Contracting

Dear Contractors:

Alan Suderman tweets about his latest article in the Washington City Paper: “Number of District officials preventing contracting fraud, ‘Short answer is zero, longer answer is zero as well,’ http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/43260.” The article, which is well worth reading, is about the “broken contracting process that, in dollar terms, might be the most dysfunctional program in the District government. . . . Critics say the setup gives mammoth, politically connected firms unfair advantages, invites waste and fraud, and actually hurts, rather than helps, smaller minority-owned businesses. . . . A review of hundreds of pages of documents obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, court records, and other sources, as well as interviews with city officials, contractors, and outside experts, found plenty of evidence that the critics are right.”

One comment on the article, from “DC Guy”: “I am shocked and surprised about this article. Shocked.” A common joke on the Internet is to end such comments with “/sarcasm off” command. But, sarcasm aside, who will end this corruption? The administration (any administration, including Barry, Williams, Fenty, and Gray) defends and expands on it. Years ago, after a particularly blatant contracting scandal was exposed, the city council gave itself the authority to approve all contracts worth over a million dollars a year. But the council never moved effectively to pursue contracting problems, and now Councilmember Jack Evans has proposed eliminating council oversight over contracting. After all, the only thing that’s wasted in these phony favoritism schemes is taxpayer money, and no elected officials care about that.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Presidential Debate in DC?
Scott McLarty, scottmclarty@hotmail.com

Ralph Nader published the following press release on Tuesday, September 18: “Ralph Nader and several prominent organizations in Washington, DC, have called on presidential candidates to take part in a televised debate on DC specific issues. Nader published a letter Tuesday morning calling on Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Jill Stein, Gary Johnson, and the other presidential candidates to urge for a fourth debate to be held in the nation’s capital addressing sovereignty (statehood), budget autonomy, and the unique needs of the district both economically and in the area of public services.

“‘Please stand for more open democratic processes that enlighten the voters around the country,’ said Nader to the candidates in the letter. There have been at least twenty-four DC-based individuals and groups to sign on having a presidential debate in the district, including Mayor Vincent Gray, Busboys and Poets, DC Vote, Fair Vote, League of Women Voters (DC Chapter), Stand Up for Democracy, DC Statehood Green Party, and various nonprofits and civic organizations in DC.”

The full letter is online at Mr. Nader’s web site, http://nader.org/2012/09/18/ralph-nader-dc-organizations-call-for-presidential-debate. A presidential debate in DC would accomplish two goals: 1) It would oblige the candidates to address the District’s peculiar economic problems and lack of democratic rights; DC is routinely ignored by the Democratic and Republican candidates because they know voters here always vote overwhelmingly for the Democrat. 2) It would wrest control over the debates by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The CPD is owned and run by the Democratic and Republican parties for several purposes, such as exclusion of other candidates and keeping a tight rein on the questions that are asked. The League of Women Voters has called this situation a “fraud on the American voter.”

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Speed Cameras and Safety, Part 2
James Treworgy, jamietre@gmail.com

Perhaps the data don’t support what they want you to think about the cameras. If there were consistent, measurable improvements, DC should be trumpeting those results, and not vague promises of “better safety” and national data that has no bearing on the local reality. Yet I’ve never seen any press release. I’ve never seen any analysis. Honestly, I have no idea if traffic cameras are really effective at improving safety. The data exists. Why don’t legislators, or citizens, care? Why will you just accept their word?

Benjamin Franklin said it is the duty of every citizen to question authority. Yet so many people are content to use speeding as a regressive tax, without ever demanding proof that this program actually benefits us in a way other than lining the coffers. You perceive that it’s good. Or you fall back on the argument that it’s against the law, so you don’t care if it actually helps.

But large fines for speeding are tremendously regressive: they don’t matter to wealthy people; they can destroy poor people. If we need more money, we should raise taxes. If we want to improve safety, then we should try to understand the causes of the safety problem, and address them. But so far there’s absolutely no proof — none — that this program has improved safety in DC.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

DDOT Seeking Public Input on Parking in the District, September 20, 26
Monica Hernandez, monica.hernandez@dc.gov

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is hosting a series of community conversations, called Parking Think Tanks, to gauge the state of parking and to solicit public input on the future of parking in the District. DDOT envisions that these conversations will contribute to the development of a comprehensive curbside parking management plan. Anyone who visits, lives or works in the District is invited to attend a Parking Think Tank.

Southern Area, Thursday, September 20, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Ora Glover Community Room, 1800 Good Hope Road, SE. (Please note that this meeting was originally scheduled to take place on September 18.)

Western Area, Wednesday, September 26, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Woodrow Wilson High School (Cafeteria).