Nostalgic

Mayor Gray, Councilmember Cheh to Speak at Ward 3 Dems Thursday

Mayor Vincent Gray and Ward Three Councilmember Mary Cheh will be the featured speakers at the Ward Three Democrats meeting on Thursday, February 24th at 7:15-9:15 PM at St. Columba's Episcopal Church at 4201 Albemarle Street, NW. Mayor Gray will provide his view of the "State of the District" eight weeks after taking office and Councilmember Cheh will offer a legislative update from the vantage point of the DC Council. Both Mayor Gray and Councilmember Cheh will answer questions from the audience. For additional information visit www.DCWard3Dems.org.

Hear Mayor Gray Speak at the Palisades Citizens Association Tonight

Mayor Vincent Gray will be the featured speaker at the Palisades Citizens Association meeting tonight. The meeting is at 7:30pm at the Palisades Recreation Center, 5200 Sherrier Place, NW,   For more information visit www.palisadesdc.org.

Cincinnatus on Connecticut Avenue: Gray Sets Wrong Tone for the Next 4 Years

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by Peter Brusoe

Mayor Gray's inauguration speech was eponymous: The financial situation for the city is gray. The times ahead are gray. It's going to be hard to balance the budget. Include in there some typical toothless rhetoric about statehood, and the meaningless catch phrase "one city" and you have pretty much his entire speech. The one outstanding highlight was to hear him talk about his late mother and how she swept the street outside their apartment because we all have a stake in the city. This was truly a great piece of political rhetoric and a great idea. However, without action, they are mere words and the mayor missed several opportunities to take his mother's message of service and apply them.

I relished the opportunity to read about New York State's newest governor, the Honorable Andrew Cuomo, and how in recognition of his state's financial straits he opted not to have a fancy inauguration, and he eschewed the typical inauguration balls, saying “This is not a time for the grand and expensive celebrations of the recent past.” The inaugural entertainment featured local public school students performing and a small intimate affair recognizing the problems that New York faces. Other states toned down their own celebrations in light of the financial crises they face, including a people's inauguration ball where tickets were sold for $8. Or small meet-and-greets in various parts of Florida. These subdued festivities were a signal that those states were prepared to tackle the serious financial circumstances.

Yet, not for Washington, DC.

Vincent Gray to Speak on Education at Adas Israel, January 15

Adas Israel Congregation will be hosting a forum on : "The Challenge of Poverty to Achieving Educational Excellence": A Panel on the Future of Education in the District Saturday, January 15, 1:00 PM.  Adas Israel  is at 2850 Quebec Street, NW, near the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Porter Street.

The Forum will feature Mayor Vincent Gray, Beatrice "BB" Otero, founder of DC Bilingual Public Charter School, and Maurice Sykes, former Deputy Superintendent for DCPS Center for Systemic Educational Change. Members of the community are invited to join us for a panel discussion on the future of education in the District of Columbia. You can read more about his event here. 

If you're curious about the future of public school education, be sure to attend this forum on January 15th.

Sunday at the Cathedral: Mayor-Elect Gray on How to Bring City Together

Mayor-elect Vince Gray will be participating in the Sunday Forum: One City on Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 10:10 AM at the Washington Cathedral.

This discussion is part of the Catherdral's series called Peace in the City: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith, which looks at issues of look at civility, peace, and dialogue in the nation's capital, and is hosted by Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III.

Mayor-Elect Gray will discuss his plans for bringing the city together following his win as the seventh popularly elected mayor of Washington, D.C. The forum is free and open to all.

Poll: Is Firing Teachers Necessary to Reform DC Public Schools?

The new education documentary Waiting for Superman makes the case that one of the crucial tools for effective education reform is the ability to fire weak teachers. Michelle Rhee is celebrated in the movie for doing exactly that. What's your take on this issue? Leaving aside the matter of whether Mayor-to-be Vincent Gray should retain or replace Chancellor Rhee, should he support the continuation of the policy that Michelle Rhee introduced?  Vote in our poll. You can vote whether or not you have seen Waiting for Superman, but we would like to encourage everyone to see the movie and discuss it here.

You are welcome to add your comments below.

Meet Mr. Mayor (To Be) Tonight, Thursday, or Pick Your Date

Photo by Keith Ivey

You can't accuse Vincent Gray of presuming too much when he schedules "Town Hall" meetings in each ward to give citizens an opportunity to connect with our city's next mayor.  We all know that the Democratic primary is the de facto mayoral election in this virtual one-party state. Ward 5 is hosting the first one, set for tonight, October 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Community Academy Public Charter School, 1400 1st Street, NW. 

Ward 3, where Gray had the worst showing on election day, goes next:  Thursday, October 7, from 6:00-8:00 pm at St. Columba's Church,, 4201 Albemarle Street, NW.  Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh and some other elected officials will be joining Vincent Gray at this event.

Fenty Running as a Republican Was Always a Myth

Although Adrian Fenty won the Republican primary for Mayor, it turns out that it was never going to be possible for him to run as a Republican, DCist reports. Even if Fenty had wanted to cross over to the other side, he would have had to have sold his soul to the Republican party by registering as a Republican before the primary. Fenty received 822 write-in votes.

It was only after it became apparent that Fenty could win the Republican nomination for Mayor that the DC Board of Elections issued a legal opinion that he couldn't run as a Republican. The full story is on TBD. At least the DCBOE didn't spoil all the speculation and fun before primary day.

Fenty may be returning to private life, but Michelle Rhee's fate is still undetermined. You can vote in our poll:  Should Michelle Rhee stay or go as DC School Chancellor?

Wednesday's Special Weather Forecast

We spotted this forecast on the Hillcrest listserv.

Good morning, here's the latest weather forecast for Washington, DC brought to you by this Ward 7 resident. Sunny and bright with a high of 53 percent chance of winning. Primary winds, southeast-northwest blowing arrogance away at the speed of lightning. Despite last night's heat wave, humidity dropped seven points and we can all breathe again. Barometric pressure has risen to the task and Visibility and for our future and transparency for our government is as clear as the nose on your face. No more chance of corruption or Peter Nickles. All future predictions are that Hurricane Michelle, having left a devastating effect on our schools, will no doubt be Rhee-routed to the outer banks of Sacramento, CA with no possible chance of Rhee-turn.

DC, our outlook is "Gray-t!" From Jeri Washington, your resident political meteorologist....Enjoy 'cause it's going to be a bright, bright, sunshiny, Gray Day!

Should Fenty Run as a Republican?

Photo by Keith Ivey

Update: DCist reports that Mayor Fenty has officially conceded to Vincent Gray and has ruled out running as a Republican or Independent. Still, it's interesting to speculate "what if?"

The votes are in and Vincent Gray beat Adrian Fenty in the Democratic primary for mayor. Winning the Democratic primary, as every DC resident knows, guarantees that you will be the next mayor of the District of Columbia. Except. Except perhaps if Adrian Fenty runs as a Republican.

It's Gray!

Vincent Gray Has Won the Democratic Primary for Mayor of the District of Columbia

Election Results Starting to Come In

10:47PM...

The DC Board of Elections has started to show results for the various races. Visit the DCBOE's website for the lastest election results for the entire city, by ward and by precinct.

10:30PM and No DC Election Results Yet

There is nothing wrong with your television. There are no election results for the District of Columbia yet as of 10:30pm. Nothing. Zero. I can't recall any recent election with no results from any ward or precinct this late in the evening.  If you want to go to the source, visit the DC Board of Elections' website. They'll have the results...eventually.

Post-Vote Reports: Fenty Versus Gray

Here's how voting works these days:  Vote, tweet, post on Facebook. Perhaps instead of expensive exit polling, news organizations should count tweets by voters. But regardless of whether these tweets accurately reflect the actual way the election goes (and we'll know in a few hours), they do reflect what's on some voters' minds. Here is what some District of Columbia residents are thinking on Twitter:


For the record, I voted for Fenty. Like many women, I have a complicated relationship with men who are high-achieving jerks.

DC Voting in Progress

A snapshot outside of a Ward 3 polling place. Some campaigners look very happy. Do they know something we don't?

Fenty Versus Gray: The Last Thoughts of the Day

Are you still undecided between Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray? This is the last of our daily Fenty versus Gray thoughts to help you decide whom to vote for to be the next Mayor of the District of Columbia. These quotations come from various sources, including Twitter, neighborhood listservs, endorsements, articles, and the campaigns themselves. As with all political pronouncements, how you evaluate these statements is up to you. You're welcome to add your thoughts in the comments section below.  If you still can't figure out whom to vote for, use our handy Fenty-Gray decider.

Fenty Versus Gray Thoughts of the Day

Are you still undecided between Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray? Between now and the election we present occasional Fenty versus Gray thoughts to help you decide whom to vote for to be the next Mayor of the District of Columbia. These quotations come from various sources, including Twitter, neighborhood listservs, endorsements, articles, and the campaigns themselves. As with all political pronouncements, how you evaluate these statements is up to you. You're welcome to add your thoughts in the comments section below.  And if you still can't figure out whom to vote for, use our handy Fenty-Gray decider. 

Fenty Versus Gray Thoughts of the Day

Are you still undecided between Adrian Fenty and Vincent Gray? Between now and the election we present occasional Fenty versus Gray thoughts to help you decide whom to vote for to be the next Mayor of the District of Columbia. These quotations come from various sources, including Twitter, neighborhood listservs, endorsements, articles, and the campaigns themselves. As with all political pronouncements, how you evaluate these statements is up to you. You're welcome to add your thoughts in the comments section below.  And if you still can't figure out whom to vote for, use our handy Fenty-Gray decider.

Some Fenty Supporters Voting for Republican David Hedgepeth for Ward 3 City Council

Some Ward 3 Democrats are so upset with Mary Cheh's endorsement of Vincent Gray for Mayor that they're supporting the Republican candidate for city council, David Hedgepeth, who has endorsed Adrian Fenty. While Hedgepth doesn't stand a chance of unseating the popular councilmenber in the general election in November, Democrats voting for Republicans in the District of Columbia is like dogs and cats mating: it never happens, it can't happen, it's against God's plan for it to happen. But it is happening. That's DC politics. Anything can happen, but what happens may not matter.