D.C. Councilmember Frank Smith has concocted the latest odd scheme to fend off a congressional takeover: At a March 10 hearing on (what else?) the budget, Smith recommended selling the John Wilson/District Building. The once-glorious government headquarters—which now houses only the council—has deteriorated into a disgusting, asbestos-ridden firetrap. But it does occupy a prime plot of Pennsylvania Avenue land, and, according to one developer’s estimate cited by Smith, could fetch $130 million on the open market, enough to make a sizable dent in the city’s deficit. “I don’t want to sell it. It would be a shame,” the councilmember says. “But people who have faced bankruptcy know that you have to sort through your assets and sell the ones that are valuable.”