Shawington

I was pleased to learn that DC for Democracy, in a vote last week, overwhelmingly supported my candidacy with 51.3% voting for me, 30.8% voting for my opponent, and 17.9% voting no endorsement. You can read my responses to the organization’s questionnaire here to see why.

Founded in Spring 2004, DC for Democracy is the District’s largest unaligned progressive group of activists, community leaders and everyday voters working for positive change in our local government and recognition in America’s legislature.

While the organization’s bylaws require a 2/3 majority for an official endorsement, the vote shows the strong and growing support that I have among progressive voters who believe we need a change as we head into the September 9 primary.

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This Thursday, June 26, the “Ward 2 Democrats” organization will hold an endorsement meeting to determine who they will support in the September 9 primary.

You may not realize it, but if you are registered to vote as a Democrat in Ward 2, you are a part of this organization and can vote. Any Ward 2 registered Democrat can vote at this meeting - you don’t have to be active in the organization or have paid any dues.

The meeting is something of a mini-primary. At 6:30pm at the Women’s Democratic Club in Dupont Circle (1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW – 1 block east of the Q Street metro exit), attendees will show ID so that the organization can check it against the voter roles. Voters will then receive a ballot. When the meeting is called to order at about 7pm, you can immediately cast your ballot or stick around to hear 2-minute statements by each candidate.

WHEN: Thursday, May 26
TIME: 6:30pm Registration Opens, 7:00pm Voting Begins, 7:30pm Polls Close
WHERE: National Women’s Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (Q and New Hampshire)
WHO: Any Ward 2 Registered Democrat can vote!

The candidate receiving 55% receives the organization’s endorsement.

Candidates for Ward 2 and At-Large on the DC Council, as well as Congressional Delegate and Shadow Senator/Representative will be on the ballot.

Please come and bring your neighbors and friends. Your vote on Thursday can shape the September 9 primary.

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This Thursday, June 26, the “Ward 2 Democrats” organization will hold an endorsement meeting to determine who they will support in the September 9 primary.

You may not realize it, but if you are registered to vote as a Democrat in Ward 2, you are a part of this organization and can vote. Any Ward 2 registered Democrat can vote at this meeting - you don’t have to be active in the organization or have paid any dues.

The meeting is something of a mini-primary. At 6:30pm at the Women’s Democratic Club in Dupont Circle (1526 New Hampshire Avenue NW – 1 block east of the Q Street metro exit), attendees will show ID so that the organization can check it against the voter roles. Voters will then receive a ballot. When the meeting is called to order at about 7pm, you can immediately cast your ballot or stick around to hear 2-minute statements by each candidate.

WHEN: Thursday, May 26
TIME: 6:30pm Registration Opens, 7:00pm Voting Begins, 7:30pm Polls Close
WHERE: National Women’s Democratic Club, 1526 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. (Q and New Hampshire)
WHO: Any Ward 2 Registered Democrat can vote!

The candidate receiving 55% receives the organization’s endorsement.

Candidates for Ward 2 and At-Large on the DC Council, as well as Congressional Delegate and Shadow Senator/Representative will be on the ballot.

Please come and bring your neighbors and friends. Your vote on Thursday can shape the September 9 primary.

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I’ve found time and time again that those who fight hardest for Ward 2 residents are often members of the Council from other parts of the city or elected at-large. Today, was another perfect example.

First, the Council gutted the noise bill. The original bill would have placed reasonable restrictions on the volume of daytime noncommercial speech (i.e. people shouting into loud speakers) that goes on for prolonged periods, intruding into people’s homes and places of work. DC has absolutely no limit, unlike any other major city, and what was originally proposed was still more lenient than places like New York City. An amendment proposed by Council Member Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), which was essentially a rewrite of that proposed by Council Member Evans and defeated last month, passed 9-4 this time, after some unions ran radio ads threatening two members up for reelection, Kwame Brown (D-At Large) and Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7). It raises the decibel level limit from 70 to 80 dB, restricts the limit to R-1 through R-4 zones (i.e. there is no limit for areas in which there are large apartment buildings or downtown), and changes the place of measurement to inside the home rather than 50 feet from the noise.

Those fighting for Ward 2 on the noise bill included Council Members Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), David Catania (I-At-Large), and Carol Schwartz (R-At Large). While Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans represented that he has never received a noise complaint from residents of his Ward that would be protected by the legislation, Catania and Cheh discussed a different reality. Catania, himself a Ward 2 resident, expressed outrage that the children of Stevens Elementary School (located in West End/Foggy Bottom) lost an entire semester of school because of a prolonged protest across the street by hired hands. Cheh suggested that Penn Quarter residents ask why they are being treated differently — why they get no protection in their community and in their homes, noting that, “just because [you] live in a mixed [residential / commercial] area, Penn Quarter residents will have to suffer from noise assaults.” Cheh noted that under the Evans’ supported amendment, the noise can go 7am-9pm every day, all day, no matter how long, how loud, how amplified — “you get no protection whatsoever, none.”
“Penn Quarter, I hope you are listening, you are being written off.”

–Council Member Mary Cheh (Ward 3), quoted in the Washington Post

Council Member Wells, who shares a portion of Penn Quarter with Ward 2, attempted to amend the Thomas amendment to restore some protection for downtown, but failed. In the end, Cheh and Wells, the primary sponsors of the bill, voted against the do-nothing legislation.

Lost in all the noise over the noise bill were two very other important quality of life proposals on the Council’s Tuesday agenda: single sales of alcoholic beverages and vacant property.

The Council passed a ban on the sale of single alcoholic beverages for Wards 4, 7, and 8, with Council Member Wells pledging to add the entirety of Ward 6, which already has a partial ban, at the next meeting. Council Member Evans, spurred by the action of his colleagues, has after 17 years of complaints from neighborhoods residents, committed to proposing a similar ban for Ward 2. But his proposed ban, yet to be introduced, will cover only two Advisory Neighborhood Commission areas, Logan Circle (ANC 2F) and Shaw/Mt. Vernon/Penn/Chinatown Quarter (ANC 2C). Residents of Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom/West End, Georgetown, and downtown should prepare to see more public intoxication, public urination, aggressive panhandling and trash, as those who cannot get a cheap drink in more than half of the rest of the city (Ward 1 already has a partial ban) find your corner and liquor stores.

Finally, the Council took on long-delayed legislation designed to move owners of vacant property to put their property to productive use. The legislation increases the vacant property tax rate from about 5x the regular occupied rate for residential property to 10x, while eliminating many of the loopholes that allowed derelict owners and speculators to avoid the higher rate for decades. It was Council Member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) who sought to fight off a series of 11th hour amendments that would have placed some of those exemptions back in the law and created a few new ones. That included a complete exemption on properties within the central business district proposed by Council Member Evans. It was withdrawn when it came under fire from Graham and Council Member Barry (D-Ward 8). Council Member Evans also proposed an amendment to increase the period of time before the higher rate sets in from 1 year (existing law) to 2 years and for residential property to 1 year (same as existing law, but the bill would have reduce dit to 8 months). That proposal passed. Another Evans proposal, to restore a loophole providing a 24-month exemption for properties under a deed of trust, was removed after Graham objected.

Graham also attempted to fight off, with some success, amendments proposed to allow the Mayor to single handedly exempt properties (passed subject to renewal by Mayor every 24 months), to exempt newly constructed buildings (passed limited to 4 years), and to require government inspectors evaluating whether a property is indeed vacant to consider the owner’s alleged “intent” to return.

It’s time we had a Ward 2 Council Member who places his constituents before developers, unions, and other special interests. By the way, what happened to the idea of creating a livable downtown? With the carving out of downtown from the noise bill and an attempt to take the central business district out of the vacant property protections, residents should be very concerned.

What people are saying about the noise bill’s silencing (no one is happy):
Quest for Quiet blog
PQ Living blog
Greater Greater Washington blog
DCist
DC Wire blog
The Express
Washington Post

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Friday was the first day candidates for DC offices could pick up petitions to be included on the September 9 primary ballot from the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. You can view a list of candidates here.

DC Council candidates running for a Ward seat must obtain 250 signatures of registered Democrats living within their ward by July 2. Over the weekend, our campaign already made significant progress toward this target, which we will exceed by a substantial number of voters.

Sunday’s Washington Post included a feature on the beginning of the campaign season, noting that while my opponent is a representative of big developers and special interests, serving as a part-time council member while working as a lobbyist, I will work for our neighborhoods full time.

The Washington Post blog referred to me as a “savior of local parks.” One issue that I’ve emphasized in my campaign is the sad irony of my opponent’s positions supporting a near billion in public financing for a ball park, a $50 million giveaway for luxury boxes at the Verizon Center, and lately pumping up the idea of building a new football stadium — all with your tax dollars. Meanwhile, the city’s recreation centers lack funding to stay open on weekends and late weekday nights, leaving few options for DC’s youth, and many parks in our own ward have waited for years, sometimes decades, for needed renovations.

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There is a part of the District of Columbia that can only be accessed by land from Virginia. Do you know what it is?

Roosevelt Island. While Roosevelt Island is a federal park, under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, it is part of the District of Columbia and falls within Ward 2. In fact, I recently learned that part of the Island is considered Foggy Bottom! Map.

According to the Audubon Society of DC, “Washington’s monument to our 26th president is hidden away on a 91-acre wooded island accessible only from the Virginia side of the river. Roosevelt Island offers several habitat types: hardwood forest, tidal marsh, and wooded swamp. There are trails running around the island, including a boardwalk through the marsh.”

Even some longtime area residents are unaware of this hidden jem.

Isn’t it odd then that the only way to step onto this District soil is by walking, biking, or driving down the George Washington Memorial Parkway and footbridge from Virginia. Otherwise, you’d have to swim across the Potomac from DC or rent a kayak.

I was at a recent Foggy Bottom Association meeting when local activist Dave Mallof presented a plan (download here, 639k pdf) for building a footbridge from either the Georgetown or Foggy Bottom waterfront to Roosevelt Island, finally providing access to this treasure from D.C.

“It is time for DC to construct a cost-effective bridge for people, not automobiles, in a high-density area.”
-Dave Mallof, Dupont Circle resident and DC activist

The proposal is relatively inexpensive (compare to odd proposals to demolish the Whitehurst) and could be financed in whole or in large part by federal funds. The GW Hatchet reports that the idea is gaining momentum.

What do you think?

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Here’s the latest on who is going to the Democratic National Convention on behalf of the District of Columbia, and on whose behalf they are pledged. The sum up is that as of today:

Obama (19): 8 delegates, 8 superdelegates, 2 “Party Leader Elected Officials,” and 1 “Unpledged Add-On Delegate.”
Clinton (12): 2 delegates and 10 superdelegates.
Unpledged (5): 4 superdelegates, 1 add-on unpledged delegate.
Not yet determined (3): 3 pledged at-large delegates.

First, the District gets 10 delegates based on your vote in the February primary. Obama receives 8. Clinton receives 2.

OBAMA DELEGATES (8, 3 alternates)
1. Darryl Wiggins
2. Maria P. Corrales
3. Jerry Clark
4. Kierra Johnson
5. Cynthia Kain
6. Eugene D. Kinlow
7. Pauline E. Chapman
8. Anthony Mohammed
Alternates: Keshini Ladduwhetty, Betty L Smalls, Juan Manuel Thompson

CLINTON DELEGATES (2)
1. Peter D. Rosenstein
2. Sandra C. Allen

Next, there are 22 superdelegates. These are mostly officials in the Democratic National Party, who live in the District. Hillary has 10, Obama has 8, and 4 remain unpledged.

SUPERDELEGATES PLEDGED TO CLINTON (10)
1. DNC Mary Eva Candon (also ANC Commissioner for 2D02)
2. DNC Yolanda Caraway
3. DNC Hartina Flournoy
4. DNC Harold Ickes
5. DNC Ben Johnson
6. DNC Eric Kleinfeld
7. DNC Minyon Moore
8. DNC Elizabeth Smith
9. DC-DNC Marilyn Tyler Brown
10. DNC Mona Mohib

SUPERDELEGATES PLEDGED TO OBAMA (8)
1. Mayor Adrian Fenty
2. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
3. DNC Dr. James Zogby
4. DC-DNC Arrington Dixon (former DC Council Member)
5. DC-DNC Jeffrey Richardson
6. DNC Anna Burger
7. Shadow Senator Michael Brown
8. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss

UNPLEDGED SUPERDELEGATES (4)
1. DC-DNC Anita Bonds, State Committee Chairwoman
2. DNC Donna Brazile (has indicated that she will cast her vote for the choice of the majority of Americans)
3. DNC Larry Cohen
4. DNC Christine Warnke

The District’s plan also allocates two slots for Party Leader Elected Officials based on the February 12 primary. Obama supporters received both slots due to his winning just over 75% of the vote. The Democratic State Committee determined who would represent the District as PLEO’s on April 3.

PARTY LEADER ELECTED OFFICIALS (PLEO) (2)
1. Council Chairman Vincent Gray
2. At Large Council Member Kwame Brown

On April 3, the D.C. Democratic State Committee elected 2 “unpledged add-on delegates” from a large number of candidates. “Unpledged” is deceptive — many of the applicants had supported a candidate.

UNPLEDGED ADD-ON DELEGATES (2)
1. Council Member Harry Thomas, Jr. (Ward 5) (was pledged to Clinton, but switched his status to undecided).
2. Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) (Obama supporter).

Last Step: Pledged At-Large Delegates.

On May 3, the Democratic State Committee will elect 3 pledged At-Large Delegates and 1 pledged At-Large Alternate to complete the selection process in compliance with the DNC’s affirmative action goals. Council Member Jack Evans, who had sought a position as a PLEO, now reportedly intends to seek this slot in support of Clinton. Shadow Senator Mike Panetta, who will also blog the convention, plans to run as an alternate in support of Obama.

(No Ratings Yet)

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Here’s the latest on who is going to the Democratic National Convention on behalf of the District of Columbia, and on whose behalf they are pledged. The sum up is that as of today:

Obama (19): 8 delegates, 8 superdelegates, 2 “Party Leader Elected Officials,” and 1 “Unpledged Add-On Delegate.”
Clinton (12): 2 delegates and 10 superdelegates.
Unpledged (5): 4 superdelegates, 1 add-on unpledged delegate.
Not yet determined (3): 3 pledged at-large delegates.

First, the District gets 10 delegates based on your vote in the February primary. Obama receives 8. Clinton receives 2.

OBAMA DELEGATES (8, 3 alternates)
1. Darryl Wiggins
2. Maria P. Corrales
3. Jerry Clark
4. Kierra Johnson
5. Cynthia Kain
6. Eugene D. Kinlow
7. Pauline E. Chapman
8. Anthony Mohammed
Alternates: Keshini Ladduwhetty, Betty L Smalls, Juan Manuel Thompson

CLINTON DELEGATES (2)
1. Peter D. Rosenstein
2. Sandra C. Allen

Next, there are 22 superdelegates. These are mostly officials in the Democratic National Party, who live in the District. Hillary has 10, Obama has 8, and 4 remain unpledged.

SUPERDELEGATES PLEDGED TO CLINTON (10)
1. DNC Mary Eva Candon (also ANC Commissioner for 2D02)
2. DNC Yolanda Caraway
3. DNC Hartina Flournoy
4. DNC Harold Ickes
5. DNC Ben Johnson
6. DNC Eric Kleinfeld
7. DNC Minyon Moore
8. DNC Elizabeth Smith
9. DC-DNC Marilyn Tyler Brown
10. DNC Mona Mohib

SUPERDELEGATES PLEDGED TO OBAMA (8)
1. Mayor Adrian Fenty
2. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton
3. DNC Dr. James Zogby
4. DC-DNC Arrington Dixon (former DC Council Member)
5. DC-DNC Jeffrey Richardson
6. DNC Anna Burger
7. Shadow Senator Michael Brown
8. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss

UNPLEDGED SUPERDELEGATES (4)
1. DC-DNC Anita Bonds, State Committee Chairwoman
2. DNC Donna Brazile (has indicated that she will cast her vote for the choice of the majority of Americans)
3. DNC Larry Cohen
4. DNC Christine Warnke

The District’s plan also allocates two slots for Party Leader Elected Officials based on the February 12 primary. Obama supporters received both slots due to his winning just over 75% of the vote. The Democratic State Committee determined who would represent the District as PLEO’s on April 3.

PARTY LEADER ELECTED OFFICIALS (PLEO) (2)
1. Council Chairman Vincent Gray
2. At Large Council Member Kwame Brown

On April 3, the D.C. Democratic State Committee elected 2 “unpledged add-on delegates” from a large number of candidates. “Unpledged” is deceptive — many of the applicants had supported a candidate.

UNPLEDGED ADD-ON DELEGATES (2)
1. Council Member Harry Thomas, Jr. (Ward 5) (was pledged to Clinton, but switched his status to undecided).
2. Councilmember Yvette Alexander (Ward 7) (Obama supporter).

Last Step: Pledged At-Large Delegates.

On May 3, the Democratic State Committee will elect 3 pledged At-Large Delegates and 1 pledged At-Large Alternate to complete the selection process in compliance with the DNC’s affirmative action goals. Council Member Jack Evans, who had sought a position as a PLEO, now reportedly intends to seek this slot in support of Clinton. Shadow Senator Mike Panetta, who will also blog the convention, plans to run as an alternate in support of Obama.

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Turns out that Council Member Jack Evans will not be permitted to go to the Democratic National Convention as a delegate (”Party Leader Elected Official,” which is basically a type of superdelegate that pledges for a specific candidate) for Hillary Clinton. He had sought to do despite the fact that more than 3/4 of the District voted for Barack Obama, including 2 out of every 3 voters in his own ward. Obama won every precinct in the city.

The DC State Committee, which had initially planned to split the District’s 2 PLEO slots between the two candidates, ruled that both PLEO delegates should be allocated to Obama. Score one for representative governance.

You can read more in the Washington CityPaper and Daily Kos.

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The largest earmark in the Fenty budget is reportedly a $10 million grant toward the renovation of Ford’s Theatre, which is owned by the National Park Service. It’s a curious expense for the the District to subsidize a federal government project (the feds are putting in less than DC - $8.5 million) — doesn’t it usually work the other way around? As federal property, it should be noted that Ford’s Theatre does not bring in tax revenue for the District. Council Member Phil Mendelson says it’s “outrageous.” Evans says it’s “not unusual by any means.” If it’s not, it should be.

4/1 UPDATE: Read my letter in The Examiner and additional criticism of this spending by DC Council Members.

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