Walter Washington

Dear Washingtonians:

Mayor Walter Washington, DC's first elected mayor of the twentieth century, died last Friday morning. No one has written to themail yet with reminiscences or thoughts about him, so I thought I'd provoke something. Matthew Yglesias, a resident of Columbia Heights, is a young rising star of the fashionable blogging galaxy, a liberal Democratic partisan with a sharp, though sometimes glib, wit. His own web site, http://www.matthewyglesias.com, proved to be so popular that he was hired by Tapped (http://www.prospect.org/weblog), the American Prospect Magazine's blog, to be one of its writers. Here were Yglesias' uninformed thoughts on Walter Washington yesterday: “If this Walter Washington character was so great then how come DC is such a mess after 30 years of home rule? I think it's a pretty fun town to hang out in if you're young and like politics and stuff, but God forbid I was contemplating sending children to schools run by the same city government that takes approximately 6 months to repair a broken escalator on the Metro. Once you leave the 'good' parts of town where Business Improvement Districts lend a hand the sidewalks are in a ridiculous state of disrepair and the streets never seem to get cleaned. Folks are getting killed or robbed or what have you all the time. We can do better, as Howard Dean used to say. I also find the phrase 'the nation's capital' really annoying and strongly suggest that the good people down at WAMU stop repeating it ever 15 seconds.”

This is your chance to contribute to the education of Matthew Yglesias. I'd welcome your responses, particularly about what contributions Walter Washington made to our city. As a footnote, the mayor's “Citizen Summit III” that was scheduled for this Saturday has been rescheduled for November 15, supposedly so that it would not conflict with Mayor Washington's funeral. Ron Drake called me today to ask what the real reason for the postponement was. I said that we didn't know the facts, but that Dorothy suspected that very few people had signed up to attend, and that the city needed more time to encourage people to come to the summit. However, I told him, the mayor's office claimed that four thousand people had already signed up to come. Immediately, Ron asked, “Four thousand people? Who did the sign-up sheets, Scott Bishop?”

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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The Tragedy of NYC’s Mayoral School Reform: Is DC Next?
Erich Martel, ehmartel at starpower dot net

As momentum builds up for Mayor Williams' takeover of the DC Public Schools, it's worth taking a close look at how New York City's mayoral school reform has instituted long overdue managerial efficiency — and turned the school system's educational mission to one Diana Lam, whose lackluster record as superintendent of the Providence, RI, Public Schools and opposition to scientifically validated phonics reading instruction was never noticed by the Bloomberg or his Education Chancellor Joel Klein. In other words, the policies responsible for school failure are once again in firmly in place — and firmly set in stone by a reform mayor.

Mayor Bloomberg did what public-spirited business leaders do when they get a hankering to fix the public schools, whether by takeover or blue ribbon advice panels: they repair or even replace the administrative and financial structures. When it comes to appointing academic leaders whose policy decisions will be the difference between student success and failure, they make little effort to determine which teaching methods, textbooks, and curricula have a successful track record supported by scientific research methods or to then use them to establish hiring criteria. Sol Stern's article on Bloomberg's takeover, “Tragedy Looms for Gotham's School Reform,” in the current issue of City Journal, is well worth reading (http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_4_tragedy_looms.html). This is how DCPS currently functions under a mixed school board. One can be certain that the mayor, like the school board members and top administrators and Mayor Bloomberg's Education Chancellor, won't be looking for the research in effective teaching methods. That will be left to the education experts, the ones responsible for the present low level of student success.

Stern's article opens: “Though New York’s billionaire mayor Mike Bloomberg and his handpicked schools’ chancellor Joel Klein sure don’t look like revolutionaries, they have turned upside-down a school system that resisted change for half a century. Over the past 18 months, with no less courage than managerial skill they have dismantled the dysfunctional old bureaucracy, put the teachers’ and principals’ unions on the defensive, and created a streamlined administrative apparatus to funnel a bigger slice of the system’s $12.5 billion annual budget into the classroom. Yet tragically, they have gotten one critical part of the formula for improving academic performance completely wrong. On the educational side, their magnificent sleek engine for reform is tearing off in the wrong direction, threatening to plunge the academic futures of 1.1 million children over a cliff.”

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Rising Property Insurance Rates
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

I serve on a condo board of an association of some 160 units. I have been watching the cost of our master insurance policy rise at an alarming rate. Between 2002 and 2003, the cost rose from $28,000 to $36,000. A fire that was contained to one unit accounted for some of the increase and resulted in a change from a three-year renewal to a yearly renewal. This year (no claims), the rate is increasing to $52,500 -- an increase of $16,500. That is an 87 percent increase over two years. In addition to increases in the master policy, we were told by our trash collection vendor that its increases relate in part to rising insurance costs. These increases are passed on to unit owners through the condo fee. Unit owners, of course, pay for individual policies to cover the contents of their individual units. I heard from other condo associations in my area that lost their insurance altogether after they had claims for water and sewer backup during a heavy rainfall. Are other buildings experiencing escalating insurance price increases? I'm no expert on insurance issues, but I wonder if the issue is being studied and if the problem I described is widespread.

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A Midweek, Midmorning Surprise
Ed T. Barron, edtb@aoldotcom

For the first time I can remember in the fifteen years I've been here on Massachusetts Avenue, NW, the police were actually ticketing speeders. It's fertile territory even though the speed limit is a mostly realistic 30 mph. A policewoman with a handheld radar unit was standing in front of my house and flagging down those heading north at speeds above 40 mph. For most of the midmorning there was always at least one car parked at the bus stop just south of 48th Street, waiting while his/her ticket was being processed. In just a little over two hours the raid grossed some two grand at $50 per pop, by my estimate.

An even better location (though it would take a wolf pack of police to handle all the speeders) would be on McArthur Boulevard heading south in the rush hour. I've seen cars going some 50 mph down that road in the early a.m., where the speed limit is an unrealistic 25 mph. Another spot with an unrealistic speed limit -- only 25 mph — that has hidden cameras recording speeders, is Western Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue. With a few more traffic cops nailing speeders in NW DC, the whole DC budget might just be balanced this year.

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An Outsider’s Vision for Saving Philly
Richard Layman, rlaymandc@yahoo.com

From my article in today's Philadelphia Daily News: “Recently, I was in Philadelphia attending a conference on commercial corridor revitalization. Comparing your city to my own Washington, DC, made me think. While I can't claim to have all the solutions, I realized that three things are needed to enhance the vitality of our traditional cities, regardless of public-safety and substandard services, including public schools. No. 1 is the job core at the heart of the city. We know that a strong core is required to drive demand to reoccupy vacant housing, particularly by those who don't want to spend a lot of time commuting. Focus on job development, retaining businesses and attracting new ones.

“No. 2 is solid public transportation. A tour of Girard Avenue convinced me that major investment in non-automobile transportation is essential to the revitalization of our traditional cities. Bringing back the trolleys to surface streets like Girard makes vacant houses worth occupying and rehabilitating. No. 3 - recognize the value of your historic housing stock. Buildings that Philadelphians think are worthless would go for a million dollars in Washington. It's pretty much proven that the only urban revitalization strategies that work long term are based on historic preservation. Ignore that at your peril.”

The complete article is available online at http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/7128858.htm.

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Constitutional Violation . . . Our Tax Dollars at Work?
Robert Allen, robertandersonindc@yahoo.com

The Mayor is apparently planning to hire a “Senior Advisor for Religious Affairs.” Am I the only one who thinks this is a blatant violation of the Constitutional requirement for separation of church and state? Even if you're not concerned with this aspect, it seems that this position is essentially designed to provide a special advocate for the city's churches. Why is there a need for this? And is a full time position really necessary or appropriate? From where I sit, not a good use of our tax dollars. In an article on the ouster of the Mayor's former Religious Advisor a few months ago, a salary in the range of more than $50,000 was listed. As noted in DCWatch and the Washington Post, Rev. Carlton Pressley was forced to resign after a number of scandals, ranging from sexual harassment, election violations related to the campaign, improper solicitation of funds etc. If you want to express your opinion on the matter, you can send a message to the Mayor by calling 727-1000 or E-mailing mayor@dc.gov.

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9-1-1
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark@bisconti.com

Tonight, a woman was returning from visiting her ailing husband at GWU Hospital; she slipped and fell at the entrance of her home. The front desk person called 911 right away at 6:35. The DC Fire Department arrived quickly. The ambulance arrived at 7:12. Meanwhile, she stayed put where she fell on the cement waiting for city assistance with some of her neighbors, one of whom accompanied her to the hospital. What if she had had a heart attack?

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AARP Calls for Nursing Home Quality Resolution
Grier Mendel, gmendel@aarp.org

AARP DC President Romaine B. Thomas will call for a Council resolution to improve care in District nursing homes. The proposal will come at a Committee on Human Services hearing chaired by Councilmember Sandy Allen on Monday November 3. Mrs. Thomas will urge the District Council to pass a resolution calling on the Mayor and Department of Health to adopt a public goal for the improvement of nursing home care, as well as a detailed timeline and specific measures for achieving that goal. These will include more frequent nursing home inspections, expedited investigation of complaints and improved training of survey and inspection personnel.

In January 2002, a report by the Special Investigations Division of the Committee on Government Reform of the US House of Representatives found that 76 percent of DC nursing homes were not in compliance with federal standards and 29 percent had violations that caused actual harm to residents. The findings spurred the Mayor to issue new local nursing home regulations and announce a commitment to strong enforcement. However two years later little has changed. Scores of committed AARP members will attend the hearing to register their concerns over DC nursing home care and their support for Mrs. Thomas' testimony.

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Parents Bring Urgent Child Care Message to the Council
Parisa Norouzi, WISH, parisa@wishdc.org

Child Care for All Campaign, DC Action for Children deliver over one hundred letters, children's artwork in support of the Child Care Subsidy Program for low income working parents. Concerned low-income parents will gather at the Wilson Building on October 30, determined to make their voices heard on the issue of the Child Care Subsidy Program. The parents will urge the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Carolyn Graham and the Council to invest at least $18 million of DC's recent TANF bonuses in this important child care program, and ensure full funding in 2005. The Child Care Subsidy Program was cut in the FY 2004 budget process; this has forced more than 1,400 children onto the waiting list for the program which is administered by the Office of Early Childhood Development (OECD). Absent this program, parents face spending upwards of $11,000 a year for child care, making it often the second highest cost after housing in a working family’s budget. Teen parents, TANF recipients and foster parents are still able to enroll in the program. A study done by the University of the District of Columbia meant to measure the impact of the waiting list found that of 111 parents surveyed, 6 percent have been forced to go on public assistance for the first time in their lives.

Members of the Child Care for All Campaign will deliver children’s artwork, letters and an urgent message to the Council as part of their effort to establish the child care program as a local funding priority. Campaign member Patricia Garcia stated, “Child care is not a luxury; it is a necessity of a working parent’s life. It is necessary for every child to have a safe haven to stay, learn, cherish, and grow.” Lifelong DC resident Alice Thornton added, “Subsidized child care must be funded and continue to be funded in order for this city to thrive. If we do not provide for our most vulnerable residents, our children, there will be no future for the District of Columbia.” Child Care for All Campaign members are committed to full funding for the subsidy program so that there is no waiting list for eligible families. For more information contact Parisa Norouzi at WISH, 332-8800.

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Curbside Debris Collection Is Extended to November 7
Mary L. Myers, DPW, mary.myers@dc.gov

Due to the very high volume of storm-related debris that resulted from Hurricane Isabel, the Department of Public Works has extended the cleanup contract for up to another two weeks. To date, over 50,000 cubic yards of tree debris have been collected following last month's storms. Waste Management/Storm Reconstruction Services (SRS), Inc., the debris removal contractor, will continue its operations through the end of this week. As the contractor completes work in a collection zone, DPW and DDOT inspectors will check the area for remaining debris. Inspectors will provide the contractor with a list of locations that need additional attention. Mop-up should be complete before Friday, November 7.

Debris removal is time and labor intensive. SRS Inc. has been cutting and removing logs, limbs, and trunks from public space; picking up storm debris set out by residents; hauling the debris to the waste reduction operation at 5 Southern Ave., SW, and grinding the debris into wood chips. Residents may also take debris to the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station at 4900 Bates Road, NE, from 1-5 p.m. weekdays and from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.

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Open Meetings
Tony Bullock, Executive Office of the Mayor, tony.bullock@dc.gov

The current issue of themail, [October 26] contains a heavily edited quote from an E-mail I sent to Ms. Brizill last week in an effort to be responsive to her inquiry regarding a recently held meeting of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. The way Brizill writes her piece suggests that the mayor supports the idea of the Sports Commission holding meetings that are closed to the press and the public. Even though I said nothing of the sort — and the mayor has on several occasions publicly stated his commitment to making the agency more transparent and open — your readers will be left with an entirely inaccurate view of the position of this administration.

Mayor Williams has selected a new chairman who has pledged strong and unwavering commitment to open and transparent operations. This means full compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and all other pertinent statutes governing open meetings. Mayor Williams selected Mark Tuohey for the position of chairman in large part because Tuohey has pledged to bring reform to the operation of this agency.

You have twisted the meaning and intent of what I said and distorted the context. Far from “turning the sunshine law on its head . . . [and] creating a loophole,” I was calling to your attention what most people would find to be a giant defect in the statute, specifically, that unless a public agency covered by the law is “taking official action,” they are not legally required to meet in public. I thought that you would be interested in reading the actual law.

[Actually, the quotation was not heavily edited; it was not edited at all. It was verbatim, with no excisions or changes. I agree, however, that it was not Mr. Bullock's entire E-mail message. I believe that the current sunshine law is clear, and that open meetings are legally required unless the subjects of the meeting are explicitly exempted by the sunshine law (personnel matters, litigation, etc.). If the mayor believes that the current law does not fully support his commitment to open meetings and needs strengthening, then I expect that the mayor will soon propose legislation to close the loophole he thinks exists. And if Mr. Tuohey is committed to open meetings of the Sports Commission, he can demonstrate that commitment by not attending any more closed-door meetings of the Commission and its executive board, as he did both last week and again just today. — Dorothy Brizill]

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

CORRECTION: Cleveland Park Library Fiftieth Anniversary, November 1
Jeanne Ingram, Cleveland Park Anniversary Committee, jeanne@waterstravel.com

The posting [in the October 26 issue of themail] says the celebration will be held at the MLK Library. Not so! Our celebration is at the Cleveland Park Library at 3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW, corner of Connecticut Avenue and Macomb Street, NW.

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Walter Isaacson on Benjamin Franklin, November 6
Jessi Baden, jbaden@democraticwoman.org

The Woman's National Democratic Club invites you on Thursday, November 6, at 11:30 a.m., to hear Walter Isaacson speak on Benjamin Franklin in American democracy. While researching material for a biography on Benjamin Franklin (a book that became number one on the New York Times bestseller list in summer 2003), Walter Isaacson changed the course of his life. Isaacson writes that Benjamin Franklin “spent the first half of his career as a media executive, then changed course to become involved in education, public policy, and world affairs.” Isaacson, former Chairman and CEO of CNN and the former Managing Editor of Time Magazine, gave up the corporate world to become President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit educational and public policy forum based in Washington, DC, and Aspen, Colorado. It runs leadership programs around the world, holds seminars, and sponsors policy studies on a variety of global issues.

Throughout his career he has somehow found the time to write several books including a biography of Henry Kissinger and his latest, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. His book will be available for purchase. Bar opens 11:30 a.m., lunch 12:30 p.m. Price: members $19, nonmembers $25. A WNDC Educational Foundation event. Make checks payable to WNDC-EF. For reservations, please contact Patricia Fitzgerald at pfitzgerald@democraticwoman.org or call 232-7363, ext: 3003.

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Historical Studies Conference, November 7 and 8
Matthew Gilmore, dc-edit@mail.h-net.msu.edu

The 30th Annual Conference on Washington, DC, Historical Studies conference will be hosted this year by the City Museum on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8. On Friday the program includes sessions on topics such as ethnicity, cemeteries, architecture, sexuality, and civil rights. On Saturday, participants will spend the day east of the river, exploring Anacostia, including a special visit to the St. Elizabeth’s hospital campus. A highlight of the conference will be the Letitia Woods Brown lecture Friday evening, featuring a presentation by art historian Jan Abbott on the Barnett Aden Gallery and the extraordinary collection of the work of largely African-American artists developed and exhibited in Washington beginning in the 1940s.

The Historical Studies Conference is jointly sponsored by the George Washington University, the Washingtonia Division of the DC Public Library, the Humanities Council and the Historical Society. The conference is free and the public is welcome. Watch your mailbox for program brochure and registration information. Brochure: http://www.citymuseumdc.org/Learn_About_DC/Calendar/HSC_Full.pdf. Also linked on the H-DC home page, http://www.h-net.org/~dclist.

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Leon Krier at the National Building Museum, November 10
Briana Hensold, bhensold@nbm.org

Based in France, architect Leon Krier advocates urban development that is scaled for pedestrians, incrementally built, dense, and easily understood through visual cues. Krier, recipient of the inaugural Richard Driehaus Prize for Classical Architecture in 2003, will lecture on his urban planning theories and will also present his built works, including the New Town of Poundbury, England, and the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center at the University of Miami. The event will be held at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW (Judiciary Square Metro, Red Line), on Monday, November 10, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 for Museum members and students; 17 for nonmembers. Registration required.

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Won’t You Be My Neighbor, November 11
Brad Hills, bradhills@washingtonstorytellers.org

Next at the Speak Easy, Won't You Be My Neighbor: Stories About the People We Live Near, November 11, 8 p.m., at HR-57, 1610 14th Street, NW (between Corcoran and Q Streets), $5 admission. We've all got them. Neighbors. You know, the crazy guy next door, the woman who peers through her curtains at everyone who passes by, the mysterious man who puts on his tux and spends every night in his garage listening to STYX. Yeah, we've all got them. Well, now's your chance to tell us about them. Join us this month at the Washington Storytellers Theatre Speak Easy, featuring local storytellers extraordinaire Megan Hicks, Ellouise Schoettler, and Diane Macklin. Doors open at 7:30. Show up early to get your name on the open mic list. Listen to some of the area's best storytellers and then get up on stage to tell us your story. Because no one else is going to.

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Iberian Mystics, December 3 and December 5
Diana Altman, B'nai B'rith Klutznick Museum, daltman@bnaibrith.org

I thought you might be interested in the Post-Classical Ensemble's "Iberian Mystics: The Music of Three Faiths" concert, to be held December 5, 7:00 p.m., at Georgetown University. Flory Jagoda, a longtime friend of the Klutznick Museum, will bring to life Spain's Sephardic musical tradition. Single tickets are $25, $10 for students; a season subscription is $40. For more information, call 966-8778, E-mail info@post-classicalensemble.org; for a subscription form, go to http://www.post-classicalensemble.org.

A free open rehearsal for the concert will be held at 1:30 p.m. on December 3 at the Kreeger Museum, 2401 Foxhall Road, NW; for rehearsal tickets call 338-3552.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Dining Table and Chairs
Noah Meyerson, Dupont, noahmeyerson@yahoo.com

Solid oak dining table with carved base. Round, 48-inch diameter with 18 inch leaf. Four chairs also available. $300, or $400 with chairs. Photos at photos.yahoo.com/noahmeyerson.

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CLASSIFIEDS — HOUSING

Share House in Eckington
Taylor Lincoln, taylor.lincoln@verizon.net

I am looking for a roommate to share a very large (for a two bedroom) two bedroom house in Eckington (about a mile north of Union Station, two miles east of Dupont Circle). The house is a renovated 1927 row townhouse, in very good shape. The room available is the main bedroom. The main thing I am looking for is a person who is responsible, relatively clean, agreeable. Rent is $750/month, includes utilities (including cable, local phone, and DSL Internet). Parking is easy. Metro is on the way, but won't be here till 2004. Call 746-1336.

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CLASSIFIEDS — PETS

Looking for People to Adopt DC Cats and Dogs
Pat Yates, PatEdCats@aol.com

There are still a number of wonderful cats and dogs from the DC Animal Shelter in foster homes that are under the auspices of the Washington Humane Society. (These are from September 4 and before, when WHS was still running the shelter.) I have one such, a very personable nine-month-old female kitten. She has had all shots, is spayed and healthy, gets along fine with people and my other animals, and is tons of fun. Others may be seen on http://www.washhumane.org, link to foster cats. I am on 265-2855.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

House Cleaner
Elizabeth Wulkan, ewul@loc.gov

Am looking for crackerjack cleaning person. The fabulous woman who has cleaned our home for us is retiring for a well deserved rest. After almost thirty years, I will need retraining as well. Please recommend someone(s) reliable, honest and thorough.

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