Campaign Notes
Dear Campaigners:
Former Mayor Adrian Fenty, in a speech at Georgetown University,
declined to make an endorsement in the April 26 special election for an
at-large councilmember, although he left the door open to make a
decision later, http://www.thegeorgetowndish.com/thedish/fenty-defends-rhee-dc-school-reform-gu-lecture.
Fenty does have a dilemma in that election. Former Councilmember Vincent
Orange is the strongest candidate in the race, with the most name
recognition, the most donations, and the largest and best organized
group of volunteers. But two candidates in the field were strong Fenty
supporters in the last mayoral election. One, Sekou Biddle, was Fenty’s
hand-picked choice to be the Ward 4 school board member. He is now the
candidate of the Democratic State Committee and most of the political
establishment, including Mayor Gray, Council Chairman Brown, and several
councilmembers. But the other, Joshua Lopez, was extremely active in
Fenty’s primary campaign — he led the dirty tricks part of the
campaign, including (but not limited to) repeatedly trying to pick
fights with Gray supporters at campaign events and debates. Then he was
the most prominent member of the campaign to write in Fenty during the
general election. Fenty doesn’t want to risk making Lopez angry, and
turning him into the Sulaimon Brown of the Fenty campaign.
#####
Vincent Orange is the National Committeeman for the Democratic State
Committee, which on the face of it should have given him a huge
advantage in getting the party’s endorsement in the special election.
But in his 2010 race against Kwame Brown to be the Democratic nominee as
Council Chairman, Orange questioned whether Brown was fiscally
responsible, both on the basis of his personal finances and on questions
about his campaign committee reports to the Office of Campaign Finance
in 2004 and 2008. The Democratic State Committee punished Orange for
raising these issues, which they considered to be dirty laundry, by
endorsing Sekou Biddle instead of Orange in the special election. The
OCF’s report last week on Brown’s 2008 campaign not only vindicated
the questions that Orange had raised, but also raised doubts about the
DC Democratic State Committee’s code of omerta.
#####
“This is the functional equivalent of bombing innocent civilians.
It’s time that the District of Columbia told Congress to go straight
to hell,” said Eleanor Holmes Norton during the Congressional debate
over the federal budget, http://tinyurl.com/42rzkqy.
It’s this kind of inflammatory rhetoric that makes Delegate Norton so
popular in DC elections. It’s counterproductive, of course, as is her
strongly and stridently anti-Republican partisanship. If Norton’s goal
were to advance self-government for the District of Columbia, to promote
statehood for DC, or even just to get a floor vote in the House of
Representatives for herself as the District’s delegate, she would try
to make personal and political friends on both sides of the aisle in
Congress. But she gets rewarded in DC elections by being a bomb thrower,
by using extreme and hostile rhetoric, and by alienating support for the
District in Congress. Making enemies in Congress builds Eleanor’s
support among the DC electorate. It’s a perverse incentive to make it
more difficult for DC to adhere any of the goals that statehood and
self-governance advocates say they want.
#####
A must-read, especially for supporters of Michelle Rhee, is today’s
review by Diane Ravitch of The Bee Eater, http://tinyurl.com/3o2q8ap.
“The most chilling episode in Richard Whitmire’s biography of
Michelle Rhee occurs near the end, when Rhee says to a PBS camera crew,
‘I’m going to fire somebody in a little while. Do you want to see
that?’ Of course they did, and they taped the chancellor of the
District of Columbia public schools firing a principal. The victim’s
face was not shown, but the episode revealed a woman who relishes
humiliating those who have the misfortune to work for her.” Like
Norton, Rhee’s worst qualities are the ones that made her popular.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
In the last issue of themail, I wrote that the recently completed
audit of Kwame Brown’s 2008 campaign by the DC Office of Campaign
Finance (OCF) found that the campaign’s financial reports “were not
in substantial compliance” with the District’s Campaign Finance Act.
Brown’s case now enters the penalty phase, and OCF will have to
determine whether to impost a fine and to refer the matter to the Board
of Elections and Ethics (BOEE), which can then forward the case to the
US Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution.
On April 18, OCF’s General Counsel, William Sanford, and his staff
will convene a “show cause” hearing to review the audit, consider
the numerous violations of campaign finance law, and, if need be,
request the testimony of other witnesses as well as additional
information from Brown’s campaign committee. Appearing at the informal
hearing will be Kwame Brown, his attorney Fred Cooke, and the campaign
committee treasurer Dawn Cromer. At the conclusion of the hearing
process and the receipt of all requested and/or subpoenaed information,
the OCF’s General Counsel will then draft an order to be signed by OCF’s
Director, Cecily Collier-Montgomery. According to individuals familiar
with the Brown case, as well as the history of past fines imposed by OCF
and BOEE (e.g., in the Anthony Williams and slots cases), the
order will likely recommend a substantial fine (which could legally
exceed $500,000) and ask the BOEE to refer the case to the US Attorney’s
Office. The schedule of fines that OCF can impose are detailed in
Chapter 37, Investigations and Hearings, of Title 3 of the District of
Columbia Municipal Regulations (as amended march 2010). Each fine
detailed in Chapter 37 refers to an individual violation of the District’s
campaign finance law. The audit report, for example, considers each
instance in which the Brown committee failed to report a contribution
(210 instances) or an expenditure (53 instances) as “individual
violations of DC Official Code.” Other factors that will likely
determine the fine that OCF imposes on Brown’s campaign include the
sheer size and amount of the false reporting, whether Brown has been
candid with OCF, whether Brown’s reports for his other campaigns show
a pattern of faulty reporting, and whether Brown was arguably uninformed
about reporting requirements or whether he and his family’s long
involvement in political campaigns lead to the assumption that his
errors were intentional rather than inadvertent. One indication of how
serious OCF and the BOEE consider the case to be is will be whether any
fine is imposed against just the 2008 campaign committee, which may not
have any sufficient funds left to pay a large fine — or against both
the committee and the candidate, which would make Brown liable to pay if
the committee cannot.
If OCF refers the Brown case to the BOEE, there will then be a public
hearing before the Board decided to refer the matter to the US Attorney’s
office. Moreover, if Brown decides to contest the fine that OCF seeks to
impose on his committee, he could appeal that aspect of the case at a
public hearing of the BOEE.
###############
DC Government Friendly to Small Businesses, If
You’re Not a Taxi Driver
Qawi Robinson, Qrobinso@lycos.com
In recent weeks, there has been much turmoil regarding the “Professional
Taxicab Standards and Medallion Establishment Act of 2011,” proposed
by Councilmembers Barry, Thomas, and Michael Brown, cosponsored by
Councilwoman Alexander, and introduced by Former Councilmember John
Ray.The latter of the group, seems to be on an undisclosed retainer by a
coalition of taxi fleet owners. For folks who don’t ride in taxis,
this bill may seem mundane, but at the heart of it is a direct attack on
small and independent business owners. Only in DC government can such an
attack on free enterprise exist, and if the recent track record of the
council and mayor holds true, citizens should expect more attacks on
free enterprise and free thought. I say this because much of DC policy
in the recent administrations has been borrowed,” “stolen,” and
mimicked from other US cities — scaled down vehicle inspections, bike
share, bus and bike lane vehicular restrictions, five-cent bag bill, and
taxi meters are just a few examples. The argument for the medallion bill
is similar, as proponents are championing Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, and other cities for implementing this type of
legislation.
Without giving the full detail here (listen to the audio from http://thefightback.org/2011/04/the-voice-of-dc-cab-drivers-returns-to-the-air/),
I will simply say that the bill does not represent free enterprise in
general and the interests of DC cab drivers in particular. The bill, as
currently proposed, represents the monopolizing interests of the fleet
and cab company owners, under the guise of “reform” and standards.
It is unclear what standards they are trying to establish, but from a
quick read, standardizing fleet owners’ income must be one of them.
The proposed bill will in effect reduce the number of DC taxis from
roughly ten thousand currently to about four thousand (three thousand
two hundred for all wards and eight hundred specifically for Wards 7, 8,
and undeserved areas of Ward 5). The implementation of the bill will
take current legitimate licenses from taxi drivers and through exclusive
qualifications keep roughly 90 percent of them from buying them back.
This is not saying that the medallions will be cheap either. It was
suggested by John Ray that independent taxi drivers can get a loan from
a bank for the potential one hundred thousand dollar cost of a
medallion. Other notes of interest from the bill: vehicles can be no
more than six years old, drivers who live in Maryland and Virginia
seeking to get a medallion must be in good standing and have a valid DC
taxi license for twenty years. Most ironic is that to be given a
medallion, you don’t need to have/own a taxicab or have a license. A
company can own a medallion and “lease” out the medallion to a
driver. Putting this in perspective, besides effectively reducing the
number of cabs and driver eligibility, a cab company can require a
driver to pay $125 per an eight-hour shift, or $150 per a twelve-hour
shift, as is done in other cities. This is not free enterprise, but more
along the lines of sharecropping, feudalism, racketeering, or just plain
pimping. The final irony is that none of the councilmembers ride in
taxis on a regular basis. In fact, they are probably the most egregious
parking violators of the city.
###############
A. Anderson for Ward 4 Board of Education
Judith Terra and Virginia E. Hayes Williams, beige54054@mypacks.net
A. Anderson is a write-in candidate in the April 26 election as the
Ward 4 member of the Board of Education. A. Anderson has led many
educational programs — a language arts enrichment program, a
fund-raiser and the Digging In Grounds (DIG) Field School in partnership
with the Benjamin Harrison Society (BHS) and the Smithsonian Institute.
As a former educator, she has taught math enrichment to elementary,
middle, and high school levels; read to children in the Books and Power
Lunch Reading program at Brent ES; and served as a room parent for her
nieces and nephews at Amidon ES. She led the museum magnet school
curriculum and standards development at Brent Elementary, and has lead
STEM learning programs at middle and high schools, including Woodrow
Wilson and McKinley. Under her leadership, BHS hosted summer institutes
for students and teachers — developing science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics curriculum and standards for several school
districts for more than 8 years. She also served as a Middle States
Association of Colleges and Schools team member for four years, and she
is committed to excellence in all levels across the continuum of
education and to encourage, advance, assist and sustain the quality and
integrity of education.
Her governance as a curriculum developer and a middle state evaluator
team leader and her fiscal management skills have been valuable. She has
been a constant advocate for students, parents, and staff. She has
served and chaired a Local School Analysis Team at Brent Elementary. She
has provided excellent oversight while on the board of several nonprofit
organization education projects, and her love of community supports her
beliefs and sustains her. A. Anderson has been a positive advocate on
student learning, fiscal issues, leadership training, and diversity
sensitivity. She has used her educational background to help children
achieve much in school and more in life. She is the best candidate for
the job, and she will get the job done!
We will use our vote and support to elect a quality board of
education member from Ward 4 that not only shares our views about the
school system and education but a person who listens to what citizens
want in a school board member. The DC School Board needs a member who is
already qualified and has demonstrated her educational competence to
serve on the Board now and not require on the job training! She has
lived in Shepherd Park since 1998 — she understands what the needs of
our children, teachers, and parents because she listens to them. She has
a BA college degree and studies paralegal studies at Georgia Washington
University. She is also a product of the District of Columbia public
schools. We will win with an experienced write in candidate — A.
Anderson!
###############
Congressional Meddling — and More to Come?
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@verizon.net
For the first time in my memory, last week’s Congressional
histrionics were a substantially greater embarrassment to our national
capital’s image than the discouraging socioeconomic conditions of DC’s
own residents. While NARPAC fully supports the need for major changes in
federal out year spending patterns, we fully reject the notion of
Congressional meddling in DC’s own budgetary affairs.
Over the next few months, DC’s political/fiscal independence may
well be further threatened by three quite separate difficulties: first,
the future spending battle will be waged in antiseptic
budgetary/financial terms rather than humanistic sociopolitical terms;
second, the Democrats’ Congressional leadership in these
budgetary/financial areas is at best weak-kneed, as demonstrated by
Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen and Nevada Senator Harry Reid;
and third, the recent unfavorable publicity concerning current (and
past) DC political leadership gives the amateurish, ill-informed
Congressional tea-party caucus all the ammo they need to hip-shoot at DC
stereotypes.
If DC is to emerge untrammeled from the grass under these bumbling
giants, it will need the active support of some of the capital area’s
most respected organizations (e.g., the Federal City Council), and
probably some of its most influential lobbyists as well (ask Jack
Evans). Mayor Gray and Chairman Brown should establish a very serious,
well-focused campaign by nationally-respected professionals to save our
nation’s capital from further humiliation.
###############
InTowner
April
Issue Now Available Online
P.L. Wolff, intowner@intowner.com
This is to advise that the April 2011 issue PDF is available at http://www.intowner.com
and may be opened by clicking the front page graphic on the home page.
There will be found news, commentary, and features content, including
the popular Scenes from the Past (this month titled “16th Street’s
Denman-Werlich Mansion Had a Connection With the Hudson River School of
Painting”) — plus all photos and other images.
This month’s lead stories include the following: 1) “Residents of
Venerable Adams Morgan Co-op Protesting ABC License Renewal of
Neighborhood’s Venerable Chief Ike’s”; 2) “Pop-Up Shop Phenom
Reaches 18th Street in Adams Morgan”; 3) “Mayor’s ‘State of the
District’ Speech Signals Budget Realities.” The ABC Board Actions
feature, which is separately posted on the web site, will be updated
shortly, at which time we will provide notification.
The next issue PDF will publish early in the morning of May 13 (the
second Friday of the month, as usual). For more information, either send
an E-mail to newsroom@intowner.com
or call 234-1717.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Democratic Woman’s Club Events, April 11
Tonya Butler-Truesdale, gotonyago@gmail.com
Monday, April 11, luncheon with Richard L Trumka, President AFL-CIO.
Richard Trumka was elected head of the nation’s largest labor
federation following fourteen years as its secretary-treasurer. Before
that, Trumka followed his grandfather and father into the coal mines in
southwest Pennsylvania. He went on to receive a BS from Penn State and a
law degree from Villanova, but continued to work in the mines and at age
33 became the youngest president in the history of the United Mine
Workers. Trumka has dedicated his life to important causes such as
working in the Free South Africa Movement, and establishing coalitions
with various groups. In February 2009, President Obama named Trumka to
the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, chaired by former
Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. More recently you have seen Mr.
Trumka on many TV programs talking about the assault on public workers
in many states. Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.; lunch at 12:15 p.m.;
presentation and question and answer session at 1:00 p.m. Price: $25
members; $30 non-members; $10 lecture only. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=22563
Thursday, April 14, luncheon with WETA’s Around Town panel of
critics, moderated by Robert Aubry Davis. Around Town’s circle of
critics will bring their annual celebration of area cultural events to
WNDC on April 14. Robert Aubry Davis reunites familiar panelists
including Paul Bachmann, Joe Barber, Bill Dunlap, Janis Goodman, Trey
Graham, and Jane Horwitz. Enjoy an hour with the Around Town panelists
as they showcase the breadth of the area’s spring offerings in film,
music, theater, and art. Bring friends and use our speakers’ insights
to plan your spring calendar from Washington’s cornucopia of cultural
delights. Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.; lunch at 12:15 p.m.; presentation and
question and answer session at 1:00 p.m. Members $25, nonmembers $30,
lecture only (no lunch) $10. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=22247
Thursday, April 14, Nicholas D. Mack jazz night evening reception.
Nicholas D. Mack has performed at the Kennedy Center, at Twins, The
Islander, Utopia, Jojo’s, Bohemian Caverns, the Cafe Nema, and Blues
Alley. He has been the house pianist for the HR-57 Center for the
Preservation of Jazz and Blues. For a decade, Mack has been the manager
for Sharp 9 Entertainment, LLC, a company providing individuals and
businesses globally with musical services. The National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), which is the national organization
responsible for the Grammy Awards, presented him with the collegiate
award for outstanding achievement and excellence in the fields of music,
music business and record engineering. 6:30-8:30 p.m.; bar opens at 6:00
p.m. $25 members and nonmembers. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=22247
Friday, April 15, cinema night: A Single Man, with Colin Firth and
Julianne Moore. A Single Man puts actor Colin Firth at its center as a
suicidal homosexual English professor, and he provides a brilliant,
deeply compassionate performance. Winner of this year’s best actor
Oscar for The King’s Speech, Firth was nominated for the same award
last year for A Single Man. He did win the Golden Globe and BAFTA
awards. His co-star, Julianne Moore, who plays his best friend Charley,
was nominated for Best Actress. The story follows a single day in his
character’s unhappy life, although there are flashbacks to provide
context, and visits with his friends who worry about his sadness. Our
former Mr. Darcy (thank you Jane Austin!) shows tremendous versatility
when he portrays a much darker persona, George Falconer, who
contemplates suicide. His heart is broken by the death of his longtime
lover, Jim, whose family refuses to let him attend the funeral. The
Guardian calls Firth’s performance outstanding, saying the part
was “such a perfect match for his superbly calibrated performance
register: withdrawn, pained — but sensual, with sparks of wit and fun.”
This is a must see! Guests and nonmembers welcome. Cash bar and light
supper available at 6:00 p.m. Film screening is 7:00 p.m. $5 at the
door. Please reserve. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=22573
Saturday, April 16, Fine arts/fine crafts show and sale. Just in time
for Mother’s Day! The Woman’s National Democratic Club located in
the historic Whittemore House invites you to our first fine arts/fine
crafts show and sale. There will be a wide variety of high quality
clothing, textile art, jewelry, pottery, and other unique items. There
is no admission fee for this event! Please invite your friends. The
Whittemore House is on the National Trust’s Historic Register and has
museum status. We invite you to look around while you’re here. The
building is located one block from the Dupont Circle metro stop (Red
Line, Q Street side). 4:30-8:00 p.m. There is no admission fee for this
event!
###############
themail@dcwatch is an E-mail discussion forum that is published every
Wednesday and Sunday. To change the E-mail address for your subscription
to themail, use the Update Profile/Email address link below in the
E-mail edition. To unsubscribe, use the Safe Unsubscribe link in the
E-mail edition. An archive of all past issues is available at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail.
All postings should 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.
