Rhetoric
Dear Rhetoricians:
Tuesday night, Mayor Vincent Gray gave his annual State of the
District address (http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/120207.htm)
at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, The site allowed the
administration to stage what looked like a very successful speech.
Compared with the large theaters and high school auditoriums in which
past State of the District speeches were held, the Synagogue’s main
sanctuary is much smaller; it only seats about eight hundred people, a
little more than half on the main floor, and a little less than half in
the balcony. The main floor was reserved for invited groups and guests,
and the general public was seated in the balcony. Councilmembers and the
mayor’s cabinet members were seated in the first several rows of the
main floor, so that their enthusiastic applause throughout the speech
would be recorded, both on video and audio, as the reaction of the whole
audience. The speech was written, according to the reporting of the Washington
Post’s Tim Craig and the Washington City Paper’s Alan
Suderman, not by a member of the mayor’s sizable press and public
relations office, but by an as-yet unidentified outside speech writer who
was paid six thousand dollars for the job.
What was most interesting about the audience reaction to the speech,
however, was how subdued and muted the applause was at many lines
obviously intended to elicit applause. Aside from the reliable and
consistent applause from the mayor’s cabinet and other government
employees, there were only a few times that the entire audience —
including the ordinary citizens exiled to the balcony — responded with
enthusiasm. When the mayor talked about the good financial condition of the
DC budget this year, the clapping was widespread and prolonged, and the
only standing ovation was for the mayor’s pledge to continue to
advocate statehood for the District. But several of the mayor’s
initiatives drew only tepid support, limited to the central section of
the audience.
The mayor’s mention of the streetcar line as an achievement of his
administration left most of the audience cold, as did his advocacy of
Export DC, a “small business export development program” focusing on
South Africa, Brazil, and Asia. His plan to strengthen the DC economy by
exporting DC experts in green, “sustainable” construction to China
and his emphasis on converting all DC street lights to LED lighting didn’t
rouse the audience, either. His desire to expand early childhood
education to the first months of life (including his ad libbed line that
wasn’t in the printed speech, “I’d start it in the womb if I could”)
didn’t seem to convince the audience that the DC government could
raise children better than families could. And his short and perfunctory
acknowledgment of the administration’s ethical problems, although it
was the focus of much of the press’ coverage of the speech, came too
late in the speech (page 28 of a 31-page speech) and too late in the
administration to make much of an impression.
Gary Imhoff
gary@dcwatch.com
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Petition Challenges Resolved
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
I wrote in the last issue of themail that the DC Board of Elections
and Ethics would be issuing a Memorandum Opinion and Order regarding the
challenge to Councilmember Yvette Alexander’s nominating petitions
that had been filed by Dawn Matthews (BOEE Administrative Hearing No.
12-03). That decision was issued Monday. In its decision, http://www.dcwatch.com/govern/boee120206.htm,
the Board denied Matthews’ challenge and decided that Yvette Alexander
is “granted access to the April 3, 2012, Primary Election ballot as a
candidate for nomination for the office of Ward Seven Member of the
Council.”
Under BOEE rules and regulations, the challenger, Matthews, has the
burden of proof. In its decision, the Board concludes that “although
it did not find substantial evidence of a ‘pattern or practice’ of
wrongdoing sufficient to compel invalidating all signatures submitted by
Mr. Browne and Mr. Ford, such should not be misinterpreted as approval
of either the sloppy nature of the Alexander campaign’s signature
collection process, or the inability of Mr. Ford, the campaign's manager
and treasurer, to explain several deficiencies which ultimately raised
questions as to whether the Board should trust the veracity of his
testimony. . . .” When I queried Alexander on Tuesday as to whether
she had read the BOEE decision and its very critical comments regarding
her campaign, she said that she had not. “Why should I? I’m on the
ballot; that’s all that counts!”
In addition to issuing its decision in the Yvette Alexander case on
Monday, the BOEE also issued orders denying the challenge to the
nominating petitions of E. Gail Anderson Holness (candidate for at-large
member of the council, filed by Alonzo Edmondson (BOEE Administrative
Hearing No. 12-02); and upholding the challenge that Sandra Seegars
filed regarding Jauhar Abraham’s nominating petitions for Ward 8
member of the council (BOEE Administrative Hearing No. 12-01).
###############
At the council’s breakfast meeting on Tuesday, held prior to the
legislative session, the discussion regarding Internet gambling got
heated and contentious. Councilmember David Catania indicated his
support for the bill Jack Evans would be introducing to repeal the
legislation that had authorized Igaming and his opposition to Michael
Brown’s proposed amendment to Evans’ bill as “not being serious.”
Brown, in a last-ditch effort to convince his council colleagues and
defend Internet gambling, noted the strong support for Internet gambling
that had been voiced at community meetings organized by the Lottery
Board and held throughout the city last year. Catania immediately shot
back, stating that the so-called support was largely based on all the
“walk-around money” that had been put in the pockets of many of the
people who attended the meetings. The shouting match between the two
councilmember deteriorated farther when Catania noted Michael Brown’s
short and undistinguished legislative record.
##############
Rhee at the National Data Summit
Nathan A. Saunders, President, Washington Teachers’
Union, nsaunders@wtulocal6.com
Here we go again with more of the same from former DC Schools
Chancellor Michelle Rhee. In a repeat performance at the National Data
Summit, reminiscent of her time here in Washington, DC, Rhee continued
to shut down anyone with an opposing point of view — whether it be
teachers, community leaders, or parents. The actions of National Data
Summit organizers — who threw out retired DC math teacher Guy
Brandenburg last week for simply passing out pamphlets. like many other
summit-goers — is exactly what has become standard practice for anyone
who challenges those who champion “data-driven” school reform: a
swift and utter dismissal. This behavior not only trampled Brandenburg’s
rights to free speech, but was also just plain rude.
This is not the first time Brandenburg, who writes the GFBrandenburgs
Blog, has called Rhee to the carpet for her fictitious claims. In a February
2010 blog post, Brandenburg so brilliantly dispelled her mythical
claims about test score increases with her newly hired principals to
justify firing many veteran principals. Surely even Michelle Rhee knows
you should be prepared to “show your work” to a math teacher.
Furthermore, should we come to believe that Secretary of Education Arne
Duncan, the leader of the nation’s agency dedicated to education
excellence, is joining Rhee in her totalitarian ways? Certainly,
Secretary Duncan could not have known that a peaceful teacher who
registered to attend the summit (and just happens to have a different
point of view) was removed for simply disagreeing.
The time has come for thoughtful, transparent and honest dialogue
about data-driven education reform. Perhaps Michelle Rhee could learn a
lesson from the labor community on coming together to share various
points of view, acknowledge those who raise questions and build a
consensus. Do we want our students to be prepared to compete in this
ever-changing global economy? Absolutely. Do we want our educators to
have equitable compensation, evaluation, and supports to prepare the
next generation of innovators? Of course. However, we do not want to
stifle the creativity and mentorship that so many of us look upon fondly
when remembering that special teacher who made a difference in our
lives.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
National Building Museum Events, February 9
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
Thursday, February 9, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Smart Growth: Human Transit.
Jarrett Walker, author of Human Transit, outlines the fundamental
geometry of transit that shapes successful systems, the process for
fitting technology to a particular community, and the local choices that
lead to transit-friendly development. Free, registration required. At
the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary Square Metro
station. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
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One City Citizen Summit, February 11
Neil Richardson, neilrichardsondc@gmail.com
As many of you know, the District is hosting a Citizen Summit this
Saturday February 11, at the Convention Center from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
The Citizen Summit process is an innovation in engaging residents and
setting priorities for city government. I applaud Mayor Gray for
resuming this valuable practice. All the feedback themes from the summit
will be posted for all of to see and follow in a transparent process.
During the Williams administration, Neighborhood Action and the Citizen
Summit process convened over twenty thousand residents to dialogue about
important issues and the overall vision for what our great city can be.
For better or worse, depending on your point of view, the feedback
from residents attending the Summit influenced the District budget each
year, including the city’s policies regarding public safety
strategies, affordable housing, the vision for our libraries,
Comprehensive Plan choices, and how to attract one hundred thousand
residents to the city. We see the ramifications of the choices that we
made then every day in a rapidly transforming city.
The Citizen Summit process has been used to convene people together
to talk about the most important challenges across the country, from
post Katrina planning in New Orleans to the rebuilding of the World
Trade Center in New York City. In an era when people across the country
and the world are taking to the streets to get their voices heard, the
Citizen Summit process is the best way to hold government and elected
officials accountable between elections. The investment in city dollars
and more than a thousand residents donating a weekend day is a great
value and provides a citizen centered path for decision making. The
state of the District is indeed strong. Let’s keep the momentum going.
Let your voice be heard!
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Upcoming DC Public Black History Month Events,
February 11, 13
George Williams, George.Williams2@dc.gov
Saturday, February 11, 1:00 p.m. Author Talk. Dr. Suzanne E. Smith,
Professor of History and Art History at George Mason University, will
discuss her latest book, To Serve the Living: Funeral Directors and
the African-American Way of Death. African-American funeral
directors were among the few people who were economically independent.
Their financial freedom gave them the ability to support the struggle
for civil rights and to serve the living as well as bury the dead. With
the dawning of the civil rights age, these entrepreneurs were drawn into
the movement to integrate American society. But they were also uncertain
how racial integration would affect their business. Martin Luther King,
Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW. For more information, call
727-1261.
Monday, February 13, 6:30 p.m. Paul Butler, “Let’s Get Free: How
Hip Hop Music Can Improve Our Justice System.” Paul Butler, Associate
Dean for Faculty Development and Carville Dickinson Benson Research
Professor of Law at George Washington University, examines the problems
of the criminal justice system and ways to reshape it, based on his
critically acclaimed work, Let’s Get Free: A Hip Hop Theory of
Justice (2010). Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G
Street, NW. For more information, call 727-0321.
Wednesday, February 15. 6:30 p.m. Rev. Dexter U. Nutall “The Role
of Women in the Black Church.” Rev. Dexter U. Nutall, Pastor of New
Bethel Baptist Church and Director of the District of Columbia Office on
Religious Affairs, sheds light on the historic contributions of
African-American Women as spiritual. Capitol View Library, 5001 Central
Avenue, SE. For more information, call 645-0755.
A complete listing of events can be found online at http://www.dclibrary.org/blackhistory
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