April Fools

Dear Washingtonians:

Faithful readers of themail are familiar with the work of stellar DC Public Schools teacher Erich Martel. If you’re not, go to http://www.dcpswatch.com/martel and review a few of the things he has written over the past ten years. Now he has resigned, and the story of how DCPS forced that resignation has been told by Jay Matthews in the Post, http://tinyurl.com/6q5dxvp.

DCPS is engaged in an anti-teacher project, begun under Chancellor Michelle Rhee and Mayor Adrian Fenty, and continuing today. The old military saying was that there are three ways to do things: the right way, the wrong way, and the Navy way. That third way is just adherence to rules, which are neither right nor wrong; they are just the rules. The lesson DCPS teaches teachers is not to stick out, and definitely not to stick up for doing things the right way. Martel got into trouble for doing things the right way, and that is something DCPS — and the DC government — punishes rather than rewards.

I wish this were an April Fools post, and that at the end I could say, “Fooled you. You didn’t really believe such an outrageous hoax, did you?” It’s not, and I can’t say that.

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Also not a hoax: there’s a primary election Tuesday.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Tuesday’s Primary Election
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

On Tuesday, April 3, DC voters will go to the polls to vote in party primaries (Democratic, Republican, and Statehood Green) being held for a host of local offices, including councilmembers (at-large, Wards 2, 4, 7, and 8), Shadow DC Representative and Senator, and Congressional Delegate. Early indications suggest that there will be a low-water turnout on election day, due in large measure to the fact that the date for the primary, which previously was held in September after Labor Day, is being held for the first time in April. Many District residents are still unaware of Tuesday’s primary election. It should also be noted that part District primaries that have been held when there wasn’t a mayoral contest on the ballot have traditionally had low voter turnouts (e.g., 42,570 votes cast by 12.84 percent of all registered voters in 2008, as compared to 137,586 votes cast by 34.14 percent in 2010 when there was a spirited mayoral contest on the ballot). In addition, it is still not known whether the early voting centers in each ward will have made voting easier and will increase total voter participation. Perhaps the biggest unknown factor centers around what impact the ongoing scandals in the District government will have. In many instances, there is widespread anger, creating apathy among voters regarding the District’s elected leadership. On the other hand, many are so disgusted that they simply want an opportunity to clear house and throw all the bums out of elected office.

The current ongoing federal investigations of past political campaigns (e.g., Council Chairman Kwame Brown and Mayor Vincent Gray) and the political contributions of businessman Jeffrey Thompson have had a chilling effect on all campaigns. Contributions, by and large, are lower than in part years. Campaign contributions who would normally donate are now leery about giving at all. In addition, the campaign finance reports for all the primary candidates indicate that there is less bundling of contributions and only infrequent use of money orders and campaign checks. Because many candidates were severely criticized at candidate forums for their acceptance of corporate contributions, there also appears to have been a decline in such largesse from the business community. In short, for this primary election season, there hasn’t been the freewheeling spending of funds that we have seen in past elections — no television ads as well as fewer mailings, paid campaign workers, and posters.

Because we have changed our election calendar in the District by moving the primary from September to April, it is possible that candidates who lose the primary election on Tuesday could run again Fas independents in the November 6 general election. No law forbids it. In the past, the deadline to register as an independent in the general election preceded the primary. This year, however, petitions to appear on the November ballot as an independent will be available from the Board of Elections starting on June 15, and they must be filed by August 8. That gives candidates who lose their primaries plenty of time to regroup and register as independents in order to run in November.

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DC Council Quid Pro Quo
Karl Jeremy, mayandkarl@gmail.com

In the March 29 edition of themail, Dorothy Brizill reported, “Vincent 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 them and five school buses and a fifteen-passenger van to BOEE’s early voting center at Judiciary Square to cast their ballots.” Isn’t this buying votes and what a disgusting example of civic responsibility — seniors’ votes being bought off for a free lunch. Vincent Orange is the councilmember who led his black colleagues in a vote of support for the gas station magnate, Joe Mamo. Their vote guarantees that gas prices will remain high at over half the gas stations in the city, and Vincent Orange’s campaign coffers will remain full.

The contrast between slimeballs like Vincent Orange and reputable guys like Phil Mendelson used to be noticeable, but the difference is narrowing. Mendelson’s council votes, like Vincent Orange’s, are being bought. Residents once regarded Phil Mendelson as the “go to” member of the DC council, but it appears Phil is no longer working on behalf of DC residents. Politicians are expected to accept campaign contributions, but the obvious quid pro quo is rarely as apparent as Ann Loikow reported relative to the Betty Noel vote, “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. . . . 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.”

In spite of the free lunches and bus rides, most DC voters are tired of politics as usual and corrupt leaders. This might explain voter apathy.

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Meeting on a Redskins’ Training Facility
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com

On the night of March 23, about four hundred citizens met with Mayor Gray and City Councilmembers Evans, Alexander, and Michael Brown. They were there to voice their opposition to the plan of the mayor and some councilmembers to locate a Redskins training camp on Reservation 13, the area along the Anacostia River that includes DC General and the DC jail. Brown and the mayor made a major error when they appealed to the citizens to support their plan because of their supposed love for the Redskins. The problem was 85 percent of the attendees were white, and many of them were newcomers who disliked the Redskins because they keep losing games. The citizens rejected the appeal and remained opposed to the facility.

Many citizens believe that a training facility is merely a first step in a plan to bring the Redskins back to play in DC at RFK Stadium. At the very least, this talk about the training facility serves — Gray hopes — to divert attention from the investigation of corruption of his administration. I believe that if Gray succeeded in bringing the training facility to DC, many people would forget about his corruption and vote him in for another term because they are so irrational about their football team.

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DDOT and Greener Storm Water Infrastructure (Part I)
David Jonas Bardin, davidbardin@aol.com

Many people connect livability of a city with tree canopy and landscaping — both public and private. Many cities, including ours, now strive for that kind of livability. Hard, impervious surfaces both advance and obstruct livability. For example, we prefer walking or riding on pavement rather than on mud or dust. But pavement competes with flora and raises summer temperatures (the “heat island effect”) and causes rainwater to run off quickly, rather than soaking into the ground — and that runoff causes erosion, demand for storm sewers, and federally-mandated costs to limit impacts on rivers and creeks, costs which DC Water customers or DC taxpayers will have to bear.

Mayor Gray’s advocacy for a sustainable DC raises the issue of how to balance pros and cons of impervious surfaces. One might think this is mainly a matter of buildings with impervious roofs. Not so. All DC’s private and public office buildings and residences combined account for only 36 percent of our impervious area. In contrast, streets, roads, sidewalks, and alleys account for 47 percent, citywide — and much more in the most densely-developed parts of our city.

The District government itself, through its Department of Transportation (DDOT), paves, owns, and manages almost all of these streets, roads, sidewalks, and alleys. So DDOT feels challenged to convert some of its surface holdings from impervious to porous. I summarize that challenge and how DDOT has begun to address it in a paper posted at http://www.dcwatch.com/columns/bardin.htm.

Costs of runoff from DDOT’s impervious surfaces are an “externality.” Others have to pay for remedying perceived harm, as a subsequent posting will explain, but DDOT does not. In the absence of price signals, Mayor Gray and DDOT Director Bellamy must find other ways to measure and address the costs of DDOT impervious surfaces to the people of DC so as to set and achieve reasonable green infrastructure goals.

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Baruti Jahi for Ward Four Councilmember
Artee Milligan, Ward Four, ajmilligan@aol.com 

I am endorsing Baruti Jahi for Ward Four councilmember. In addition to his intelligence, leadership, and critical thinking skills, he is a hard worker. He led the effort to repeal the tax on seniors levied by Muriel Bowser. She voted to tax pension payments at the District of Columbia’s highest tax rate of 8.95 percent. Jahi would never vote to tax seniors, given their limited incomes and high bills; in particular, in light of the proposed rate hike by Pepco.

Most recently, Ms. Bowser voted to defeat Betty Noel’s appointment to the Public Service Commission (PSC). When Pepco and several council members questioned whether her previous position as an advocate for the District’s residents would impact her vote, an expert panel determined that with Ms. Noel on the PSC it would be able to carry out its role to oversee utility companies without a problem. Although Ms. Bowser was aware of the expert panel’s findings, she still voted against her. Betty Noel is a long time, valuable prominent resident of Ward Four. Ms. Bowser voted against one of our own. Mr. Jahi would vote for Betty Noel who is an expert in utility regulation, and has also spent her entire career fighting for the interests of District residents. Pepco has requested and received three rate increases over the last three years. Pepco is a struggling utility company. The rates hikes they receive do little more than put a band aid on operational issues in the company that requires surgery. While most stocks are up for the year, Pepco (POM) stock is down. It needs this rate hike to prop up its stock price. Betty Noel’s appointment to the PSC would have guaranteed greater scrutiny over Pepco rate hike increases.

When Fenty asked Bowser to vote for an outsider to run our school system, she voted yes for Michelle Rhee. Ms. Rhee had two years of experience in the classroom before she became Chancellor. She left DCPS in a worst position than it was before she was hired.

Ms. Bowser repeatedly votes against Ward Four residents and for business interests. She voted against Ward Four residents and in favor of building two Wal-Mart stores. They are located at the very busy intersection of Missouri and Georgia Avenues and Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue. Jahi is a founder of “Ward Four Thrives,” a community group that opposes the construction of the Wal-Mart stores. Mr. Jahi understands and appreciates the role of government and importance of public service. He knows that a councilmember’s role is to serve the public and not serve a puppet to business interests. He will fight for ethics reform, education, reduced crime and safe streets. He will stop the deficit spending and lower our taxes. Dr. Baruti Jahi has the intelligence and the courage to always fight to make Ward Four number one.

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