Primary Additions
Dear Voters:
I’ve written in response to two readers’ comments, and on one of my
often-repeated topics, what I consider to be the well deserved
skepticism of experts, so I’ve demoted my usual introduction to be the
last item in themail.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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District Elections in 2014
Dorothy Brizill,
dorothy@dcwatch.com
Candidates. The list of candidates in the April 2014 primary
continues to grow. Three additional Democrats have picked up nominating
petitions: Pedro Rubio for at-large councilmember, Frank Garcia for US
Representative, and Kathy Henderson for both Ward 5 councilmember and
at-large councilmember. Two additional Statehood-Green candidates have
announced: Eugene Puryear for mayor and G. Lee Aiden for both at-large
councilmember and US [Shadow] Representative. One additional Republican
has announced: James M. Caviness for mayor. To date, two incumbent
officeholders, Mayor Vincent Gray and Ward One councilmember Jim Graham,
have not formally declared their candidacies, even though Graham
registered an exploratory committee with the DC Office of Campaign
Finance on October 15. Because he is a former Republican turned
Independent, At-large Councilmember David Catania does not have to
participate in an April party primary, and can wait to decide whether he
will seek reelection or to run for another office, whether mayor or
Attorney General, in the November 2014 general election.
Inside the campaigns. Several of the mayoral campaigns have gone
outside the District to hire campaign managers: Muriel Bowser has hired
Bo Shuff; Jack Evans, Josh Brown; Andy Shallal, Bob Muehlenkamp; and
Tommy Wells, Chebon Marshall. Following the 2012 presidential election,
there appears to be an abundance of political consultants from around
the country who are on the market and who have signed on to local
campaigns. It remains to be seen in the coming months whether they will
be able to organize a grassroots political campaign, understand DC’s
neighborhoods and issues, and master the political landscape in the
District. One of the most unusual candidate meet-and-greets will be
hosted by Jack Evans this Saturday, November 16, targeting residents
east of the river. The event, which has in recent days been removed from
Evans’ campaign web site ( http://www.jackevansfordc.com)
will take place at Uniontown Cafe, and will be cohosted by Jahuar
Abraham, who, along with Ron Moten, cofounded the Peaceoholics, and is
being sued by the District government for, among other things,
unlawfully diverting $100,000 in District grant funds in 2007-2009 so
that Abraham could purchase two luxury utility vehicles. According to
Evans’ campaign, Abraham is an Evans supporter and community field
organizer for his campaign. Another instance of strange bedfellows is
Andy Shallal’s naming of boxing promoter Rock Newman as the chairman of
his campaign. Newman, who is not a District resident, has a
controversial history in District politics, including in Marion Barry’s
campaigns and Vincent Gray’s 2010 mayoral campaign.
Petition Circulation. Prior to the issuance of the nominating
petitions on November 8, I wrote to all the major campaigns about their
field operations and asked what internal controls they had in place to
assure compliance with the District’s election laws, especially with
regard to the circulation of petitions by non-DC residents. Each
campaign responded that they had put in place measures to ensure
compliance. On Sunday, I attended an in-depth training session that the
Shallal campaign organized for its petition circulators. So I was
somewhat surprised when I exited the Farragut Station Metro on Wednesday
evening on my way to the candidates forum sponsored by the DC Bar to be
approached by Spencer Collet, a petition circulator for mayoral
candidate Reta Lewis, who asked me to sign her petition while at the
same time proclaiming he was a resident of Virginia. When I queried him
whether, as a non-DC resident, he had registered with the DC Board of
Elections to circulate petitions, he claimed that he didn’t need to
register with the BOE. Finally, as strange as it may seem, Jack Evans,
who boasts about his long tenure on the city council, not only
acknowledges but also appears to celebrate that his campaign is relying
on paid nonresident college students to circulate his nominating
petitions. See the photographs on Evans’ Twitter account (@evansformayor)
and Facebook page. Because the DC BOE refuses to monitor the circulation
of nominating petitions, District residents will have to be even more
watchful of the activities of all campaigns this election season.
Candidates Forum. On Wednesday, November 13, the DC Affairs Section
of the DC Bar held the first mayoral candidate forum at the K Street law
offices of Arent Fox. The forum was largely polite and genteel, and
there were no gaffs or fireworks from any of the six announced mayoral
candidates (Bowser, Evans, Lewis, Orange, Shallal, and Wells). There
were, however, a few interesting responses to the questions. Bowser, in
an outright attempt to pander to Wards 7 and 8 voters, indicated that,
if elected mayor, she would create an Office of Deputy Mayor for East of
the River. She went on to suggest that the biggest challenge facing the
District was “keeping up with our development.” Reta Lewis tried to
label herself the outsider in the mayoral race, despite the fact that
she has lived in DC for thirty-five years, worked in the Pat Harris and
Sharon Pratt Kelly mayoral races in 1982 and 1990, served as a mayoral
appointee at the DC Department of Public Works, and was appointed by
Mayor Fenty as chair of the DC Commission on Women. Meanwhile, Vincent
Orange could not explain why he had not filed his campaign committee
with the DC Office of Campaign Finance even though his supporters picked
up his nominating petitions on November 8). Tommy Wells argued that,
because he will not accept corporate campaign contributions, he is the
only “progressive” in the mayoral race.
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If you are fond of the animals and not just their milk, there is a
book you might enjoy: Goat Song.
We had goats milk ice cream for a short time, from a California
company called La-Loo, I think. But apparently they had to stop stocking
it, because of some license dispute involving the distributor.
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Faddish
Gabe Goldberg, gabe at gabegold dot com
Gary wrote [themail, November 10], “I no longer believed in the
faddish superstitions of dietitians and nutritionists.” So what do you
believe in? Your own faddish superstitions? Or that nothing matters? In
many fields ongoing research periodically redefines fundamental theories
(which are, remember, systems of explanation, not guesses) and best
practices. As long-term studies proceed, more and better
information/conclusions/recommendations develop. As repeatable research
proceeds, guidelines evolve. That hardly discredits all guidelines for
all time. You argue against believing people trained in diet/nutrition.
Why? Based on what? Your parents forcing you to drink milk and your doc
rescuing you from that horrible fate? And why? Because
dietitians/nutritionists are in a worldwide professional conspiracy to
spoil your dining/drinking fun? (Sure, some are faddists. But there’s a
conventional wisdom mainstream.) So, again, how do you guide yourself
through choices? Whatever feels/tastes good is best? Or do you follow
nontraditional protocols because they let you feel free spirited
rebellious? Me, I research and follow what makes sense for my
physiology, consulting with multiple professionals and integrating their
advice.
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I never had any problem breathing DDT — why was it banned?
[Many more people have died of malaria as a result of banning DDT
than ever died of DDT poisoning. That’s a good example of why we need to
be cautious about following the advice of experts. We’re in the early
days of medical, and particularly nutritional, research. If you followed
the “conventional wisdom mainstream” of dietitians and nutritionists you
would have dramatically altered your diet every few years throughout your
lifetime. The best advice about diet comes not from nutritionists, but
from Julia Child, when she demonstrated a recipe for swordfish at the
height of the panic over Minyamoto disease (Mercury poisoning): “How
much swordfish are you going to eat, anyway?” The practical advice of
experienced cooks, which is to be moderate in all things and to eat a
wide variety of food, is more valuable than the “scientific” advice of
nutritionists, which varies with every study from “avoid all red meat”
to “avoid all bread” to “avoid all sugar” to “avoid eggs and dairy
foods.” It can’t be denied that the “conventional wisdom mainstream” of
nutritionists has swung wildly from extreme to extreme over the past
decades. — Gary Imhoff]
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InTowner
November Issue Online
P.L. Wolff,
intowner@intowner.com
The November issue content can be viewed at
http://www.intowner.com, including the issue
PDF in which will be found the primary news stories and museum
exhibition reviews — plus all photos and other images. Not included in
the PDF but linked directly from the home page is Stephen A. Hansen’s
What Once Was feature — this month all about the Blaine mansion,
Blaine’s other houses in DC and Maine, and about his architect.
This month’s lead stories include the following: 1) “Bloomingdale
Neighborhood’s Gentrification Seen as Having Successfully Blended in
Longtime Residents, Though Affordability an Issue”; 2) “Adams Morgan
Liquor Moratorium Expires in 2014 — Whether to Extend Yet Again
Embroiled in Controversy;” 3) “Dupont Circle Village and Neighborhood
Businesses Working Together to Develop Age-Friendly Practices.” In
addition, a report previewing the December 8th Logan Circle holiday
house tour is posted in our Special Online Content section at
http://tinyurl.com/lrdxf3l.
Also to be found on the web site pages, along with the recent real
estate sales, “Reservations Recommended” and “Food in the ‘Hood”
columns, is an extensive array of community news reports, highlighting
among others: “Zoning Regulations Review Public Hearings Now Underway”;
“Adams Morgan Civic Group to Discuss Proposed Zoning Changes Affecting
Area”; “60th Year of Stead Park to be Celebrated with Anniversary
Party.”
Our editorial this month addresses the terrible development, in our
view, that is the delay with implementing an elected independent
attorney general office from 2014 to 2018. Your thoughts are welcome and
can be sent by clicking the comment link at the bottom of the web page
or by E-mail to letters@intowner.com.
The next issue PDF will publish early in the morning of December 13th
(the 2nd Friday of the month as usual). For more information, either
send an E-mail to newsroom@intowner.com or call (202) 234-1717.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
ABRA and Citizen Participation, November 19
Anne Renshaw,
milrddc@aol.com
The DC Citizens Federation assembly on Tuesday, November 19, will be
about the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. It will be held from 6:45
p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church Hall, 2300
Cathedral Avenue, NW. Ruthanne G. Miller, Chair of the DC Alcohol
Beverage Regulation Administration, and Fred Moosally, ABRA Director,
will be the guest presenters. The Assembly is open to the public. The
interactive session will include a discussion with community leaders
about ABRA policies relative to citizen participation, licensing, and
enforcement.
Audience participation will follow the presentation. A number of
member associations in close proximity to liquor establishments have
expressed their criticisms on neighborhood listservs and in community
meetings over ABRA’s handling of residents’ issues and concerns (e.g.,
party status, noise/hour complaints, and placarding requirements). The
DC Citizens Federation Assembly adopted a resolution on October 2, 2012,
“call(ing) for full public participation in the licensing of all DC
liquor establishments which impact residents’ rights and quality of
life.”
All Souls Memorial Episcopal Church is near the Woodley Park Metro on
the Red Line. The Church parking lot is located on Woodley Place behind
the church. Use the entrance down the garden steps from the parking lot.
The door will open at 6:30 p.m. The presentations of Ms. Miller and Mr.
Moosally will begin at approximately 7:15 p.m., following opening
announcements. For further information, contact Anne Renshaw, President,
DC Citizens Federation, at
milrddc@aol.com.
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