Merry Christmas
Dear Holidayers:
It’s been a year of change and turmoil, but what year hasn’t
been? There has been little, if any, change in the level of corruption
and incompetence in District government, but we have been lucky to have
a booming economy and government revenues that have been, if anything,
overly abundant -- thus escaping the worst possible consequences of our
irresponsibility. Compared to Maryland and Virginia, we’re in good
shape, fiscally.
For the shape our schools are in, Lonnae Parker has discouraging news
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/22/ST2007122202100.html?hpid=topnews).
How unrealistic the promises of quick fixes by Mayor Fenty and
Chancellor Rhee are should become obvious to everyone soon — the only
question is whether the failures of the new school administration will
be reported as vigorously as the failures of the Board of Education were
when the mayoral takeover of the schools was being promoted.
In any case, I’m going to take a day or two off from my regular
grouching and complaining. It’s the season to give thanks that at
least things aren’t any worse (and every time that I think things can’t
get any worse, they do). Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Hanukkah, and
happy holidays to all other religionists and nonbelievers.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
In the ’Hood
Ed T Barron,edtb1@macdotcom
Two noticeable changes in the Spring Valley/American University Park
neighborhood this month. The first is that Crate and Barrel have not put
up their twenty-foot Christmas wreath on the front of the store above
the main entrance. That wreath has been up every year since the store
opened and was a delightful decoration right across from the AU Law
School. The second major change are the additions to a house on the
south side of Massachusetts Avenue just shy of the AU campus. An ugly,
out of character, house (originally looked like a Swiss ski house) is in
the process of being modified. Two major additions are being constructed
on each side of the original house, totally filling the lot. Both
additions are just boxes with flat roofs. The formerly ugly house is now
terminally ugly and probably will be the worst looking structure in
Spring Valley.
Early this morning (the twentieth) a brand new street sweeper swept
up Mass. Ave. The unit is designed to brush all the stuff that collect
along the curb under the big vehicle and then suck it up into the
innards of the truck. Either the unit doesn't work right or the operator
was not using it right since all the stuff swept under the truck was
still there, this time about three feet from the curb. Leaf pickup in AU
park has resumed and it looks like most of the leaves will be collected
before the snow falls again.
###############
Condolences for Hilda Mason’s Family
Susie Cambria, scambria@dckids.org
As you know, Hilda Mason, “grandmother to the world,” died last
week. We will miss Hilda terribly. We worked with her for years and her
commitment to children, youth and their families never wavered. In the
event you want to send a card, the info is: Carolyn D. Nicholas and
Family, c/o Office of the Secretary, Council of the District of
Columbia, John A. Wilson Building, Room 5, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20004.
###############
Thanks Gary. Your commendations for Hilda Mason [themail, December
19] were correct and heart warming. DC government is filled with
venture-politicians (a term similar to venture-capitalists), in whom
groups “invest.” The sad state is that with most investors, once the
stock isn’t performing well, they take their dividends and invest
elsewhere. Hilda Mason was not such a person. She invested in DC for the
sake of making it better for the citizens, unlike some of the current
councilmembers, who will remain nameless. Even when her investment wasn’t
giving the best returns (DC Statehood Party), she didn’t cash it all
in and go somewhere else. She was in it for the long haul. Which is my
criticism of many DC officials, appointed and elected, for whom there is
no loyalty, which translates into the residency requirement. Once upon a
time it was an honor to serve the District of Columbia. With such honor,
you did your best (within enormous constraints) because you cared about
the city and you lived in it. Nowadays, this isn’t the case. With the
high salaries, it is like free agency in professional sports..
Natwar Gandhi doesn’t get his due. The Washington Post
reported on December 19 that Congress blocked a $92,400 raise for him.
(Congress said that the raise should be handled by another committee and
thus removed it from the appropriations bill.) Not in order was Jack
Evans complaint that Gandhi deserves a raise based on his performance.
While I can appreciate his zeal again Congressional intrusion, certain
comments could have better been left unsaid. Some would speculate that
Gandhi should’ve literally taken the train out of DC and taken the
Amtrak job. But with Fenty convincing him to stay based on trying to get
him a $279,000 salary, the whole deal sounds suspicious as well. What
was also mentioned in the article was that an eighth person was indicted
in the tax scam case, and that the crimes might have taken place since
1990 — covering four mayors including Barry. This is just the
ammunition Gandhi needs to stand by his original statement that this
whole issue was based on folks in the Barry Administration. Oi vey! I
will give Gandhi the benefit of the doubt, because in a article just one
day later, he was quoted taking full responsibility of the scam under
his watch and vowing to stay and fix it.
###############
I also received a duplicate voter registration card after a change of
address. I didn’t think too much of it.
###############
Wilson Building Photography Exhibit
Gina Kline, gkvfg@yahoo.com
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP) is unveiling its
Family Portrait Project in a gallery style exhibit on the ground floor
atrium of the John A. Wilson Building (D Street entrance). Through
January 14, visitors will view the faces of family homelessness from our
nation’s capital as they enter the seat of city government in this
stunning collection of photographs by Tony Brunswick. All families
deserve the opportunity to have family pictures, and many families who
lose their housing are unable to salvage personal belongings. Many
families living in shelters do not even own a photograph of their child.
Children and families who are homeless are called the “hidden
homeless” because they often live “doubled up” with friends or
relatives and stay in shelters where they are not as visible as people
on the street.
Over the past year-and-a-half, one hundred fifty families were
photographed at the former D.C. Village Emergency Family Shelter through
the Family Portrait Project. They each received three framed and
enlarged pictures of their families. Some of the parents agreed to share
their family portraits with you in hopes that public education can help
harness the political will to address the affordable housing crisis in
our city. The Family Portrait Project is sponsored by the
Advisory Board Company, the Ramsay Merriam Fund and many individual
donors large and small. The exhibit is made possible by the Executive
Office of the Mayor.
The Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (HCPP) is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to protecting childhood for families in shelters
and transitional housing programs in the District of Columbia. Our
dedicated volunteers provide weekly children’s programs in four sites
five days per week. The mission of HCPP is to nurture healthy child
development and reduce the effects of trauma among children living in
emergency family shelters in the District of Columbia. We believe play
is a human right that all children deserve, regardless of housing
status.We seek to help create a city that provides every opportunity for
homeless children to succeed by advocating for affordable housing and
safe shelters for all families.For a sneak peak of the portraits, please
visit http://www.thefamilyportraitproject.com.
More information on the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project is
available at http://www.playtimeproject.org.
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To subscribe, to change E-mail addresses, use the
subscription form at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/subscribe.htm.
To unsubscribe, send an E-mail message to themail@dcwatch.com
with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Archives of past messages
are available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should also be submitted to themail@dcwatch.com,
and should be about life, government, or politics in the District of
Columbia in one way or another. All postings must be signed in order to
be printed, and messages should be reasonably short — one or two brief
paragraphs would be ideal — so that as many messages as possible can
be put into each mailing.