Town Topics

Robert Devaney •

Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Interim Director Terry Bellamy today launched PotHolePalooza, the District’s annual campaign to aggressively repair damaged roadways across the city, which runs through April 21.

How to Report a Pothole: Residents and commuters can notify DDOT in a variety of ways: 1.) call the Mayor’s Call Center at 311, 2.) use the online Service Request Center at 311.dc.gov, 3.) text message or Tweet to twitter.com/DDOTDC, or 4.) e-mail to PotHolePalooza@dc.gov. Callers must identify the location including the correct quadrant (NW, NE, SE, SW) in the city and as much detail as possible about the hazard, including the approximate size and depth of the pothole. DDOT crews will also be out and about proactively identifying potholes.

DDOT will be posting numbers and overall totals of potholes filled. This information will be updated daily and can be found at ddot.dc.gov/potholes.

Robert Devaney •

With past donations from the likes of Thomas Jefferson and Francis Scott Key, it surprises few that St. John’s Church Capital Campaign to raise than $2 million—for improvement in the Episcopal church’s interior, electrical upgrades, pipe organ replacement and stained glass window restoration—has already more $1,000,000 pledged. Campaign chair Patricia Parson was delighted along with fellow parishioners who heard the news on March 18 in Blake Hall from St. John’s rector, the Rev. Dr. Albert Scariato, who added his pep rally phrase, “With God’s help, we will!”

The audience listened to musical selections and honored the memory of beloved rector, Rev. Margaret Graham, who died five years ago. Donations will also assist shelter and community programs and the Bishop Walker School in Anacostia. [gallery ids="99216,103506,103503" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

It seems that people cannot fail to be charmed by former Providence, R.I. mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, who held court at Cafe Milano, March 22, as guest of Bill Shields of the National Low Income Housing Coalition and Thomas Quinn, top lobbyist at Venable Partners. Cianci is on a book tour for his memoir, “Politics and Pasta: How I Prosecuted Mobsters, Rebuilt a Dying City, Advised a President, Dined with Sinatra, Spent Five Years in a Federally Funded Gated Community, and Lived to Tell the Tale.”

Shields, one of D.C.’s “Rhode Islanders in exile”, introduced the longest-serving mayor of Providence, who ended his first term (1975 to 1984) after pleading no contest to assault of his wife’s alleged boyfriend with a lit cigarette, an ashtray and a fireplace log—and his second term (1991 to 2002) after being found guilty on one charge of racketeering. He was acquitted on 26 other charges brought by the feds’ “Operation Plunder Dome.”

“I thought I got railroaded,” said Cianci, who is credited with cleaning up and revitalizing Providence (even making appearances on the TV show of the same name). The radio talk show host and unapologetic “two-timing mayor” spoke like an updated combo of New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and comedians Henny Youngman and Jerry Seinfeld.

“So, CIA Director Bill Casey is at the airport and asked me ‘Who are you?’ And I said, ‘Aren’t you supposed to be the head of the CIA?’ ”

“Sinatra called” about getting his mother’s doctor’s son into Brown University and wanted an answer before his second show of the night. “So, I called the president of Brown. He wasn’t home. So, I sent the cops to find him.”

One of Cianci’s nephews was on the waiting list at Brown, which needed zoning approval for construction of a hyperbolic paraboloid. So, the mayor got the zoning commissioner to “put it on the waiting list.” “I heard there was a hyperbolic paraboloid in Georgetown.” (Yes, it is called Yates Field House.)

Taking advantage of five years in prison in Fort Dix, N.J., Cianci read a lot of books. “Don’t let the time do you—you do the time…And don’t change the BET channel.”

Sounds like reading “Politics and Pasta” will be time well done. [gallery ids="99217,103504,103507" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney •

President Barack Obama outlined his administration’s energy policy, termed “America’s Energy Security,” at Georgetown University’s McDonough Arena, March 30, before a thousand-plus crowd of students, faculty and VIPs — Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, among others.

After a few acknowledgments, especially to basketball coach John Thompson III on the Hoyas’ loss to Virginia Commonwealth University, Obama leapt into a history of energy use and proposals, imported oil, more drilling, biofuels, wind and solar:

“We’re going to have to think long term, which is why I came here, to talk to young people here at Georgetown, because you have more of a stake in us getting our energy policy right than just about anybody. … Richard Nixon talked about freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. And every president since that time has talked about freeing ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. Politicians of every stripe have promised energy independence, but that promise has so far gone unmet… And today, I want to announce a new goal, one that is reasonable, one that is achievable, and one that is necessary. When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third. That is something that we can achieve… Other countries are now exporting technology we pioneered, and they’re going after the jobs that come with it because they know that the countries that lead the 21st century clean energy economy will be the countries that lead the 21st century global economy. I want America to be that nation. I want America to win the future.”

Then the president appealed directly to the youth: “We need you to dream big. We need you to summon that same spirit of unbridled optimism, and that bold willingness to tackle tough challenges and see those challenges through that led previous generations to rise to greatness – to save the democracy, to touch the moon, to connect the world with our own science and our own imagination.”

Students waited for tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis, which caused long lines, and many were turned away. Some have proposed going back to the lottery system used for Obama’s 2009 address at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall.

Robert Devaney •

Mayor Vincent Gray signed an executive order last Friday authorizing a $1.00 fuel surcharge for all taxicab rides originating or terminating within the District of Columbia, the D.C. government reported. The charge took effect Monday for all fares originating and ending in the District. It has been extended, effective today, to trips that begin in the District and end in other jurisdictions. The action followed a recommendation from the D.C. Taxicab Commission to offset the impact of the steady rise in fuel prices in the metropolitan area on taxicab operators. As originally adopted, the surcharge—just as a similar surcharge that the D.C. Taxicab Commission adopted in 2008—was intended to apply only to fares originating and ending within the District. However, the rulemaking action was revised yesterday to make it applicable to all taxicab fares. As revised, the charge will remain in effect until July 27, 2011, unless terminated earlier by the chairperson of the Taxicab Commission.

Robert Devaney •

Two students arrested at Georgetown University in October 2010 for creating a drug lab in a Harbin Hall dorm room will spend three years on probation and perform community service, according to the Associated Press. Charles Smith and John Perrone were sentenced in federal court here, March 18. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced the pair to six months in jail, but suspended the sentence and ordered them to complete three years on probation and 200 hours of community service, the AP reported. The two pleaded guilty last month to manufacturing the illegal hallucinogen DMT. The sentence was recommended by prosecutors and the teens’ attorneys. At the time of their arrest, Smith was a freshman at Georgetown University and Perrone was a freshman at the University of Richmond.

Robert Devaney •

“Violent crime is down,” Lt. Hitchcock of the Metropolitan Police Department told the April 4 meeting of the ANC 2E. In his police area (PSA206), “there have been eight robberies in 2011 compared to 11 this time last year,” he said. But, he cautioned, property crime has increased.

Property crimes, specifically burglaries (breaking and entering) and thefts, have risen throughout the District, according to the Washington Post. Compared to last year at this time, burglaries are up 18% and thefts are up 23% citywide. Persons walking and using iPhones and similar devices are particular targets to thieves, especially in Ward 2, which has a reported property crime increase of 46% this year over last, according to The Washington Post.

At the ANC meeting, Hitchcock said he wants to hold separate meetings for the neighborhood and businesses. “We need your help,” he said. “…If something is suspicious. Call 911; you can remain anonymous.”

According to the MPD, 117 cases of burglary have been reported in Ward 2 since Jan. 1. Georgetown University’s Department of Public Safety reported 42 instances of property crime for the first two months of 2011, according to the Hoya. For all of Georgetown, the most common crime is the simple grabbing of a smartphone or a laptop.

Robert Devaney •

In a March 31 pre-hearing submission to the D.C. Zoning Commission, Georgetown University offered more concessions to the neighborhood, including more beds and a lower main campus enrollment cap.

“This submission makes significant new commitments in direct response to community concerns…and conveys additional data and information in support of various aspects of the Campus Plan,” the university said.

Citing its high on-campus housing compared to other colleges in D.C., the university said “its initial proposal to add housing in the 1789 block was withdrawn after negative neighborhood feedback. In light of further neighborhood feedback…Georgetown will commit to providing 250 new undergraduate beds either on campus or outside of the residentially-zoned land.” The university would ultimately have to detail whether it is simply adding beds or building new dorms.

“In May 2009, architects hired by the university identified spaces on campus that could potentially hold up to 800 beds, including North Kehoe, Harbin Esplanade, North Residential (an area past Darnall Hall), a small extension to Village C, and the walkway outside of Lauinger Library,” the Georgetown Voice reported.

“The university also proposed to lower its main campus enrollment cap from 16,133 to 15,000,” according to the Voice. “However, only 133 spots in the total enrollment will be eliminated; 1,000 students in the School of Continuing Studies will be relocated to a satellite campus by the end of 2013. The proposed cap of 6,675 undergraduate students remains unchanged.”

Georgetown added that its “willingness to move forward with the commitments in the 2010 Campus Plan, including voluntary enrollment maximums in particular –– for the first time in its history and notwithstanding the financial implications and significant management challenges…is expressly predicated on adoption of all of the elements of the 2010 Campus Plan.”

The zoning commission will meet Apr. 14, 6:30 p.m., for the first of three hearings on Georgetown University’s campus plan.

Robert Devaney •

Two Georgetown University students were awakened by unknown intruders early Saturday morning, April 9, in their dormitory rooms at the large LXR complex on 35th Street and on N Street. In two separate incidents, one female student woke to find a male stranger next to her; another women woke to a stranger shaking her shoulder and saw him run out of the room. No one was harmed and nothing was stolen. (The main entrance to Loyola Hall is at the middle of 35th Street and locks automatically.)

Here are excerpts from the two crime alerts by the University’s Department of Public Safety, which terms these incidents as burglaries:

“On Saturday, April 9, at 4:30 a.m., a Georgetown student woke to find a male laying in bed next to her. The student screamed, at which time the male suspect fled the room. A male subject matching the description was seen running through the courtyard, climbing the fence, and fleeing west on Prospect Street toward campus. DPS searched the area with negative results. The Metropolitan Police Department was notified and responded to investigate. Witness description of suspect(s): South Asian male, approximately 6 feet tall, short black hair, medium build, wearing a black sweater with collared shirt and tan pants.”

“A Georgetown student reported that on April 9, at 3:30 a.m., she was sleeping when someone shook her awake by the shoulder. When she turned to see who it was, she saw an unknown male exit her room. A roommate who was downstairs saw the suspect flee and exit the front door. Witness description of suspect(s): White male with freckles, approximately 6 feet tall, medium build, wearing a dark crew shirt, a striped maroon sweater and tan pants.”

The Department of Public Safety is requesting that anyone with information for these incidents call 202-687-4343.

Only two weeks ago, Georgetown University announced that it would be installing security cameras at the entrances and exits of its residence halls. “Cameras will be aimed at entrances and exits and not at student rooms,” the school’s housing services office emphasized.

The nickname, “Georgetown Cuddler,” while criticized as downplaying the threatening incidents, has been used for several years to mark several crimes of a varying nature.

In March 2010, the Washington Post reported: “An Arlington man who was dubbed the ‘Georgetown Cuddler’ was sentenced Friday to more than 26 years in prison for burglary and assaults on five male Georgetown University students. D.C. Superior Court Judge Gregory E. Jackson sentenced Todd M. Thomas, 24, to prison for burglarizing the homes and assaulting the students between 2007 and 2008. The victims said they awoke in the middle of the night to find Thomas in their apartments. At times, Thomas was massaging or groping the victim’s shoulders and ankles. Another time, Thomas sexually assaulted one of the victims. The attacks occurred in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of 33rd and 35th streets N.W.”

At the time of the 2010 report, the MPD was still searching for a suspect or suspects who were targeting women at or near Georgetown University, and then reports of such incidents tapered off—until last weekend.