Georgetowner •

The question on everyone’s mind these days is: What’s next for school reform?

On Wednesday, October 13, Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced her resignation, and Mayor Fenty and Chairman Gray jointly announced the appointment of Kaya Henderson, Rhee’s deputy, to serve as interim Chancellor. I am a big fan and supporter of Rhee. She started to tackle some very important issues which had not been addressed before: closing down underutilized facilities to maximize efficiencies and support-service costs (which helps put money back in the classroom where it belongs), instituting a system for evaluating teachers, and getting a groundbreaking union contract approved which takes performance and meritorious performance into account, among others.

Did she do everything right? No. But fundamentally I believe she was going in the right direction. Just a few short years ago, we had no plan for fixing up or building new schools, and we had mediocre outcomes for our children with no one – from top to bottom – ever losing their job over poor performance. These things had to change and, under Rhee, they did.

I was an early supporter of Mayoral control of the schools long before it was popular. It was my main theme when I ran for Mayor in 1998. I am supportive of the actions taken yesterday by the Mayor and Chairman to install Ms. Henderson on this basis. She gives every indication of having not only the spirit of a reformer, but substantive experience in the District, particularly in helping continue to bring about change.

I hope she will bring many of the same reformer qualities to the job while maintaining a constructive working relationship with Gray. As Chairman Gray has stated on multiple occasions, school reform is bigger than any one person, and we must work to see that this is so by continuing to focus on substantive issues. Two of the most pressing tasks ahead in the near future are of course implementing the new union contract, as well as fine-tuning the IMPACT teacher evaluation system. We cannot go back to the days when no one was ever held accountable.

All of this must be done in the climate of a $400 million budget shortfall and continued overspending in our school system.

Getting this right – and I agree there are various sensitivities involved – is nonetheless important for the future of our children and our city.

Georgetowner • October 8, 2010

-We write in response to a press release and neighborhood mailing by Tudor Place Foundation announcing the public presentation of a Master Plan for Tudor Place, the historic house museum and garden in Georgetown. The Plan includes the construction of a two-story above ground Visitor Center on 31st Street, a large one story Education Center behind 1670 31st Street, a large Greenhouse visible from 32nd Street, and a large Collections Storage addition at the south end of the historic Garage that currently tops out at six stories above 32nd Street. All of these projects are to be located at the perimeter of the property and will transform the Tudor Place from a residential into an institutional property and will diminish its historic character.

We, the undersigned sixty-plus neighbors of Tudor Place, are adamantly opposed to several aspects of this plan. We believe that other community residents, if faced with the same circumstances, would react as we have—politely, proactively and persistently—to create a plan satisfactory to all parties.

We support the goals of this Master Plan, which are to ensure the long-term preservation of the historic house and the archives and collections, to better secure the property, and to continue the educational mission of the Foundation.

We live on the streets around Tudor Place, and we value the historic house, especially its landscape. We have been staunch supporters of Tudor Place over the years, volunteering time and donating funds. We have testified at past BZA hearings in support of Tudor Place.

When we first learned of the Master Plan earlier this year, we were stunned that the Plan had been in preparation for two years without any consultation with the surrounding community. We were shocked by the scope of the proposed plan: a near 50% increase (about 10,000 SF) to the existing physical plant at Tudor Place (about 21,000 SF including the 10,000 SF main house).

Since then, a “working group” of neighbors has generated alternatives that would accommodate the expressed needs of Tudor Place while reducing the impact of the proposed construction on neighboring properties. While Tudor Place has responded with minor adjustments, the most negative aspects of the original Plan remain.

When asked about digitizing the archives and storing them offsite so that the building space could be reduced, Tudor Place told us that digitizing was very expensive and that the collections should not leave the property. We accepted that.

We asked about Tudor Place purchasing one of the larger nearby houses and configuring it to accommodate their needs. We were told that was too expensive.

We asked if the historic value of the 1960s fallout shelter preempted its use as collections storage. After being initially told that Tudor Place would consider this option, we have since been told that the fallout shelter will not be considered for collections storage. We have accepted that.

We asked if the Greenhouse could be located on the south side of the historic garage building where a smaller greenhouse is now located. We were told that while this could be acceptable, it was however the only suitable location for the planned collections storage facility. We have NOT accepted this.

Tudor Place has done little to accommodate our concerns and has dismissed our proposed alternatives as inefficient or too expensive. The obscenely large collections storage addition to an already enormous building along 32nd Street has now been reduced to a very large addition, still larger and rising much higher than the houses that face it. We proposed placing this storage facility underground. The large one-story Education Center is still proposed a short distance from neighbors’ properties. We proposed locating it closer to the existing building where it would have little or no impact. The Greenhouse has been reduced slightly in size but will still be a dominant presence in the currently vegetated hillside.

We have presented Tudor Place with viable alternatives to their Plan that would satisfy their needs as well as the concerns of the neighbors. This $10-12 million plan will take Tudor Place into its next 50 years. Isn’t doing the right thing worth some minor sacrifices in efficiency or cost? We are looking for a Plan that will unite the neighborhood in support.

Signed

Neighbors of Tudor Place

Jennifer and Tim Altemus
Melissa and Doug Anderson
Laura Blood
John Boffa
Mary Bradshaw
Maria Burke
Julie Chase
Carl Colby and Dorothy Browning
Kathy Bissell and Lee Congdon
Mary Ellen Connell
Paul Deveney
Ellen Clare and Scott Dreyer
Duane Ford
Robert Gabriel
Margaret and Stephen Goldsmith
Helen Darling and Bradford Gray
Edward and Vi Fightner
Susan Gschwendtner
Sally Hamlin
Patricia Hanower
Gretchen Handwerger
Laura Harper and Arnold Robert
Bill Helin
John Hirsh
John Hlinko
Laine Katz
Kate Langdon
Dana Madalon
Jack Maier
Nell Mehlman
Mary Mervene
Gerald Musarra
Nancy Paul
Carlos Ortiz
Georgina Owen and Outerbridge Horsey
Corry and Jim Rooks
Carol and Leigh Seaver
Leigh Stringer
Mindy and Dwight Smith
George and Elizabeth Stevens
Denise and Les Taylor
Danielle Tarraf and Philipp Steiner
Hardy Weiting
Jane Wilson
Lawrence Williams
Dorothy Worthington

Georgetowner • October 6, 2010

Dear Darrell,
I am working with a Realtor to buy a house. He keeps asking me for more and more of my financial information. I like working with him and think he is a good agent, but am a little put off by having to give my financial particulars. I also don’t want to be rude by telling him this is private and that I don’t want to share it. Is it common for agents to request this sort of thing?

Amanda R.

Dear Amanda,

Without knowing exactly what the Realtor is asking you for, it’s a bit hard to answer your question. But assuming the Realtor is asking questions related to the resources you have available for purchasing a property, these are legitimate questions. Part of the work of a good Realtor is to educate his client. There are a couple of ways to go about this when discussing financial information. One is for the agent to ask the questions (as is happening in this case). Another is for the agent to encourage you to talk with a mortgage broker who can tell you about a wide variety of loan programs which might be suitable for you. Either way, it is important for you to understand the costs of buying a home—the immediate costs and the long term costs. As evidenced by the huge number of people who have gotten into trouble because they were overextended financially, it is critical that you be certain that you have both the cash (down payment and closing costs, etc.), and the income to support the monthly mortgage cost. If you are uncomfortable giving this information to your agent, you can certainly give it directly to a mortgage broker, and that person can counsel you on financial matters. If you don’t know a mortgage broker I suggest you talk with friends or ask your agent for a recommendation or two. One other very important aspect of this process is that in light of the recent systemic financial problems, lenders are being far more cautious. This makes the process longer, and requires a fair amount more documentation and review. Your agent no doubt knows this and is probably trying to help you get your ducks in a row early on, so that when you find the property you want, you will be prepared to make an offer and move forward.

Georgetowner •

The September Democratic primary has come and gone and the Council’s summer recess is over. It’s back to school, back to work, and back to reality…literally! After a heated campaign, we have my colleagues Vince Gray as the Democratic nominee for Mayor and Kwame Brown for Chair. And we have an outgoing Mayor Fenty with three more months on the job. Together we face a tremendous challenge right off the bat – rebalancing the fiscal year 2011 budget, which began October 1st.

Last week the independent Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Natwar Gandhi, released the revised revenue estimate for the fall quarter.

While I was by no means expecting good news – anecdotal accounts of the economy continue to be pretty bad –the actual news turns out to be worse than I expected. Dr. Gandhi estimates an additional revenue shortfall of about $100 million for FY 2010, and potential spending pressures in the range of an additional $65 – 75 million. And this is just on October 1st!

We continue to see weaknesses in several areas: commercial real property values, income taxes – particularly capital gains and sales taxes. In fact, the decline in real property taxes in one year is $236 million – a figure which should take your breath away.

With the primary now over, all of this will force us to have our “rendezvous with reality” and refigure the FY 2011 budget within the next month. I have some hope of a higher level of cooperation between the Council and the Mayor in coming up with a consensus plan. I would like to see that plan avoid “one-time” fixes as I believe the continued revenue shortfall is likely to persist for a few years. While income and sales taxes will likely bounce back with the economy, I do not see commercial property coming back for several years, and the next wave of loan refinancing in this area is likely to reveal further weaknesses. So as I have said before, what we face is not a “rainy day,” but rather “climate change” and we have to rethink our government in order to live within our means.

This means we cannot keep raiding our accumulated fund balances to pay our operational expenses. We cannot mandate vague and unspecified spending cuts. We cannot raise taxes which discourage investment in the city and hurt our ability to continue to attract new residents and taxpayers to the District. The past 10+ years have seen an unprecedented movement back into DC – and this has had a phenomenal positive effect on our “bottom line” and on our ability to pay for the social safety net we all want. But we need to avoid short-sighted policies which will ultimately kill the golden goose, as it were. We are entering into the third year now of reduced economic circumstances, so clearly one-time fixes are not going to work.

We cannot let the various spending pressures gallop out of control, such as the potential $30 million in special education, the $35 million more we won’t be getting from the Feds for Medicaid, or the spending pressures related to our ownership of the United Medical Center.

It seems to me the fairest thing is to freeze things across the board: pay grades, step increases,
pension contributions, procurement contracts, all of which will result in a rate of zero growth. That way, everyone is making a contribution to our financial stability and we can attempt to avoid the painful process of laying people off.

Can we do it? It’s not really a question of “can.” We simply must do it. The next month or so will be a real test of our city’s leadership and whether we will approach the problems facing our city head on, or whether we’ll stick our heads in the sand.

Georgetowner •

David Guas will launch his much anticipated bakery, Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery, in November in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington. This homey, deep south, 70-seat café will offer plenty of Louisiana favorites from the New Orleans native. Delights include muffalettas, boudin, andouille sausage, jambalaya, porKorn, beignets, chicory coffee, pralines, cakes, pies, and puddings. There will be lots of Counter Culture coffee to complement the savory and sweet all-day menu.

SWEET CHEF UPDATE: Peter Brett has been named pastry chef for both the Park Hyatt Washington and its restaurant, Blue Duck Tavern. Brett is a graduate of Boston University’s graphic design program and L’Academie de Cuisine’s pastry arts program, where he studied under former White House pastry chef, Roland Mesnier. Quite impressively, one of his wedding cakes is also featured on the United States Postal Service wedding stamp.

SAVORY CHEF UPDATE: Jason Brumm has been tapped to be the chef at P.J. Clarke’s, at 16th & K Streets, NW. He was previously at Radius 10 in Nashville. DC Central Kitchen and its for-profit arm, Fresh Start Catering, have hired some well-known chefs to run their programs. David Strong has been named culinary director of Fresh Start. He was formerly executive chef with Haute Cuisine on Capitol Hill (a division of Ridgewells). Tim Miller, formerly of Mie N Yu, has been named executive chef. Ed Kwitowski, formerly of Ris and Bistro Bis, has been named executive chef of Fresh Start Contract Foods. Demetri Recachinas has been named Fresh Start programs manager. Previously, he had been with Buck’s Fishing & Camping. The team is headed by Gregg Malsbary, director of revenue generating programs.

WOMEN RULE: Kimberly Geherin is the new general manager at Morton’s in Crystal City. She hails from Morton’s in Denver. Sherry Abedi has been named general manager at Ping Pong Dim Sum in Penn Quarter. Amy Troutmiller has been named general manger of West End Bistro by Eric Ripert at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, DC. She was previously assistant general manager at Urbana Restaurant & Bar at Kimpton’s Palomar Hotel in Dupont Circle. Linsey Haynie is the new event coordinator for Ris in DC’s West End. She moves over from the Metropolitan Club.

From the folks who brought you Againn and Againn Tavern comes Italian Shirt Laundry (wood-fired pizza with a splash of gourmet deli) and Italian Cinema (If pronounced correctly, it’s “Chinema”.). They will join the hot spots that have recently opened along 14th Street, NW. Both restaurants are slated to open early in the first quarter (permit Gods willing) and both will have low price points ($10 per person). Italian Shirt Laundry is named for what used to be in that space during its last 100 years – yup, a laundromat. For Italian Cinema think Italian cheeses and salami (charcuterie). Check out the videos projected on the walls, which define its cinema moniker.

Healthy dining comes to DC by way of France — no joke. Annie and Didier Leconte, joined by their son Eric, plan to open a healthy café called Litestars. There is a limited menu: savory tartlets, salads, and soupdrinks (drinkable soups – no spoon needed). They plan to open mid-October at 21st & L Streets, NW.

Aiming to open by the beginning of October: Cubre Libre (Penn Quarter), DC3 (Barracks Row), Arlington Rooftop Bar & Grill (Clarendon), Serendipity3 (Georgetown), Galileo III (Downtown DC), Pizza Paradiso (Old Town, Alexandria), and P.J. Clarke’s and Sidecar, its spiffy clubby downstairs (Downtown DC). One of its unique attractions that will lend a nod to its NYC roots: the men’s room will house a pair of large, winged urinals from the 19th-century that have graced the original P.J. Clarke’s saloon since 1884. Rustico’s new Ballston location plans to open mid-to-late October. Steve Mannino will be executive chef over both Rustico restaurants – Ballston as well as the original one in Alexandria. Yes, there will be a Buzz Bakery next door to the new one in Ballston. Michel, the restaurant by Michel Richard at The Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner, is targeting a mid-October opening. Queen Vic, on H Street in Atlas District, hopes to be open by mid-to-late October.

Slow Food DC will be joined by Poste Moderne Brasserie to host a pig roast (ah, memories of Jean-Louis Palladin) to announce the new program, “Slow Food DC Snail of Approval.” The program intends to identify local food establishments and artisans that exemplify the Slow Food mission: good, clean, fair food. Nominations for Slow Food DC can be made after October 3, by members and supporters, using a simple form on Slow Food DC’s website — www.slowfooddc.org. Slow Food DC will give out the first round of Snail of Approval stickers in 2011. A panel comprised of chefs, culinary professionals, and industry representatives will judge the award submissions.

The Amsterdam Falafelshop, a fast casual restaurant in Adams Morgan, became only the eighth franchise system to be headquartered in Washington, DC, according to Arlington, VA-based FRANdata. FRANdata is a franchise research company that tracks and analyzes franchises and their performance. Their planned expansion is strategically targeted to the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions.

Congratulations to Didier Rosada and Mike McCloud of Uptown Bakers. Uptown Bakers’ master baker and vice president of operations, Didier Rosada, was named a Top Ten Bread Maker in America by Dessert Professional magazine. Featured in the October issue, the annual award pays tribute to the country’s best bakers, based on quality and creativity. Uptown Bakers is owned by McCloud.

ON THE CALENDAR: Tuesday, October 26: March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction with Chef Ris Lacoste and WJLA-TV anchor Leon Harris. Saturday, October 30: Les Dames d’Escoffier’s Taste of Stokes event at the E.W. Stokes Public Charter School in NE DC to bring attention to the unique school lunch program and the community partnership. Thursday, November 11: Capital Food Fight to benefit DC Central Kitchen.

Georgetowner • September 22, 2010

The primary election is over! Congratulations to Vince Gray, who will be the Democratic nominee for Mayor, and to Kwame Brown who will be the nominee to Council Chair. As someone who has been down this road before, I greatly appreciate the hard work and dedication to our city that went into those successful campaigns, and I look forward to working with them on what is best for our entire city.

I have had good working relationships with both men. I am especially encouraged by Vince Gray’s early outreach, within days after the primary election, to plan town hall meetings in each Ward of the city, in recognition that he did not win every Ward. I think this is a very good gesture in the right direction in fostering a much needed dialogue which will help our city move forward together, and allow all of us to get to know one another better.

We have tremendous challenges facing us in both the near and long term – not least of which is the potential continued weakness in the economy, which will have implications for the District’s revenue and budget, as well as an impact on unemployment and demands for social services. It is quite possible the Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Natwar Gandhi, will come to us with more bad news on the revenue side of the balance sheet this month – and it could be one of the first challenges as we return from Council summer recess to redo the FY 2011 before it starts October 1st.

Other efforts will continue as well, such as school reform, how to continue to create an investment climate for our economy to keep “growing the pie,” and how to make our public safety agencies work for everyone across the city. I look forward to approaching these issues and more with new vigor as we move forward to make Ward 2 – and the entire city – the best place that it can possibly be.