Are You Sure You Want That Second Term, Mr. President?

November 15, 2012

Poor President Barack Obama.

The man was just re-elected to a second term as President of the United States.

Can’t he just take a little time off, do a victory dance, walk the dog, gloat—in private—a little, before having to take on the burdens of state and all that stuff.

But no. People keep calling with stuff. Ring.

“This is Barack.”

“It’s John Boehner, Mr. President.” “Yes?”

“John Boehner, Mr. President, the Speaker of the House?”

“I know who you are, Mr. Speaker. I can tell by your voice. Are you sniffling?”

“No, sir, just a cold.”

“What do you want, Mr. Speaker, it’s nine o’clock in the morning the day after the election, which I won, thank you very much. Did you call to congratulate me, John, in which case, thank you very much.”

“No, sir. I mean, yes, sir, but it’s about the cliff.”

“The cliff? Oh, that cliff. Can’t this wait, John. I mean, for God’s sake, I haven’t even had breakfast. I gotta walk the dog.”

“It cannot wait, Mr. President. If we don’t solve this crisis, the nation will go over a cliff and the economy will go into recession.”

“Well, we can’t let that happen. But I got it, John. Raise taxes on the rich. You’re cool with that, right? Talk to you later. Bye.”

Ring.

“Yo, my man. Chris Christie here. Really, thanks for everything you did. It was cool hanging out with you. You got the boss on the phone. Say, reason I’m calling, you wouldn’t happen to have his cell phone number would you?”

“I think I can manage to get you that”

“By the way, I lied. I didn’t vote for Romney. I voted for that libertarian guy.”

“Nice. Gotta go. Let’s get together real soon. See you next hurricane.”

“It’s Dave, Sir. General Dave.”

“Um, who?”

“General David Petraeus, your CIA Director?”

“Oh, sure. Say, shouldn’t you be preparing for your Benghazi testimony?”

“I’m afraid not, sir. I’m call to telling that I would like to come over and see you to tender my resignation.”

“You do know I just got re-elected, right? I mean, for God’s sake, man.”

“I had an affair, sir.”

“You what?”

“I had an affair. With a woman who was embedded with me in Afghanistan. And I’m afraid the FBI appears to know about it.”

“They do? They didn’t tell me about it. Wait, did you say she was in bed with you?”

“No sir. Embedded, sir. In any case, I feel I have no choice but to resign.”

“Why don’t you sleep on it, Dave, and let me know in 24 hours, okay? I mean, I gotta walk the
damn dog.”

Ring.

“It’s Rick Perry, Mr. President.”

“Who?”

“The Governor of Texas, sir, and the eyes of Texas are upon you, sir.”

“Didn’t you lose in the primaries, Rick?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, why are you bothering me on the day after I won re-election. Did you see that look on Mitt’s face?”

“Yes, Sir. I bet him $10,000 that he was going to lose. But what I called about: I’m thinking about having Texas secede from the United States of America.”

“You just keep thinking that, Rick. Gotta walk the dog. Bye.”

Ring.

“It’s Justin Bieber, sir. Selena broke up with me. What should I do?”

“Where did you get my number, son.” “Bruce Springsteen gave it to me.”

“Goodbye, son.”

Ring.

“Hey, you, commie.”

“Is that you, Ann?”

“No, it’s Michelle. Gotcha.”

Ring.

The president does not answer the phone this time.

“Bo,” he turned to his dog. “Let’s get out of here.”

Treat, No Trick: Georgetown Nightlife Important for Business

November 6, 2012

Georgetowners are lucky to be within walking distance from nearly everything they might need. Some of the best shopping, dining and nightlife opportunities in Washington are only a short walk away. It makes life easier and fun to have such great resources. Our shopping, dining and historic attractions also bring people from all around the region and the world to our town. They are happy to be here, and most of us are happy to have them.

Nevertheless, the bar and nightlife scene in Georgetown has always been a point of contention between residents, business owners and visitors. Last year’s Halloween night brought gun shots, a melee at the Foggy Bottom Metro corner and a teenager who died later from gunshot wounds. Before that, the ghoulish night was peaceful for years, after D.C. police changed its crowd-control strategy: leaving the streets moving with vehicular traffic and people barricaded back on the sidewalks.

Nightlife in Georgetown is vibrant and classic at the same time. As with anything, there are also negative aspects to it. Like it or not, that includes drunkenness which can lead to bad behavior. (While this may mostly involve loud noise in the neighborhood, it can move up to property damage or physical violence quickly.)

Obviously, this is not beneficial to businesses, residents and others who just wish to have a good time. Controlling nightlife should not be an all-or-nothing discussion: consumers’ interests should be taken into consideration among those of others.

One opportunity for discussion of Georgetown nightlife is the recently launched D.C. Hopper, an evening shuttle bus that travels from Bethesda to Georgetown and Dupont Circle and back. Services like D.C. Hopper often have people upset that many bar-goers are going out primarily to drink and get drunk. There are only so many bars in Georgetown, and only so many ways to get to the neighborhood. The D.C. Hopper is an innovative way for transportation that circumvents expensive taxicab rides and sometimes-undependable Metrorail options. Instead of denouncing D.C. Hopper completely, concerned citizens should promote an open dialogue about what can work for everyone.

In July 2011, the Georgetown Business Forum on Nightlife and Hospitality was an effort by the business community and residents to have a constructive conversation about the careful balance that needs to be maintained so that everyone wins.

The Georgetown community needs to support local businesses that attract people to the
neighborhood, while controlling the less desirable aspects of nightlife. There could be any number of measures taken to prevent the bad behavior that rises from nightlife, but there will always going to be a range of both good and bad that happens. People who want to come to Georgetown to support local businesses should be welcomed. Today, there are lots of choices of where to go in Washington and the surrounding metro area after dark. We should be proud that Georgetown is a center for nightlife, too.

President Barack Obama for a Second Term; For District Council: Evans, Orange, Grosso

November 2, 2012

Many of us watched with a certain amount of elation four years ago as America elected Barack Obama as the first African American President of the United States and then stood in the bitter January cold to watch his inauguration. We felt then that—while the election spoke to the best in the American spirit—Obama was also the best person to inspire Americans to overcome the disastrous repercussions from an ongoing recession still sliding toward an economic cliff, the remaining sour after-effects of terrorism directed against us by al-Qaeda and the debilitating costs of two ongoing wars.

So, how do we feel now, today, this very minute, as President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are locked and apparently deadlocked, according to the latest polls, in a bitter campaign that will come to a climax next week?

Are we—as the challenger likes to ask—better off today than we were four years ago? It is a question that is as much about the state of the economy, about morale and about perception of what the future holds and what must be done about it—as it is about party and philosophical loyalty and personal preference, as well as how we are doing. It involves a choice: Democrat or Republican, liberal-moderate or conservative-pragmatic, Obama-Biden or Romney-Ryan, struggling or doing just fine, better or worse.

To answer those questions properly, clearly and unhesitatingly, without reservations or nuance is impossible. Only a fool or a fanatic, after enduring a campaign like this, could embrace one side without objection or pause. But let us say this: when all is said and done, the president’s effort to stem the tide of recession into full-blown depression did work and his interventionist policy on the auto industry did work and saved this U.S. industry. Romney, in spite of his business credentials, has been unconvincing in his efforts to prove he could have done better. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that the president stopped the deluge and prevented this country from going into a depression. Since then, the economy has been at best slow in recovering, but it is recovering, as opposed to sliding backward.

President Obama did lead the effort to kill Osama bin Laden, although it’s true that “You can’t kill your way to a Middle East policy,” as Romney has indicated. The president ended the war in Iraq, as promised, and he is ending the war in Afghanistan, efforts that a majority of Americans support.

Lots of things still bother us about Obama: his education approach leaves a lot to be desired and penalized older teachers by too often blaming them. Obamacare, is an imperfect work, which, politically, has hurt him, but we suspect the timing was one of now or never. His economic and jobs plans seem to look to the future, not to mention addressing environmental issues. For Romney, the first seems mainly about drilling, the second is nonexistent, in spite of the daily—Hurricane Sandy being the latest example—evidence of climate change and its disastrous effects.

We would have liked to have seen Obama deploy his inspirational, visionary and rhetorical skills more consistently and more often, especially during the course of this campaign, which has consisted of a barrage of negative ads on both sides. We remain mystified by his first debate performance, which changed the campaign dramatically in its ebb and flow

It seems to us that, unlike his opponent, the president sees the country as a whole, not divided by a 47 percentile, and revels in its diversity—and not just because he is the most visible manifestation of the strength of America’s diversity. When Obama talks about the unemployed, the underemployed, the poor, the middle class, the struggling, he seems to know (from experience), the rich, sometimes anguished, triumphant, hard-working, ambitious and energetic mosaic of the country, its coat of many colors.

Romney was born rich, and this has never changed in the course of his life. This is not a criticism or some sort of sin of class and privilege—many consequential, patriotic, compassionate, caring, inventive and visionary men and women have worn and lived their wealthy status well. Yet, it was Romney who appeared to dismiss nearly half the population of this country in cavalier terms in the company of friends, where persons feel comfortable enough to be bluntly honest. He has shown throughout this campaign—and we should consider its totality, not just the debates—that he is tone deaf when it comes to the life experiences of others. He seems to lack, not necessarily compassion, but imagination and curiosity.

Romney is fond of touting his experience as a manager of a company—which he thinks of as a small business—of running the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and as Governor of Massachusetts, where he actually created the prototype for Obamacare, which he plans to end the minute he takes office. He is, in the end, not the dreaded right-wing conservative that some people see. If he is anything, it is as the apostle of corporate divinity, as business embodying all the requisite American virtues and wisdom to solve all our future economic and international problems. He is a firm believer that big businesses are not only people, but patriots, which may explain why General Electric found a way not to pay taxes of any sort in hard times because it was legal.

The other problem with Mr. Romney is that we actually don’t know what he stands for on numerous issues about which he has changed his mind. We wonder not what his principles are but sometimes, if he has any that he’s not willing to discard in order to get elected, given his sudden discovery of American women voters whom he’s now courting with all the ardor of a swain afraid of being left at the altar.

The question is not, “Are we better off?” but, “Will we better off over the course of the next four years, and who can lead us in that direction of eventual triumph and destiny?” Which candidate will not only stand up against our foes, but stand out among world leaders and work with them? Which one can offer the kind of inspiration to move us forward in what is a new and changing world of both great peril and great opportunity?

In the end, it is not business experience which will move us forward, but human experience in as many manifestations as possible. That requires strength in the crunch, curiosity, empathy and imagination. For those qualities, we look to and enthusiastically endorse President Barack Obama for a second term.

District Council: Evans, Orange, Grosso and Mendelson
The Georgetowner also endorses Jack Evans for the Ward 2 seat on the District Council, for which he is running unopposed. Evans is the longest serving councilman we have and has served with honor, high effectiveness and expertise, without which the council would be at a serious loss.

The District Council’s At-Large race features a number of challengers and will result in the election of two candidates, at least one of whom has to be a non-Democrat, per council rules. Among the newcomers and challengers, David Grosso, a Brookland resident and attorney and one-time staffer for former Ward 6 Councilwoman Sharon Ambrose and counsel for D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, strikes us as the best qualified with ideas, pushing for workforce help in the poorer parts of the district, open to new ideas and lots of fight and energy to take on what is often seen as a beginning-to-ossify council. At a recent at-large candidate forum in Georgetown, we were also impressed by Republican Mary Brooks Beatty (Yes, we were), who was a hands-on advisory neighborhood commissioner in a changing H Street, NE, neighborhood and was part of the successful efforts to revive that neighborhood.

In the end, the two incumbents—Democrat Vincent Orange and Independent Michael Brown are one too much. Brown has had just one too many iffy clouds hanging over him—including donations from developer Jeffrey Thompson, a connection he shared with Orange. Last week, the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance asserted that Orange’s special election campaign finances were in order, a position the councilman had maintained since the first questions about donations. Both Orange and Brown are long-time veterans of the D.C. and the council political scene—both ran unsuccessfully for mayor, for instance.

We very much like Orange’s ability to play and work well with others on the council and his ability to get things done in ways that are not divisive. While he is surely a good friend of Georgetown, the energetic Orange also sees all of D.C. as one city and tends to it accordingly.

The Georgetowner endorses incumbent Councilman-at-Large Vincent Orange and independent newcomer David Grosso for the two at-large seats on the District Council.

The Georgetowner also endorses Phil Mendelson for a full term as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia. In a council plagued by ethical concerns and troubles, not to mention a city government burdened with the same concerns, Mendelson stands out as not only an ethical leader and legislator but as a leader who leads by example and around whom the council has rallied all but unanimously. ?

Pollster John Zogby Shares Insight

November 1, 2012

Pollsters—who have proliferated with every
presidential election—are funny people. It
turns people just don’t understand them, or
rather what they do.

We hadn’t talked with Pollster John Zogby,
then of John Zogby International, since the last
presidential election campaign in 2008, right
after the New Hampshire primary which produced
some interesting results then.

Back then we caught up with him on his cell
phone. He was enroute—we forget to where—
and he was on a train.

Four years later, after some digging around
on the net, we found him again last Wednesday—
heading toward an airport. We finally talked last
Friday—and indicative of what’s been going
on the polling arena, things had changed in the
interim.

“Yes, last night (Thursday, October 26), I
thought I detected a little bit of a surge towards
Obama, but by the time I got back, we saw a
dead heat in Virginia—48/48.”

That was an indication of how tight this election
has become—depending on the pollster and
polls you look at, there are national deadlocks
among likely and/or general voters, and many
but not all of the battleground states are heading
towards: you guessed, it deadlocks, depending
on what polls you read, study or believe.

Of course, for Zogby, since we talked to him
last in 2008, there have been a lot of changes,
too. Back then, he was (and continues to be) one
of the most respect pollsters in the country. He
had gained some fame back in the 1990s, after
founding his firm Zogby International in 1984,
after one of his polls showed that New York
State Governor Mario Cuomo would lose to then
president George. H.W. Bush in his home state.
Later, in an astonishing feat giving the outcome,
he polled ahead of the result the final numbers
of the 2000 presidential election within a tenth
of the actual result.

In 2008, just to show the vitality of things
even then, Hilary Clinton—after showing
what was detected to be some teary emotion—
had won the New Hampshire Primary stalling
Barack Obama’s impending victory parade.
Zogby’s rolling polling had apparently missed
that development. Back then, he said “Look,
we got everything else right—we got McCain,
we had Obama’s almost exact numbers, but we
had stopped before the effects of the “moment”.”

Since then, after years of heading Zogby
International, he sold his controlling shares to
the Brazilian company IBOPE. “That was a
big thing, sure,” he said. But Zogby is still a
major force in polling—the recent Virginia tie
for instance was part of polling he is doing for
and in conjunction with the Washington Times.
In addition, he polls with Forbes Magazine and
others, and most important of all, he’s joined
JZ Analytics, a Polling Firm run by his son,
Jonathan, in the role of Senior Adviser.

“Nope, I haven’t retired,” Zogby, 63, said.
“But working with my son, that’s very, very nice,
sure, that’s very special, of course it is. It’s a
very major thing.”

Other things have changed, too, not so much
for him, as in the world of polls and pollsters.
“Sure, sure, there’s more of them, the tools have
changed, and the techniques have changed—the
robo calls, for instance are still there, but that’s a very difficult thing to bring off in depth when
you have so many people using cell phones, it’s
harder to get the numbers.”

Zogby did not agree, and he did not agree
then that voters are heavily influenced by polls.
“I honestly can’t say that I have ever met anybody
that voted because of a poll.

“What I do believe is the media makes more
use of polls now than they did four years ago,”
he said. “And they create story lines from polls,
they look at certain things and emphasize them,
sometimes even if they’re not important, or just
to frame their stories And now, today, in the
debates for instance. There is no question that
Obama’s debate performance in the first one was
a big deal, it changed things altogether. I had
him running ahead by as much as eight points in
Ohio before that debate. That changed things,
no doubt. But all those subsequent polls, that’s a
little different. The media continues to compare
current polls in terms of Obama to where he was
before that debate. That makes things look much
more dramatic than they are.”

Zogby remains unafraid to say three words
that many pollsters would rather avoid. He’s
been often asked this time around as he was back
then to predict the outcome of the election. We
gave it a try just in case he’d changed. “Who’s
going to win?” we asked him. “I don’t know. I
just don’t know” he said.

And right now, he says, there’s no way of
knowing. “Look, every sign is heading towards
a deadlock, like the Virginia thing,” he said. “It’s
volatile. I can’t say that if some big deal happens
that it couldn’t change everything. It might.

“Here’s the thing about this election as things
stand right now,” he said. (This was October 26).
“Anything can happen. That talk about Obama
winning the electoral vote and losing the popular
vote? That could happen. But it could happen
for Romney too. Can Romney win without
Ohio? Maybe, but he’d have to sweep just about
everything else. You could have one of them
win all the key states by less than a percentage
point and create an electoral rout, and still lose
the popular vote.”

“What’s worth looking are the things you
find when you dig deeper in your polling,” he
said. “That gender gap. Well, it was there, but
you’ll find that married women are more concerned
about jobs and the economy than single
women. That youth vote—it might not show up
for Obama or some of it might go the other way
again because of jobs. Or ask if Romney is making
a dent in the Latino vote? See how the turnout
might be in the Evangelic vote—six months
ago, a long time ago, understandably, it was still
iffy . Will they show up? Turnout is key. The
early voting, that’s a thing to watch out for.”

“Anything can happen.”

“I’ve been doing this a long time, I can
remember making calls and a woman would answer and say, I’ll have to check and see what
my husband thinks,” he said. “The tools have
changed. The social media has been become
very important, or at least more important. This
instant feedback on the debates for instance. But
the instant polling, trying to gauge the immediate
effect, sometimes that’s not worth much because
you don’t know how deep the polling has gone,
who they’ve talked with.”

Zogby’s mantra is worth remembering in
terms of polling. “A poll is a snapshot in time.
It’s not a prediction. It says here is where we are,
right now, not yesterday, not tomorrow. That’s
real information, but it can change.”

Zogby and talked before the beginning of
a different sort of storm—Sandy, the so-called
perfect storm. It’s already caused candidates to
cancel appearance, to re-direct their efforts, and
its effects are still not known. For Obama, he
has to more president than candidate.

Like Zogby said: “Anyting can happen.” ?

The Jack Evans Report: This Is Getting Old


It seems like not a week goes by
without another news story about an
irregularity in the office of our Chief
Financial Officer. The latest revelation
was last Tuesday morning, in which news
outlets reported a criminal indictment of a
CFO employee accused of assisting with
more than $300,000 in fraudulent District
tax refunds (and more than $3 million in
federal taxes). I remain very concerned
that we don’t have the types of controls
that prevent fraud before it takes place.
I believe the District stands a chance of
receiving restitution for these amounts and
will follow up to ensure it is done.

Then, later the same day, I was told
that the CFO received a letter from the
Securities and Exchange Commission
asking for copies of audits, document
retention policies and other information
that were the subject of my hearing earlier
this month. I am a former Securities and
Exchange Commission Enforcement
Division lawyer, myself, and I believe
that the goal of the inquiry is to determine
whether the city’s bond offering documents
contained any material omissions about the
state of our tax office that should have
been disclosed to investors prior to selling
our bonds.

As a practical matter, the number of
recent news stories on the audits prior to
the bond sale most likely ensures that all
potential bond purchasers were aware of
the information prior to purchase. The
interest of the SEC, even in the form of
an informal inquiry rather than a formal
investigation and subpoena, is of great
concern to me. I have asked for regular
briefings from the CFO on these matters
and will continue to conduct regular
oversight over Gandhi’s office. I have
been a consistent defender of Gandhi, but
the constant drum beat of negative news
from that office is a problem that must be
addressed.

On a lighter note, I wanted to write at
least one more article about the Washington
Nationals this year – is it too soon? I made
a point of purchasing tickets to all the
playoff games to support our team and
our city, and while I am so proud of our
historic season, I am also disappointed that
our playoff run got cut short. Anyone who
was at the game for the Thursday night
win, though, will tell you that there was an
electric feeling in the stadium and a real
sense of community.

When I last wrote about our team, in
August, the Washington Nationals had the
best record in Major League Baseball. It
was then widely reported that you have to
look back to 1945 to find the last time our
team was 20 games above .500. This whole
season has been an experience in uncharted
territory. Not only did the team perform so
well, but the area around the ballpark is
now beginning to develop rapidly. I cannot
begin to tell you the number of articles I
read about the failure of this concept. With
a little patience, I knew the investment
would pay off.

As we move squarely into fall, I hope
everyone has a safe Halloween. Please
keep in touch with my office, and let me
know what issues are of interest to you. ?

Tax Time

October 19, 2012

It’s crunch time.

The last week to file those tax returns on extensions. President Obama filed his return on time in April. Mitt Romney got extensions and filed later. I waited to see their returns before filing mine. Obama’s return is about 25 pages, similar to mine. We use almost the same tax forms, though he earns and donates substantially more than I do. Both of us have salary and investment earnings. I have some stock investments while all his investments are in US Treasuries. We both write. He earned $400,000 from his books. I learned, well, less. Both Obama and I made bad investments years ago that still reported on our tax returns. The Obamas donate $1,000 to $5,000 to a few dozen charities. Mine tend to be a digit shorter. The Obamas gave their kids $24,000 each. I paid tuition.

The Romney returns are in a different class. First, they had four returns, including three trusts, which totaled approximately 1 thousand pages long. Romney had no salary. He must be unemployed like he told an audience in Iowa last spring. Romney had $15,000 in medical expenses. To him, that’s less than a rounding error. To me, that’s my annual insurance cost. He made $260,000 in director fees. Is he still serving on corporate boards?

Approximately 75% of the Romney returns – hundreds of pages – are dozens of Form 8621 to report PFIC investments. That’s a Passive Foreign Investment Company. The Romneys had investments in the Cayman Islands, Amsterdam, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. It’s easier to learn to speak Dutch, Italian, and French than to read their tax returns. Romney’s foreign investments appear to conflict with his political positions. He invested in German and Danish pharmaceutical companies doing stem cell research, Chinese state-owned oil companies, an Israeli company manufacturing a “morning after pill,” Swiss, French, Italian and Japanese banks and manufacturers doing business with Iran, and a Chinese education company sued for US copyright infringement. Romney has been running for president for six years. Why didn’t he sell those investments years ago?

Last spring, when questioned about paying a lower tax rate that a secretary, Romney said that a person who paid more tax than legally required should not be president. This year, to get his tax rate up to 14%, he purposely didn’t deduct about $2 million of contributions and voluntarily paid an extra $500,000. If he loses, he has three years to amend his returns and get that money back.

One-third of his tax bill was the “alternative minimum tax” which he’s pledged to eliminate. That will save him $675,000. He also paid over $100,000 tax to foreign countries, which reduced his U.S. tax bill. Since most of his income flowed through trusts, what I really wanted to know was how much of his $20 million went to his kids, but those forms weren’t included. Romney surely paid more to have their returns
prepared that I earned.

Well, back to my return. Where’s that receipt I was looking for? That would save me $27.

William Raspberry, Pioneer Journalist and Other Black Firsts at the Post


To the Editor,

Growing up in northeast Washington, I was only a college sophomore when I first met William Raspberry in 1970. Bowie State University had no journalism program then, only two introductory courses. Our teacher Clyde Reid had invited Bill to the small class. In the Washington Post, I had often read Raspberry’s “Potomac Watch” local column as well as Carl Rowan, whose columns were on the op-ed page. Following his visit to the campus, I went to the newspaper – then at 1515 L Street, N.W. – and was hired as a newsroom copy aide on the fifth floor.

During summer months or on semester breaks, I answered phones, sorted mail, ran replates, gallery proofs and page proofs and moved supplies. It was Raspberry’s influence that inspired me to earn a B.A. in English and join the Post full-time in 1973, when President Nixon was being treated at the Bethesda Naval Hospital for pneumonia. The Pentagon Papers, Watergate and the printers’ and pressmen’s strikes at the paper were all roiling issues between 1970 and 1976, when I worked there.

The Post also had a two-year intern training program in the contract for minority employees. Thus, it was gratifying to see Post reporters and editors Ivan Brandon, Leon Dash, Dorothy Gilliam, Judith Martin, Martin Weil and Hollie West and Vernon Jordan, former president of the National Urban League, the second largest black civil rights organization in America. All were present for the funeral of William Raspberry at the Washington National Cathedral more than two months ago. It was a moving experience to shake Vernon Jordan’s hand just before the service. Jordan was shot in the back by a racist sniper in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1980. Both Dorothy Gilliam, now at George

Washington University, and Bill were hired at the Post in 1962; he at 28, when Phillip Graham was publisher. Bill, who retired in 2005, did not get a Pulitzer Prize until 32 years after his hiring. Such prizes are for younger men with strong legs as career enhancers. Maybe the Post by now would have its first black managing editor or executive editor. Katharine Graham’s rise at the paper followed Phil Graham’s reported suicide in 1963. Bill, hired by Phil, was eulogized by Phil’s son Donald Graham, Dorothy Gilliam, Vernon Jordan and Dr. Vincent Adams.

— Mario B. Schowers,
Washington, D.C.

Portrait of a Georgetowner

October 9, 2012

Within the rather well-defined borders of the Town live more than 13,000 Georgetowners. And to commemorate our 58 years of publication, we at the Georgetowner have a speculation: Is there a “typical Georgetowner”?

If the New Yorker is a dandy in a top hat with a butterfly on his nose, and the proper Bostonian is a reserved gentleman who is addicted to beans and cod, what is the prototype of the Georgetowner?

Perhaps a composite portrait of these symbolic creatures’ salient characteristics would reveal cosmopolitans with a passport in one hand (they travel a lot), a leash in the other (they love their dogs and can be found at Rose or Volta Park at around 5 p.m. for their daily strolls), a backdrop of a fine Federal house (they are traditionalists), while the foreground of the picture would be taken up with symbols of many interests (a Georgetowner’s days are full). Since this is a self-portrait, we can leave out any unflattering touches.

Asked to describe an “average Georgetowner,” a nationally syndicated columnist replied, “Someone who never goes near the kitchen.” Most understandable. Why bother cooking, when one can breakfast at Martin’s Tavern or Booeymonger’s, or lunch at Cafe Milano, Peacock Cafe, Tony & Joe’s or Chadwick’s, or have supper at 1789, or the cozy saloon Clyde’s of Georgetown, or Bistro Francaise or Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons?

Another characteristic of a true Georgetowner is commitment. For 58 years, this newspaper has recorded the efforts of dedicated and hard-working individuals who did more than their fair share in espousing and defending the wishes of our citizenry. People like Bill Cochran, a local architect who served the Citizens Association of Georgetown as its preservation chairman. Bill followed in the footsteps of Eva Hinton and Bernie Wyckoff, two Georgetowners who laid the groundwork in the preservation of historic Georgetown. Other early leaders worth mentioning are Grosvenor Chapman, Charlie Poore, Juan Cameron and Louis Alexander Traxel, all former presidents of our citizens’ group. All are gone now but should never be forgotten for their commitment.

A true Georgetowner gives back to the community. We have been fortunate to record the efforts of so many who have donated time, money and ideas to making this a better place to live. People like Virginia Luce Allen who founded and directed the Georgetown Senior Center; Stuart Davidson, founder and owner of Clyde’s restaurants, who along with his partner John Laytham and their spouses have helped so many good causes, like restoring Volta Park, and supporting financially virtually every good thing that has happened in this Town for the past 50 years; Tim Jackson, who owned Swensen’s Ice Cream Parlor, who, along with Jim Weaver of W.T. Weaver’s & Sons Hardware, put on the best parades this Town has ever seen every Sept. 14 in honor of Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a true Georgetowner. Along those lines, we recall Jonda McFarlane, head of the Francis Scott Key Foundation, whose organizational skills helped get Key Park completed almost 20 years. Add to that, the great work of John Dreyfuss with the group and the former steward of Halcyon House.

A Georgetowner is loyal. They support the local businesses here, always have. When this newspaper began in October of 1954, it became an instant hit thanks in large measure to the support of its merchants. People like John Learmont who ran a very upscale record and audio tape establishment on M Street; early restaurateurs and saloon keepers like Billy Martin II (who owned Martin’s Tavern and the Carriage House) and Howard Joynt (who ran Nathans) and the good folks at Chez Odette, Rive Gauche, Dino’s Paramount, Mr. Henry’s, Chadwick’s; shop owners like Dorothy Stead, Dorcas Hardin, Muriel Mafrige, Mimi Crocker, Rose Raynor, Corrie Wickens, Rick Hindin (Britches of Georgetowne); and the Neam brothers at Neam’s Market, the Greenbergs of the Food Mart, Ladd Mills of the Georgetown Exxon and his car rental firm down on K Street. The list is long. Georgetowners always support their own.

A portrait of a Georgetowner must also include in such characteristics the fact that they recognize the historic importance of this community and attend such meetings as those of the Citizens Association and the Advisory Neighborhood Commission among others with regularity and sincerity.

A final note: From the date of its first issue on Oct. 7, 1954, this newspaper has had your acceptance and support. The Georgetowner thanks citizens and business persons alike for their continued interest. There have been many changes during the past 58 years. New and younger families flourish here. Many new businesses have been established in this old town on the River of Swans. We will continue to give you the news and features for your enjoyment

Natitude! D.C. = Division Champions … and Beyond

October 3, 2012

Who says you can’t win for losing? The Washington Nationals managed to do just that last night when they lost a game—2-0 to the deservedly maligned defending National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies—then were handed the National League East title when news came—quickly, thank God—that the Pittsburgh Pirates had beaten the Atlanta Braves.

Nationals Park rocked. Champagne ensued. The mighty Nationals had won the NL Eastern Division title, and we could all let out a sigh of relief because this thing had been stringing out just a little too long.

Now, the Nationals and their forefathers, other Washington baseball teams, not only are in the playoffs and post-season play of any kind for the first time since 1933—now, there was an economy in the dumpster—but are division champs. They can now think seriously about winning the World Series, something that no Washington team has done since the mighty Walter Johnson had pitched the Senators to a title in, let’s see . . . 1924.

National fans are, of course, of a recent vintage—when the Nats first came to Washington they had been something called the Montreal Expos. The new Nats were as bad as they might have been but not as bad as they could have been, given the fact that first-year-manager, the venerable, tough Frank Robinson managed them to a .500 record at RFK Stadium.

Times have changed. There is a new stadium which everyone pretty much loves and which bodes well for the future in terms of redevelopment, new businesses and restaurants and further buzz generating from the Washington-is-a-major-league-city quarters. The Lerner family, owners of the Nationals, have turned out to be a class act, as is general manager Mike Rizzo and the redoubtable manager Davey Johnson who is in the fine tradition of grizzled but not frazzled major league managers and ex-player. In other words, it’s fair to assume, just by looking at him, that he might have hung out with Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra.

It should be noted here as we’re popping the champagne that kudos should also go here to former Mayor Anthony Williams and also to Councilman Jack Evans, both of whom lobbied energetically and continually for a team in Washington.

Now, thanks to a vastly improved farm system, we have a stellar pitching staff. We had the big buzz of the debut of Stephen Strasburg, and the contratemps over the early ending of Strasburg’s season (they were right). We have Bryce Harper, a teenager who plays baseball like a jalopy driver at Indianapolis, that is to say, full-tilt boogie, recklessly, with great bravado and speed. The steady guys—Desmond, Morse, Zimmerman, Espinosa and LaRoche—produced runs and homers in bunches, but it was Harper who gave the Nats a huge spark when he was called up.

As for 2012, we knew the Nats might be good and improved this year, but who figured the best? Who thought of the World Series? We’re thinking it now. Imagine the 2012 World Series: Washington Nationals versus Baltimore Orioles into the seventh game. Does anybody have a guy named Muddy on their team? Go, Nats, and congrats.

The Jack Evans Report: The Unglamorous Bond


In this column, I typically try to focus on the types of issues that make the news and are important to a lot of residents in Ward 2 and across the city – taxes, education, ethics, public safety, and economic development. This week, I thought I would pull back the veil and show some of the inner workings of our government that are less glamorous but are nonetheless very important, and tell you why they may be more closely related to the newsworthy issues than you might think.

As chair of the Committee on Finance & Revenue, I have jurisdiction over legislative matters such as general obligation bond acts, revenue anticipation notes, industrial revenue bonds, and financing programs such as “TIFs,” or tax increment financing. I understand those topics may sound a little bit like what you would read when you have trouble sleeping rather than something to be passionate about, but they provide the critical nuts and bolts which enables the government to function smoothly.
Next week, for example, my committee will hold a hearing on the “General Obligation Bonds and Bond Anticipation Notes for Fiscal Years 2013-2018 Authorization Act of 2012.” This is the legislation allowing our capital projects planned for 2013 to 2018 to go forward. Specifically, the bill would authorize the District to issue general obligation bonds or bond anticipation notes of up to $3.75 billion. The proceeds will fund items such as school facilities, recreation facilities and government offices included in our Capital Improvements Plan.

As I discussed during the confirmation process for our Chief Financial Officer, our bond rating really comes into play here in determining the amount of interest we have to pay in exchange for renovated libraries, schools and parks. Since financing and other costs have to be included in our budget and financial plan, and represent around $1 billion per year, small changes in our bond rating can cost (or save!) us millions of dollars per year. This has a dramatic impact on the funds we can spend on education, public safety, economic development, and health and human services.

Finally, I have to put in a quick plug for our Washington Nationals. I was so happy to see the Nationals clinch a spot in the playoffs last week! Having successful professional sports teams is such a morale boost to the city (not to mention a big driver of tax revenue!). The Mayor announced that the John A. Wilson Building, the District’s city hall, will be lighted red at night for the duration of our playoff run to honor the Nationals’ first postseason appearance.

As always, please reach out to my office if you have any legislative ideas or government service issues I can help with. And don’t forget to catch some Nats games!