Do Business in the City
Dear Business Owners:
Politicians, as I believe I’ve said before, are lousy at business,
and should stay out of it. I don’t believe that any councilmember or
mayor in the District of Columbia has ever started or run a successful
business, or has even tried to. That doesn’t stop our politicians from
imagining themselves to be brilliant business planners and developers,
which leads them to waste a lot of time, development opportunities, and
taxpayer money.
Here’s the latest example. WJLA reports that, “at a retail
convention in Las Vegas, Gray and five DC council members met with
Wal-Mart executives Monday. He says the company should build a fifth
store to redevelop the Skyland complex in southeast Washington —
beyond the four sites Wal-Mart has proposed. Gray told the company it
could build five stores or none at all. Two sites chosen by Wal-Mart are
on publicly owned land. That gives the city some control. Gray said he
could also consider nixing Wal-Mart’s requests for building permits on
privately owned sites,” http://tinyurl.com/3vtf55m.
Gray later claimed he was only joshing; I’m sure that the Wal-Mart
executives appreciated the joke. But what would make the mayor and the
five councilmembers want to threaten a big business that they want to
lure to the District?
The answer is that the mayor and councilmembers saw Wal-Mart as a
solution for a long-standing business problem that District politicians
created. Several years ago, the Skyland Shopping Center was a profitable
and fully occupied shopping center in Ward 7. But it was also shabby and
run down, with a lower class clientele. So the city government pretended
that it had grand development plans for it and seized it through eminent
domain, http://tinyurl.com/g36a4.
(See a description of the eminent
domain case here: http://tinyurl.com/3lms86m)
The city’s argument was that the area was blighted because after it
seized the shopping center the government could give it to developers
with more money, who could lease the stores to businesses with more
money, who would cater to shoppers with more money, rather than to the
unsightly people who patronized the stores that were there. The city’s
development plans, run first by the now-defunct National Capital
Revitalization Corporation and now by the Rappaport Companies, have been
heavily subsidized by taxpayer funds to seize the land and businesses
from their legitimate former owners and will be even more heavily
subsidized in the future to bribe new companies to occupy the spaces,
when and if it is ever built. But the grand plans have gone nowhere. The
city’s demonstrated lack of respect for private property rights has
not yielded any concrete results. The vision of a new “Skyland Town
Center” remains what is described even on its own web site as “a
20-year-old dream,” http://www.skylandtowncenter.com/vision.html.
Wal-Mart must have seemed to the city’s “leaders” as a solution
to their problems, a way to disguise their long-running ineptitude at
economic development and to justify their disrespect for private
property. Just twist a few arms, make a few threats, muscle a big
company, and all the politicians could claim they were development
geniuses. And look at how they would have done it; look at the
improvement they would have made. They wiped out all the small, locally
owned stores at Skyland that served a clientele the city saw as
undesirable and poor, in order to replace them with — wait for it;
drumroll — replace them with Wal-Mart. How’s that for bragging
rights? And how will the city’s treatment of Wal-Mart encourage other
companies, that aren’t as rich and powerful and able to protect
themselves as Wal-Mart, to locate in DC and deal with our city’s
government?
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
###############
Change in DC Auditor’s Office
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
After months of rumors and widespread speculation, Council Chairman
Kwame Brown confirmed last week that he would not reappoint Deborah
Nichols to a new six-year term as the DC Auditor. In a press release
dated May 26, http://www.dcwatch.com/auditor/audit110526.htm,
Brown announced “the selection of Yolanda Branche as acting auditor,
effective June 2, 2011.” The Office of the DC Auditor is within the
Council, http://www.dcauditor.org.
It serves as the District’s equivalent of the US Government
Accountability Office (GAO), which serves as the investigative arm of
Congress. The Office of the DC Auditor was established by Section 445 of
the District’s Home Rule Act and, under DC Code 1-204.55, the Auditor
“shall be appointed by the Chairman, subject to the approval of a
majority of the Council.” The DC Auditor, whose term of office is six
years, is required by the Charter to “each year conduct a thorough
audit of the accounts and operations of the government of the District.”
The mission of the office also includes assisting the council to perform
its oversight responsibilities and reviewing revenue estimates in
support of annual budgets and municipal bonds.
Over the past thirty years, the District has been well served for
four Auditors — Otis H. Troupe, Russell A. Smith, Anthony S. Cooper,
and Deborah Nichols. Each worked tirelessly to identify waste, fraud,
and abuse in the District government. Ms. Nichols, an attorney, has been
at the DC Auditor’s Office for more than twenty-six years, working as
a junior and senior field auditor, agency controller, and deputy auditor
until she was named Director in 1999 by Council Chair Linda Cropp. Over
the years, Ms. Nichols has been a consummate nonpartisan professional,
producing quality reports even though her office has been hampered by
limited resources. With a small budget ($4.6 million in FY2011) and
staff (thirty-five full-time equivalents in FY2011), Ms. Nichols has
produced an endless stream of reports that should embarrass the
well-financed ($16.43 million in FY2011)and highly staffed (118 FTE’s
in FY2011) Office of the Inspector General. Moreover, Ms. Nichols never
shied away from controversial issues and subjects, whether they were an
incumbent mayor, a powerful City Administrator, an imperious Attorney
General, community-embedded Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, or
well-established government contractors with long political tentacles.
It is not clear why Nichols is not being reappointed, but Kwame Brown’s
motives in replacing her with Yvonne L. Branche need to be explained.
Brown’s press release claims that Branch “is an attorney admitted to
the District of Columbia Bar.” However, the records of the DC Bar
Association show that Ms. Branche’s legal license in DC has been
suspended. In an E-mail to me last Friday, Ms. Branche stated, “I
passed the DC Bar but I am not authorized to practice law in the
District.” In her resume, that accompanied Brown’s press release,
Branche gives her address as being in the District, on Banneker Drive in
the Fort Lincoln section of Northeast. However, she isn’t registered
with the DC Board of Elections and Ethics to vote in the District, so I
queried Brown’s office about her actual residence. In response, Ms.
Branche E-mailed me that, “I am not a DC resident,” although she
pledged to move into the District within the 180-day limit. Ms. Branche
is not an auditor, though she began working in the DC Auditor’s Office
in the past year as a senior analyst. Prior to that, she owned and
operated a greeting card company, Bayview Cards (http://www.bayviewcards.com)
in St. Leonard, Maryland, where she actually lives. Ms. Branche does
have good political ties to the old Control Board, however. Brown says
that she was chosen by a search committee headed by Anthony Williams
(who was chosen by the Control Board to be DC’s Chief Financial
Officer), and she has worked at a succession of jobs with John Hill (who
was the Control Board’s Executive Director, and who is now the CEO of
the Federal City Council). Over the years since 1996, Branche has worked
for Hill at the Financial Control Board, In2Books, and the Mayor’s
Task Force on the Future of the DC Public Library System.
###############
Really?
Ralston Cox, Dupont Circle, rcoxdc@gmail.com
The Washington Post reports (http://tinyurl.com/3jovzb4)
that Mayor Gray, Deputy Mayor Vincent Hoskins, and five members of the
council met with representatives of Wal-Mart on Monday in Las Vegas. The
topic of their discussion was Wal-Mart’s interest in building four
stores in the District. The Mayor and his posse told Wal-Mart that the
approval for their four stores depended on Wal-Mart deciding to open a
fifth store at Skyland Shopping Center in Ward 7. According to the
Mayor, “. . . [Wal-Mart] hemmed and hawed, and it ultimately came down
to — you have a choice. You can do five stores or you can do no
stores.” Really?
So either Wal-Mart agrees to put a store on a site that the city
doesn’t even own (despite years of legal wrangling and efforts to take
the site by eminent domain) or the city won’t let them build
elsewhere. According to the article, the mayor would be willing to go so
far as to nix the company’s request for building permits on privately
owned sites. Quoting the mayor: “We had five council members and the
mayor and the deputy mayor sitting in the room at the meeting . . . so
it was a pretty compelling argument. They have to get building permits,
don’t they?”
Wowza! If the Washington Post got it right (always a big “if”)
that sure sounds like extortion to me. And here I thought the city had
to issue permits based on whether or not the plans met various code
requirements, rather than whether or not the developer had met the Mayor’s
requirements for building elsewhere. What’s next? Cash payments to
reelection committees in exchange for permits?
###############
Members of the city council are fond of protesting the fact that DC
does not have a vote in Congress. However, three members — Phil
Mendelson, Jack Evans, and Michael Brown — have displayed the same
contempt for voters on the matter of redistricting. These three have
presented as a fait accompli their plan to transfer over eight
thousand residents at the eastern end of Ward 6 into Ward 7. All three
claim that the council is legally required to make changes in ward
boundaries after populations grow or diminish. However, this does not
seem to be the case.
Here is the reaction of Phil to a reasoned argument, as “Alaina”
wrote to the Hill East listserv: “I told Mendelson what the Supreme
Court rulings had been in these more recent cases, and said that it
appeared from this that the council is actually not legally required to
make any changes to the size of DC’s wards. Mendelson listened
patiently as I went through all this. When I finished, he said (and this
is a direct quote): ‘Even if you’re right, I don’t care.’ He
then went on to say that he thought the new plan was fair, and he had to
leave for another engagement. And took off.
“I found this truly amazing. Not that ‘he didn’t care’ —
that did not surprise me, given what I’ve seen of his attitude so far.
What did amaze me is that he could stand in front of about one hundred
fifty very upset constituents for two hours and tell us over and over
that he’s sorry, but the law is basically forcing him to do this to
our neighborhood, no matter how damaging it is. And then, just the next
week, tell one of those same constituents that he wants to do this to us
anyway even if the law doesn’t require it, and that’s that. He
thinks it is fair. And the more than two thousand residents who signed
petitions, phoned, E-mailed, attended meetings and rallies, etc.,
because we were so upset about the harm this would do to our
neighborhood can basically just pound sand. He is the councilmember, so
he gets to decide what should happen to our neighborhood — not us.”
###############
Let Ward 8 Extend Across the Anacostia
Kathryn Pearson-West, wkpw3@aol.com
Councilmember Marion Barry was right. It is time that Ward 8 move
beyond the restrictive and dividing Anacostia River. I was alarmed and
disappointed to see members of the DC Council at the redistricting
hearing treat Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry like a naive junior
council member instead of like the elder statesman that he is. He may be
older and appear less threatening but he is no fool and still has a
voice that can be heard and respected around the city and beyond. What I
observed on the TV news clip, was that Barry was speaking up for his
ward, and his fellow council members seemed to act like he was a
terrorist or had said something totally bizarre. I may not always agree
with the former mayor, but I do think he deserved more time, attention,
and respect because he was standing up for his ward and giving a voice
to the voiceless. Barry has a valid argument for trying to expand his
ward across the Anacostia River. Frankly, the ward needs to become more
diverse racially, socially, and economically to change perceptions and
stereotypes of it. However, those young professionals looking for
housing with approachable prices know that it is a gem, a diamond in the
making. Moving across the river might expedite the change that Ward 8
needs to become more powerful and influential in a nonviolent way. It is
time to see past any negative statistics and focus on the positive.
It seemed to be all right for one ward to jettison off its not so
wealthy section of the ward and to make it more homogeneous and home to
many “big ballers,” as the young folks call people with money. Yet
when Barry wants to diversify his ward a little he is shot down like his
opinion and the citizens of his ward do not matter. The redistricting
maps were just posted and there is a public hearing on June 1, with a
final vote shortly after. That’s not much time to get a groundswell of
people to help Ward 8 advocate for the change they seek and need. It
seems like only Ward 6 gets to shout and be heard, but Ward 8 citizens
are proud residents of the nation’s capital, too. [Finished online at http://www.dcwatch.com/themail/2011/11-05-29.htm#west]
It is time that Ward 8 be allowed to come across the River. During
the last redistricting, Ward 4 was allowed to move to take possession of
a part of Ward 3, crossing the Rock Creek Park dividing line. Ward 4 was
allowed to go “West of the Park,” perhaps because the adjoining Ward
4 area was the Gold Coast, where many successful residents live in one
of the top voting precincts in the city. Ward 8’s demographics may not
be as exciting, therefore it may not be perceived as an inviting option
to some areas. It is clear that many of the District’s poor are housed
in Ward 8 and it has its share of problems. It is home to Blue Plains
and to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, neither considered coveted
showpieces. Ward 8 suffers from the stereotype of abject poverty, a
little too much crime, and struggling students. It has high
unemployment. However, Ward 8 also has some residents that are doing
very well. Furthermore, there is a little so-called gentrification going
on which announces that change is indeed coming. But no matter who
comes, the residents there, young and old, well off and not so much so,
deserve to have a chance to improve their environment and status in the
city. One day Homeland Security will develop St. Elizabeth’s grounds
and make a difference, but that might not be fully realized until the
next redistricting. In some ways it is understood why Barry used the
word apartheid to describe the what the redistricting process may be
creating though that word may have been a little strong. The symbolism
is understood by those that know the city and watch how some areas seem
to be treated. And the word got people’s attention.
Apparently Barry does not have anything to trade or he would not be
dismissed so easily. Maybe the perception of Ward 8 as somewhat
powerless makes the city leadership think that it can be ignored and
played. I did not even any of the at-large council members speak up for
Ward 8 and support Barry’s effort to help his ward. Apparently it was
easier for people to needle him and try to disrespect the Ward 8 council
member to curry favor with the rest of the city. Clearly Barry was
outnumbered on the council and people in other parts of DC seem to have
a stronger voice. Other politicians must not need his support and that
of his constituents. Where is the strategic alliance for the ward? Where
is the support for East of the River? Barry is a hero in this instance
for trying to look out for the least among us. He knew he would be
ridiculed, but he knows that it is going to take a lot to get Ward 8 to
move in the right direction without displacing the people living there
in more affordable, cozy dwellings. Barry won’t be in office forever
and who knows whether he will decide to stay on the council until the
next redistricting. Don’t penalize the ward to get at him or
disrespect the senior leader who still has people throughout the city
that like him and pay attention to him. The more Machiavellian types
might see moving Ward 8 across the Anacostia as a chance to possibly get
Barry out of office with a new population of voters. After all, it has
been said that voters on Capitol Hill have been responsible for voting
in the council members for that ward. Perhaps another community of
voters might have the same affect on a Barry reelection — nah, sorry!
Ward 8 should be allowed to move across The River to capture some of
the prime real estate, if not people. Why shouldn’t Ward 8 be able to
expand to capture the Navy Yard and/or Nationals stadium? At one point
many leaders in DC were against evening having a stadium, and now no one
wants Ward 8 to have it. South Capitol Street wasn’t such a great
place unless going to the inspection station or Capitol area. The Navy
Yard area used to be sort of a scary place, but now it is making the
change to become a high priced coveted area. The entire baseball area
has become so glamorous that the nudie bars, as Al Bundy of “Married
with Children” used to call them, were chased away and encouraged to
go to Ward 5 as if Ward 5 wanted them and was going to let that happen.
Let Ward 8 have some of the Federal Buildings in Southwest or just put
all of Southwest in Ward 8. Or put whatever is adjacent to South Capitol
Street to a certain point in Ward 8. Ward 8 should have the option of
taking over the Southwest Waterfront. Barry’s idea to move across the
river — whether or not it is for altruistic or political or personal
motives — the idea is sound.
The hope, dreams, and aspirations can elude the best of us when
challenges in life make some grow weary and defeated and that why some
of Ward 8 seems so depressing. It’s time to let Ward 8 move toward the
Promised Land until they can make their own the land of plenty. In the
words of the spiritual, “Let my people go.” Give Ward 8 some land
that has the potential for mixed-use future development or that brings
another socioeconomic dimension. Memorial Day honors those that fought
for freedom. Can’t Ward 8 get a little freedom and be allowed to
venture across the great divide, the Anacostia River? Go, Barry, and
keep speaking up for your community and tell the other council members
to back off. Then go and file a lawsuit to challenge the plan. Maybe the
goal should just be to acquire land and/or businesses instead of lots of
residences. Play the redistricting game well. By the way, some of the
best people live in Ward 8 and I love going to that Morgan’s fish
joint on Martin Luther King, Jr., Avenue to get inexpensive fish without
having to pay parking.
###############
Bryce Suderow [themail, May 25] raises the issue of whether the
eastern edge of Capitol Hill is upset with Tommy Wells and whether Wells
is retaliating against Hill East by cooperating in getting Hill East put
into Ward 7 (the rest of which is on the other side of the Anacostia
River). As a general matter, I’m not a defender of Wells, but in
fairness to him, the story is more complex. I can see why Hill East
people would be upset with the continuing social services mix and
ensuing crime at the old DC General site — this is on Reservation 13,
which was supposed to have been redeveloped by now, but redevelopment is
in abeyance for a while. Too bad, because it would add to tax revenues
and fix the area in other ways (although it would add traffic, the Hill
East bugaboo).
What is missing from Bryce’s description is how Hill East several
years ago saw its interests as very different from that of the rest of
Capitol Hill (wrongly in my view), and pressed hard for them. Hill East
was the part of Capitol Hill that campaigned for the 11th Street Bridge
expansion. That expansion will increase traffic over the new 11th Street
bridges by fifty thousand vehicles per day, some of which will spill out
into the rest of Capitol Hill. DDOT sold Hill East on the idea that the
new 11th Street bridges would reduce traffic on 17th and 19th Streets in
Hill East, but if Hill East had listened closely, they would have seen
that this assertion by DDOT was dependent upon another costly project
— one which would have made commuting on 17th and 19th Streets more
time consuming — also going forward. That other project is separate
from the 11th Street bridges redo, and in today’s financial climate
won’t happen. Hill East’s insistence on behalf of the 11th Street
bridges project caused a rift with the rest of the Hill. Tommy Wells
carried their water, probably because he had publicly sided with them
before the issues became known to the rest of the Hill. Wells’ stance
for the 11th Street bridges project caused others on the Hill to be
upset with him. So I wouldn’t blame Wells if at this point he decided
that he didn’t want to have any more disputes which would cause him to
have to chose to side with one side of the Hill or the other. In other
words, Hill East may have sowed the seeds of its own demise as part of
the Hill. This is just one view, of course.
Bryce also says that some bordering residents are upset with the
scale of proposed redevelopment at the former Hine Junior High. That is
true, but it is also true that many more residents want that site to be
redeveloped, and that almost all public comment to DC agencies has been
along the lines of, “We like the idea, but scale it down a bit, and
make the design fit the architectural fabric of the Hill.” I don’t
think Wells will lose many votes for supporting the project per se,
unless he were (very unlikely) to come out and defend the latest
specific design idea, which is in any case undergoing changes as we
speak.
###############
I’m not quite sure what Deborah Bradford [themail, May 25] was
seeing in the video regarding the Metro Police and the elderly
handicapped man in the wheelchair. What I saw was, as P. L. Wolff
described, “officers who are so unqualified emotionally that they go
nuts over small things and create havoc.” While I don’t condone the
man for his public drinking or that in his “condition” he was
disorderly, but there is a way to handle every situation. Yes, I will
concede that as the riding public demands more from Metro in protecting
their ridership. But I think in police training it is important to
understand that not every citizen is a “criminal” and for their
situational training there was a better way this arrest could have been
handled. Compare this incident and the tragic car-jacking that took
place in broad daylight in Largo, where a father and daughter were
assaulted and shot. Where were the Metro Police then? In the scheme of
things, the wheelchair incident is receiving more publicity than the
incident in Largo. I’m not saying the wheelchair incident is not
important, but the protection of life and limb is quite a bit more
important in my book!
As to Bradford’s comment about Mayor Gray not being around on
police crackdowns, it is not necessarily in his job description to get
on camera for every police action, like former Mayor Fenty managed to do
throughout his tenure. Former Mayor Fenty’s desire to be on camera for
every such incident was not that he really cared about people (remember
all his distrustful actions in other areas), but his insecurity in
reminding the public that he was the Mayor. Mayor Gray’s ego doesn’t
compel him to be on camera for every such incident. As appropriate I’m
certain he will as necessary appear on camera. But to say he doesn’t
care about the citizens is being a bit naive!
###############
Hmm, Is This the Correct Term?
Star Lawrence, jkellaw@aol.com
You say [themail, May 25] — “Some urbanists are so divorced from
nature that they’re paralyzed by a fear of all animals.” “Urbanists?”
Out here in Arizona we call them a-holes. Crazy lunatics that we are, we
let kids play with dogs.
###############
CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
Adams Morgan Summer Concert Series, June
4-July 9
Peter Meinecke, meinecp@allegheny.edu
The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (BID) is
pleased to announce the third annual free summer concert series will
begin on Saturday, June 4, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the public plaza in
front of BB&T Bank at the northeast corner of Columbia Road/Adams
Mill Road/18th Street, NW, in Adams Morgan. We are appreciative of the
generous financial support for this year’s concert series from
BB&T Bank. The free summer concert series will continue through July
9 every Saturday night from 5 to 7 p.m. We will have a limited number of
chairs for audience members. Please feel free to bring your own beach
chair. In the event of rain, the concert will be canceled for that day.
Due to the nature of the series, there will not be a rain date.
Here is the schedule of bands to perform: June 4, Kid Goat. Kid Goat
is a real American rock and roll band based in the very unreal American
environment of Washington, DC. With beautifully penned songs that bring
to mind the likes of Steve Earle and John Hiatt, it would be easy to
simply call Kid Goat an Alt-Country band, but the melding of the
backgrounds and styles of its members create a sound that can only be
described as straightforward rock and roll. Kid Goat’s music takes you
on a journey through blues, country and rock-n-roll to a place that is
pure Americana, complete with brutal honesty, familiar stories and
social conscience. Whether it is the tension of edgy rock and roll, the
longing and sadness of a country number or the humor in just a damn
clever tune, Kid Goat is songs that feel like home played by musicians
who feel at home. Their music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/kidgoat
June 11, The Black Sparks. The Black Sparks are a punk band made up
of five middle schoolers serious about their music and the alternative
rock scene in DC. Their music is high energy, all original, post-punk
that promises to be both dynamic and engaging. The Black Sparks have
performed at the 9:30 Club (winning multiple Battles of the Bands), the
Black Cat, Fort Reno, Fredericksburg All Ages, and other venues
throughout the DC area. Not to be missed, the Black Sparks can be found
at their web site (theblacksparks.com), and on MySpace and Facebook.
June 18, Aubriot. Aubriot (“aub-ree-oh”) is a DC-based, pop-rock
band that performs original rock songs and pop covers from the 80s, 90s,
and 00s. They perform at clubs around town, including DC9, the Velvet
Lounge, and the Wonderland Ballroom. Their influences include U2, Death
Cab for Cutie, The Cure, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing
Pumpkins, The Velvet Underground, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You!
Black Emperor, and The Gloria Record. Their songs are built around
strong melodies, atmospheric guitar riffs, driving bass lines, and
textured drum patterns. Their music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/aubriot
June 25, Honeyguns. Having formed in December of 2009, The Honeyguns
have quickly risen to become one of Washington, DC’s, hottest bands.
Over the last year, the band has been building a loyal following as the
appreciation for their unique style of high-energy soulful, dance-rock
music takes hold. Pulling influence from rock, funk, soul and punk
music, The Honeyguns deliver electric live sets. Their first show at
Black Cat in April was met with a rousing reception and their highly
anticipated debut EP, simply entitled, ‘EP’ will be released in
Adams Morgan on June 25. Check out their music at http://www.myspace.com/thehoneyguns
July 2, Down Tyme. Come ready to dance! Fronted by the soaring vocals
of soulful songstress Alyce Walker, DownTyme also features Rob Orwin on
keys and windsynth, Eric Carson on bass, Dwight Campbell on drums, and
frequent guest artists that just happen by. Formed in 2009, the group
has been delighting audiences with an infectious mix of R&B, neosoul,
and smooth jazz from classic artists of the 70s and 80s (Luther Vandross,
Anita Baker, Chaka Kahn) through contemporary artists of today (Jill
Scott, Alicia Keys, Erika Badu), all infused with DownTyme’s own
improvisatory flair. Their music can be heard at http://www.facebook.com/pages/DownTyme/271637024794
July 9, Batuque. Batuque (pronounced “bah-TOO-kee”) is a type of
Brazilian music based on dance and rhythm brought by Africans to Brazil.
Formed in 2010, this eclectic quintet also brews up fresh reinventions
of familiar bossas and sambas plus high-energy biaios and forros, with a
healthy heaping of Brazilian jazz. Fronted by Brazilian native Lucia
Lima from the northeast city of Recife (home to the legendary
singer/composer Luiz Gonzaga), Batuque also features Tom Kitchen on
guitar, Rob Orwin on keyboard, Joe Lerner on bass, and Bruce Bond on
drums/percussion. Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/batuqueband
###############
Advisory Council Event with Reince Priebus,
June 7
Paul Craney, paul@dcgop.com
Please join the DC Republican Committee Advisory Council for a
reception with Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National
Committee, on June 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the home of Phil and
Diane Olsson, located at 3519 Lowell Street, NW. To join the Advisory
Council and attend this event, you must become a member. Normal annual
dues are $1,000, or $500 if you are 35 years old or younger. Quarterly
payments may be arranged and all major credit cards are accepted.
The Advisory Council meets at least three times a year, often four
times. This will be the first event of 2011. If you would like to join
the Advisory Council, please download the membership form at http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/163484.aspx,
and mail it with your payment to 1275 K Street, NW, Suite 102,
Washington, DC 20005. You may contact Paul at 407-7069 or E-mail at paul@dcgop.com
with any questions. Reince Priebus will not be soliciting contributions
during this event.
###############
National Building Museum Events, June 7
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
June 7, 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Book of the Month: Clang! Clang! Beep!
Beep! Listen to the City. Readings at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. Free drop-in
program. Recommended for ages three to five. Join us in the Building
Zone for an interactive reading of Robert Burleigh’s Clang! Clang!
Beep! Beep! and experience the sights and sounds in a big city.
June 7, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Modernism for the Masses. $12 NBM and Art
Deco Society of Washington members. $12 students, $20 nonmembers.
Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on
availability. Alexandra Lange, critic, architectural historian, and
co-author of Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to
American Homes, and Russell A. Flinchum, Ph.D., archivist of the
Century Association Archives Foundation, professor, and author of American
Design, discuss the ascension of industrial design during the 1930s,
its relationship to the democratization of “good design” in consumer
products, and the contemporary version found in mass-market stores
including Target and IKEA.
Both events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW,
Judiciary Square Metro station. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
###############
DC Statehood Teach-In at the Capitol, June 9
Ann Loikow, aloikow@verizon.net
Please join the American Civil Liberties Union of the Nation’s
Capital and DC statehood activists — and bring your friends and
neighbors — for a teach-in on the west lawn of the US Capitol, on 1st
Street between Constitution and Independence Avenues, NW, on Thursday,
June 9 from noon to 9:00 p.m. There will be information tables from noon
to 4:00 p.m., testimonials from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., statehood experts
speaking from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., and live music (the best of DC) from
7:00 to 8:30 p.m., with the day culminating in a candlelight vigil from
8:30 to 9:00 p.m. Come learn about why we need statehood to end over two
centuries of disenfranchisement and to finally again become full
American citizens. For more information, contact Johnny Barnes at johnny.barnes@aclu-nca.org.
###############
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.