News & Politics

Mary Bird • June 15, 2011

The Georgetown House Tour is one of the oldest and most valued house tours in the country. The homes of 12 high profile residents will be opened to the public to view the design and historic value of these immaculate homes and gardens. This year’s tour will take place on April 30th, 2011. Every home on the Tour will be open from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Houses are arranged for easy walking at your own pace taken in the order you prefer. Your ticket price includes a tour booklet full of useful information including a map of the houses which will make it possible to set your own route. To purchase tickets please visit The Georgetown House Tour Website
Also included in your ticket price is a not-to-be-missed Parish Tea in Blake Hall at the historic St. John’s Church located at 3240 O Street, N.W. In long-standing tradition, this lovely tea features homemade tea sandwiches and sweets. You may walk in at any time between 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to delight in what the parish volunteers are serving!
Also make sure to join us at The Georgetowner’s House Tour Hospitality Suite from 10-4PM at Boffi Georgetown for Wine Reception, Hors d’ Oeuvres, and a day full of special events supporting the Georgetown House Tour. The Georgetowner has always been a supporter of the House tour and looks forward to our First ever Hospitality Suite.
The House Tour benefits, Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish. During the 1820s, the church fell on hard times and finally stopped holding services in 1831. The church building became known as the “the Swallow Barn” and was rented as a sculptor’s studio for $50 a year. After being sold for taxes, the building was repurchased in 1837 and resumed a new, vigorous life.

For additional information, call 202-338-4833. We look forward to seeing you at the Georgetown House Tour!
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Gary Tischler •

National politics has its attendant scandals, farces, tragedies and controversies; we give you Wiener, Schwarzenegger, Edwards, Palin and Gingrich, in various ways.

But there’s nothing quite like the permanent dark cloud that seems to have settled over the workings of the government of the District of Columbia and the early months of the administration of newly-elected mayor Vincent Gray.

No matter that the council and the mayor seem to have settled their differences over the Fiscal 2011-2012 budget, or that redistricting seems to have moved on apace, or that almost out of sight, some things are getting done on the council.

Ever since the inauguration of Gray as mayor, and of new council members and a new council chairman, the charge aired by unsuccessful mayoral candidate Sulaimon Brown that he was paid by Gray aides and promised a job in the Gray administration have cast a pall over the city. The ongoing scandal, already the subject of several council hearings, continues to periodically erupt with pronouncements by the volatile Brown, charging that “the mayor is a crook”.

When Brown showed up in dark specs recently to testify at the latest council hearing, bringing with him copies of money orders and causing a circus-like atmosphere at the hearings, it only served to remind people of the scandal, which is under investigation by various bodies, and other controversies plaguing other council members.

It never quite goes away, this dispiriting reminder of a DC government which is beholden to the federal government but wants statehood and voting rights, yet is unable to shake off the myriad controversies that are disrupting its work.

For instance, a May 23 Washington Post headline read: “ Disillusioned, some backers of D.C. mayor call for reset; It’s going to be a long four years’ one says; At meet of campaign workers, Gray apologizes to those felt sidelined.” Not so long afterward on June 7 came this: “Council told ‘mayor is a crook.’ Sulaimon Brown ties Gray to alleged payoff,” and “Officials clash with witness in hearing filled with twists and bemusement.” Two days after that, “Scandals cloud Gray’s agenda,” “D.C. Mayor Faces Media,” and “City is reliving ‘80s-era problems some say.’”

The mayor’s problems have been accompanied by numerous other squabbles: most recently, council member Harray Thomas Jr. has been accused of misusing public funds, strongly reminiscent of council chairman Kwame Brown’s problems with luxury vehicles and campaign fund issues. Meantime, tapes have emerged purporting to show Ward One Councilman Jim Graham’s chief of staff—who resigned last year over bribery charges — taking bribes.

Everywhere you go, the mayors’ critics say that Gray is creating an atmosphere similar to the one that existed during Mayor Marion Barry’s last two terms—one in which he ended up in jail, the other which resulted in the district being put under a control board.

While some suggest that Brown is beginning to sound credible, it’s hard to believe that what he says happened actually happened. You have to ask why anyone would pay Brown for something he was already doing, which was disrupting candidate forums with blistering attacks on Fenty and telling attendees to vote for Gray if not for him. Yet, the bottom line right now is two-fold: one of Gray’s aides whom Brown implicated in the transfer of moneys refuses to testify on Fifth Amendment grounds, and Brown did actually get a $100,000 job in the administration from which he was fired. “He got the job,” is a frequent refrain and conversation stopper when you start to talk to people about the situation in the district.

The mayor, who has already fired his chief of staff (and not replaced her), has so far been extremely reluctant to talk about the scandal surrounding him, preferring to talk about budget issues, redistricting and other matters.

The silence appears strange and damaging to some. It’s hard to imagine that the mayor would have a direct hand in any of the charges leveled against him. His reputation for integrity, until recent charges, seemed strong. But silence lets Sulaimon Brown go everywhere and say “The Mayor is a crook,” without the mayor saying anything at all. It might behoove the mayor not so much to answer the charges, per se, but to talk at length about what’s going on, what happened and what didn’t happen in terms of what he knows, his feelings and plan of action. It might be time for him to get out in front of the talk and the buzzing, even though one official said “that train’s left the station.”

Gray’s dream for One City is just that now: a figment, because the city is once again as divided as it has ever been along racial and political lines. It’s pretty clear that with the mayoral scandal on top of all the other problems of members of the council—that the council itself is in disarray.

That’s no way to run a city: a mayor under a cloud, a city council distracted by controversy. Somebody on the council, or Mr. Mayor, won’t you please speak up and take the bull by the horns. Somebody, somebody, say something.

Suzanna Nelson •

Click Here for Live Footage of The Upperville Colt and Horse Show!

In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Fauquier County, Va., lies a historical piece of American equestrian history. The Upperville Colt and Horse Show is America’s oldest horse show dating back to 1853, and a classic event for all Del-Mar-Vas to attend each June. The week-long equestrian event provides an array of English events such as side saddle, children’s hunters and jumping. Sunday was the main event: The Upperville Jumper Classic sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Manuel Johnson.

The green grass was scattered with groups of women in flamboyant hats and men in bowties mingling in and out of the Boxholders’ Tent. They were treated to a banquet buffet, bartenders and a Maker’s Mark adorned with Jack Russell Terrier puppies. Tables covered with light pink and purple peonies, green hydrangeas and white roses gathered spectators to chat about social life and the day’s events.

The riders jumped, the crowd cheered, all while the sun shined. In the end, Kaitlin Campbell and Rocky W took home the honors as Champions of the Upperville Jumper Classic. Just as Campbell was handed her blue ribbon, the rain poured down. Huddled under the Boxholders’ Tent, spectators took some extra time to enjoy the wine and company surrounding them. The dark sheet of water pouring down did not stop anyone from having a delightful time. A special guest, the 2011 Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show Champion, the Scottish Deerhound, was a popular friend that kept many smiling during the intense downpour.

Overall, the horse show was a success; no spectator let the rain wash their good time away.

Georgetowner •

Redistricting is a difficult job and this year has been no exception. I want to acknowledge the efforts of my fellow subcommittee members, Councilmembers Michael Brown and Phil Mendelson, as well as the other members of the Council who participated in the process. Most of all, I want to thank the residents who reached out to us by phone and email, as well as by testifying at our three public hearings and speaking at the many community meetings we attended.

The 2011 Census reported the District’s overall population to be 601,723 people. When divided equally among the eight Wards, this results in an average population of 75,215 residents per Ward. Federal law allows a deviation in Ward population of plus or minus 5 percent, which gave us a range of 71,455 – 78,976 residents within which to work. The District’s population increased by 29,664, or 5.2 percent, between 2000 and 2010. It is worth noting that this increase nearly returns the District to its 1990 census population of 606,900 people.

The 2010 Census showed that compared to 2000, Wards 1 through 7 gained population, while Ward 8 lost 215 residents, or 0.3 percent of its population. After the 2010 Census, we learned that Ward 2 exceeded the allowable population range by 939 people, while Ward 7 was below the allowable minimum by 386 residents and Ward 8 was below by 742. All the other Wards remained within the required population range.

The Subcommittee on Redistricting released an initial draft redistricting plan last week and followed that with an additional subcommittee hearing, our third since the process began, which lasted until after 1:00am. In response to this hearing, we were able to issue a revised plan that accommodated a number of the concerns raised. Most notably for Ward 2, we were able to reunite the Penn Quarter neighborhood while also further reuniting the Shaw neighborhood in Ward 6 and restoring the “chimney” toward the northeast corner of Shaw that had been slated to return to Ward 5, which was originally an attempt to reunite a census tract.

The most significant change in the revised plan was to keep many residents of the eastern part of Capitol Hill in Ward 6, pursuant their wishes. The full Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of the revised plan at first reading, with a 12-1 vote, which speaks to the fact that we did the best we could on the subcommittee in balancing competing interests as we redrew the Ward boundaries. A final vote on the Ward redistricting will take place on June 21.

The final step in redistricting is to review the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) and Single Member District (SMD) boundary lines, which we will begin after the second vote on the redistricting plan. Please contact my office if you would like to be involved in the Ward 2 task force or wish to weigh in on any potential changes – I welcome your input.

Courtney Overcash •

The D.C. Zoning Commission will hold its fifth meeting tonight to continue discussions over the 2011-2020 Georgetown University Campus Plan with hearings from locals both for and against the proposal.

Because Georgetown University enrollment grew by 40 percent in the last ten years, the plan seeks to make room for the campus’ growing number of undergraduate students by developing a 15,000 student enrollment cap and adding 250 beds to on-campus housing.

However, the last Thursday’s meeting was bombarded with public protest against the plan. Dissenters said insufficient on-campus housing forces students to move into and alter surrounding neighborhoods.

At last Thursdays’ meeting, the Citizens Association of Georgetown testified against the proposal, saying it violates D.C. zoning laws, which state “The university shall be located so that it is not likely to become objectionable to the neighboring property because of noise, traffic, number of students, or other objectionable conditions.”

The CAG believes large student populations in the area cause problems for the neighborhood by bothering residents and scaring off potential businesses and investors. CAG president Jennifer Altemus showed the board a video presentation to further prove CAG’s point depicting young people outside bars in Georgetown apparently drunk, yelling and fighting.

The Burleith Citizens Association is also taking issue with the campus plan. The BCU believes university provided on-campus housing and housing incentives would better serve students and the surrounding community.

The University is standing firm behind the proposal which has been in the works for over two years.
“The Campus Plan was created with rigorous care with over two years of planning,” said Jack DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, in his testimony at the initial proposal meeting. “The goal is to reaffirm Georgetown’s commitment to partnership. The 2011-2020 Campus Plan is a modest and responsible plan for the university’s future with substantial commitments that respond to community and city concerns.”