democracy, small d At a school governance roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 20, at the U.S. Capitol, D.C. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton gave the assembled a lesson in the kind of pro-democracy rhetoric that’s made her the District’s most popular pol. “Congress gets in your business,” Norton warned a group of D.C. public-school students, urging them to stand up for home rule and railing against federal meddling in District affairs. But when talk shifted to D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams’ proposal to take over the school board, Norton became noticeably less populist. “This is not anything you can make a snap judgment about,” Norton said when asked for her opinion. The youngsters, however, took her lessons on the democratic process to heart. “I think he’s limiting the power of the people,” said Banneker High School junior Lisa Haileab. In general, the assembled students favored retaining an elected school board. “When I first heard [Williams’ proposal], I thought it was ridiculous,” remarked 17-year-old Ayeola Coleman, a senior at Dunbar High School. “It’s really not his right to do that. People in the community see what’s going on.” Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, also on hand at the roundtable, offered no comment.