Short Notice
Dear Notifiers:
At noon today, Councilmember Tommy Wells E-mailed a press release
announcing that he would hold an oversight hearing on the Department of
Youth Rehabilitation Services twenty-two hours later, on Thursday at
10:00 a.m. From the press release, “The purpose of the hearing is to
provide public oversight of the performance of DYRS over the past year
and a half. The hearing is an opportunity to hear from concerned members
of the public, as well as the agency, to evaluate the performance of
DYRS in meeting the needs of the youth committed to its custody and
care.” Excuse my skepticism, but how likely is it that Councilmember
Wells will get a big response from the public, when he gives us just
twenty-two hours notice? Has he taken any steps to get public witnesses
who may have had problems with DYRS, other than sending a release to the
press less than a day before his hearing? Or is the short notice in fact
designed to let the city council say that it held a public hearing on
DYRS, and that nobody showed up with any complaints? Just asking.
Short notice didn’t deter the Fenty administration from responding
quickly to Wells’ initiative, however. Just an hour and a half after
Wells sent his press release, Fenty and DYRS Director Vincent Schiraldi
E-mailed a press release of their own, announcing “Agency Progress,
Case Management Reforms,” and including a one-page “action plan to
improve case management and supervision of youth.” Read them and judge
them for yourselves at http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/dyrs080213.htm,
but to me they are rather thin gruel, particularly with respect to what
I have argued was the major purpose of all correctional agencies,
protecting the public (themail, February 10). The most important measure
of protecting the public listed in the press release is a “Substantial
decline in youth on abscondance status,” but that’s all that is said
about that — there is no measure of how much of a decline there was,
and I’d like to know whether there have been any redefinition of “abscondance
status” that may account for any decline. The most important measure
in the action plan is reducing the caseload of 90 percent of DYRS
workers to twenty-five cases. Again, this isn’t very reassuring. A
generous estimate would be that a caseworker handling twenty-five youths
would be able to spend an hour a week with each of his wards, although I
believe that Schiraldi has previously bragged about increasing the
guidelines so that DYRS caseworkers would see the youths they are
supervising twice a month rather than once a month.
I assume, of course, that everyone reading themail was a model child,
and that everyone who has had children has raised nothing but model
children. Does anyone believe that good children can be supervised
adequately by their parents in an hour-long meeting once a month, twice
a month, or weekly? If you don’t believe that, why would you believe
that a youth who has been in serious criminal trouble can be supervised
adequately by a social worker in an hour-long meeting once a month,
twice a month, or even weekly? Again, just asking.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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When I first came to Washington, more than thirty years ago,
elections in the District were a disaster. Ballot boxes would “fall
off of trucks” and, on occasion, final election returns would not be
known for several days. Now, the mishandling of Tuesday’s presidential
primary by the District’s Board of Elections and Ethics (BOEE) recalls
the District’s trouble past, and its former inability to conduct our
elections properly and deliver a final vote count in a timely manner.
It had been hoped that Tuesday’s Potomac presidential primary would
focus national attention on the region and the combined electoral
strength of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. However,
problems at the District’s polls, including a shortage of ballots,
problems with optical scan ballot reading machines, and how long it took
the BOEE to tabulate and report election returns, highlighted problems
and shortcomings at the BOEE. While the polls in DC closed at 8:00 p.m.,
the first election returns, which weren’t available until 9:28 p.m.,
were based on returns from only 69 of the 142 precincts. Subsequent
results were released at 9:53 p.m., from 126 of the 142 precincts, and
at 10:20 p.m., for 139 of the 142 precincts. The final election night
report, at 10:49 p.m., was the first to include a breakdown of election
results by ward; it was still for 139 of the 142 precincts. By late
Wednesday afternoon, BOEE still did not election returns for all 142
precincts. Its explanation was that late and incomplete returns were
caused when the tabulation cartridges that are contained in each of the
two voting machines (the optical scan and the touch screen machines) at
each voting precinct were not properly delivered to BOEE headquarters on
election nights. As of Wednesday morning, the voting machines for three
precincts, with their tabulation cartridges, were still locked inside
polling sites to which the Board could not get access. In comparison, in
Virginia polls closed at 7:00 p.m., and returns were released within
thirty minutes.
Councilmember Carol Schwartz has called for a roundtable oversight
hearing on the BOEE and Tuesday’s presidential primary on Friday,
February 15, at 8:30 a.m., in Room 412 of the Wilson Building, 1350
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
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Some Design Considerations for Future Public Libraries
Phil Shapiro, pshapiro@his.com
Here in Washington, DC, and in many other cities around the country,
old library buildings are being torn down and replaced with new
buildings. The architects designing those new buildings are faced with
an interesting design challenge: what will public libraries look like
over the next thirty years?
Historically, public libraries have been houses of self-learning,
with books their central attraction and reason for being. While books
will always be a huge part of the library experience, more and more
those books will no longer be physical. And so what will a public
library look like in 2020, 2030, and 2040? The structures we build today
will remain in use for at least thirty years. (Continued at http://futurepubliclibraries.blogspot.com.)
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The Arc of DC Releases Annual Guide
T.J. Sutcliffe, tjsutcliffe@arcdc.net
The Arc of DC is pleased to announce the release of our third annual
“Guide to the FY 2008 Oversight and FY 2009 Budget Hearings, for DC
Residents with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families.” The
guide provides information on upcoming DC council oversight and budget
hearings. In particular, the guide offers questions related to services
for residents with developmental disabilities and their families that
the public may wish to track during the hearings. The Arc of DC hopes
that the guide is a useful resource for the community. The guide can be
viewed on our web site at http://www.arcdc.net.
Printed copies of the guide and copies in alternative formats (e.g.,
Word, large print) can be requested from T.J. Sutcliffe, Director of
Advocacy and Public Policy, at tjsutcliffe@arcdc.net
or 636-2963.
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It is obvious that your commentator, (Carolyn C. Steptoe, themail,
February 3), has not read Charles Murray’s book, The Bell Curve.
He and his co-author never claimed “that blacks have inferior
intelligence.” By allowing commentators to post clear falsehoods as
the thesis upon which they state their opinions, you simply encourage
your readers to action for which they will be ridiculed and embarrassed.
Isn’t truth ever important to liberals?
I am appalled that you allowed her to libel the entire American
Enterprise Institute group as “racist.” I have found that the exact
opposite is usually true. The true racist is the one calling others by
that name. They just can’t seem to get it in their head that hating
someone for his or her reasoned opinion because it doesn’t agree with
their own is exactly the “racist” attitude that they purport to
deplore. I suspect this is the case with her appalling commentary.
Finally, suppose it is true that AEI Scholars support opinions that
are opposed to Chancellor Rhee’s. Is it your commentator’s view that
speaking to AEI members about the lack of education opportunities in the
District and the challenges student’s face is wrong? If so, that is
her view because a) AEI is not receptive to these problems (and, if so,
why?) b) AEI cannot help with these problems (and, if so, why)? c) AEI
fellows cannot be convinced of the problems (and, if so, why)?
Otherwise, it seems to me that sharing the word with influential persons
about the District’s problems educating children is a good thing! If
your true purpose is to solve the problems, then the more ideas,
influence, and intellectuals supporting and helping you the better!
Right?
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
National Building Museum Events, February 19-20
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
Tuesday, February 19, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Building for the 21st Century:
The 2007 Solar Decathlon: Highlights, Results, and Lessons Learned.
Richard King, a driving force behind the 2007 Solar Decathlon, discusses
the lessons, results, and role of the competition in research
development for the future. Free; no registration required.
Wednesday, February 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Last in the series Bachelors,
Secretaries, and Spies: Mid-century Style in American Film. In Like
Flint, directed by Gordon Douglas (1967, NR, 114 minutes), starring
James Coburn and Lee J. Cobb. See the silver screen’s treatment of
mid-century style. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post film critic, and
Deborah Sorensen, curatorial associate at the Museum will introduce the
film. $5 members; $5 students; $10 public. Prepaid registration
required. Walk-in registration based on availability. 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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Adopting Older Children: Dispelling the Myths, February 27
Susan Punnett, susan@kidsave.org
Join Kidsave Weekend Miracles for a panel discussion about adopting
older children. Hear from adoptive parents of older children/teens and
former foster youth. Kidsave Weekend Miracles is a program dedicated to
helping older children in foster care find permanent families. Open to
the public; please RSVP to Catherine@kidsave.org
or 280-6332. Wednesday, February 27, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., Charles Sumner
School and Museum, 1201 17th Street, NW.
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Avalon Legacy Campaign Kickoff, March 1
Mary Ann Floto, mafloto@rcn.com
It’s time to vote, and the candidates are ten Washington movies.
You can cast your vote at http://www.theavalon.org
and click on “Cast My Vote” between February 8-18 for your favorite
film. The reel candidates include: “An American President,” “All
the President’s Men,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Primary
Colors,” and “The Candidate.” Ballots will also be available in
the lobby of the Avalon Theater and in stores along Connecticut Avenue
near the theater. This is part of the celebration to kickoff the Avalon’s
Legacy Campaign to raise two million dollars for the beautifully
renovated historic theater. Join in for a dynamite day of free
activities for kids and adults at the Avalon Theater, 5612 Connecticut
Avenue, NW, on March 1. The festivities begin with a 45-minute puppet
show for kids at 10:30 a.m., featuring local favorites Kaydee Puppets,
along with free face-painting. At 1:00 p.m., there will be a free
showing of area moviegoers’ favorite Washington, DC, movie which will
be selected through a special voting process. There will be free popcorn
for all and attendees will receive swag bags filled with discount
coupons from area merchants. For more information, contact Sarah
Pokempner at 966-2149 or Mary Ann Floto at 904-0027.
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Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Community Meeting, March 3
Marcus Tillman, TMa997@aol.com
The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) will be having a
meeting with the community at the First Baptist Church of Mount Rainier
to discuss the aging infrastructure concerns that affect our entire
service area. They are interested in sharing information and answering
customer questions. The meeting will consist of a brief presentation
(about fifteen to twenty minutes) and a brief question and answer
session to follow.
The meeting will be held at the First Baptist Church of Mount
Rainier, 3103 Shepherd Street, Mount Rainier, Maryland, on Monday, March
03, 7:00 p.m.
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