Plans for the Future

Dear Futurists:

Dorothy, below, writes about the mayor’s five-year economic development strategy, which was written largely without the input of District residents. This follows the usual pattern of government planning — zoning revisions, libraries, school closings, etc. — in which residents of DC neighborhoods are an afterthought, brought in at the last minute after the plans have already been developed. Residents are then presented with the finished plans at highly structured public meetings, at which the government officials present them and residents are given a few minutes to consider them, after which their comments are barely tolerated. After all, the experts have already met and made their recommendations; why should the government officials have to waste their time listening to the uninformed opinions of NIMBY naysayers, who just don’t want their neighborhoods improved by the experts, developers, and officials who already know what’s best for them? After all, the residents are nothing but complainers, and their opinions of what happens in their neighborhoods have no weight except that they happen to live there and pay taxes there. If they don’t like what has been planned for them, they’re standing in the way of progress and the future, and they should just move elsewhere.

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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DC’s Strategic Plan and You
Dorothy Brizill, dorothy@dcwatch.com

On Wednesday, November 14, Mayor Gray released his Five-Year Economic Development Strategy for the District of Columbia, http://www.dcwatch.com/mayor/121114.pdf, which details an ambitious plan to create one hundred thousand new jobs and attract one billion dollars in new tax revenue to the District over the next five years. According to the one hundred twelve page document, the genesis for the strategic plan was "In the spring of 2012, [when] Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Victor Hoskins, the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, engaged the business schools of The George Washington University Georgetown University, Howard University, and American University to take a leadership role in developing a strategic plan for the nation’s capital." The project was overseen by an executive committee that was co-chaired by David A. Thomas, dean of Georgetown’s School of Business since 2011, and Doug Guthrie, dean of George Washington’s School of Business since 2010. Research for the project was conducted by the deans of the District’s business schools and by sixteen MBA students who were recruited to work on the project. The findings and recommendations that are detailed in the strategic plan are largely drawn from interviews with one hundred eighty-five "stakeholders," who were almost exclusively from the District’s business community, but most of whom were not District residents.

Since civic leaders in the District were not consulted or directly involved in the development of the strategic plan, it is now important that residents review and analyze the final document, since it could serve as a blueprint for future District government policies and actions that will have an impact on many District residents and neighborhoods (especially those in close proximity to existing Metro stops, the St. Elizabeth’s East Campus, Walter Reed, McMillan Reservoir, and the Southeast Waterfront.

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DC Statehood Greens Are DC’s Second Party
David Schwartzman, DC Statehood Green Party, dschwartzman@gmail.com

Congratulations to Bruce Majors and the Libertarian Party for gaining party access to the DC ballot. The more diversity and choices for the voter the better. The Libertarians and the Green Party share important positions of agreement, specifically a rejection of the imperial agenda, no to the drug war and a critique of Obama’s record on civil liberties, worse than Bush. On the other hand there are sharp differences on issues like privatization (we generally oppose), provision of health care as a right and progressive taxation (we favor). On the critical issue of global warming, the Green Party has a much stronger position, "The urgency of climate change in the 2012 election" (http://www.jillstein.org/climate), than the Libertarians (http://www.lp.org/platform). Jill Stein’s focus in her campaign was on the Green New Deal, confronting the converging climate, economic, and social crises. The application of neo-liberal economics, so favored by Libertarians (urban structural adjustment) to the District has resulted in widening the income gap and increasing poverty, especially for DC’s children. So DC voters should look forward to healthy debates on all these issues.

It is interesting that the Washington Post sees fit to cover the Libertarians (http://tinyurl.com/a9jt2qe), but is silent on the fact that the DC Statehood Green Party candidates outpolled the Republicans in this election by over eighteen thousand votes. I beat my Republican opponent (and Romney’s total) as the candidate of the DC Statehood Green Party for US Senator. And DC is the only entity with electoral votes where Jill Stein beat Gary Johnson. We are now undeniably DC’s second Party. During campaigning I found that many younger voters are now being drawn to the Green Party, thinking critically and not voting the straight Democratic Party line anymore. Further, I seem to have gotten more votes per dollar spent than any other candidate, more than forty-six votes per dollar (less than five hundred dollars, with twenty-three thousand votes, at minimum, since the absentee and provisional ballots are not yet included). Thanks to all who voted for our candidates.

It is also more than curious that the Post left out our party designation for all our candidates in their voters guide. I suspect that our Party’s sharp critique of the Post’s general support for the 1 percent over the interests of DC’s working class and low-income community is the reason for its continuing disrespect of our party. One example: the Post has long opposed hiking the DC tax rate for DC’s millionaires, who now pay a lower rate than everyone else (6 percent, ITEP). DC millionaires are 0.5 percent of all DC taxpayers but have 18 percent of the taxable income. Those making more than a half million dollars per year are 1.5 percent of taxpayers, with 39 percent of the taxable income ($4.6 billion) (2010 IRS data). A modest increase in their DC income tax rate would generate badly needed revenue that should be channeled directly into our low income budget, particularly for homeless services, affordable housing, and income security, a budget shockingly shortchanged during an effective depression for so many residents. This is should be a priority for our city council and mayor

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Continuing Balanced View on Driving Vs. Alternatives
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com

But (big but) — city transit has skewed towards cars for decades. The point of balance is . . . balance. How can bike lanes (for example) be added without changing how streets are used? Building them elevated? Taking width from sidewalks? I don’t think so. How do you suggest increasing parking availability, aside from proposing unlikely to happen huge garage construction projects? It’s easy to be against change and demand that things magically be simultaneously made better for everyone, but that’s not necessarily a realistic outlook for compromises needed for progress.

And regarding doing "anything" making it easier for drivers — I’m hearing praise for paying parking meters by cell phone (haven’t yet used it myself) so that’s "something." My wish list would include realistic speed limits (e.g., raising absurd 30 mph limit in westbound E Street tunnel) and much better/clearer signage/stickers explaining meter operation. So there’s plenty of room for improvement for all travel modes.

I said [themail, November 11], "Better than repeatedly ranting that any support for non-auto transport options is a plot to eliminate automobiles. (I’m a driver, only use Metro occasionally, and am annoyed at some things DC does to drivers. But still . . . .)" And Gary replied (in part), "I could be convinced that Greater Greater Washington and David Alpert had a balanced view and weren’t against drivers and their cars if they had ever advanced one proposal that would improve traffic flow or increase parking availability, or done anything that would make it easier for people who own cars and drive in DC."

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