Here’s Adventure
Dear Adventurers:
“Here’s adventure! Here’s romance! Here’s O. Henry’s famous
Robin Hood of the Old West, the Cisco Kid!” That was how the excited
announcer introduced episodes of The Cisco Kid television series. Cisco
was an exception among major Western series heroes. All the other heroes
were good guys with good reputations, with the possible exception of
Charles Starrett’s black-masked Durango Kid. Cisco was a good guy with
a terrible reputation. On television, Cisco and his sidekick Pancho were
a little roguish, but they never did anything illegal, except evade a
mistaken arrest or escape from an unwarranted jailing. This made them
very different from the ruthless, remorseless killer that O. Henry
created (http://thenostalgialeague.com/olmag/cisco.html).
Nevertheless, all the sheriffs and marshals in the west must have been
familiar with O. Henry’s story, because they invariably suspected
Cisco and Pancho of committing any crime that occurred within miles of
them. Mistaken identity was a common plot in Western movies and
television series, but lawmen were never mistaken about Cisco’s
identity; they were just mistaken about his character.
It’s hard to imagine how they recognized Duncan Reynaldo’s Cisco
from O. Henry’s description, however. To begin with, O. Henry’s
Cisco had no companion; who would put up with him? O. Henry’s Cisco
was an Anglo; Reynaldo portrayed a Mexican, although his own ethnicity
was questionable. O. Henry’s Cisco was no dude, but Reynaldo had the
most elaborate costume of all television and movie cowboys. Like
Hopalong Cassidy and Lash LaRue, he wore a black shirt and pants, but
his shirt was decorated with flashy white embroidery, his wide belt and
gun belt were covered with silver buckles, eagle figures, and
medallions; and he wore a wide-brimmed sombrero rather than a cowboy
hat. His handsome horse, Diablo, was a piebald pinto, unlike the
speckled roan that O. Henry described. Pancho’s horse, Loco, was also
handsome. It was a golden palomino, like Roy Rogers’ Trigger, but it
looked plain next to the showy black-and-white Diablo. Similarly, Leo
Carillo’s Pancho was a highly competent cowboy sidekick who could
ride, fight, and shoot with the best, but he was handicapped by a
paunch; a plain brown shirt with a white pattern; and broken English
that was a collection of malapropisms, spoonerisms, and misquoted
aphorisms (“Put that in your smoke and pipe it.”) Cisco was the lady’s
man and got all the girls, while Pancho got all the laughs.
In the mid-1960’s, a decade after the television show had ended, a
revived and unauthorized Cisco Kid Fan Club was begun. The club
materials were written with a gentle humor, rather that with the
sneering and snarky condescension that would underlie such a spoof
today. Of course, I joined. Unfortunately, I lost my membership
materials years ago, and I can’t find any mention of the club on the
web, but I still remember that the club’s two goals were to promote
world peace and to paint desert scenes, and that part of the lyrics of
the club’s song, sung to no recognizable tune, was: “Oh Cisco, oh
Pancho, and their horse Diablo, and their horse Loco; they help the
young and old; they never get thirsty.”
As a belated Christmas present to you, I won’t turn the Cisco Kid
into the strained metaphor about Washington politics that you were
dreading. I shall, however, point you to the best year-end summary of
Washington political affairs in the local newspapers, Colbert King’s
Saturday column, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/26/AR2008122601360.html.
King wishes “that leaders address the real problems that threaten the
quality of life in our city: the erosion of public safety, an apathetic
and complacent city workforce, and DC council members who fail to
realize they are getting duped by the $10 billion municipal enterprise
that voters hired them to oversee.” Of course, I’m limiting that “best”
appellation to printed summaries; see two more contenders for best 2008
retrospectives below in this issue of themail. If you want to compete
with King, or if you have a different viewpoint, please send in your
2008 year-end review in time for the New Year’s Eve edition of themail.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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While I think I lack the critical distance to do a full-blown year
end review, I do offer some things to think about as we enter the new
year, based on another year of involvement and observation of the local
scene. DC has one advantage possessed by no other city in the United
States, we collect and keep 100 percent of local (state) income taxes.
For this reason, as well as a belief in theoretical capacity for
efficiency, I am tired of the excuse that because the city has state,
county, and local government functions, it is more expensive to conduct
a variety of functions that cities would not normally conduct. There
really is no excuse after more than thirty years of Home Rule for the
city’s political and civic engagement culture as well as the capacity
of governance, to be so weak, and for people to be so little concerned
about mediocrity.
One problem is that “little government” — DC’s local
government — shapes itself after “big government” — the federal
government — so that it is more top heavy and slow and even less
oriented to transformation than other municipalities. Relatedly, there
is what I call “governmentalizing” (like “infantilism”) where it
is believed that government action is the solution to any and all
problems and issues (this is the flip-side negative that ANCs sometimes
represent). This reduces our ability to develop ground-up, grassroots,
and self-help oriented solutions. This is complicated by the fact that
many of our politicians come from government, where they first learned
to think of the citizenry as customers/consumers of government services,
rather than of the people as sovereign, from which government derives.
So, things to think about as we enter 2009: 1) That culture of
incompetency that means that government agencies are disconnected and
many people, such as Harriet Walters, “ask not what they can do for
their country, but what their government can do for them.” How is it
possible that the Office of Tax and Revenue managers who overlooked
massive corruption for more than one decade can still be in office? 2)
More democracy, not less, is in order. Isn’t it time that the Attorney
General was elected by the people, to better manage the conflict between
representing the executive branch and representing the people, as these
interests often collide, depending on who is in office? I would suggest
that the AG be elected in the residential election (e.g., 2012) as the
mayoral election occurs in the non-presidential election slot of the
election cycle. 3) Isn’t it time for a review of the Home Rule
Charter? It’s been thirty years. Things aren’t “perfect” and,
among other things, citizens cannot initiate changes in the charter by
referendum, which seems an unreasonable restriction of democracy. 4) One
of the things to change in our civic culture is a belief in the savior.
We need instead to focus on building strong management and development
systems and structures within our government agencies, so that there
will be great outcomes regardless of who leads. That requires a culture
that demands and builds excellence in both people and systems, rather
than looking for magicians to somehow magically transform outcomes
without transforming culture and management. 5) With the race to sell or
lease public properties, why haven’t we learned yet that a request for
proposals isn’t a plan, that we need to do master planning for capital
improvements and neighborhoods first, and that disposition of public
assets, if at all, should only occur in the context of objective city
and neighborhood planning? 6) Why is it that the city council is exempt
from the contracting laws that regulate the executive branch? For
example, the special contract for redeveloping the Florida Market was
passed by city council without a request for proposals, without a public
vetting. It was a sole source contract worth potentially more than $100
million. Every week, when I read about public corruption investigations
in Maryland, I sit with my mouth open, wondering why DC public officials
aren’t investigated for the same type of behavior. 7) We need to guard
better against what I call the tyranny of neighborhood parochialism.
Citywide needs of more residents paying more income taxes need to be
balanced with neighborhood desires to have no change at all. Cities
change over time; they can’t be static, especially when our most
successful competitors (Arlington, Fairfax, Montgomery Counties)
continue to improve whether or not DC works to truly be “world class”
rather than to be content with trash talk about how great the city is.
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By the time this is published, there will be three days left in 2008.
That is three days premature for a complete retrospective. However, to
honor what Gary requested, here is my 360-day retrospective of DC. For
the sake of brevity I just hit high- (or low-) lights. However, for
those who want to know more, just review previous issues of themail for
details.
Department of Parks and Recreation: Langdon Park finally got upgraded
facilities. Summer Camps once again were a quiet success. Department of
Employment Services: Fenty’s goal to get every child employed was
admirable and outstanding. Getting all the kids paid and running within
budget . . . well, the debt was outstanding (in a bad way). Metropolitan
Police Department: the suspects in the Spevak’s double murder were
apprehended swiftly, but the Trinidad, Ivy City, and Carver Terrace
Neighborhoods are still under siege. “All Hands On Deck” days are
predictable and minimally effective. Trinidad checkpoints only proved to
ire the ACLU and residents, not the criminal element, who could easily
walk from place to place. 6D police officers stole donated Christmas
toys. DC Public Schools: schools were consolidated and shuttered in the
name of low attendance; Many employees were fired from the DCPS central
office thanks to Fenty’s help; Union- and contract-busting tactics
were used by the Chancellor to trick veteran teachers out of their
seniority; more school violence, this time in Anacostia SHS; “EleMiddle”
schools were created and naming as such based on their success in other
jurisdictions; and special education support remained dismal despite
court orders. Children and Family Services Agency: mishandling of the
Benita Jacks case led to Fenty’s firing of counselors surrounding the
Benita Jacks case, which led to qualified staff hemorrhaging due to low
morale, and to the director’s departure. Board of Elections and
Ethics: not prepared for write-in votes in September, slightly better in
November, but investigation looms . . . all to the tune of less than 30
percent voter turnout. DC Public Libraries: Tenleytown, Watha T. Daniel,
and Benning have “interim” libraries, but construction for permanent
facilities is bogged down by deception, unfinalized designs, and
contract issues. Per recent reports, Kiosk-style libraries will be next
to be shuttered. Office of Tax and Revenue: still sorting out how much
money was stolen . . . $16 million to $40 million; Gandhi’s
recommended projected cost for the National’s stadium deal was grossly
inaccurate, all the while we have not collected full rent from the
Lerners for their use of it.
Other low lights: DC Taxicab Commission: taxis got meters in a
Draconian fashion, drivers (and some customers) be damned; District
Department of Transportation proved its incompetence and lack of
customer service as it took 2.5 months to replace a streetlight. Benning
Road (approaching Langston Golf Course and western points) was a
construction minefield unsuitable for vehicular travel. Citizens and the
city council had to fight the Fenty Administration for DCPS budget
transparency; Carol Schwartz lost after pulling a Lieberman. And,
finally, Peter Nickles was confirmed as Attorney General!
One can only hope that 2009 will be less controversial.
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DCPS Is Rigging Some Teacher Evaluations
Candi Peterson, saveourcounselors@gmail.com
To protect their jobs, DC principals are under increasing pressure to
fudge teachers’ evaluations in order to satisfy Chancellor Rhee’s
plan B, sources say. Shortly after teacher contract talks stalled, Rhee
threatened to implement her plan B aggressively in the form of a “newly
revised” evaluation plan that seeks to rid DC Public Schools of
ineffective teachers. While no one supports ineffective teaching, little
did we know that DC principals would be encouraged to dismiss a quota of
teachers, bribe students, and, if all else fails, lie on teachers.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, sources have recently
revealed that several more DC administrators were required by the Rhee
administration to alter the already completed structured observations of
teachers who had performed well in order to make it appear that they
were less than effective. Our teachers deserve better. It is recommended
that DC teachers take precautions by videotaping their next structured
observations, which must be scheduled in advance by the administrator.
Of course, take the required steps to ensure that you have the parental
permission releases necessary to videotape your students. In addition,
request that another teacher or your union representative sit in on your
structured observation and take notes.
Given that Chancellor Rhee’s office has refused to provide the
names and work sites of DC teachers on ninety-day termination plans to
the Washington Teachers’ Union as required, all affected teachers
should contact their union representative immediately for additional
information at 293-8600.
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5A Bus Stop Sign at L’Enfant Plaza
David Sobelsohn, anc6d02@capaccess.com
Merry Christmas Councilmember Graham! I just wanted to remind you
that, regarding the 5A WMATA bus stop, I sent the message below to you
and to WMATA’s Brett Tyler two weeks ago, on December 11. On Christmas
Eve I stopped by L’Enfant Plaza again — specifically, the south side
of D Street, SW, between 7th and 9th Streets, SW, at the foot of the
stairs to the L’Enfant Plaza promenade Metro entrance. At that place,
as I wrote you both on November 20 and again on December 11, and
contrary to Mr. Tyler’s claim, there remains an information case for
Metrobus routes — specifically, giving the westbound times (weekdays,
Saturdays, and Sundays) for the 5A bus to Dulles Airport, even though
the 5A to Dulles Airport hasn’t stopped there on the way to Dulles for
many months. Check it out if you don’t believe me. That’s why I
waited there in vain on November 12 for the 5A to Dulles.
I am starting to hear from friends who’ve had the same problem I
had: waiting for a bus that never came, lured by a display case that
should have been removed years ago and that should be replaced by a sign
directing riders to the correct westbound 5A bus stop. Some of my
friends live in Ward One, but I know you wouldn’t want anyone misled
by Metros signs, not just Ward One residents. I am, however, copying
this message to the ANC commissioner (both outgoing and incoming) who
represents the block with the actual 5A Metrobus stops.
Can you explain why WMATA keeps up an information case that gives
misleading information? I am also curious as to why WMATA’s Brett
Tyler makes claims that are patently false, and why you didn’t respond
at all when I pointed that out to you and to him two weeks ago. It’s
now been over a month since I first brought this problem to your and
WMATA’s attention. One heavy travel season (Thanksgiving) has passed
with no correction; we’re in the second. It would be good if WMATA
fixes this problem before our influx of visitors for the inauguration. I
hope to hear from you as soon as the season permits. My best wishes for
the New Year.
[This E-mail to Councilmember Graham has been followed by two E-mails
that were copied to themail; one from the councilmember calling WMATA’s
attention to look into the signage and a reply from WMATA saying that it
would look into the matter. — Gary Imhoff]
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Matt Forman confirms [themail, December 24] that preservationists
want to impose historic district designation on homeowners, however
unwilling, because commonly “the current population is unable to
foresee the value future generations will place on existing buildings”
Evidently the preservationist aristocracy is able to perceive what we
commoners cannot, and so preservation must be imposed, without allowing
the affected homeowners to vote on the matter. Democracy? Not applicable
here, it seems.
Mr. Forman goes on to say that, “The historic preservation office
doesn’t demand anything other than that the homeowner not let his
property go to rot and ruin.” Uh, no, quite the opposite is the case.
The HPO is supposed to prevent “demolition by neglect,” but in fact
simply ignores that portion of the law, with the excuse that they don’t
have lawyers on staff to sue negligent homeowners. I can show you two
houses within a block of my home that have been allowed to deteriorate
to partial collapse, roofs open to the weather and allowing the rain in.
The HPO does nothing to prevent such passive destruction of “historic”
homes. On the other hand, Historic punishes homeowners who try to
improve their properties, e.g., with energy-efficient windows, or who
try to modify their homes to cope with disabilities, such as the
well-known case of the elderly couple on Walbridge Place. Allowing your
house to deteriorate to ruins is allowed, but improving it, if that
would affect its circa-1935 appearance, is not. (Evidently the
Depression era was the golden age of District architecture.)
Mr. Forman asserts that “owners of million-dollar homes” ought to
be able to pay the high costs of historic preservation. Fine, let the
regulations apply only to homes assessed at a million or more. That
would exempt the great majority of us in Mount Pleasant, including the
young couple with the vinyl windows, and the elderly couple on
Walbridge. Too many advocates of historic preservation imagine that
everyone is wealthy, and they have no comprehension of the burdens
imposed on homeowners who are not.
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Another Case of Hysterical Preservation
Ed T. Barron, edtb1@macdotcom
The Georgetown ANC has, for the third time, rejected a design
proposal for an Apple computer store on Wisconsin Avenue in the
Georgetown shopping corridor. Apparently none of the three designs
submitted to date meet the “in character” criteria in the minds of
the Georgetown ANC. As a confirmed Macaholic I have visited Apple stores
in several places. All of them are stunning and very customer friendly.
They are all very modern in design and very functional. It’s hard to
believe that one would be a blight on the Wisconsin Avenue shopping
corridor. Apple stores bring in a ton of customers every day and a huge
amount of sales dollars per square foot of space. That is both a
blessing and a curse for Georgetown. They want the additional folks
coming to Georgetown, but they have onerous parking restrictions, very
limited parking, and almost nonexistent convenient public transit to
that corridor. If I were Steve Jobs, I’d take my great store to
someplace where it was more convenient and more wanted, as well as
needed.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
There will be a vigil for Amari Hall, the little girl who was
murdered early Friday morning in her bed at 3314 11th Place, SE. The
vigil will be held for Amari on her birth date, Monday, December 29, at
7:00 p.m., in front of 3314 11th Place, SE (11th Place, SE, intersects
with Alabama Avenue, near Wheeler Road and Savannah Street). We are
asking everyone to bring a light; a flashlight is preferred. For more
information, call ANC Commissioner Sandra “S.S.” Seegars, 561-6616.
There have been entirely too many deaths at the hands of supposedly
loved ones – parents killing children. If anyone can think of anything
that could be done or tried to stop these types of homicides, please
E-mail me.
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