We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
As much local politics as humanly possible. Send your tips, releases, stories, events, etc. to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. And get LL Daily sent straight to your inbox every morning!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Fenty’s Office: What FOIAs? Fenty and Rhee’s Farewell Letter
Good morning sweet readers! How about them Cowboys? Looks like we’re headed to a solid 12-4 season. News time:
Colby The History Teacher: Colbert I. King says he read through almost all of the 1,200 comments to the Post’s story about Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee resigning before writing his weekly column. What he didn’t say was that all 1,200 comments were written by four patients at a mental hospital. (Seriously, who writes comments these days?) Anyway, King says Rhee diehards don’t know their history her predecessor Cliff Janey deserves much of the credit for instituting the much-balleyhood reforms that are now underway. “He dismissed 370 uncertified teachers in June 2006. About 290 of them, teaching various subjects including special education, sciences and math, had been hired since 2000. Janey, in fact, wanted to fire hundreds more before incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty pushed him out of the job in June 2007. Ironically, the person who talked Janey out of dismissing an additional 730 teachers was Kaya Henderson, Rhee’s deputy chancellor and now interim schools chancellor Metro, June 13, 2007.”
AFTER THE JUMP: Don’t Elect an A.G., Gray Mum on Anti-GOP Speech; Fenty No Longer Obtuse …
Don’t Elect an A.G.: Parroting the same talking points as Attorney General Peter Nickles, the Post editorial board urges voters to reject the referendum on whether the city’s attorney general should be elected or appointed. “An elected attorney general would create a separate power base that, we fear, would be able to impede or even usurp the mayor’s ability to set policy. What happens if the mayor wants to make a priority of improving the city’s housing stock, but the attorney general doesn’t follow up by vigorously prosecuting slumlords? If the two are at cross purposes, will the result be the mayor hiring his or her own legal team, at unnecessary cost to taxpayers? No one disputes the argument that the attorney general needs to be independent of undue political interference, but there are ways to strengthen the office without curtailing the mayor’s rightful prerogatives.” Somewhere, Mendo is crying. DC Watch’s Gary Imhoff and Dorothy Brizill give the Post poor marks for ignoring how long this has been an issue.
It’s a Free Country: Almost Mayor Vince Gray doesn’t have a problem with Metropolitan Washington Central Labor Council President Joslyn Williams telling a room full of Democratic Party diehards that the city government is a Republican-free zone, Tim Craig reports. “Gray joined several council members and local Democratic activists at a get-out-the vote rally sponsored by the D.C. Democratic State Committee. In the closing address, Williams said the District is ‘owned, governed by Democrats.’ ‘This is one-city owned by Democrats,’ said Williams, as Gray stood behind him. Williams said Republicans and Independents are ‘welcome to stay here.’ ‘You’re welcome to pay your taxes, but you’re not welcome to govern the city,’ he added.” Says Gray: “I think he wants one city as much as I do … It’s just to get the Democrats fired up.”
Who Are You Calling Obtuse, Tom?: After NBC 4’s Tom Sherwood called Still Mayor Adrian Fenty obtuse for not sending a clear message of “knock it off” to his uber-persistent (or delusional?) fans, Team Fenty released a message saying “knock it off.” Per DeBonis: “I appreciate the write-in supporters but my campaign is over and I accept the results. I ask my supporters to join me in supporting Vince Gray and in voting for Vince Gray, who will be our next Mayor.” John Hlinko, the self-described “buzz czar” who is behind the Fenty write-in Facebook page and is supposedly writing a book about all this, issued this statement in response: “The write-in effort is a grassroots one of thousands of DC voters, so I’m sure there will be different reactions. We all have a lot of respect for Mayor Fenty, and I know some people have already joined him in supporting Chairman Gray, and no doubt others will as well before the election. Other folks will wait until November 2nd, and write in Fenty to send a message in support of his policies, and education reform in particular. As far as me personally, I do understand and respect both paths, and think folks will need to choose for themselves. But what I am emphatic about is that whatever happens, we will all need to unify together once this is over to keep making this great city even greater. Even those who opt to wait until November 2nd need to realize that they’re choosing between good people who love DC and are devoting their lives to public service. Chairman Gray deserves respect, as do his supporters.” Man, was that tortured or what? LL knows whose book he won’t be reading.
Police Lawyer Deliberately Misleads Council: LL thought lawyers were supposed to tell the truth. Not! Per Fox5’s Paul Wagner. “Ron Harris admitted under oath he deliberately deceived investigators working for the D.C. City Council, telling them and Council Member Kathy Patterson he had found a crucial document when in fact he had not. The revelation came during a week-long hearing into the mass arrests at Pershing Park eight years ago. Harris told the court it was not his intention to deceive the Council investigators looking into the circumstances surrounding the arrests of four hundred people. But he admitted knowingly telling them he was handing over a copy of a crucial document, when in fact he was not. Harris also admitted never telling the Council what he did.”
Don’t Hire Them: Jonetta Rose Barras draws on her ample supply of goodwill within the Gray campaign to urge them not to involve former Chief Technology Officer Suzanne Peck or fundraiser Reuben Charles in a future administration. Barras cites LL’s reporting on Charles, and says about Peck: “She was a serial abuser of city personnel and procurement rules and regulations. The inspector general, the city auditor and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer all cited her odious practices. I chronicled her shenanigans from 2002 through her departure in 2007, and urged Fenty in this space not to retain her at the technology office. She treated that agency like her private preserve, often providing contracts without all required approvals to friends and associates. Peck didn’t lead the technology office when employees and contractors were arrested on charges of bribery and kickbacks. But individuals who worked at the agency during her tenure told me she created an environment where favoritism and personal relationships reigned, inviting the corruption uncovered by the FBI and others.”
Early voting starts today.
Write-in Fenty campaign targets bike communists, wants Gray to call for investigation into pal Harry Thomas Jr.
How much does a golden parachute cost? Who knows.
Experts weigh in on the lessons of Rheeism.
Transcript of Rhee on Fox News.
Korea Times presents point/counterpoint on Rhee.
Conservative American Spectator says good riddance to Rhee.
Kwame Brown is on Newstalk with Bruce DePuyt.
Fenty schedule: Will be at ribbon cutting of reopening of Georgetown library.
Council: Committee hearing on “Food, Environment and Economic Development” at 2 p.m. at Wilson Building.