of the Friends of the Tenley Library
since 1995, including a two-year term as president of the board. Cathy
kept the library from closing in the 1990s (when it was threatened with
closure) by going to the Control Board and lobbying for funds to repair
the boiler. Cathy persisted in contacting people until the job got done.
More recently, Cathy forestalled the closing of the Tenley Library by
fifteen months. Cathy has worked with the Board of Trustees of the DC
Public Library and with other library advocates to enhance the physical
plants and book collections in libraries throughout the city. If
elected, Cathy will continue to work for full funding to rebuild and
repair branch libraries, to improve and expand services, and to increase
the hours the libraries are open. If elected, Cathy will obviously be in
a more powerful position to continue this fight.
As a Commissioner on ANC 3F and the ANC’s chairperson for three
years, Cathy has dealt with a variety of issues facing the District
including planning, zoning, parks and recreation, libraries, traffic,
and the environment. She has also dealt with issues affecting the
District as a judicial law clerk for judges of both the DC Superior
Court and the DC Court of Appeals. Previously, Cathy was a caseworker
for a District agency assisting elderly and disabled clients in finding
housing and receiving monetary assistance, medical care and a variety of
social services. At the US Department of Health and Human Services, she
worked for equality of care in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Cathy has had leadership roles as a volunteer in DC public schools. When
Janney Elementary School was without a librarian one year, Cathy
organized volunteers to keep the library staffed. Cathy established a
library committee at Deal and chaired it for three years. Like all of
the candidates in this race, Cathy cares about our schools. She wants to
see that the school modernization process moves forward expeditiously
and efficiently. She favors expanding pre-k programs, starting in areas
of the City with the greatest need. She wants to return vocational
education to the schools. She wants to improve and expand special
education services within the school system both because there is a
crying need for such services and because this is necessary to keep
special education costs from devouring the rest of the school system’s
budget.
Cathy cares about recreation and will work to reform the Department
of Parks and Recreation. Cathy shines on the environment. She has been a
Team Leader for the Audubon Society’s Water Quality Monitoring Program
since 1997. She was promoting green roofs, permeable pavement, rain
gardens, and innovative storm water management systems long before most
of us ever heard of them. Before progress was stopped on building a new
library for Tenleytown, Cathy arranged for a grant to cover the costs of
a green roof for the new library. Cathy will fight hard for the
environment and to increase and improve our parks.
Cathy’s fact-based approach to issues is typified by her handling
of development. As a founder and President of Tenley Neighborhood
Association, Cathy led the opposition to condos at Nebraska and
Albemarle and later helped negotiate the townhouse project there
instead, which included a conservation easement and protected a nearby
stream. She also helped to promote the Cityline/Best Buy/Container Store
complex at the Metro and our new hardware store there. Cathy was an
early opponent of the improperly licensed radio tower on 41st Street,
NW. She alerted others and galvanized them to action against the tower.
Cathy’s hard work and results have made a positive difference in the
quality of my life and of yours also. Fifteen current and former Ward 3
ANC Commissioners have also stated in an open letter to the community
that they find Cathy Wiss to be the most qualified candidate to
represent Ward 3 on the Council.
###############
When Results, Leadership, Dreams Matter, Look
to A. Scott Bolden
Kathryn A. Pearson-West, wkpw3@aol.com
Ready or not, the political landscape in Washington, DC, is about to
undergo a sea change, creating a new force and solidarity of passionate
leaders eager and able to move our wonderful city forward to reach its
full promise for all its citizens. Admittedly though, there are some
voters and media personalities that are not ready for change who are
more comfortable with those that may not have a sense of urgency and
purpose in solving some of the problems plaguing the nation’s capital.
They will stay the course with the at-large Democratic incumbent.
However, the rest of us voting for at-large councilmember are embracing
change and are looking forward to leaders like A. Scott Bolden to help
the city manage change responsibly, effectively, and for the better for
the majority of residents..
Recently, I got a piece of literature from the incumbent at-large
Democratic member with his face on it and the word, “Nitpicker.” I
was aghast to think that he seems to find it a joke that he muddles
through legislation and holds things up while the city’s public
education system and public safety are in crisis in many neighborhoods.
Making nitpicker a cute sounding synonym does not excuse the lack of
results that communities are crying out for. It is another campaign
justification for not dealing with issues that matter most to people and
allows mediocrity in government to exist. At a Ward 8 forum, the same
incumbent boasted that he was a "liberal, progressive,"
whatever that is. Is that further rationale for mediocrity in our city
or just a campaign tactic? At this point, personally, I have grown tired
of some of the liberal populist agendas that get us away from workable
solutions to stem crime, advance quality education in our public
schools, provide opportunities for DC residents, and promote
homeownership and the American dream.
As a native Washingtonian, product of the DC public schools, parent
of a young adult son and daughter, graduate of both Georgetown and
Howard universities, and a former federal and DC government employee now
in the sector in project management, I have experienced many of the ups
and downs of this magnificent city I call home as it has developed
during home rule. It’s time that someone steps forward with a sense of
urgency, pride, and purpose and says enough is enough. We don’t have
to accept mediocrity and failure and we don’t have to wait a lifetime
to make a difference in the lives of the citizens in the nation’s
capital. I strongly believe that Bolden wants quality, fair, and
accessible education for all young people in the District of Columbia.
That is their ticket to success and a way for DC to maintain a strong
economy. It must become the true economic engine and catalyst for the
nation’s capital to reach its promise. Bolden has the political will
and courage to make it happen, get things done.
Don’t expect Bolden to join the bandwagon for same sex marriage to
be the cornerstone of his agenda and he won’t allow it to be used as a
wedge issue in this 2006 campaign as some are trying to make it.
Hopefully he will leave that issue to those that want to sponsor a
referendum or initiative for the public’s input and voice. Bolden has
a proud record on human rights. I read with amusement the weak
endorsement of one mainstream newspaper for the incumbent, in spite of
the fact that he failed in their eyes on the laundry list of action
items that they expected him to handle. Good thing this is a colorblind
society and an equally evolved and enlightened mass media, otherwise I
may have had other thoughts about the endorsement of a two-term
incumbent whom they questioned and scolded his less than stellar
leadership and performance on EMS, the crime bill, the open government
bill, jail escapee and the Corrections budget, and so forth. Instead
they questioned and belittled the good communication and interpersonal
skills of a former prosecutor and accomplished African-American defense
attorney/litigator with strong ties throughout the city to black, white,
and otherwise, young and old, straight and gay, wealthy, and not so well
to do. I am glad that Bolden will be able to connect with people from
all walks of life in all communities.
A. Scott Bolden will get things done. He supports rent control as
amended by the council, quality education, affordable housing, safe
neighborhoods, workforce development. And he has a plan. Expect him to
be vocal on issues surrounding good management/good government and best
practices. Expect him to strike a reasonable balance between labor and
business issues. I am glad that I have signed on for Bolden for at-large
and appreciate the opportunity to share my views on this candidate. Vote
on Tuesday and let’s all work hard to make the nation’s capital the
best place to live, work, enjoy, and do business. Get it done, Bolden.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
UDC Hosts Mayor’s College Fair, September 15
Mike Andrews, mandrews@udc.edu
The University of the District of Columbia will be the host site for
the first annual Mayor’s College Fair from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
on Friday, September 15, at the University Gymnasium (Building 47).
University President Dr. William L. Pollard and UDC Provost Wilhelmina
Reuben-Cooke will join Mayor Anthony Williams, Congresswoman Eleanor
Holmes Norton, and DCPS Superintendent Clifford B. Janey (all currently
scheduled to attend) and many other notables for a ribbon cutting
ceremony at 11:00 a.m. The University is a participating partner with
Higher Education Financial Services Department of the DC State Education
Office in conducting the College Fair. The Mayor’s College Fair is
focused towards rising high school seniors in the District of Columbia.
The event will allow a projected two thousand students and their
families to interact with admission representatives from close to sixty
postsecondary institutions (including the University of the District of
Columbia) to discuss course offerings, admission, financial aid
requirements, college life, and other information pertinent to the
college selection process.
This fair will be a first for the State Education Office, which is
anticipating representation from many of their DC Tuition Assistance
Grant Program (DCTAG) partner institutions, the US Department of
Education, private scholarship providers, and other college support
agencies. The fair will be the first major college fair of the season.
If you have any questions concerning the college fair, please contact
Higher Education Financial Services Department of the DC State Education
Office (1-877-485-6751 or 727-2824) or E-mail kenneth.howard@dc.gov.
###############
Citywide Energy Expo, September 16
Phillip Harmon, pharom@opc-dc.gov
Combat rising utility bills! Come to the free DC Citywide Energy Expo
for a home energy tune-up featuring workshops and demonstrations from
exhibitors such as Home Depot, the DC Energy Office, the US Department
of Energy, and local energy companies, all geared to help you lower your
bills by making your home more energy efficient. Get consumer tips on
high efficiency appliances, installing insulation, programmable
thermostats, and much more on Saturday, September 16, from 10:00
a.m.-2:00 p.m. at Emery Recreation Center, 5701 Georgia Avenue, NW
(Georgia Avenue at Madison Street) For more information, contact the DC
Office of the People’s Counsel, Consumer Services at 727-3071.
###############
Comprehensive Plan Meeting, September 16
George Idelson, Cleveland Park Citizens Association, g.idelson@verizon.net
DC’s new Comprehensive Plan: what will it mean for you and for the
city? Pros and cons of the Plan will be discussed on Saturday, September
16, at 10:15 a.m. at the Cleveland Park Library (upstairs). Panelists
include Vincent Gray, councilmember Ward 7; Ellen McCarthy, Director, DC
Office of Planning; Nancy MacWood, Chairman ANC3C and Comprehensive Plan
Task Force; and Barbara Zartman, past president of the Committee of 100.
The meeting is sponsored by the Cleveland Park Citizens Association and
the Cleveland Park Historical Society. Both the Plan, which rethinks
land use policies and will impact our city for the next twenty years, as
well as the strategy to pass it on Mayor Williams’ watch, have evoked
controversy. The council’s first hearing on the Plan is scheduled for
Tuesday, September 26. The meeting is open to all.
###############
National Building Museum Events, September 16
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org
Saturday, September 16, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Film: Modernism on Film: The
Architecture of John Lautner. Modernist architect John Lautner began his
career in Los Angeles and grew to be known for his visionary creations.
The film The Spirit in Architecture: John Lautner (58 min.) explores the
architect’s profound designs through interviews with historians,
critics, collaborators, clients and Lautner himself. Free. Registration
not required.
Saturday, September 16, 1:00-4:00 p.m. Family program, Was Kermit
Wrong: Is It Easy To Be “Green”? Explore the interactive exhibition
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design
to learn about the ways homes are becoming “greener” or more
environmentally friendly. Experience a walk through the Glidehouse, a
life-sized replica green house. Then create your own green house using a
recycled shoebox(es) from home — complete with a real grass roof that
will grow in your window! $5 per project. All ages. Drop-in program.
Please bring a shoebox(es) for the program. Both events at the National
Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red
Line.
###############
DC Public Library Events, September 13, 14, 16
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov
Wednesday, September 13, 6:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Main Lobby. The District of Columbia Public
Library’s Popular Library will host an author talk with Mary Monroe,
who will discuss her recently published book, God Don’t Play.
Monroe is the Essence best-selling author of God Don’t Like Ugly,
for which she earned the PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles National Literary
Award and a nomination for the Black Writers Alliance’s Golden Pen
Award. Following the program, there will be a book signing of God Don’t
Play. The book will also be available for purchase by Karibu Books.
The media is welcome to attend.
Wednesday, September 13, 7:00 p.m., Georgetown Neighborhood Library,
3260 R Street, NW. Author Catherine Mayo, editor of Mexico: A
Traveler’s Literary Companion, will discuss works by such Mexican
writers as Elena Poniatowska, Carlos Fuentes, Fernando del Paso and
others.
Thursday, September 14, Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library,
901 G Street, NW, Main Lobby. Volunteer opportunities in adult literacy.
Help adults get GED’s or learn to read. Meet with local adult literacy
providers. Call 727-2431 to register by September 11.
Saturday, September 16, 10:00 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW. Join Chalk4Peace, The Young Artists’ Global
Chalk Project, and make history at a planet-size effort that pays
respect to the visual concept of peace. Ages 8-18. The following
neighborhood libraries will also host the program: Capitol View, Chevy
Chase, Cleveland Park, Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park, Mount
Pleasant, Palisades, Petworth, Southwest, Takoma, Washington Highlands,
West End and Woodridge. For more information, call 727-4804.
Saturdays, September 16, 23, 30, 2:00 p.m., Francis A. Gregory
Neighborhood Library, 3660 Alabama Avenue, NW. Lectures will be
presented by C.R. Gibbs, noted author, scholar and historian. September
16, Black Inventors: From Africa to America; September 23, Lost Kingdom
and Ancient Mysteries of Africa; September 30, White Slaves in Africa:
The Untold Story.
###############
Book Signing, September 23
Tolu Tolu, tolu2books@aol.com
You are invited to a book signing by the author of Why and How
Women Are Exploited by Men Worldwide. Tolu, a local author, will be
signing at Phish Tea Cafe, 1335 H Street, NE, on Saturday, September 23,
from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you bring ten other people with you I
will give you a free copy of my book.
###############
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