Bag It
Dear Baggers:
A contentious council hearing has turned into a nice smackdown
between columnists. On Monday, Councilmember Phil Mendelson held a
committee hearing on the Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2009. The
Fenty administration and its supporters have been hyping the bill as the
miraculous solution to all DC’s crime problems, one that must be
passed without any delay or doubt, and they have been Mau-Mauing and
politically bullying Mendelson because he has actually insisted on
holding hearings and on listening to opponents as well as supporters of
the bill. The Fentyists have tried mightily to exploit every recent
shooting, claiming that it could have been prevented had the bill been
passed earlier. Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham did so on Friday, May
15, when he wrote to neighborhood listservs about a targeted shooting at
14th and Columbia that, “at least three police officers were right
there at the shooting. There are various cameras, including an MPD crime
camera at 14th and Columbia, and other cameras on the buildings. All of
that is now being checked for evidence. All of this reinforces my
support for fast council action on Mayor Fenty's omnibus crime bill.”
Right. Three police officers right at the scene couldn’t prevent the
shooting; more legislation could. Then today, in a press release
announcing the arrest of three suspects in a multiple shooting at North
Capitol Street, Mayor Fenty claimed, “Senseless acts of violence like
this multiple shooting are exactly why we need tougher laws on the books
to fight gun violence in the District. . . . “I look forward to
working with the DC council to get my emergency crime legislation passed
as soon as humanly possible.”
If the bill were really so important to the administration, you would
think Fenty and Nickles would have allowed the administration witnesses
who were scheduled to testify to attend the hearing. But the bill wasn’t
really that important to the administration; what was more important was
taking another opportunity to show its disrespect for the council by
ordering government employee witnesses to snub Mendelson. However,
Attorney General Peter Nickles was watching the hearing on television,
and he was so angered that critics of the bill were allowed to testify
that he demanded that he be given the stand himself. He appeared at the
end of the hearing and spent most of his time sneeringly and
condescendingly lecturing Mendelson on how council hearings should be
conducted, who should be allowed to testify, and in what order witnesses
should be called, and then he nastily commanded that the administration’s
bill be passed immediately without any further debate or discussion. Don’t
take my word for it, watch it yourself at http://octt.dc.gov/services/on_demand_video/channel13/may2009/05_18_09_JUDICI_3.asx,
starting at the 56 minute mark. Mendelson gave a dignified reply
explaining the concept of separation of powers to Nickles, starting at
the 1 hour 19 minute mark.
Harry Jaffe must have seen a different hearing from the one that was
recorded by the Office of Cable Television, because he wrote a column
today in the Examiner criticizing Mendelson and Nickles equally
for the fiasco, http://tinyurl.com/qd73dq. This led Mike DeBonis to
embarrass Jaffe with a much needed correction in his Loose Lips Daily (http://tinyurl.com/p5wy5k):
“No, Harry. You know what, if Adrian Fenty were really taking this
legislation as seriously as you say he is, he’d cut out the juvenile
BS, and call Phil Mendelson back and figure this out. (Mendo called
Fenty right after the hearing ended; still hasn’t heard back.) You
know, maybe acknowledge that Mendo, too, is a citywide elected official
who actually has a role to play here rather than have Mr. ‘I’m Not a
Politician’ Nickles browbeat him into doing this ‘most important
work’ through bully politics.” Actually Nickles these days is much
less a lawyer than he is a politician. He’s just a very inept one.
The city council is certainly going to pass a bill imposing a
five-cent tax on every plastic bag used in a store to bag groceries and
other goods. This is a faddish cause, but it’s hardly a new one. For
decades, advocates have wanted to abolish both plastic and paper bags,
and to require people to use cloth bags instead. In the late 1960’s,
European string bags were all the rage — for the small slice of the
population who actually preferred them. Chief Financial Officer Natwar
Gandhi predicts that the tax will cut the use of plastic bags by stores
by 80 percent within four years (http://tinyurl.com/ocrvuc).
The problem is, of course, that plastic bags are so useful for
customers, not only to get their goods home from stores, but also to
reuse for a myriad of purposes. Opponents of plastic grocery bags
complain that few of them (perhaps 20 percent, more likely fewer) are
recycled, but few of them are recycled because most of them are reused
— as wastebasket liners, as extra wrapping for groceries, as pooper
scooper bags, and so on. So here’s my prediction of what the five-cent
tax will accomplish: it will create a new market for grocery-store-sized
plastic bags sold in bulk, filling the gap between small food storage
bags and large trash bags. Stores will sell a package of a hundred
grocery-store-like plastic bags for one or two dollars. Consumers will
buy them for all their home uses and they will take them to stores when
they shop, instead of carrying inconvenient cloth bags that take up more
space yet carry fewer goods, that have to be laundered and mended. (How
do your cloth bags smell after you carry paper-wrapped fish in them?)
The council’s bill will succeed in creating more expense and
inconvenience for people who live and shop in the District, but it will
raise very little tax money after the need for plastic bags is filled
another way. Next up: a tax on paper tissues, to encourage people to use
cloth handkerchiefs instead.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Less than Full Disclosure
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
On November 18, 2008, when the city council voted to confirm Peter J.
Nickles to be the District’s Attorney General, he had 180 days from
the effective date of Resolution 17-864 to move into the District from
Great Falls, Virginia (9341 Cornwell Farm Road) as required by District
law. In order to secure council approval, Nickles promised during his
confirmation process to become a District resident, pay District taxes,
register to vote in the District, and register his vehicle in DC.
Nickles claims that he has done all of those things, but he refuses to
reveal where he claims to live in the city.
Pursuant to District Code 1-1106.02, May 15 was the deadline for
public officials and senior management employees in the District
government to file their annual Conflict of Interest/Financial
Disclosure Forms, FDS, with the DC Office of Campaign Finance. The form,
which OCF has used for at least the past decade, requires filers to
provide specific personal information, such as home and business
telephone numbers, home address, E-mail address, and business address,
as well as basic financial information, such as the location of all real
property owned in DC, any interest in or gift received from a company
that transacts business with the District, and any professional or
occupational license held by the filer.
On April 24, Peter Nickles filed his FDS form with OCF. However,
Nickles’ filing lacks all personal information. There is no home or
work telephone number, no home address, no E-mail address. A review of
his filing indicates that his FDS form is very different from the one
that OCF has used in the past and that is still currently available on
its web site. According to Wesley Williams, the public information
officer for OCF, the FDS form for 2009 filers was changed to delete all
“personal information” at Attorney General Nickles’ request. Thus,
to accommodate Nickles’ effort to shield himself from public scrutiny
regarding his residency and other personal information, OCF, which is
supposed to be an independent agency, has completely redone the
disclosure form to require less public disclosure. Moreover, OCF has
temporarily removed all past FDS reports from its web site so that it
can remove the personal information that has already been filed on those
reports.
Postscript: Nickles claims that he is now a registered voter in DC,
but the DC Board of Elections and Ethics today confirmed that it has no
record that he has registered.
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Parking Tickets at Broken Meters
Pat Taylor, ptaylor.dc@verizon.net
Just what happens when a driver calls the Department of Public Works
number to report a broken meter? Here's my experience, and I wonder if
it has happened to others.
I called the DPW telephone number on the meter to report a parking
meter as broken, and also to ask whether I could park at this meter. DPW
gave me a report confirmation number (by chance I had paper and pencil
handy so I could write down this number), and said it was okay to park
at this meter. When I returned to my car, I had a ticket issued fewer
than ten minutes after my phone call to DPW! And I know another person
who had the same experience.
Is this standard DPW policy — when a parking meter is reported as
broken, does a Parking Enforcement worker immediately go to this meter
and issue a ticket? For your information, by going through the paperwork
hassle to contest the ticket, I did get it dismissed — but what a bad,
mean policy. Why don't the parking enforcement workers report the broken
meters and not ticket the vehicles, which is standard policy in other
cities?
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The recent news of Dan Tangherlini’s position in the Obama
administration has me puzzled. Many have said he has failed upward,
meaning that he did such a lousy job at his current position that he's
being promoted. Equally puzzling is the fact that he's taking a $50,000
pay cut just to work for the Department of the Treasury. Is he being
selected based upon his work for DC or his performance outside of DC
government? Does this mean he was overpaid in the first place? I wish
him well, but I find this odd, to say the least. The one positive thing
that can be said is that at least he (and Vivek Kundra for that matter)
didn't leave the Fenty Administration via termination. That couldn't be
said for many others including, most recently, the staff photographer.
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Partnering Away Our Public Land
Donald Oakley, donaok@gmail.com
In a May 17 Washington Post op-ed article, Council Chairman
Vince Gray criticizes the National Park Service delay in signing a land
transfer of fifteen acres to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, http://tinyurl.com/p974wb.
The location is a portion of Fort Dupont, one of the remaining Civil War
fort sites surrounding Washington. This is actually a transfer of
jurisdiction, not a land transfer. DPR plans to add new facilities to an
existing facility, which appears to have functioned well in the past
without benefit of a transfer of jurisdiction.
Gray is upset over a “reversion clause” (the jurisdiction of the
fifteen acres can revert back to the NPS if conditions in the clause are
not met). As examples of conditions in the reversion clause that are
unacceptable to DC, Gray cites “conditions related to parking access,
green building standards, and naming rights”. Why are they
unacceptable? The National Capital Planning Commission Staff
Recommendation, http://tinyurl.com/qqmbr8,
already raised parking concerns. Do federal green building requirements
on federal land take precedence over DC’s? It would seem so. Naming
rights? Seems reasonable if the federal government owns land of historic
significance. Gray intimates that White House or Congressional
involvement might be necessary. Really? If we get their attention, let’s
hope it’s over something more than fifteen acres and where to park. So
what is this all about? Gray speaks of investors, public and private,
who don’t like the reversion clause. Why, certainly not over parking,
green buildings, and naming? Running through the NCPC Staff
Recommendations are threads of concern for striking a balance between
exclusive uses by not-for-profit organizations (aka DPR “partners”)
and ensuring continued public access and parking. This was summed up in
the final NCPC Fort Dupont recommendation: “[The Executive Director] [r]ecommends
that the District strongly consider a site plan and programming option
that retains a publicly accessible multi-purpose sports field on the
project site.”
Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., chairs the council’s Committee on
Libraries, Parks, and Recreation. He is well aware of pressures on DPR
from athletic organizations, some councilmembers, and the mayor’s
office to enter into partnering agreements. In some instances, the
agreements effectively limit ordinary residents’ use of outdoor DPR
facilities when the facilities are not scheduled for use. Holding family
picnics, flying kites, watching talented frisbee teams followed by tough
rugby games, painting, summer concerts, reading a Sunday paper, walking
the dog or with a friend, and similar simple, tranquil pleasures are
vital elements of any park. In his first public oversight meeting with
DPR Acting Director Ximena Hartsock on May 11, Thomas forcefully made
the point that DC parks are to serve all recreational users. He also
feels strongly that the DC schools’ new fields and tracks, which are
locked, should be shared with the community on weekends. This is a great
idea. It could reduce pressure on DPR to negotiate exclusionary
partnering agreements and also free up park space for ad hoc uses
on weekends.
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Conflict of Interest Reports
Paul D Craney, pcraney@dcgop.com
In Monday’s DC Examiner, there was a story about the DC
council’s mandatory conflict of interest form that was due last Friday
[http://tinyurl.com/qljgqs]. Two
councilmembers failed to file on time. The conflict of interest reports
are due once a year and require the councilmembers to list outside
income from the previous year, gifts of more than $100 from companies
that do business with DC, ownership of corporate stocks, interest in
entities that do business with the city, and ownership of real estate
other than their personal residence. The purpose of the reports is to
force our elected officials to show transparency. There is no mention of
the free Nationals Baseball tickets, no mention of the free trips out of
the District, including China and Dubai. According to the reports, only
one councilmember reported that he owns stock, which is very hard to
believe. One has to ask, if our elected officials are in full
disclosure, would they be willing to allow the public to compare their
tax returns against their conflict of interest reports?
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Aquarius Vann-Ghasri is a candidate for District of Columbia Housing
Authority Board of Commissioners Family Commissioner. Inquire from your
Family Property Manager where you cast your vote for Number 1 on the
Ballot, Aquarius Vann-Ghasri. Why should you tell residents aged
eighteen and over, on DCHA leases, to vote for Vann-Ghasri on June 17
and 18? Enforce DCHA to hire residents.
Vann-Ghasri holds DCHA responsible for maintenance and repairs for
residents; Vann-Ghasri holds government responsible for DCHA residents;
Vann-Ghasri influences resolutions on behalf of the interest of
residents; Vann-Ghasri debates issues and concerns of residents; Vann-Ghasri
responds to telephone calls from residents, her home telephone number is
547-4254; Vann-Ghasri shares information by E-Mail and personal
telephone calls, and she drops information off at DCHA Property Manager’s
Office; Vann-Ghasri researchs problems, issues, and concerns of DCHA
communities, and shoots those issues to your council representatives;
Vann-Ghasri is a hands-on commissioner, and she has represented
residents in the Board every second Wendesday of the month for three
years; Vann-Ghasri attends meetings in every ward of the city on behalf
of DCHA residents. If you do not know how she works for residents, just
ask around.
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Say Goodbye, Newsweek
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
I have been a freelance reporter for twenty-eight years, and am out
here daily commenting on the demise of some papers. It is such a
sickening sea change, it takes my breath away sometimes. But I canceled
my forty-five-year Newsweek subscription a year ago when they
became so enamored of this president that they were absolutely drooling
and hero-worshipping. I was embarrassed for them. I couldn't take it
anymore. And before that, they had wallowed in one story after another
about Christianity. They can try to be a thought-leader if they want,
but to me they are a cheerleader, and I finally let go. (You get your
money back, in case you are considering this — unless they need some
bailout now for a PR job well done.)
###############
One correction to Sam Jordan’s information in themail, May 17. In
spite of McMillan's opposition, President Lyndon Johnson was able to get
enough signatures on a discharge petition to send a home rule bill to
the House floor. Up to that point, LBJ had been successful in every
single legislative initiative he led. Home rule was his first defeat.
On the House floor, home rule legislation was replaced by the
adoption of a substitute motion by Congressman Sisk of California; it
called for the creation of a charter commission (something like our
later DC Statehood Convention but without the election of DC delegates).
The Senate had already passed a home rule bill and, at the urging of
local leaders, refused to accept the Sisk Amendment. So nothing changed.
Then, LBJ used an Executive Order to change the three-commissioner
leadership of DC to that of an appointed "Mayor" and
"City Council." Walter Washington was appointed to the top
post and was called Mayor by all, although his exact title was DC
Commissioner I believe.
In the fall of the following calendar year, 1973, the House of
Representatives finally adopted a home rule bill. Many Members of
Congress were persuaded to support this bill, in part, because they were
urged to do so by their constituents who had been contacted by DC
volunteers using Common Cause WATS lines. The DC volunteers made a plea
to voters in key congressional districts, pointing out that DC was
governed by a Mayor and Council appointed by President Richard Nixon
(this was in the midst of the Watergate crisis). The House home rule
bill was drafted by a House District Subcommittee chaired by Congressman
Brock Adams of Washington, who has never received the credit he deserves
for his leadership on this issue.
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Public Service Media
Muriel Nellis, limn@lcadc.com
I want to add an important note to Jay Vinton’s suggestion [themail,
May 17]. Two notable FM listening additions to NPR (WAMU here) are
C-Span, for a full range of newsworthy broadcasts of hearings,
(legislative and judicial) as well as major events (direct and taped) of
seminars and meetings. These as-they-happen programs are unfiltered by
pundit discussions/opinions or commercials. Also, for anyone who values
music programming by devoted, well-informed, volunteer DJs, tune into
WPFW (broadcasting from Adams Morgan here). Sundays are a special treat.
###############
I have no opinion on charter schools (as yet), but I do take
exception to Mr. Barron's claim [themail, May 17] that most countries
drive on the “wrong side of the road.” They don't; we do. Try saying
“other side of the road,” Mr. Barron — or we may never end our
invasion of other countries in order to “liberate” them. As for
Lieberman's stand on charter schools: one may want to take a closer look
at what the consummate opportunist gets out of this one.
###############
Unhandicapping themail
Qawi Robinson, qrobinso@lycos.com
In reading themail’s intro [May 17] and the various columns about
Fenty's chances in the 2010 election, let me say that I am severely
disappointed that anyone would predict, prognosticate, handicap, etc.,
this election this early. Eighteen months prior to the 2008 presidential
election, Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney were the front runners, and we
all know how that turned out. I mention this because in a town where
voter turnout is 35 percent citywide at best, it is seemingly
irresponsible to predict a winner or his/her chances. If folks believe
that there is no stopping Fenty, they won't come out to vote. The right
to vote means that you have the freedom not to, but for many District
residents, our disenfranchisement in Congressional representation will
continue to be stymied by our voter apathy. How can the push for the DC
Voting Rights Act be taken seriously if we won't even come out to vote
for our own? While I'm not (nor will themail allow me to) encouraging
folks who to vote for, please understand that Fenty is not the shoo-in
that these columnists make him out to be. Furthermore, the
"One-Term Mayor," "Recall Fenty," "Funk Fenty"
and other activities of late aren't dying down. It is not just one group
of employees, one ethnicity, ward, neighborhood, professional
organization, civic association, etc., that doesn't care for Mr. Fenty.
If anything, some of the disdain for him is crossing cultures and
unifying folks. If folks really don't want him reelected, come out to
vote, and support candidates that will oppose him.
Since Gary asked for competitors, I would say that Kwame Brown, David
Catania, and Phil Mendelson have almost equally good chances. I'd even
throw Carol Schwartz in the mix, if she starts early. Kevin Chavous,
too, if he weren't a Fenty Supporter. Outside of the District Building,
I'd even consider Marie Johns, Kojo Nnamdi. . . . All in all, what I'm
saying is that these folks possess capabilities that are on par or
better than Fenty in areas. In other words, I'm not buying the
predictions for the 2010 election just yet.
###############
The same day that I received themail, May 17, with your invitation to
spark the search for a candidate for the 2010 elections, I was writing a
letter to two political activists for social justice. My letter asked if
either of them would entertain running for council on the Statehood
Green ballot or as independents . . . so, as an incentive, I added your
letter to mine. (I know your letter is about the mayor's seat, but it
extends to council seats too.)
If I get a positive reply to my letter, of course, I will write to
themail and put forward their names. It is inappropriate to name them
beforehand. As usual, themail is an indispensable source for ups and
downs, incompetence and criminal negligence of our local government.
I regard Fenty as a puff ball who aligned himself with the Board of
Trade, Chamber of Commerce, and Federal City Council as he made his way
to the Mayor's office. No surprise there: a "son of Mayor Williams.”
###############
From left field — Kathy Patterson.
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Somebody who might knock the arrogant mayor out, while DC politicking
as a hobby: Bill Clinton.
I’m sure we can think of others who have been in Washington so long
they could claim residency
###############
Anybody but Fenty — Draft Marie Johns for
Mayor
Kathryn Pearson-West, wkpw3@aol.com
Got ABF? Are you ABF? I’m ABF. Anybody but Fenty (ABF) in 2010.
There has to be a viable candidate to run against Mayor Fenty next year.
Lately the mayor seems to have epitomized arrogance and childishness and
is not on top of his game. There are ongoing issues with his “open and
transparent accountable” government, where as mayor he is responsible.
There is scandal after scandal. Workers are being terminated for reasons
that seem to be other than work performance, but fortunately they are
fighting back in the courts and any other way they can legally and
ethically. There is a chancellor whom he thinks walks on water, and he
never questions her policies. He joins with her on the promotion of a
national agenda that may not be right for DC, and he seems to enjoy her
constant bashing of the school system and employees as if she were the
savior of the city.
Fenty took a trip abroad paid for by a foreign government, and when
asked he asserted that he doesn’t have to tell people where he is
going or why, if the trip isn’t paid for by tax dollars. He even
dissed the media on this issue, and the media rarely said an unkind word
about him or found any problems with his leadership. Leaders from other
jurisdictions had no problem going to Dubai on legitimate business
purposes and their trips were paid for by groups in the United States.
The mayor played immature games with the DC Council, withholding their
Nationals’ baseball tickets. The mayor started out his term by kicking
the council to the curb when he took over the school system and made
them less relevant. The list goes on, but not in this commentary. The
media is finally looking at him more objectively and scrutinizing some
of his actions. After watching this much of his first term, one can only
hope that there is a candidate to run for mayor that isn’t frightened
away by his campaign war chest or perceived level of popularity. He will
not win every precinct in 2010 even if he is the only one running.
Everyone knows there are several councilmembers that might be good
candidates for the position of mayor: Vincent Gray, Kwame Brown, Harry
Thomas. Will one of them run? Will one of them risk their seat on the
council? Who knows just yet? Each is superbly qualified. Robb Bobb,
former DC city administrator and former president of the school board,
may have been a good consideration for mayor, but he’s away in Detroit
closing schools. Only one viable candidate needs to get out there to
challenge the mayor and humble him before the voters. Only one strong
candidate should be in the race against the mayor to be able to beat him
and send him packing after the election. Even President Obama would not
be able to save him, and hopefully the President is smart and political
enough that he would not try.
Another possible candidate for mayor comes to mind, Marie Johns.
Marie Johns would be a great mayoral candidate, better than an “Anybody
but Fenty.” She may be the dark horse or underdog people are waiting
for to shake up and shape DC with the people’s input. Marie C. Johns
is Managing Member of L&L Consulting, LLC, a full service
organizational effectiveness and public policy consulting practice.
Marie is the former President of Verizon Washington. In that capacity,
she was responsible for the company’s $700 million operations, over
one million access lines, over eight hundred thousand customers, and
nearly two thousand employees. Under Marie’s leadership, Verizon
Washington made significant strides in maintaining excellent customer
service and the company’s financial health during tumultuous times in
the telecommunications industry. Throughout her noted career, Marie is
best known for her ability to design and lead landmark regulatory
matters successfully through the Public Service Commission of the
District of Columbia. One case led to groundbreaking regulatory relief
that advanced Verizon Washington’s ability to compete effectively in
residential and business sectors in the increasingly competitive
telecommunications market. Marie retired in 2004 after twenty-one years
of service in the industry.
During her years at Verizon, Marie developed a long resume of
business and civic leadership as former chair of the DC Chamber of
Commerce, founder of the Washington DC Technology Council, former chair
of Leadership Greater Washington and founding chair of the Howard
University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, to name a few.
Marie has dedicated her time and energy for over two decades to create
wider opportunities for disadvantaged citizens in Washington, DC. Based
on her extensive leadership experience throughout the Washington, DC,
community, Marie entered the race for the office of mayor during the
2006 Washington, DC, Democratic Primary, where she placed third in a
field of five candidates.
Marie earned BS and MPA degrees from Indiana University’s School of
Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). She has been married for over
thirty-seven years to Wendell Johns. Marie would bring balance between
civic and business interests. She is an outsider that knows and loves
the city. Marie ran in 2006 when the media was set on making the contest
between two leading council members. She was an excellent candidate,
just not as well known or pushy as she could have been. If she starts
now, she could win, but first she has to be drafted and wooed back in
the political limelight to help lead the District forward. She has the
right temperament, personality, energy, skills, intelligence, and
leadership style. When she was unsuccessful in her first run for mayor,
she stepped aside to give the successful candidate an opportunity to
fulfill his campaign promises and push his vision for the nation’s
capital. Well, there is a lot of voter disappointment and frustration.
Marie seems like the right person to take on the mayor next year;
however, she needs support with a draft movement behind her. It must be
the people that call her into the arena, and not her own ego or personal
ambitions and agenda. With Marie, you couldn’t get a better candidate
because she is more than just an Anybody but Fenty. Voting for MJ would
be better than not voting in the Democratic primary for mayor, as some
are planning, or writing in Bugs Bunny. With the right candidate, Fenty
can be a one-term mayor and given a grand exit, appreciation party. He
shows no signs of changing to make his days as mayor more palatable and
encouraging to the electorate. There will probably be a referendum on
the ballot in September 2010, so there will be plenty of people coming
out to vote. Maybe there will be enough people sick and tired of being
sick and tired and vote Fenty out and Marie in. Let’s draft Marie
Johns to run and see if she will go the distance to the mayor’s seat.
Anybody but Fenty— ABF in 2010. Marie Johns, do you hear your calling?
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Congressional Dress for Success Challenge, May
20
Anna Kreischer, anna.kreischer@ketchum.com
Wednesday, May 20 is the Congressional Dress for Success Challenge,
hosted by Honorary Chairs Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Rep. Nydia
Velázquez (D-NY). FedEx will collect donations from 7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
from members of Congress and the Capitol Hill community in support of
Dress for Success, which helps economically challenged women transition
from welfare to the workforce.
A light breakfast will be served 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. at the Reserve
Officers Association. Senate Collection Point: Reserve Officers
Association, One Constitution Avenue, NE; House Collection Point,
Bullfeathers Restaurant, 410 First Street, SE. One Constitution Ave, NE.
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113053687624&ref=mf.
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Save Public Property, May 20, 26, 29
Parisa B. Norouzi, parisa@empowerdc.us
The city council will hold a hearing on the public property
legislation on May 29, and Empower DC will hold testimony prep sessions
on May 20 and 26. Will You Join Us? RSVP to Parisa@empowerdc.org,
234-9119. If you are concerned about affordable housing, job training,
community gardens, health care, recreation, small business incubators,
youth services, homeless services, etc., you should be supporting this
legislation. DC schools, libraries, and parks are not for sale. Public
property is for public use, not private profit! Save public property and
pack the hearing room.
Turn out, attend, and testify at the city council hearing on Bill
18-76, on Friday, May 29, 11:00 a.m., at the Wilson Building, 1350
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 500 (Federal Triangle Metro stop). Bring
ID to enter. Sign up to testify by calling 724-8062 or E-mailing abenjamin@dccouncil.us.
Find out more and prepare testimony at two upcoming workshops:
Wednesday, May 20, 6:30-8:30 p.m., at Southwest Library, 900 Wesley
Place, SW (Waterfront Metro, 70 and A9 buses); and Tuesday, May 26,
6:30-8:30 p.m., Empower DC, 1419 V Street, NW (U Street Cardozo Metro).
RSVP or get more info: Empower DC, 234-9119, Parisa@empowerdc.org.
When Bill 18-76 is law, the community will decide what happens to
public property, and the community will benefit. End back-room deals
with developers; require hearings be held in the evening/weekend so
residents can participate; notify residents by postcards in the mail,
radio, and print ads, so they know decisions are being made; notify ANCs
and civic associations thirty days prior to a hearing. Require real
community planning; complete a Master Facilities Plan as required by law
(10-1031) for all DC government agencies, so we know what facilities we
need; audit space being leased by DC government from private developers
at a cost of over $9 million per month, as required by law (10-1012), so
we save taxpayer money by replacing leases with property we own; create
a Master Facilities Planning and Program Coordination Committee, as
required by law (10-1031), to involve residents and planning staff in
matching community needs with available properties. Community needs, not
developers’ greed; public properties must be looked at first and
foremost to serve community needs, not private development; public
property can be used to expand government services in areas of need, or
replace offices that DC government is currently renting; public property
can be used to support community economic development and projects that
involve residents and serve needs like small business incubators, job
training, youth programs, child care, community gardens, affordable
housing, etc. Make it enforceable: the “private attorney general”
clause gives DC residents standing in court to sue if DC government does
not comply with the law. Sounds good, right? Now help make it law! Turn
out May 29.
###############
Department of Parks and Recreation Events, May
22-23
John Stokes, john.astokes@dc.gov
May 22, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren
Street, NW. CPR Class, ages fifteen and up. To learn the role of
Professional Rescuer in providing emergency care to the patrons in the
Aquatic Facilities, to perform specialized skills and techniques in the
proper and safe use of the Automatic External Defibrillator (AED).
May 22, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Avenue,
NW. Seniors ages 55 and up will enjoy an afternoon enjoying the many
exhibits and animal habitats. For more information, call Ben Butler at
645-9200.
May 22, 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., Congress Heights Recreation Center, 100
Randle Place, SE. Community cookout for all ages. Join Congress Heights
Recreation Center, area schools, churches, and local community members
for an evening of food, music, and interactive games that will enlighten
all participants. Games include card playing tournaments, basketball,
and softball. For more information, call Thomas Bolden at 645-3981.
May 22, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Stead Recreation Center, 1625 P Street,
NW. Community cookout for ages 8-17. The staff at Stead Recreation
Center will reward the youth that participated in the Stead’s
programming with a cookout. For more information, call Jacquay Plummer,
Recreation Specialist, at 673-4465.
May 22-24, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m., Fort Stevens Recreation Center, 1327
Van Buren Street, NW. Adult females will participate in this three-day
tennis tournament. For more information, call Larry Kinney at 541-3754.
May 23, 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., DPR Pool Openings. DC Department of
Parks and Recreation outdoor pools will be open for the Memorial Day
weekend for public swim.
May 23, 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m., Dunbar Senior High School, 1301 New
Jersey Avenue, NW. Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet for ages seven to
eighteen. Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet will be hosted by DC Speed Track
Club and sponsored by 100 Black Men of DC, Inc. For more information,
call Edgar Sams, Track and Field Coordinator, at 671-0395.
May 23, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Southeast Tennis and Learning Center,
701 Mississippi Avenue, SE. SETLC Sew ’n Know Second Annual Fashion
Show. This Annual Fashion Show will feature garments designed and
constructed by Southeast Tennis and Learning Center and Turkey Thicket
participants of the Sew ’n Know program. This event will also feature
designs of students from West Potomac High School Fashion Design
Department in Alexandria, VA, and a special appearance by a guest
designer. For more information, call Janice Rankins or Donna Stewart at
645-6242.
###############
National Building Museum Events, May 23
Jazmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org
May 23, 5:00-6:30 p.m., Fiftieth Saengerfest of the Nordoestlicher
Saengerbund. Join the Washington Saengerbund (Washington Singer Club)
and other choruses from the United States, Canada, and abroad to
celebrate the Fiftieth Saengerfest. The evening includes German and
German-American choral music accompanied by the National Gallery of Art
Orchestra. For more information, visit http://www.saengerfest2009.org/.
This is a public event hosted by the National Building Museum. 401 F
Street, NW, Judiciary Square stop, Metro Red Line. Register for events
at http://www.nbm.org. Tickets
$25. Members receive $5 off by calling 703-644-0565.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — VOLUNTEERS
Volunteer Recruitment for the Child Care
Collective
Parisa B. Norouzi, parisa@empowerdc.org
Interested in providing childcare for organizations working to
further social justice? The DC Child Care Collective is a small
all-volunteer group that has been working to provide free childcare to
progressive groups working for social justice. We formed in the summer
of 2005, at the suggestion of a group of community organizers who
expressed the need for childcare during their meetings and events. We
provide childcare as an act of solidarity and prioritize providing this
service to groups that are primarily led by low-income women of color.
It is our mission to make childcare that is safe, fun and empowering
available to families to support their work to further social and
political change.
Currently, we provide childcare for Empower DC, Women Empowered
Against Violence, UNITE HERE union, The Women’s Collective, The Latino
Economic Development Corporation, as well as events coordinated by The
DC Rape Crisis Center, and we have worked with the Asian/Pacific
Islander Domestic Violence Research Project, and ONE DC. If you want to
support parents in DC working toward social change and if you like
spending time with kids (even if you don't have much experience) we
would love to have you volunteer with us.
We are planning a Volunteer Orientation for Sunday, June 7, from 1:00
p.m.-5:00 p.m. We ask volunteers to make a commitment to provide
childcare at least six times over the course of six months and attend
additional trainings that we provide. If you are interested, please fill
out the volunteer application (available at our web site, http://www.dcchildcarecollective.org)
and send it to dckids@gmail.com.
The deadline for applications is June 1. If you have any questions or
would like more information about the DCCC or any of the organizations
that we work with, please feel free to E-mail us and visit our web site,
and help us get the word out to anyone who may be interested!
###############
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