Brunch
Dear Brunchers:
I hope you had a very nice Thanksgiving weekend. I certainly did. It was
topped off by brunch today at Gabriel, in Dupont Circle. Their Sunday brunch, crowned by a
roast suckling pig, is a winner, leading to dreams of holidays on the Spanish Mediterrean
coast. Pleasant temporary escapes from the permanent frustrations of DC politics are
needed, if you actually care about the right thing being done, and don't just view the
government as entertainment on the level of the Three Stooges.
In this issue, there are more comments on The Washington Post, saying
opposite things, both of which are true. Bryce Suderow writes that the Post
doesn't print bad news in order to protect certain government officials. There are plenty
of recent examples of that -- not only Mayor Williams and Chief Ramsey and Arlene
Ackerman, but also Camille Cates Barnett and General Becton of recent memory. At the same
time, E. James Lieberman writes that the Post doesn't often print good news about
the community and community events. That's true, too. Now the City Paper is
behaving just like the Post — for example, killing a well researched and
documented story critical of Chief Ramsey and running a personal attack on citizen
activist and police critic Bryce Suderow instead. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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Is That Your Final Answer?
Thomas C. Hall, thall@amcity.com
From the Washington Business Journal, November 26, the latest on
developments in Columbia Heights:
The battle over the Tivoli Theater's future is beginning to resemble a
popular TV quiz show. But there are still no “final answers” in the ongoing
series, “Who Wants to Develop Columbia Heights?”
The D.C. Redevelopment Land Agency has narrowed its multiple-choice
options to the same two developers it had chosen Sept. 9 to transform the historic Tivoli
into a Giant grocery and build a retail/entertainment center on another city-owned site
nearby. But the board has already used all three of its “lifelines” without
making its final decision on the $148 million deal.
That will come Dec. 16, according to RLA Chairman Robert Walker, who
clearly doesn't like being cast as this show's Regis Philbin. Walker and his four fellow
board members are itching to take the money and run, but their choice of Horning Bros. and
Grid Properties has proven controversial with the audience. Following a lawsuit by
Columbia Heights residents, Mayor Anthony Williams on Nov. 5 ordered a 30-day review of
the RLA's decision.
“We're in the advanced stages of hurry-up,” Walker said,
irritated that the RLA could not advance to the next round.
The RLA planned to give Horning and Grid the go-ahead the morning of Nov.
23, but it had a problem. The mayor's review team had yet to meet — its first meeting
was not scheduled until that evening.
“Do you think that would have looked bad?” Walker said.
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Neighborhood Action in Columbia Heights
T. Jr. Hardman, thardman@earthops.org
Even through I live in Rockville presently, there were many years that I
enjoyed life in the District, and interestingly enough, as much as I've lived near or
hung-out around Dupont Circle, I've always had an obscure fondness for the Columbia
Heights neighborhood. I know many of the foibles of the place rather well, the astounding
problems it has faced over the last decade or more, and so on. I got invited for some
reason to participate in the Neighborhood Action citizen summit even despite a Rockville
Maryland mailing address. So I decided to attend under the assumption that someone from
Rep. Connie Morella's voting district who happened to be committed to District
Revitalization couldn't be a totally bad thing. I wound up at Table 157, which later
became the Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant/Park Row neighborhood table.
Getting in a bit late, I found the table to be mostly older folks from SE
in the morning, with a few rather outspoken and rather inflamed younger folks as well. I
got drafted to be the laptop operator, and wrote up the group consensus summary drafts,
and most of the people agreed, and then I sent in the summaries. In the afternoon
Neighborhood Group session, I filled in the same role. I sent in the summaries where it
was noted that the primary concern in that neighborhood was a combination of clean-up and
beautification, and safety — basically the neighborhood primarily wanted the vacant
lots cleaned up and fenced away, and the neighborhood cleaned of dealers and their
clients, of trash and abandoned cars full of fornicating addicts. Next was beautification,
everyone wanted to have children's' playgrounds restored and beautified, and neighborhood
beautification was expected to be concurrent. Also emerging was a very strong desire for a
wide variety of grocery shopping opportunities, and in general the RLA development plans
which gutted the Tivoli were rejected. Also noted was the need for programs to reach out
to youth and prevent them from getting involved in crews and gangs, and in particular, the
lady from the Latin American Youth Center was hoping to get special assistance in helping
immigrants and their children adapt to life in the US and in Washington, DC, with an
emphasis on community involvement.
As for the whole concept of Neighborhood Action, this whole affair was
carried off with such supreme organization that I do in fact have great hopes for the
ultimate success of the Williams Plan. There was no need for me to jump up and start
railing about Emergent Systems and the need to steer the flock; clearly these folks had me
anticipated “from jump” and did a phenomenal job of making sure that something
that could have been a monumental balls-up was instead one darned fine start to something
I expect to continue and be “Really Big.” And yes, Mr. Williams: the reason
“government that works” came in last on the priority list was because we do
indeed presume that that had to be a foregone conclusion or nothing else will come of it.
And besides, I guess most of us figured that if Mr. Williams is doing the job he was
elected to, that foregone conclusion will in fact be a foregone conclusion.
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The Post, the Mayor, and Bad News
Bryce A. Suderow, streetstories@juno.com
Andrea Carlson mentioned in her email that the Post has failed to
cover the fact that many people are unhappy with our school superintendent and she wonders
why that is. I noticed the Post also has not scrutinized the records of the new
police chief and the new mayor. Generally, after six months and again after a year, the
media takes a close look at the performance of new public figures and assesses those
performances. The Post has never reviewed Chief Ramsey's performance and its
review of Anthony Williams and Arlene Ackerman's performances was so muted that it was a
joke.
I think the Post is indulging in a little bit of propaganda here.
It is trying to entice businesses and residents into the District, so it is scaling back
its criticism of our failed public officials. It is in effect saying, “It's a new day
here in Washington D.C. folks. We have a new mayor, a new police chief and a new school
superintendent, and things are much, much better. If you are a business, please invest
here by moving to the District. If you are a homeowner, come live here. You'll like
it!”
By the way, did anyone attend Mayor Williams' summit on Saturday and what
did they think of it? I thought it was amusing that on the same day he was trying to sell
the fact that we are living in a new era, six people were shot within a two hour period.
Also, what did you all think of his response on Monday to the complaints of the cab
drivers about public safety? Among his other suggestions, he mentioned putting global
positioning units in every cab. He mentioned everything except asking the police to
do their jobs.
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The Post, the March, and Bad News
E. James Lieberman, ejl@gwu.edu
The Washington Post saw fit to announce the 12th annual Help the
Homeless Walkathon but not to report on it! If there had been a brawl, or someone had
tried to assault Mayor Anthony Williams or soccer great Mia Hamm — who both spoke to
the assemblage of over 30,000 walkers at Freedom Plaza — there surely would have been
a story. What gives? It was a great occasion, walking 5K with a diverse (age, race,
residence, occupation) group in an important cause, benefiting agencies (also diverse,
remarkable and too little known) and expressing something positive about community
responsibility for all its members. Shame on the Post.
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Dangerous Inattention
Margaret Yoma Ullman, ullmany@intr.net
On Saturday, Nov. 19, I went to Union Station to meet a relative coming
from New York on a train due in at 11.30 a.m. While waiting, I noticed an unattended lunch
bag under a seat. Torn between provoking a bomb scare and so delaying the train and my
civic duty, I finally went to Security and reported the lunch bag. I have spent too long
in airports being told of the dangers of unattended baggage to be able to remain
uninvolved, although it was probably a perfectly innocent lunch bag. The two security men
to whom I spoke did nothing.
Following the tragic accident in Rock Creek Park on Friday, November 26,
about which I learned at 2.30 from a woman who had been held up by traffic in consequence,
I was surprised to learn from a friend who commuted from Capitol Hill to Northwest
starting at about 5.15 that traffic was allowed to reach the Kennedy Center before being
diverted. A warning at the Tidal Basin would have allowed her to divert up 17th Street
much more easily. Nor did the radio station my friend was tuned to while driving to give
her any warning about the holdup, referring only to problems further out of the city. I
love living in DC, but on some days it's harder to maintain this affection than on others.
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D.C. Sentencing Law Legislation
Richard Schmitt, rp_schmitt@iname.com
The topic of sentencing laws and the City Council's obligation to confirm
or enact new laws is discussed by law school Prof. Paul Butler in a piece published in the
Legal Times. The piece can be read at http://www.legaltimes.com/expcfm/display.cfm?id=1925.
The time to inform our council members about our views on this very important issue is
now, not after the Washington Post laments in April about the April deadline.
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Methinks that David Sobelsohn is being BS'ed by the DCPL. The DCPL has
full reciprocity with nine suburban library systems: Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince
George's Counties in Maryland; the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church; and Arlington,
Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties in Virginia. (Ironically, the only local
library system that does not participate in the reciprocal program is the City of Takoma
Park.) Residents of DC can go to any branch library in any of the above library systems,
obtain a library card, and borrow anything they want. And the books can be returned to any
library in any system (except books borrowed from DC or Frederick County; those must be
returned to the branch from which they were borrowed). Given this reciprocity, it seems
highly unlikely that DCPL can't arrange an interlibrary loan. One wonders if this is an
example of someone saying “it can't be done” because they're too embarrassed to
say “I don't know how to do it and I don't feel like getting up to find out.”
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The Kennedy Center recently installed a performance stage at the American
Film Institute theater. Apparently, the KenCen plans to start using the AFI theater for
live performances and to decrease even further the frequency of AFI film screenings. As
taxpayers, we can influence the choices made by the management of this government funded
facility. Washington has many many stages for live performances and a shrinking number of
screens for quality films. If you want to maintain the AFI's large screen for both
classics and high quality hard-to-find recent foreign films, write to Larry Wilker,
President, Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 20566, urging continued use of the AFI theater
space for films.
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The Odds of Fixing the DCPS School Board the
Chavous Way
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net
Salvaging DC's public school system requires long-term efforts from fully
experienced, tough-minded, hard driving leaders cooperating across the School Board, the
Superintendent's office, and individual schools — with help from outside experts. The
DC Council is proposing relatively small changes in the current representational election
process, plus better definition of the board's duties. NARPAC believes that an appointed
Board (approved by elected officials) can bring to bear more professional expertise from a
broader government and regional base. We doubt the requisite professional talent can be
elected.
For the Chavous scheme to attract the needed talent, all the following
conditions would have to be met: a) the pool of DC residents include all the requisite
skills; b) those skills be evenly divided among the eight wards; c) each ward's well
qualified be willing to run for elective office; d) all those who run carry the proper
political attributes to win; e) the few who vote for school board members recognize those
qualities; f) those elected serve effectively under a separately elected chair; and g) the
board so elected not need guidance from other DC or regional agencies.
The odds against success are daunting. To improve those odds, NARPAC
suggests that at the very least the new School Board Election Bill encourage respected
present/retired school principals to run for, and be paid to serve on, the Board without
forfeiting current position, salary, or pension. They could run from any ward they chose,
regardless of residence or school location within the metro area, but their school test
scores would have to be in the top quartile.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
“Haunting Vibrations” at Millennium's End
David Sobelsohn, dsobelso@capaccess.org
Footlights — DC's only drama discussion group — meets monthly to
discuss plays from the modern theater. Membership is free. At our meeting Thursday,
December 16, we will discuss “On the Verge,” or “The Geography of
Yearning” (1985), by Eric Overmyer, “one of this nation's most accomplished and
imaginative playwrights” (Seattle Times). “A frolicsome jaunt through a
continuum of space, time, history, geography, feminism and fashion” (New York
Times), “On the Verge” follows three Victorian women as they explore
20th-century American culture from 1888 to 1955 and beyond; their journey sets off
“fresh and sometimes haunting vibrations between past and present” (San
Francisco Chronicle). Our discussion takes place 7:30-9:30 p.m. (dinner at 6:30) at
Luna Books, 1633 P St., NW, 3 blocks east of Dupont Circle. It will feature Catholic
University theater professor Jackson Phippin, who directed the world premiere of “On
the Verge” and who greatly influenced the shape of the play. To make reservations for
our discussion, e-mail painews@bellatlantic.net
or call (202) 638-0444. For more information visit the Footlights website at http://www.footlightsdc.org.
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Hyde Elementary School Christmas Tree Sale
Bill Starrels, mortgagecorp@hotmail.com
The annual Hyde Elementary School Christmas Tree sale will be held
Saturday and Sunday December 4th and 5th at Hyde in Georgetown. Located on the 3200 block
of O Street west of Wisconsin. Free delivery in DC! All proceeds benefit the kids and
teachers at Hyde!
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Chanukah Kickoff Party and Children’s Toy
Drive
Michael Karlan, michael@dcyoungpro.com
Thursday, December 2, 1999. Sponsored by the D.C. Society of Young
Professionals and Israel Bonds. Includes music and dancing. This party is a lot of fun and
a great chance to experience the spirit of Chanukah, regardless of whether you are Jewish.
Over 400 people attended our last party. 7:30 p.m. to midnight. Shark Club of Bethesda,
2915 St. Elmo Ave. Admission fee of $10, but $8 if you RSVP by 3 p.m. on December 2 to michael@dcyoungpro.com or (202) 686-6085.
Additional discount if you bring a toy to be donated to a child at Children's Hospital.
For more information, or to be added to our email list to hear of future events, please
visit http://www.dcyoungpro.com, email michael@dcyoungpro.com, or call (202) 686-6085.
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CLASSIFIEDS -- HOUSING
1 bedroom basement apartment (all above ground) near Adams Morgan/Dupont
Circle/U Street, available January 1st, $625 plus utilities. Non-smoker, no pets
preferred.
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Help neighbors who aren't wired into the internet. They need to remodel a
kitchen in Georgetown and don't have a clue. Does anyone out there have suggestions for
whom to use for remodeling a kitchen? They need a designer and a contractor and anybody
else who is necessary for a full kitchen remodeling. I've promised to print out all
responses for my unwired neighbors.
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