Waterfront Park: Fully Funded and Ready to Go
• November 17, 2010

 

-The Georgetowner’s editorial, “The Perpetually Delayed Waterfront Park Turns to the Community for More Money”, (November 3, 2010) could not be more wrong. The funds are in hand to complete the Georgetown Waterfront Park in the Spring of 2011. In the past several months, work on Phase 2 of the park has been moving full-steam ahead. The river steps are in place, the pergolas have been erected, and a construction of the fountain, pathways, and riverside promenade is well underway.

Despite the progress, the editorial mistakenly reported that Friends of the Georgetown Waterfront Park continue to seek additional donations from the community to complete Phase 2 of the Park. Not true. The Friends continue to recruit new members and to solicit efforts, but thanks to the Federal and District governments and private donors, sufficient funds have been raised to complete construction of the entire Park.

The editorial posed the rhetorical question: “Is this troubled park currently worth the efforts and resources of an ailing economy?” First, the Georgetown Waterfront Park is not “troubled.” The Park has been a long time coming, and the path forward has not always been straight. But with full funding the park will be completed, as planned, by mid-2011.

More importantly, is the Georgetown Waterfront Park worth the effort and resources, particularly during the current recession? Absolutely, unequivocally, “Yes.” In times of economic hardship, when recreation budgets are stretched, city residents and visitors rely increasingly on public parks and recreation areas. Were the resources of the Federal and District governments and corporate and individual donors that have been used to build the Georgetown Waterfront Park well spent? Take a walk through the park along the glistening Potomac, on a crisp November morning. Priceless.

Murphy’s Love
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Dear Stacy:
My girlfriend is pressuring me to get married, and I don’t know what to do. We’re both 28 and have been dating exclusively for five years. She is the love of my life, but I just don’t see the need to get married,
at least not yet. Both her parents and mine are divorced—less than amiably—and I always promised myself I wouldn’t get into that situation. My girlfriend and I each have our own places but spend most nights together. I think moving between houses is kind of fun, but she hates it. We have all the commitments of a married couple—holidays, vacations, friends in common—but without the messy issues of combining households and finances (which she’s not so good at, by the way). I don’t want to ruin a good thing by forcing myself down the aisle. How can I explain this without sounding like a commitment-phobic jerk? So far, I’ve avoided the issue as much as I can.

– Anonymous

Dear Anonymous:
I’m curious why you find nightly sleepovers to be so fun. Are you a camping nut, or is it just easier to commit on a part-time basis? If you’ve both been together for five years and this drop-in arrangement hasn’t started to wear thin, I’d guess that more is going on here than you’re letting on, maybe even to yourself.

You offer a few clues: two children of divorce, lingering conflicts between both sets of parents, concerns about Girlfriend’s financial savvy. At the same time, thinking that you are fulfilling the most important commitments of a married couple, yet not living together, suggests that your expectations about marriage are off. If you didn’t have a great model for marriage growing up, that certainly might help explain
things. But if you want a healthy marriage—whether in name or in spirit—it means agreeing to a life that embraces it all: moving under one roof, communicating even when you don’t want to, making money decisions together and helping each other with common goals.

This kind of commitment comes with big risks but promises big rewards as well. You might feel uncertain whether you’re ready to invest the kind of emotional capital it takes to build a healthy marriage, but it sounds like Girlfriend wants to try. Admitting that you’re worried is admirable, but protecting yourself by avoiding the issue is downright cruel. Talking with your partner is the next step you need to take — to share your worries over sharing the same fridge, your fear of repeating your parents’ divorce, and the anxiety you feel about her shopping sprees. Whatever you do, you need to stop playing possum. It’s disrespectful to you both and prevents you from hearing her vision of a happy marriage. You might be surprised to find out that it’s not far from your own.

Dear Stacy:
I’m a newlywed. My husband and I dated for three years before we were married last spring, and I get along great with his family. His sister is several years younger than we are and lives in the area. Up until
the wedding, she and I had no issues, but ever since my bachelorette party, I haven’t been able to shake her. She has friended all of my bridesmaids on Facebook and has insinuated herself into my circle of girlfriends. She shows up for our ladies’ nights and is constantly asking questions about how my marriage is going. She’s really a nice person, just so much younger and clueless about what’s appropriate and what is not. I want my friends to be my friends and my family to be my family. How do I disinvite her without
being disowned?

–Crowded in Clarendon

Dear Crowded:
Defriending a family member sounds like a topic for Oprah to address. But I sympathize with your situation. Breaking up with a friend can be treacherous; breaking up with family can require a lawyer. Hopefully we can come up with something a little less dramatic.

It sounds like Sister-in-Law (SIL) looks up to you and your friends, admires your marriage, and generally wants to be close to you. This is not unusual Little Sis behavior when you’re in grade school, so I’m going to prescribe a grade school-type intervention: boundary-setting. Kids need limits so they know what to expect and won’t launch into worry-based over-functioning. It sounds like SIL may be a little anxious and trying to figure out what’s appropriate SIL behavior. Tell her. Show her. Help her. I don’t mean that you block her from your life. Just be gentle and firm about who is invited to ladies’ night and who is not.

Also, show an interest in how she’s relating to people her own age. She may really be after your wisdom and advice but just doesn’t know how to ask for it and has opted to try osmosis instead. With some sisterly guidance and some time, you may not need to delete your Facebook account entirely.

Stacy Notaras Murphy is a licensed professional counselor and certified Imago Relationship therapist, practicing at the Imago Center of DC in Georgetown. Her website is www.therapygeorgetown.com This column is meant for entertainment only and should not be considered a substitute for professional counseling. Please send your relationship questions to stacy@georgetowner.com

Across the Cutting Board with Ris: Thanksgiving Special
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To Ris Lacoste, Thanksgiving should be a simple affair. The dishes featured on her restaurant’s “To Go Sides and Pies” menu are effusive and original, yet comforting and familiar. The cuisine goes beyond unique spins on old favorites, recalling brilliant tastes or textures and producing them in an entirely new context. But Thanksgiving isn’t about reinventing the wheel, as she makes clear. To her, Thanksgiving is the raw, savory, unfettered beauty of the fall harvest and family. “I dedicate Thanksgiving dinner to my mother,” she says. “I still can’t do it like she can.”

Preparing Thanksgiving dinner in a cramped kitchen with an undersized oven and limited counter space, Ris’ mother had a graceful choreography and skill. Wielding casseroles, turkeys, stuffing, gravy, and everything in between, she singularly churned out unforgettable, steaming hot Thanksgiving dinners year after year for her large family. The love in Ris’ voice, as she recalls these moments, illuminates the role her mother surely played in her initial passion for cooking.

What makes this holiday Ris’ “absolutely favorite all time meal,” is the patience and warmth it instills within us all: a long preparation, the slow gathering of guests, the cooling effect of the fall weather and the brightness and energy it brings with it, and the football game whirring in the background. It is perhaps the only holiday not crowded by commercialism she says. It’s the calmest American holiday, where you’re free to sit back and “enjoy the tryptophan buzz.”

Now, this isn’t to say that it’s a cakewalk in the kitchen. While the food should be simple, rich, and balanced, a Thanksgiving dinner is a tremendous undertaking. When she ran 1789 Restaurant, Ris began Thanksgiving preparations ten days out for 700 guests, and through her years of experience, she punches one point above all others: Have your MISE EN PLACE. For those who don’t know, this effectively means to keep organized, be ahead of the game, and THINK. Dice all your vegetables, measure all your ingredients, get out your cooking tools, sharpen your knives, and have everything laid out before you begin cooking. “Everything you can do ahead of time,” says Ris, “do it.”

She advises to start prepping a week in advance. Get your turkey, which will probably need to thaw. “Thaw it outside on your back porch if you have to,” she suggests. The nighttime weather is perfect this time of year for thawing a bird. Get all your non-perishables: potatoes, cranberries, marshmallows, onions, and squash.

Think and plan ahead. Turkey, for example, takes a lot of oven time. So what to do about all those other dishes that need to be baked or broiled? If they are dishes that can be warmed up, like casserole or stuffing, make them a couple of days before and reheat them on Thanksgiving Day. “Work it out so all you have to do on Thanksgiving Day is cook the turkey, make the gravy, mash the potatoes, and cook the green vegetables,” she says.

Ris and I decided to focus on anything but the bird. Debates will always rage on the best method to cook a turkey. Some brine it. Others insist upon smoking it. Some stick a Budweiser in its back end and deep-fry it in an oil drum. All of these methods can be rather delicious, and all require different techniques and equipment.

But birds aside, a Thanksgiving meal should strive to find a perfect balance: the savory and the tart, the bitter and the sweet, the rich and the light. The brightness of Thanksgiving dinner is the interplay of its components, the harmony and orchestration of flavors, says Ris, “as if all the dishes grew up together and played in the sandbox and complemented each other, bringing out each other’s best.”

In our case, the dishes were bread stuffing with sausage and sage, sweet potato gratin, and cranberry sauce with vanilla, maple syrup, and cassis.

Stuffing, she tells me, can be loaded with any bread you want: crusty white, rye, pumpernickel, wheat, whatever. Cornbread, she says, is especially good. Oysters, Cajun spices, grains, and nuts all make nice additions. The possibilities are endless. Hers is fairly traditional, but as this recipe proves, a little goes a long way. A bit of cayenne brightens up the juices from the sausage, and the sage and thyme compliment the cranberry sauce brilliantly.

You’ll be eating the cranberry sauce straight with a spoon. The orange cuts the tartness, and the maple and cassis add a wonderful depth to what is usually a very plain sweetness. She showed me that the cranberry sauce doesn’t require much liquid. Cranberries are filled with a great deal of pectin, a natural gelatin that acts as a gelling agent, such as in jams and jellies. When cooking the cranberries, they begin to pop, and the pectin gets to work.

A refreshing spin on sweet potato casserole, the gratin would be a welcome addition to any Thanksgiving table. I watched her slice the sweet potatoes very thin, not much thicker than a water cracker. Thicker potatoes will slide around, she explains. They won’t stand up when plated, and the presentation will be sloppy. Thinner slices will bind better, as more of the starches will release and act as glue. “Like the mortar in between the bricks,” she said.

Thanksgiving, says Ris, is a true fall harvest, highlighting the season’s choice offerings: root vegetables, potatoes, cabbage, pumpkin, greens, herbs, and grains. As a cook, you should enrich the traditions by using as many fresh and locally grown ingredients as you can get your hands on. While some of the smaller farmers’ markets may have begun to close, Dupont Circle and Arlington’s markets are open year-round, and Whole Foods is always a good place to check for organic, local produce. Freshfarmmarkets.org is a helpful site if you’re looking for places to find local produce or fresh markets.

If you can’t find the time to prepare a complete Thanksgiving meal, these dishes and more will be available right from Ris’ kitchen for your table, including pies, sides, gravy, and cranberry orange bread. Call the restaurant as soon as possible to place your order or go to www.RisDC.com.

Cranberry Sauce with Vanilla, Maple Syrup & Cassis
(Yields about 4 cups)

6 cups (about 1 1/2 lbs.) fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over and rinsed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 orange)
1/3 cup crème de cassis black-currant liqueur)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tbs. finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
Half a vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 cinnamon stick

Put 3 cups of the cranberries and all the remaining ingredients in a 4-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and broken down and the juices look slightly syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 cups cranberries and cook until these have popped, 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean and cinnamon stick, and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

Ris Tips:
The cranberry sauce can be made up to one week in advance if refrigerated.

Return to room temperature before serving.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Caramelized Onions
(Serves twelve)

2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter; more for the baking dish
2 lbs. yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; more to taste
2 cups heavy cream
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 Tbs. freshly grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
1/2 tsp. cayenne
4 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 5 medium)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmiagiano-Reggiano
1 bag of marshmallows
1 cup (4 oz.) pecan halves, toasted and chopped

Heat the butter in a heavy-based 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it begins to foam. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Deglaze with the sherry and let cook until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Season with the 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, put the heavy cream, thyme, orange zest, and cayenne in a 2- to 3-qt. saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.

While the cream is steeping, peel and cut the sweet potatoes crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and another rack directly below. Heat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Arrange about one-third of the sliced sweet potatoes in a double layer on the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping the slices in each layer. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread half of the onions over the potatoes and drizzle about one-third of the cream (2/3 cup) over the onions. Sprinkle one-third of the grated parmesan cheese. Arrange another third of the potatoes in two more overlapping layers and season lightly with more salt and pepper Spread the remaining onions over the potatoes and drizzle another third of the cream over the onions. Sprinkle another third of the grated parmesan. Use the remaining sweet potato slices to make two final layers, pressing down with your hands to compact them. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and drizzle the remaining cream over the potatoes, trying to cover them as much as possible. Sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan.

Put a foil-lined baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips. Cover the gratin tightly with foil and bake on the center rack until the potatoes are almost tender but still offer a little resistance when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake until the sweet potatoes are completely tender and the top is lightly browned and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 375°F. Cover the top of the gratin with a single tight layer of marshmallows and sprinkle with all of the chopped pecans. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are beautifully toasted to a golden brown, about 5 minutes or less. Keep an eye out not to burn them.

Ris Tips:

The onions can be made up to 3 days in advance, if refrigerated in a bowl covered with plastic.

The gratin can be baked up to 1 day ahead to the point of adding the marshmallow topping; reheat at 375°F until bubbling hot throughout, about 20 minutes, add the topping, then bake 5 minutes or less.

Heating the cream beforehand will speed up the gratin’s cooking time.

Sausage-Maple Bread Stuffing
(Serves twelve)

2 lbs. dense, chewy bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 15 cups)
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme leaves (from about 1 oz. thyme sprigs)
1/3 cup chopped fresh sage leaves (from about 3/4 oz. sage sprigs)
3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
3 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 medium)
3 cups medium-diced celery (6 large stalks)
7 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 smoked ham hock (about 1 lb.)
1 1/2 lbs. bulk pork breakfast sausage
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Lay the bread cubes in a single layer on two baking sheets. Leave out to dry completely at room temperature, tossing once or twice, for about two days.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.

In a heavy-based, 8-qt. stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter over medium heat until it begins to foam. Adjust with more liquid or bread depending on desired texture. Stir in the thyme, sage, and poultry seasoning and cook just enough to coat the herbs and season the butter, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves, and ham hock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the liquid reduces by one-third, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the sausage on a rimmed baking sheet and break it into quarter-size chunks. Roast until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let cool, and then chop the sausage into smaller bits.

Add the sausage to the broth and simmer just to allow the flavors to meld, about 5 minutes. Remove the ham hock and bay leaves. Discard the bay leaves and set the hock aside to cool. Stir the dried bread, several cups at a time, into the broth until all of the broth is absorbed and the bread cubes are well moistened. Stir in the maple syrup, pepper, and the remaining 3 Tbs. butter.

When the hock is cool enough to handle, pick off the meat, chop it into small pieces, and add to the stuffing. Season to taste with salt if necessary (depending on the sausage and ham hock, both of which are salty, there may already be enough).

Transfer the stuffing to a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake uncovered at 375°F until heated through and crisp on top, about 20 minutes if freshly made, or about 30 minutes if made ahead.

Ris Tips:

The bread can be dried weeks in advance, bagged, frozen, and then thawed when ready to use.

The stuffing can be made (but not baked) up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, covered.

Mortgage
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A couple of years ago, if a homeowner was offered a jumbo-sized mortgage for a home in Washington for 4.375% they would beg for the loan to be locked. In fact, the customer would probably think the mortgage loan officer was misquoting his or her rate sheet. But that was 2009. Today clients sometimes let greed take over. A lot of borrowers are taking their time in making the decision to move forward in anticipation of even lower rates.

Remember 2008 – 2009? The sky was falling. Banks were failing by the hundreds. The Treasury Department headed by Henry Paulson, formerly of Goldman Sachs, launched the TARP program under President George W. Bush in order to stabilize the financial system.

Fast forward to the recent midterm elections. Democrats lost the House to the Republicans because many voters believed that among other things that the Democrats were the architects of TARP and that TARP did not work. TARP did pass with the help of Democrats and TARP did salvage the banking system. In fact the Government may make a profit from TARP.

The country is climbing out of the deep recession slowly. The recovery is proving to be a slow one that will take time. In reaction to the slow pace of the recovery, the Federal Reserve Bank announced “Quantitative Easing 2,” or “QE2,” which entails the buying of $600 billion dollars of Treasury bills in order to stimulate the economy by keeping Treasury prices at lower levels. With the stimulus program, the Feds also are attempting to keep interest rates down.

In early November, before the Treasury started its pre-announced buyback, rates reached the lowest levels that the markets have seen since the 1950s.

Unfortunately, even when interest rates hit new lows, perspective mortgage clients can let greed take over. Some folks are always hoping for still lower rates. There are a few reasons why rates have moved higher since the Treasury buyback was announced.

First, everyone on Wall Street and elsewhere knew what the Federal Reserve and its Chairman Ben Bernanke were planning on doing. The prices of the 10-year Treasuries and those of the mortgage market reflected the anticipated program. Others are talking about the potential inflationary effects of a devalued dollar.

Since the buy back program was announced, the rate on the 10-Year Treasures has gone up and interest rates have also ticked up.

Interest rates should stay in a relatively narrow range for the near term. If you can save hundreds
of dollars now, go ahead and pull the interest rate trigger. Your next worry will be how to spend the money you will be saving.

Bill Starrels lives in Georgetown and is a mortgage loan officer. He can be reached at 703 625 7355 or by email, bill.Starrels@gmail.com

The Jack Evans Report
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Last Tuesday, we elected the people who will lead the District of Columbia starting in January. My colleague, Vince Gray, will take office as our new Mayor and Kwame Brown as Chair of the Council. The challenges before elected leaders are tremendous, and the next several weeks will be crucial in determining the fiscal future of the District.

Although the city is in good financial shape overall, we learned from Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi in September that we are facing a $175 million shortfall for the fiscal year that began October 1. This shortfall comprises approximately $50 million less in sales tax revenue, $50 million less in income tax revenue, $35 million in federal stimulus money the city anticipated but did not receive, $25 million in spending pressures in our public schools, and other costs. We face another $135 million shortfall in fiscal 2012, when one-time stimulus money is no longer available.

When the mayor and council faced similar shortfalls over the past three years, we relied largely on spending our reserves to close the gap. This was possible because by September 2005 the District had built up reserves totaling $1.6 billion. But year after year, as revenue slowed and spending increased, we drew down our savings. Over the past three years, the District has spent almost $1 billion in reserves, leaving us only $611 million today. No more of this amount can be used because it supports our revenue bonds and other debt commitments. The District also continued to borrow for capital investments and has increased its outstanding debt to the legal limit of 12 percent of annual debt payments to revenue.

Without reserves available to close our spending gap, and no more room to borrow, we must either raise revenue, cut spending, or both. Because our rates in commercial property tax, personal and corporate income tax, and sales tax are already the highest in the region, and in some cases the nation, it is difficult to ask our residents and businesses to pay more, particularly in these tough economic times. Raising taxes might help to close the shortfall now, but it will also put us at a greater competitive disadvantage with Maryland and Virginia in the future. It’s no secret that new residents and businesses that relocate to the region go elsewhere to save money. This hurts our long-term ability to expand our revenue base and pay for government — including the social safety net — that we want and need.

On the expenditure side, more than 85 percent of our budget is dedicated to social services, education, public safety, and debt service. Reductions in these areas are very difficult, again because of the times. But these areas must be reduced if the city is to balance its budget. Keep in mind that we spend more money on education per student, and on social services and public safety per resident, than most cities and states, and we are consistently ranked as having one of the highest rates of government employees per capita.

We cannot afford to jeopardize all the progress we have made with our bond ratings and investment climate. Now is the time to right-size spending, no matter how painful the decisions might be. Postponing this downsizing by using tax increases and one-time fixes will only lead to larger deficits. I continue to assert — as I have for the past 3 years — that this revenue downturn is not a one year phenomenon. I believe the economy will continue to grow anemically, and we certainly cannot count on a big turnaround in revenues to save the day.

The experience of the District in the 1990’s continues to serve as a cautionary tale. Back then, we used one-time fixes and ended up with a control board. The board then made the hard decisions that the elected government would not make. I will not allow something like that to happen to the city on my watch.

Dress for Success Washington, D.C.
• November 10, 2010

Over 200 supporters of Dress for Success gathered at an 8th anniversary celebration luncheon at the J. W. Marriott on Oct. 28 for what event chair Joyce Gates heralded as accomplishing “ near miracles on a daily basis” to empower disadvantaged women in our area to regain confidence and enter the work force. Shawn Yancy of FOX5 News emceed. Testimonial speaker Shecara Vardiman touched hearts speaking of her success attributed to “a group of women who have overcome.” Keynote speaker Stacie Turner left her recent TV celebrity aside to speak of links between her charity Extra-Ordinary Life founded to inspire girls in foster care and the goals of Dress for Success. There were accolades galore, particularly for the support of DC Councilmember Michael A. Brown, who helped secure a $150,000 grant from the D.C. Department of Employment Services. – Mary Bird [gallery ids="99520,104485,104479,104482" nav="thumbs"]

Jack Evans report
• November 3, 2010

The Council and Mayor are beginning to address the revenue shortfall and budget gap now anticipated in fiscal year 2011, which started October 1. To that end, the Mayor took immediate action to freeze personnel hiring and procurements. Our government faces a shortfall of $100 million in declining revenue and $75 million in various spending pressures. In the grand scheme of things, we have little control over the economy, we can’t make the stock market perform better, and we can’t make commercial property sell for more. But what we CAN control is what we spend, and I believe that should be the focus of our efforts.

If we examine some of the recent tax increases passed by the Council (generally over my objection), you’ll find they fall into that “be careful what you wish for” category. Some of my colleagues believe you can raise taxes and everything will be alright. However, with the two initiatives from last year, our revenues actually went down. The first was the increase in the general sales tax from 5.75% to 6% that went into effect October 1 last year. So what happens? We get our revised revenue estimate from Chief Financial Officer Gandhi, and our sales tax collections are now lower than a year ago. So the tax increase did not cover the continued government spending. We also raised the cigarette tax — a socially admirable goal, yes, but not a reliable source of revenue. It has likewise decreased in revenue production while spending has continued unabated. So after both of these two tax increases, we have dug our hole deeper rather than the other way around.

Of course there are various proposals bandying about right now — predominately to increase the income taxes on high income filers. In fact, one proposal would boost income tax rates for filers over $100,000. I believe such proposals would backfire. There are many interesting statistics contained in the city’s annual “CAFR,” which formally is the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or our annual audit. In the most recent FY 2009 CAFR, it states (Exhibit S-2H, Page 163) that in the year 2000 there were just over 26,000 income tax filers in the “$100,001 and higher” category. In the year 2009, this had increased by just under 20,000 to about 45,500 filers.

What was the income tax revenue impact of “growing the pie” by attracting new residents over this time period? It was an increase in tax collections by the city of $334 million in 2009 as compared to 2000, with of course growth in all those years in between. In short: an increase of hundreds of millions of dollars over a decade just from an increase of 20,000 filers in this one tax category. So what if half of them never moved here or we abandon our successful tax policies (which have attracted people back into the District) and the inward migration stops? Or worse yet: What if people decide to leave the District? Will that have a revenue impact? You bet it will, and it will be a lot bigger than whatever amount we may get from increasing taxes on “the rich.”

I believe we were elected to make the tough decisions. I am hoping my colleagues will take the long view and not vote, yet again, to unwisely raise taxes.

Newsbabes Bash for Breast Cancer
• October 27, 2010

It was packed, it was hot and it was pink (yeah, baby). The second annual Newsbabes Bash for Breast Cancer took over the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton on South Street, May 10, to benefit the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. As she left the overwhelmed bar, race founder and Ambassador Nancy Brinker got to say hello to D.C. First Lady Michelle Fenty who was arriving amid the squeezed bodies (more than 500 attended). After a few speeches in the heat, the women retreated outside for a calmer and cooler photo op. Other notables included Tommy McFly, Luke Russert and soccer players Chris Pontius and Devon McTavish, along with Andy Baldwin and former pageant winners Kate Marie Grinold (D.C.), Kate Michael (D.C) and Tara Wheeler (Virginia). – Robert Devaney [gallery ids="99353,99354,99355,99356,99357,99358,99359" nav="thumbs"]

Safeway’s Big Social Debut
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The new Safeway store on Wisconsin Avenue had a gala debut May 5, as Georgetowners and others were treated to a champagne, food-filled (of course) party that got lots of positive buzz and publicity. Neighbors, politicos and Safeway execs mingled throughout D.C.’s largest grocery store, which is open 24 hours a day. “I was first in the store in the 1950s. I think it’s a great place,” said Washington Post Company CEO Don Graham, who grew up on nearby R Street. “This is the Social Safeway,” said Kate Michael of the Web site K Street Kate. “You may well see people shopping in the future in cocktails dresses.” Katherine Tallmadge, who writes a nutrition column for the Georgetowner, observed of the new store, “The nutritional options are amazing, the produce section is gorgeous and the selections of wines really surprise me. Mary Beth Albright summed up the evening: “It is the best time I have ever had in a grocery store!” – Robert Devaney and Elle Fergusson [gallery ids="99347,99348,99349,99350,99351,99352" nav="thumbs"]

Lani Hay’s Mixology/Book Party
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Lani Hay, president and CEO of Lanmark Technology, hosted a dinner party for Michelin three-star mixologist and author Brian Van Flandern on May 13 to celebrate his new book, “Vintage Cocktails.” A veteran bartender and now consultant, Van Flandern holds many awards and is known for using the best, purest and most historical ingredients to mix his drinks. He has worked at the Carlyle Hotel and at Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant in New York. On hand were the book’s publishers, Prosper and Martine Assouline, along with event sponsors, DC Magazine’s Karen Sommer Shalett and George Stone. Seen at the dinner tables were D.C. Chamber of Commerce’s Barbara Lang, CNN’s Edie Em-ery, Karen Feld, Erwin Gomez and Sharon Yang. – Robert Devaney