What Election?
Dear Voters:
What if they gave an election and nobody came? The April 3 primary
may be the election with the lowest turnout of voters in the District of
Columbia’s brief history of self governance. I’ve been unable to
detect any noticeable enthusiasm for any candidates, either incumbents
or challengers. There’s no sizable coterie of supporters following any
candidate to any of the debates or public meetings at which they speak.
The federal investigations of Councilmembers Thomas and Kwame Brown,
Mayor Gray, and fundraiser Jeffrey Thompson have reduced the prevalence
of cash contributions and money order substitutes for cash. The bad
publicity given to bundled contributions has temporarily reduced the
domination of law-busting bundles. The relative lack of money in this
election cycle has showed itself in the virtual absence from most
campaigns of campaign flyers and literature, paid campaign workers, and
all the paraphernalia of earlier campaigns. Only Councilmember Jack
Evans, who is running unopposed in his primary in Ward Two, incumbent
Ward Four Councilmember Muriels Bowser, and self-financed Shadow Senator
candidate Pete Ross are swimming in money in this election; everyone
else is waiting for the heat to die down to collect the bulk of campaign
donations. In addition, the early primary date appears likely to depress
voting numbers significantly, which may have gone into the calculations
of incumbent councilmembers who voted to set the primary date this early
in the year. An election with a very low turnout is likely to be
dominated by incumbents who have built effective get-out-the-vote
machines in past elections, so that even in a year with a disgusted
electorate, ready to act on its desire to “kick all the bums out,”
the bums will remain safe in their seats.
In any case, when I begged in the last issue of themail for readers’
endorsements in this election, I didn’t get any. Not one reader was
enthusiastic enough about any candidate, incumbent or challenger, to say
a good word about him or her.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Vincent Orange Filing Irregularities
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com
Under District law, campaigns are required to file a report with the
DC Office of Campaign Finance (OCF) that details all funds raised and
spent by campaign committees eight days prior to an election. As a
result, all candidates in the April 3 primary are required to file their
“eight-day preprimary report” with OCF by midnight March 26. On
Monday, March 26, the Re-Elect Vincent Orange 2012 Committee filed its
eight-day preprimary report (http://ocf.dc.gov/pdf_files/EFS_generated/PCC_12_177+6331_O_0_1.pdf).
It indicated that for the period March 11 (when the last report had been
filed) through March 26, the campaign had received $150 in
contributions, made no expenditures, and had a balance of $114,538.72
cash on hand. As a longtime observer of campaigns in the District, I
found Orange’s filing to be suspect because it is highly unlikely that
any citywide campaign for elective office would not have had some
expenditures in the two-week period prior to the election. I know that
Orange’s filing was false because since January I had been making
field observations of campaign activities and expenditures by all the
candidates in the April primary. I made a concerted effort to attend
campaign events, visit campaign headquarters, talk to campaign workers
and supporters, and make observations regarding campaign expenditures.
Orange had a luncheon on March 19 for more than one hundred twenty-five
seniors at the Eclipse Restaurant on Bladensburg Road, and after the
luncheon he transported then and five school buses and a
fifteen-passenger van to BOEE’s early voting center at Judiciary
Square to cast their ballots. I also know that the Orange campaign had
expenditures for a paid campaign staff (including campaign manager Doug
Sloan and field director Joe Ruffin) and a new piece of campaign
literature distributed in the week of March 18.
On Tuesday, when I tried to ask Orange about his OCF filing, he would
not take my telephone calls. Instead, Doug Sloan, his campaign manager,
called me. I asked him why the campaign had failed to report the
expenditures for the seniors, for the buses, etc. Sloan admitted that
the campaign had expenditures between March 11 and March 26, but tried
to attribute “errors” in Orange’s electronic filing of his report
to a computer at OCF and indicated that an amended report would be filed
at OCF and posted by Wednesday morning. At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, I
went to OCF’s office in the Reeves Building and learned that OCF was
not suffering any computer problems and that Orange had not yet filed an
amended report that accurately detailed all contributions and
expenditures by his campaign.
It is worth noting that Vincent Orange touts the fact that he is “a
lawyer, certified public accountant, and auditor” when he argues that
he is the most qualified candidate to serve on the city council. Since
he has previously run for elective office in the District as the Ward 5
councilmember, mayor, council chair, and at-large councilmember, he
should be very familiar with the District’s campaign finance laws.
Finally, given ongoing investigations and heightened public concerns
regarding Orange and the financing of his past political campaigns
(including the use of bundled contributions from Jeffrey Thompson’s
network, money orders and cashiers checks, independent expenditures by
individuals and corporations, and cash), did he think no one would
review his OCF filing and note the lack of expenditures and
contributions of only $150 during the reporting period prior to the
primary? (Footnote: as a result of the concerns I raised with OCF’s
General Counsel late Wednesday afternoon, Councilmember Orange has not
filed an amended report that addresses some, but not all, of the
omissions that I noted.)
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Phil Mendelson’s Vote on Noel
Ann Loikow, aloikow@verizon.net
More and more is coming out in the press about Councilmember
Mendelson and Pepco. Besides owning more than $5,000 in Pepco stock (the
exact number of shares and their value has not been disclosed), the Washington
City Paper reported (http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2012/03/21/did-pepco-cash-kill-consumer-advocates-nomination/)
that Councilmember Mendelson received three thousand dollars in campaign
contributions from Pepco. This was more than the other members of the
Committee. Councilmember Bowser received $2,300, Alexander $1,900,
Graham $1,800, and Cheh nothing. This article also reported that the DC
Chamber of Commerce, one of the very, very few entities beside Pepco to
oppose Betty Noel’s nomination to the Public Service Commission, gave
Mendelson $5,000, Alexander $3,300, Bowser $3,200, Graham $2,300 and
nothing to Cheh. Donna Cooper, a Pepco Vice President, is on the DC
Chamber’s board of directors.
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Another Bogus Crime Wave (Jack McKay)
Richard Rothblum (richard@rothblum.org)
[Re: “Another Bogus Crime Wave,” themail, March 24] Jack, it is
very nice to read a voice of reason regarding hysterical statistics
hyped by The Washington Post. However, it is my impression that
crime in upper northwest has gotten a lot worse recently, although not
as bad as perhaps it once was. What is your take on the statistics for
Ward 3?
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Another Bogus Crime Wave (Correction)
Jack McKay, jack.mckay@verizon.net
In the March 24 issue of themail, I wrote that “By my count
(obtained from the MPD crime map site), there were 794 robberies in the
District between January 1 and March 13 (how the Post gets 875,
citing the same source for their data, I do not know).” Well, now I
know: the error was mine, one fumbled cell in my spreadsheet, causing a
significant undercount of robberies in 3D. Nonetheless, my conclusions
remain the same: there were, by my corrected count, 867 robberies in the
District during the period January 1 through March 18, which is a lot
more than the 662 recorded last year, but fewer than the 891 counted in
2009, and comparable to the 793 recorded in 2008. Last year, the
January-February crime count in DC was depressed by bad weather. This
year, with mild weather and no snow, it wasn’t, and the robbery count
went up to rather ordinary numbers. Not a crime “surge.” Just good
weather, bringing people out onto the street, providing more
opportunities to robbers on the prowl for victims.
A correspondent asked about the crime rates in upper northwest. In
MPD District 2, the 74 robberies recorded is indeed higher than in any
other year since 2005, but still, only barely more than the 72 counted
in 2009. I suppose that’s something for upper-northwesters to worry
about, but what amounts to a record crime count in upper Northwest is
still low compared to anywhere else in DC. MPD 2D has about 19 percent
of the District’s population, but accounted for only 8.5 percent of
the city robbery total during this period. No other MPD district had
fewer than one hundred robberies. Yes, I know, nobody wants to hear that
they shouldn’t complain because the crime problem is worse somewhere
else. But those of us who don’t live in upper northwest resent the
amount of attention paid by District councilmembers and the MPD to the
DC neighborhoods that have by far the lowest crime rates in the
District.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DPW Live, Online Chat on Street Cleaning
Issues, March 30
Kevin B. Twine, Kevin.Twine@dc.gov
The Department of Public Works Street and Alley Cleaning Division
will discuss new street cleaning initiatives for 2012 and address
citizens’ concerns and questions regarding this service during a live,
online chat Friday, March 30, from 12:00-1:00 p.m. The chat was
previously scheduled for noon, Thursday, March 29. To participate in the
session once it has begun, place http://dpw.dc.gov/livechat
into the browser’s search bar or visit http://www.dpw.dc.gov
and select the “Live Chat” icon up at the top of DPW’s home page.
Transcripts of all chat sessions can be reviewed after the session by
following these same instructions. DPW’s online chats are held at noon
each month with DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr., and other DPW
officials.
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Woman’s National Democratic Club Meetings,
April 3, 5
Patricia Bitondo, pbitondo@aol.com
Tuesday, April 3, luncheon with Morgan Weibel, Asylum from
Gender-Based Violence. Please join the Global Women’s Task Force in
welcoming human rights advocate and attorney Morgan Weibel of the
Tahirih Justice Center. What are we doing about gender-based violence,
including genital mutilation, torture, rape, human trafficking, honor
crimes, widow rituals, forced marriage, and domestic violence? Ms.
Weibel and the staff at Tahirih provide legal representation to women
fleeing these threats in their countries, as well as case management
services, to create a new life here. We will hear about their important
work, and what we can do to spread the word, advocate and support their
efforts to protect women and girls whose victimization affects us all.
Ms. Weibel has developed an expertise in femicide and international
women’s rights. She will present some of her cases to us, and give us
talking points to raise awareness about this worldwide problem. At the
Woman’s National Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Bar
opens at 11:30 a.m.; lunch 12:15 p.m.; lecture, presentation, Q&A:
1:00-2:00 p.m. Members $25, nonmembers $30; lecture only $10. Register
at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=35248
Thursday, April 5, luncheon with The Honorable Donna Edwards.
Congresswoman Edwards represents Maryland’s 4th Congressional
District. When first elected to the Congress in 2008, Congresswoman
Edwards became the first African American woman to represent the state
of Maryland in the US House. Ms. Edwards on the following committees:
Transportation and Infrastructure, Science and Technology, and the Tom
Lantos Human Rights Commission. Ms. Edwards is also a member of the
Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, and was recently
chosen to CO-chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s
“Red to Blue” task force. She is a graduate of Wake Forest
University and the University of New Hampshire School of Law. She has
lived in Prince George’s County for more than twenty-five years, and
her son is a recent university graduate. Congresswoman Edwards works
tirelessly to improve the lot of women and has spoken out on many
issues, including making certain that the minimum wage covers workers
such as restaurant workers where the wage has remained unchanged for 21
years — still at $2.15 an hour. Don’t miss the chance to hear and
have a dialogue with Congresswoman Edwards. At the Woman’s National
Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, NW. Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.;
lunch 12:15 p.m.; lecture, presentation, Q&A: 1:00-2:00 p.m. Members
$25, nonmembers $30; lecture only $10. Register at https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5880/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=34947
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Spotlight on Design Lecture with Diana Balmori.
April 4
Stacy Adamson, sadamson@nbm.org
Diana Balmori, FASLA, founding principal of Balmori Associates,
discusses the environmental benefit of integrating landscape and
architecture on Wednesday, April 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Dr. Balmori “calls
on us to recognize new relationships — between disciplines, between
inert and living materials, between nature and culture.” Recognized
internationally as one of the leading professionals working in the
fields of landscape and architecture, she discusses projects that
reflect her vision for contemporary urban spaces that successfully
integrate these relationships. Dr. Balmori’s projects range from the
master plan for Korea’s new government complex to the largest
monitored green roof on top of Silvercup Studios in New York City. Dr.
Balmori will be introduced by Kathryn Sullivan, PhD, a former astronaut
and now Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation
and Prediction and NOAA Deputy Administrator and Chief Scientist
(Acting). This lecture is presented in celebration of National Landscape
Architecture Month. At the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW,
Judiciary Square Metro station. $12 members, free for students, $20 for
nonmembers. Prepaid registration required. Walk-in registration based on
availability. Register for events at http://www.nbm.org.
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