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May 27, 2007

Disruption

Dear Disruptors:

Alfred Hitchcock was a great admirer of the power of bad behavior in formal situations. In Saboteur, Robert Cummings nearly escapes from a nest of Nazi sympathizers and saboteurs at a society lady’s formal benefit by stepping up to the bandstand and announcing that the hostess is auctioning one of her famous gems for the charity. In Notorious, Cary Grant does escape Claude Rains’ group of South American Nazis, carrying Rains’ poisoned wife Ingrid Bergman in his arms, simply by leaving the mansion when Rains would embarrass himself in front of his colleagues if he protested. Grant escapes the clutches of James Mason’s gang at an auction in North by Northwest simply by making a spectacle of himself, bidding lower and lower rather than higher. Time after time in Hitchcock’s films, in lecture halls, churches, embassies, theaters, wherever groups of people behave well according to formal rules and expectations, the person who behaves badly, who defies embarrassment and breaks conventions gains charge of the situation. Of course, Hitchcock was the most conventional of people himself. He would never misbehave in public. But his heroes did, and they always profited from it.

Washington is a very polite city; no doubt it is too polite. We don’t challenge our politicians directly in public. We don’t ask them questions that are too hard or point out when they evade a question or lie in answering it. The mayor and councilmembers are surrounded by yes men who tell them how right they are, and encourage them in their mistakes. It’s our responsibility to call them on those mistakes, since their staffs and contributors won’t. For example, Marc Borbely points out Mayor Fenty’s temper tantrum over the Board of Elections’ decision approving a voter’s referendum on his school takeover bill as a proper subject for a referendum. The Board of Elections and Ethics is independent, and supposed to be insulated from political pressure and influence. Fenty apparently thought so highly of Charles Lowery that he not only appointed him chairman of the board, but appointed him retroactively back to January, and also sent the city council a resolution appointing him for another three-year term. But then last week, as Lowery’s first official act as chair, the Board of Elections approved of the referendum, and Fenty threatened Lowery with retaliation — either withdrawing his nomination or taking the chairmanship away from him — not for making a legally wrong decision, but for making a decision against Fenty’s political interests and preference.

A city that was a little less polite, a little more willing to disrupt our formal occasions, wouldn’t let occasions like this pass without making a fuss.

Gary Imhoff
gary@dcwatch.com

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Mayor Threatens Tenure of Elections Board Chair
Marc Borbely, borbely@FixOurSchools.net

On Tuesday, May 22, the Board of Elections and Ethics determined that the public schools takeover is a proper subject for a referendum. This means that DCPS grandmother and DC ACORN vice president Mary Spencer, who is urging all supporters to sign up at http://LetMeVOTE.org, will have a week, starting June 6 [unless there is a court challenge], to collect the twenty thousand valid signatures needed to put the takeover on the ballot in August.

On Wednesday, the Post reported that Mayor Fenty considered the decision to be “wrong” [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/22/AR2007052201479.html]. On Thursday, the DC Examiner reported: “His legal advisers say he has two options: reach out to members to have them overturn their own decision, or file an action in Superior Court. Both are likely” [PDF version at http://dcpaper.examiner.com/dc/?haspdf=1, select May 24, page 12]. On Friday, on the radio, Mayor Fenty did indeed “reach out” to one of the two sitting members of the Board of Elections and Ethics. On the Kojo Nnamdi show on WAMU (listen online at http://wamu.org/audio/kn/07/05/k1070525-15849.asx, starting at minute 32), Jonetta Rose Barras asked Fenty if he intended to replace Board Chairman Charles Lowery as a result of his decision on the schools takeover referendum. (“This is your person, who you just named as the Chairman of the DC Board of Elections and Ethics, who essentially threw the monkey-wrench in your plan. Do you have some concern about Mr. Lowery’s tenure on the Board of Elections and Ethics?”) “Fire him retroactively!” Kojo suggested.

Lowery does have reason for concern. Here is Fenty’s response in full: “I think Mr. Lowery’s term is up in the middle of this year. When I came in, we had to appoint someone as the chair, and I think it’s usual in this case to appoint someone who’s already on there, but I think permanently we’re going to look to make sure that we’ve got a chair who’s best for the city, and we still have one other position that we have to name as well, so we’ll be doing both of those things expeditiously.” Lowery’s term is up this summer, but Fenty apparently forgot that just ten days earlier, on May 15, he had formally renominated Lowery for a second full, three-year term (see PR17-0257). A change in course at this point would require an actual withdrawal of the nomination, or asking the council not to approve his own nominee. The mayor has made clear the price to be paid for independence on the supposedly independent Board of Elections and Ethics.

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Council Should Vote Against Creating a Red-Light District at City’s Gateway
Kathryn Pearson, kap8082@aol.com

Does the DC Council have sex on the mind, or is it too beholding to somebody or special interests to be able make better decisions on the nudie bar industry? Citizens must encourage the DC council to be strong and defeat or withdraw Bill 17-0109, “The One-Time Relocation of Licensees Displaced by the Ballpark Amendment Act of 2007.” The DC council is making a Herculean effort to ensure that the strip/sex/nude bars displaced from the baseball stadium area are kept in the nation’s capital. They are changing the law by relaxing the zoning and ABC laws to allow them to concentrate in commercial/light industry areas. These zones are not limited to Ward 5, but the legislation was created after the displaced owners identified property in Ward 5 to relocate and after the election. "Whew!" was surely the response by council members when the clubs bypassed their wards. Ward 6 must be pleased to get them out of their backyard and it took a baseball stadium to get rid of them. Wards 7 and 8 have a united front now to prevent them from being dumped on anymore, so there was Ward 5, a sitting target with a brand new councilmember still building relationships, piling up chips on the council and in the city. Too bad the council can’t put as much effort into opening the inspection station on West Virginia Avenue or creating job and housing opportunities and stopping crime in the neighborhood. Too bad the council does take as much interest in foster care programs or other resources for children that are lost or hurt. These would be goals the larger community could appreciate, but our council wants to be exceptionally fair and allow the sex industry to proliferate in Ward 5. Give us a break. Let the businesses survive or die on their own! Be fair to other businesses. Let the businesses come up with a different marketing plan that takes into account the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the marketplace.

The Washington City Paper City Desk blog (Ward 5 Sex Club Up and Running, But No Booze, May, 24, 2007, http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/) reported that one club is already established on West Virginia Avenue, sans liquor license. Reading the article, it sounds like a place to be raided, but my limited appreciation of bathhouses may make me a little on the puritanical, prudish side. It appears that the city council is ready to concentrate these businesses at the gateway of the city’s doors near New York Avenue instead of letting some of them languish in the still of the night without the protection of the council. The council doesn’t seem to have a problem pushing the sex-oriented club industry into areas that are up and coming, but somewhat down on their luck in some aspects right now. The council finds no shame in allowing these businesses to flourish in an area just a short walk on New York Avenue from churches, residences, and a school. The public is learning that there are up to eight sex/nudie bars trying to relocate to the Ivy City, Trinidad (and possibly the Arboretum) communities.

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Cell Phone Motorists and Taxi Ire
Le Eckles, e929@peoplepc.com

There has to be some exquisite irony in Mr. Scott’s annoyance at cell phoning drivers and taxis [themail, May 23]. I don’t go downtown very often anymore, but the one thing that always scared the hell out of me was the darn bicyclists, in and out of traffic, through stop signs, passing on the right, on sidewalks, etc., with their headsets feeding dispatchers’ directions. Now that couriers are a little outmoded, things are better, but I still don’t see many cyclists who think traffic laws apply to them. At least taxis are usually marked, you can hear them coming, and they (usually) stay off sidewalks.

I don’t think we’ll see much police enforcement activity on the cell phoning drivers issue, as police officers are some of the biggest offenders. Same with the law against dark-tinted, almost opaque auto glass — cops and VIPs gotta have it, dontcha know.

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Notes from the Special Election for DC Council in Ward 7
Samuel Jordan, samunomas@msn.com

Recent elections for DC Council in Wards 4 and 7 have confirmed the decades-long national trend toward increasingly expensive political contests at every level. When electoral campaign media coverage focuses attention on money raised and the number of yard signs instead of on critical issues, the decision is taken out of the hands of the voters. Ninety-seven percent of the people of the United States have never and may never contribute a thin dime to a political campaign. That means that 3 percent of the people buy all the legislation, under “normal” circumstances. The election results in the Ward 7 Special Election on May 1 demonstrated a direct relationship between the amount of money spent and number of votes won. Every candidate ranked one through eight by total votes won ran a campaign that spent from $50,000 to more than $185,000. There is not one $25,000 to $35,000 campaign among them.

When money dominates, donor/sponsors are not concerned with “their” candidates’ issue competence. Positions on issues are of secondary importance. The votes that the winner will cast in the council are the prize. Campaign forum appearances can be “spun” to minimize the impact of poor responses by candidates. Besides, too few voters attend forums. Average forum attendance was less than fifty voters. Where money plays such an important role, financially modest efforts will not be taken seriously. Consequently, there was no low budget, high profile “peoples’ movement” campaign in either Ward 4 or 7. The media was not along for a low budget, peoples’ ride.

Without money and media, no one learned of my campaign’s victory at Sizzling Express. We succeeded in pressuring a racially discriminating employer to alter hiring practices. However, the crisis of discriminatory employment policies by which many employers bar the hiring of African Americans throughout the city remains largely unexamined. Few voters again were aware that I maintained a regular schedule of HIV prevention education activities, including providing certification training for staff at the Family and Medical Counseling agency and the Howard University School of Social Work. There was little news about our circulation of a petition to demand a general referendum for the Mayor’s school takeover plan passed without representation from Wards 4 and 7. Lacking media attention, little publicity could be generated to gain support for our “Save the Anacostia” license tag project which included a “Community Canoe Experience” and a “Save the Anacostia B-Ball Classic,” both of which events emphasized the role of the community in the restoration of the river’s ecological health. The B-Ball Classic had the added purpose of underscoring the deficiencies in youth sports and recreational programs in the ward.

Failing to raise money and media support, we could not impress upon the general public that we were actively conducting a public health project in Benning Terrace that promoted the benefits of preventive and primary health care. The work of the Ward 7 Development Advisory Committee (DAC) was also not communicated through the corporate dailies. DAC seeks to displace residents’ fear of economic development with an informed confidence that we can influence the path of development in the ward. These and other issue-related initiatives were the principal elements of our concept of a “value added” campaign — a campaign that produces tangible and intangible assets which survive the political contest. No good deed went unreported.

Related to the focus on money raised, Special Election Day in Ward 7 had only one major strategic challenge: who can beat the well-funded “interloper?” My own poll workers reported early in the day that support we had gained among Democrats could not be maintained. The message circulated at the polling stations among the majority Democrats was that only one candidate could defeat a perceived “carpetbagger,” and that a vote cast for any other candidate amounted to senseless betrayal — a wasted vote. While no candidate may need to expend $185,000, for a ward race at least $70,000 cash or in-kind contributions must be paid for a “minimal election package.” The 14 percent voter turnout at the polls in Ward 7 on May 1 means that campaign finance and other election reforms are yet far over the horizon and the voter may remain the “odd man out” for a number of years to come.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

DC Public Library Events, May 30, June 1
Randi Blank, randi.blank@dc.gov

Wednesday, May 30, 1:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Rooms A-5, A-9, A-10, and 315. Senior health. This program features speakers on hearing and sight, search techniques on Medline’s Senior Health database, free health screenings, and other materials. For more information, call 727-1182.

Friday, June 1, 10:30 a.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, Great Hall. Join us as we kick off Summer Quest 2007, the DC Public Library summer program for children from infants to age 14. Invited to this event are Jali-D, a percussionist and performance poet; a local TV personality, who will be the guest reader of Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis; students from the DC Public Schools; and the Junior League of Washington. For more information, call 727-1268.

Fridays, June 1-August 31, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW, G Street Overhang. Music al Fresco. Join us for weekly outdoor concerts in a variety of music styles presented by members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 161-170. If it is raining, concerts will take place in the Great Hall. For more information, call 727-1245.

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National Building Museum Events, May 31, June 1
Lauren Searl, lsearl@nbm.org

Thursday, May 31, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Spotlight on Design: David Adjaye. Architect David Adjaye combines material inventiveness with a conceptual approach to the fundamental elements of architecture. Born in Tanzania, the London-based architect’s influences range from African art and architecture to contemporary art and music that inform a wide range of architectural forms. Principal of Adjaye/Associates, he will discuss his studio’s growing list of internationally recognized projects including the Dirty House in London, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado — his first major project in the US. Following the program, he will sign copies of his books. $12 Museum members and students; $20 nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on availability.

Friday, June 1, 6:00-8:00 p.m., CityVision final presentation: young designers envision future DC museums. The Museum’s CityVision program teaches participants how to use the processes and products of design to initiate and promote change in their community. During the spring 2007 semester of CityVision, seventh and eighth graders from Stuart-Hobson Middle School and Thurgood Marshall Educational Center envisioned new museums for sites identified by the National Capital Planning Commission. On June 1, students will present their museum designs for Banneker Overlook, the New York Avenue/Florida Avenue site, and the RFK stadium site. Free. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Sarah Smith at 272-2448, ext. 3413, or E-mail ssmith@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.

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Know Your Tenant Rights, June 2
Delores Anderson, delores.anderson@dc.gov

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Office of the Tenant Advocate, will present “Know Your Tenant Rights” in Ward 2 on Saturday, June 2, 10:00 a.m-1:00 p.m, at the Francis Junior High School, 2425 N Street, NW. The program will consist of four workshops focusing on the 2006 Amendments to the Housing Act of 1985 (rent control), tenant’s right of first refusal and condo conversions, how to file a tenant petition, and the ins and outs of residential housing inspections.

In addition, there will be a legal clinic that will allow tenants to meet one on one with an attorney for fifteen minutes to discuss their housing problems. Participation is not limited to tenants in Ward 2. All tenants are encouraged to attend as well as housing providers, property managers, and advocates providing advice on housing issues. For additional information, accommodation for special needs, or to request translation services, contact Delores Anderson at 442-8359 or Delores.Anderson@dc.gov.

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CLASSIFIEDS — SERVICES

Cleaning Person
Paul Penniman, paul@mathteachingtoday.com

We only need our cleaning person, Beatrice, during the school year. She will be available for work after May. She is extremely intelligent and hardworking, although her English is only fair. Feel free to call me at 364-4263 or E-mail me if you have any questions.

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