National Memorial Day Parade (photos)
• June 18, 2012

The Annual National Memorial Day Parade, took place along Constitution Avenue in Washington DC on May 28, 2012. Consisting of a lineup of entertainers, veterans units, marching bands and patriotic floats, the parade honors those who have served and died to protect our liberties. The reviewing stand was symbolically positioned directly opposite the National Archives Building, the home to this nation’s most hollowed documents including The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. The parade as always began with the marching platoons of each of our armed services. It was televised around the nation and to our troops serving around the world.

View our parade photos by clicking on the photo icons below.

View additional photos by clicking here. [gallery ids="100820,125329,125337,125345,125353,125361,125369,125377,125386,125395,125404,125412,125420,125428,125436,125444,125451,125459,125321,125313,125495,125209,125487,125219,125480,125227,125474,125236,125244,125252,125260,125268,125274,125282,125290,125297,125305,125467" nav="thumbs"]

The Meaning of Flag Day for Georgetown and D.C.
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As the nation has begun its celebration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812, which gave us “The Star-Spangled Banner,” we also observe Flag Day. It is designated June 14 because of the 1777 resolution by the Continental Congress which established the design of the U.S. flag on that day.

While there was a D.C. flag tattoo flash mob, that started today at 5 p.m. at Dupont Circle, there are some serious thing to know about the flag and its role in American history.

To say that the flag is an emotional symbol for Americans is an understatement. For many, the flag is perceived and handled almost as if it were a sacred object. There are general rules on how to display or store the flag. While there are few legal constrictions on treatment of the flag, one who mistreats or shows disrespect in public to the Stars-and-Stripes does so at his own peril.

Georgetown has played its part in the history of the flag. It was home to the author of the national anthem, which celebrates Fort McHenry’s stand against the British as well as the triumphant flag which still waved over the fort at the end of the fight. His name was Francis Scott Key and lived on what become known as M Street next to where a bridge and a park would be named in his honor.

After the burning of public buildings in the new capital city, Washington, D.C., in August 1814, the Royal Navy and British army prepared to attack the bigger city of Baltimore in the days before Sept. 14. Meanwhile, as the British roamed around Chesapeake Bay and Maryland, they had captured a town leader, Dr. William Beanes, from Upper Marlboro, prompting a presidential group to seek his release. President James Madison had asked Georgetown lawyer Francis Scott Key to meet the British and negotiate his release. While with British officers on their ship near Fort McHenry, which guarded Baltimore harbor, Key could not leave and witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry. After the British push on land to Baltimore City was stymied, the navy stayed out of range of the fort and hit it repeatedly but failed to pass its defense.

Ending an evening of terrible explosions, lights and sounds, the British gave up the fight and withdrew in the morning. As “the dawn’s early light” revealed that Fort McHenry had stood its ground, Key was elated to see “that our flag was still there.” A large American flag — the Star-Spangled Banner — waved atop the fort. It was a moment of profound relief for the Americans. This war revealed one of the first times that Americans had acted as Americans — a fresh national identity — and not just as Marylanders, Virginians or New Yorkers. Key wrote these sentiments into his poem, “The Defense of Fort McHenry,” which was quickly renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It become an instant hit, an army musical standard and finally the national anthem.

Key lived with his large family in Georgetown, D.C., from 1804 to around 1833 with his wife Polly and their six sons and five daughters. Their land was across from what is now the Car Barn (3500 block of M Street) and their backyard went all the way to the Potomac River (the C&O Canal did not yet exist). An accomplished lawyer, a true gentleman, scholar and fine orator, he was involved in church and community in the small town of 5,000 Georgetowners. He was the district attorney for Washington under the Jackson and Van Buren administrations.

Years later, business leaders and the Georgetowner newspaper founded “Star-Spangled Banner Days” to celebrate the flag, the anthem and its author, a hometown hero. In 1993, Francis Scott Key Park was completed and dedicated on M Street — one block from his famous home, demolished in 1947 — between 34th street and Key Bridge.

Today, Francis Scott Key Park and the Star-Spangled Banner Monument is a D.C. and national salute to the flag, the anthem and the man with its percola, bust of Key and a flag pole which flies a Star-Spangled Banner. That original flag, which inspired Key’s song, is on display about 25 city blocks away at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Passers-by can rest and meet at this Georgetown oasis and recall a time when a young city and country had confronted its own years of war and lived through it to thrive and create a great nation. [gallery ids="100860,126837" nav="thumbs"]

Weekened Roundup June 14, 2012
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Cine Francophone: Bus Palladium

June 14th, 2012 at 07:00 PM | $9 admission | Tel: (202) 234-7911 | Event Website

Named after the popular Parisian music venue in the 1970s and ‘80s, Bus Palladium tells the story of a young, four-person band named Lust. Manu (Arthur Dupont) the charismatic leader and singer, and Lucas (Marc-André Grondin) the discreet composer, are childhood friends, but their friendship is put a stake when Laura enters their already precarious and fragile world. French with English subtitles.

Address

Letelier Theater,3251 Prospect St, NW, Upper Courtyard

Opening Reception: Winging It

June 15th, 2012 at 06:00 AM | Free | info@heinercontemporary.com | Tel: 202-338-0072 | Event Website

Heiner Contemporary is delighted to announce Winging It, a group exhibition exploring the study and depiction of birds, featuring work by Colby Caldwell, Todd Forsgren, Justin Gibbens, Megan Greene, Jenny Sidhu Mullins, Roger Tory Peterson, and Beverly Ress. The exhibition takes as its starting point three works by the American naturalist, ornithologist and artist Roger Tory Peterson.

Address

Heiner Contemporary, 1675 Wisconsin Ave NW

Become a Pilot Day

June 16th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | Free Admission! Parking is $15 | bedneyN@si.edu | Tel: 202-633-0732 | Event Website

Family Day and Aviation Display!

Join us for the eighth annual Become a Pilot Day at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport. See 50 visiting vintage, recreational, military, and homebuilt aircraft, on display outside the Center for one day only. Talk to pilots and find out what skills are needed to fly. Inside the Center, test your piloting skills in flight simulators, talk to aviation experts, and enjoy story time and hands-on activities with the kids.
Address

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway Chantilly, VA 20151 USA

A Golden Father’s Day

June 16th, 2012 at 10:30 AM | $3-7 | mkatz@tudorplace.org | Tel: (202) 965-0400 | [Event Website

George Washington left his mark on Tudor Place. What better place to celebrate your favorite “Founding Father”? An interactive tour through the historic mansion, uncovering treasures from the first President. Learn all about gilding – the application of gold leaf to mirrors, picture frames, and other decorative objects – work as family groups to gild a gold-leaf frame to take home. Bring cameras to take pictures with Dad in the gardens!
Address

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
1644 31 Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20007

Pet Adoption Event

June 17th, 2012 at 12:00 PM | Free Admission | mnute@cbmove.com | Tel: 202-333-6100 | [Event Website](http://www.cbmove.com/real_estate_office/135/District-of-Columbia/Washington/Georgetown.aspx)

Adopt a dog and never walk alone. Pet Adoption Event, The Washington Harbour, 3050 K Street NW, Sunday, June 17, 2012, 12 – 4 pm.

The Georgetown Office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is proud to join forces with Operation Paws for Homes to host a Pet Adoption Day in Georgetown.

For more information about the event, you may call 202-333-6100 or visit us at www.CBMove.com/Georgetown.

Address

The Washington Harbour, 3050 K Street NW

Weschler’s Fine Book Auction

June 20th, 2012 at 10:00 AM | info@weschlers.com | Tel: (202) 628-1281 | [Event Website](http://www.weschlers.com/)

Weschler’s will auction one of the most diverse private collections of fine books in recent history. The collection, consigned by a Maryland estate, includes many first editions of American and European history, natural history and natural science, travel and exploration, philosophy, literature and poetry, and more. The collection will be exhibited on Monday, June 18th and Tuesday, June 19th from 10am-3pm.

Address

Weschler’s Washington, D.C. gallery

NPR’s Friday Night Spin Party
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On the eve of this year’s White House Correspondents Association Dinner, NPR “Friday Night Spin” was star studded in preparations for the dinner. With Solange Knowles spinning and party goers celebrating, it was night that many went home praising.

The evening’s festivities are made possible through donations by NPR Trustees John Herrmann, Jr. and John McGinn, as well as in-kind donations. In-kind donors include: Gibson Guitar Showroom, Georgetown Cupcake, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Smart Water, Robert Foley Vinyards and Beam Global. [gallery ids="100760,123170,123165,123143,123160,123149,123156" nav="thumbs"]

150th Anniversary of D.C. Emancipation
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On April 16, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act of the District of Columbia, months before the more famous Emancipation Proclamation. The local law granted 3,100 slaves within D.C. their freedom.

D.C. Emancipation Day is on Monday, April 16, a public holiday, and the District is celebrating today, this weekend and Monday with events, ranging from stops at several memorials, shows at the Lincoln Theater and a fireworks display at Freedom Plaza.

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION AT THE CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL MUSEUM & CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AT CIVIL WAR MEMORIAL, THURSDAY, APRIL 12

• HOST: THE HONORABLE FRANK SMITH

• 4:00 PM TO 6:30 PM

THE DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT AT THE LINCOLN THEATRE, THURSDAY, APRIL 12

• WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY JAZZ BAND

• HOWARD UNIVERSITY CHOIR

• BRIAN LENAIR

• 6:15 PM TO 7:00 PM LOBBY RECEPTION

• 7:00 PM TO 10 PM PROGRAM

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY JAZZ & COMEDY CONCERT AT THE LINCOLN THEATRE, FRIDAY, APRIL 13

• WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY JAZZ BAND

• BRIAN LENAIR

• DICK GREGORY

• 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM AT THE LINCOLN EMANCIPATION STATUTE ON CAPITOL HILL, SATURDAY, APRIL 14

• HOST: FREE DC

• 7:30 AM TO 8:30 AM

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM AT THE FREDERICK DOUGLASS ESTATE, SATURDAY, APRIL 14

• Hosts: Rev Willie Wilson, Historian C.R. Gibbs, Peter Haynes

• 3:00 PM TO 5:00 PM

BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION (BET) PRESENTS THE DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY GREAT DEBATE AT THE LINCOLN THEATER

SATURDAY, APRIL 14, 6:00 PM TO 7:30 PM.

• REV. AL SHARPTON

• MICHAEL ERIC DYSON

• TBD

• TBD

• T. J. HOLMES, MODERATOR

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY CHURCH SERVICES, SUNDAY, APRIL 15

• REQUEST ALL CHURCHES TO HOST 150TH ANNIVERSARY DC EMANCIPATION DAY RELIGIOUS SERVICES WITH THEIR CONGREGATIONS

• INVITE ALL CONGREGATIONS TO DC EMANCIPATION DAY PARADE, ACTIVITIES & CONCERT

• DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY GOSPEL BRUNCH

AT THE HAMILTON RESTAURANT LOCATED AT 14 & F STREETS, NW

• 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSAY ACTIVITIES AT THE LINCOLN COTTAGE SOLDIERS HOME, SUNDAY, APRIL 15

• Host: Paul Pascal

• 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Monday, April 16

DC EMANCIPATION DAY

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY PRAYER BREAKFAST, MONDAY, APRIL 16

• Willard Hotel: 8:00 AM

• Invited Guest: Rev Al Sharpton

• Invited Guest: Dick Gregory

• Invited Guest: Rev. Joel Osteen

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY PARADE, MONDAY, APRIL 16, 11 AM

• PARADE ROUTE- 3RD & PA AVE NW TO 13 ½ PA AVE NW

• GRAND MARSHALLS:

3100 MARSHALLS OF THE VILLAGE INCLUDING NATIONAL & LOCAL LEADERS OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY E STREET NW FESTIVAL (BETWEEN 13TH ST NW & 14TH ST NW), MONDAY, APRIL 16

• 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY PROGRAM, ACTIVITIES & CONCERT, MONDAY, APRIL 16, AT FREEDOM PLAZA.

• 2:00 PM TO 8:30 PM

• Concert

DC EMANCIPATION DAY 150TH ANNIVERSARY FIREWORKS EXHIBITION, MONDAY, APRIL 16

• 8:45 PM TO 9:15 PM

• Location: 13th Street NW & PA AVE NW

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Emancipation of the District of Columbia
Georgetown University, 9 to 11:00 a.m., Copley Formal Lounge. RSVP 202-687-5677 or cbm29@georgetown.edu.

Obamas Host 134th Annual White House Easter Egg Roll (photos)
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The 134th annual White House Egg Roll attracted over 30,000 visitors to the White House South Lawn for a day of racing, reading and fun on Monday, April 9, 2012. The theme of this year’s egg roll was “Let’s Go, Let’s Play, Let’s Move!” which was modeled after the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. View our photos by clicking on the icons below. (All photos by Jeff Malet)

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D.C. to Mark Centennial of Titanic Disaster
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In a city of monuments, one of Washington’s lesser known memorials will be in the spotlight this weekend, April 14-15. The Titanic Memorial at the foot of P Street, S.W., is along the Washington Channel and will be the centerpiece of Saturday’s Southwest Heritage commemoration, “Titanic 100,” beginning 7 p.m.

The story of the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic hitting an iceberg and sinking on her 1912 maiden voyage has been told many times — most recently with a new National Geographic exhibit, TV shows and an re-issuing of the 1997 film, “Titanic,” in 3-D.

The sculpture by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was unveiled in 1931 and originally perched at the foot of New Hampshire Avenue where the Kennedy Center now stands. Whitney’s design was chosen by the Fine Arts Commission in 1914 . The image of a man with arms outstretched in self-sacrifice supposedly inspired the scene at the bow in the movie, “Titanic,” when the main characters faced forward and balanced themselves in the ocean breeze. Also, Whitney’s sculpture is said by some to resemble her brother Alfred Vanderbilt, who died in the sinking of the Lusitania during World War One in 1915. Whitney’s other sculptures in D.C. are the Aztec Fountain for the Pan-American Building at the Organization of American State and the Founder’s Memorial at the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Constitution Hall. Besides being from two of the wealthiest American families as well as an artist and arts patron, the remarkable Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney is best remembered for her founding of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City.

The Christ-like sculpture, originally named the Woman’s Titanic Memorial, and re-erected on P Street, S.W., in 1968 honors the men of all ages and backgrounds, who gave their lives to save women and children. The etching on its plinth or base (designed by the architect of the Lincoln Memorial Henry Bacon) reads on the front:

TO THE BRAVE MEN
WHO PERISHED
IN THE WRECK
OF THE TITANIC
APRIL 15 1912
THEY GAVE THEIR
LIVES THAT WOMEN
AND CHILDREN
MIGHT BE SAVED

ERECTED BY THE
WOMEN OF AMERICA

The words on the back of the base read:

FOR THE YOUNG AND THE OLD
THE RICH AND THE POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES NOBLY
TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN

The Saturday commemoration includes a performance of “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” the last song played on the Titanic, at 9 p.m. The Men’s Titanic Society will hold its annual salute to those who died just after midnight, at 12:30 a.m., April 15, in front of the sculpture. For more information, visit SWDCheritage.org.

The Georgetown Inn at 50 Celebrates Its History, Plans Renovation
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Fifty years after the Georgetown Inn opened to the public, its new owner is planning a multi-year renovation of the 96-room property, located at 1310 Wisconsin Ave., N.W. The hotel will throw a birthday party for itself and friends on June 6.
Nayan Patel of Your DC Hotels purchased the hotel in November 2011. The upcoming renovation will be welcome news to those who remember the glory days of the Four Georges restaurant and piano bar, where pianist Mel Clement, bassist Louis Saverino and Julian Allman held forth, often accompanied by visiting artists from the Kennedy Center or National Theatre. Allman played his signature “Alley Cat” on a Stradivarius stolen from Carnegie Hall. That discovery made the front page of The New York Times when his widow followed his instructions to inspect the violin case after his demise and found the evidence.

Sheldon Magazine, president of American Mortgage Investment Company, built the Georgetown Inn, which opened May 20, 1962. Welcoming the first guest Peter Caruso, vice president and general manager Collins Bird threw the key across the driveway manned by “Tex” Aldridge in full livery and said the doors would not be locked again. After Collins retired in the early 1980s, the doors were abruptly locked during a peremptory shutdown in 1991 with Tex still at the helm. But—back to better days.
In 1968, a young Herb Miller brokered the sale to Collins Bird and several partners. The hotel offered unique luxury for its day. A Washington Dossier magazine article acclaimed, “After Blair House, the Georgetown Inn on Wisconsin Avenue is probably D.C.’s spiffiest place to go for bed and board.” The hotel was later lauded by Fortune magazine as “A Way to Escape the Washington Stockade.”

A third generation hotelier, Collins Bird intended to return to his job a general manager of three hotels in Georgia after the Georgetown Inn opened but instead stayed on for 30 years and became synonymous with the property that welcomed many notables, including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charles and Ann Morrow Lindberg, Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum, many Kennedys and the cast of the film, “The Exorcist.”

The Inn was the Washington base of the original Mercury astronauts who became personal friends. Collins had a tailor on call to add new honors to the astronauts’ uniforms, as they obligingly signed photo after photo of their exploits. It was a sad occasion when friends gathered at the Inn for an Irish wake honoring astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee, who were killed in a fire during a prelaunch test of Apollo 1 in 1967.
Another frequent guest was Hubert Humphrey, who framed an enormous key from the “frozen Chosun” hotel in South Korea for “his favorite innkeeper.” Once again, Collins made certain that the former vice president’s family was pampered when they arrived for Humphrey’s funeral. The banquet room was filled with treats for all ages. In a gentler era, the Secret Service was pleased when Humphrey visited the hotel because the exits could be easily guarded.
At the height of the Dallas Cowboys and Redskins rivalry, the Inn hosted then Cowboys owner Clint Murchison and his entourage. There was always a lavish party in Potomac with an unending fleet of limousines ferrying guests from the hotel and back. Collins held a pre-game brunch replete with a bus and police escort to RFK Stadium. One year, the bus waited for a late-arriving Elizabeth Taylor.

The first time the Four Georges closed for a private party was to celebrate Playboy magazine’s “The Girls of Washington.” David Chan took a number of the photos upstairs at the Inn. Party guests included the then-infamous Fanne Foxe, who had jumped out of the car of Rep. Wilbur Mills (D-Ark.) for a dip in the Tidal Basin, and Elizabeth Ray, who famously did not take dictation from Rep. Wayne Hays (D-Ohio).

Harry “Doc” Dalinsky was a treasured fixture at his Georgetown Pharmacy at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and O Street, half a block from the hotel. He was a character, a cigar connoisseur and a confidant. The drugstore was a favored hangout of Ben Bradlee, Art Buchwald, David Brinkley and Herb Block. Collins started sending bagels and coffee to the pharmacy as people fetched their Sunday newspapers. A New York Times article on Doc’s Sunday brunch brought an overflow crowd to the consternation of the regulars.

For all its glamour quotient, the Inn was foremost favored by Georgetowners who could find a civilized haven with good food, drink and music. When you heard, “Let’s go to the Inn,” you knew it would be fun and you would see familiar faces, both locally and perhaps internationally known.
The Georgetowner often wrote about the Georgetown Inn and Collins. A sizable portion of the September, 8, 1977, issue was devoted to the lead story by Suzie Gookin, headlined “Collins Bird to Marry.” I was that lucky person. We had 23 wonderful years together. Collins had been quoted as saying that his previous two marriages had ended in divorce with both ex-wives citing his hotel as “the other woman.” The third time must have been a charm, unless you count the hotel, making me the fourth wife.
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A New Era Begins For Georgetown
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The setting was dramatic and unexpected. Mayor Vincent Gray with neighborhood and Georgetown University leaders next to him announcing that peace was at hand in the on-going G.U. Campus Plan debate. They stood on P Street, a block from the campus. After two months of negotiations, the plan was revised with agreement from all sides. The fight was over. Again, unexpected.

“I firmly believe that we have developed a proposal that will go a long way towards alleviating many of the adverse impacts we experience living in such close proximity to the university,” said Jennifer Altemus, president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown. “This is a genuine compromise whereby neither side got 100 percent of what it wanted, but we are all pleased with the outcome.”

Key details include moving more students onto the main campus (at least 450 students); a new Georgetown Community Partnership, comprised of neighborhood and university representatives; a push to make the campus more attractive to students with a new student center or pub and a policy to make it easier for in-dorm parties; moving the School of Continuing Studies to a new downtown campus (not yet found); capping the undergrad headcount at 6,675.

Also on the list for the future: a new 100-acre campus, supposedly for most of the university’s graduate programs. Ditto: Finding housing graduate students outside Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall.

For some students, the phrase used by CAG — “Living off-campus will be a privilege not a right” — is troublesome. They should be aware that it is up to the university to enforce such a restriction and not the city.

As for the dramatic, it came from an unexpected source, Ron Lewis, chairman of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, who said: “This is an extraordinary event in the life of our community, and it’s very promising. We have found a way — the community and the university, together — that offers a new cooperative spirit and real results on issues that have divided us for years.”

Mayor Gray added to the dramatic and to what will now be expected: “What they have done is developed a prototype and set a precedent for how these issues are to be dealt with in the future.”

Something dramatic clicked in the heads of those involved, and we have yet to sit down with the expert in “alternative dispute resolution.” But it is also gratifying to see that some of the advice issued on this matter in these pages over the last year have been taken to heart. Whether it was that the university think beyond its own bubble as well as the neighborhood appreciating the college presence and its benefits and drop the demand for all undergraduates to live on the campus, we cannot be sure.

We do know that a line of cooperation has been joined and should not be cut and that the university’s motto — “Utraque Unum” — translated as “both and one” moves in the background as a guide to this new relationship between town and gown.?

Passing A Budget in Difficult Times
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Given recent events and the attendant media scrutiny on the Council, I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the positive things our government is doing and assure you all that I will continue to work hard for my constituents and the city as a whole. On Tuesday, June 5, the Council had its second and final vote on the Budget Support Act, and I think that it was a definitive improvement over last year’s budget and I want to highlight a few areas of interest.

First, I was pleased that this year’s budget proposal included no tax increases. One of the primary reasons I was unable to support last year’s budget was the inclusion of unnecessary tax increases to support our ever-expanding government. I believe the Mayor and my colleagues should find efficiencies within the agencies they oversee rather than asking our residents to pay continually higher taxes in the face of a recession. We are the only local government in the country to continue to pass the largest budget in our history every year despite the economic slowdown.

Within my committee, for example, I was able, in consultation with our Chief Financial Officer, to identify millions of dollars of unallocated funding through savings achieved in the Gallery Place tax increment refinancing. I was pleased to allocate some of these funds toward enhanced arts programming, which fills a gap in our public education system and supports our small business community. I also recommended additional funding toward marketing dollars that encourages additional tourism in the District. Studies have shown that both of these uses of government funds generate several dollars in new tax revenues for each dollar spent, which increases the pool of money we have for other items of importance to me, such as our libraries, parks, public safety, and education.

Another very positive development is that we were able to push back the implementation of the municipal bond tax another year. If you recall, the initial bond tax proposal initially considered last year would have been retroactive to interest earned on or after January 1, 2011. This was a shocking and unfair proposal. After some amendments, the tax was subsequently set to go into effect for interest earned on or after January 1, 2012, to be included in one’s tax filing in the spring of 2013 if a taxpayer files on an annual basis. As a result of the fiscal year 2012 supplemental budget bill, which we also passed on Tuesday, we were able to push back implementation an additional year, to interest earned beginning January 1, 2013, for inclusion in your tax filing in the spring of 2014. This is great in and of itself, as it provides relief for another year of this tax, and it also gives us another opportunity to seek to fully repeal the tax in next year’s budget prior to it taking effect. While I was disappointed that the municipal bond tax was not fully repealed in the budget, particularly after I had identified approximately $800,000 of the $1.1 million necessary for this repeal within my own committee, I am still hopeful for full repeal the next time we revisit the budget.

Thank you for all your letters of support during this difficult time, and let me again commit to you that our work will remain uninterrupted as we move forward with selecting an interim Council Chair pending a special election. ?