Ward One For Shia Poster hits the streets

Tell me what Ya Think !!

FEEL FREE TO COPY AND PASTE IN APPROPRIATE PLACES IN WARD ONE

Thanks,

Commissioner Nancy Shia

Election Day in Ward One -- far west side

DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee got out on Election Day in the last half hour before the voting ended. She was there with one of her children. Screaming "Vote for Fenty" at the cars going by on Connecticut Avenue near the Ellington Bridge.

Fiesta Latina, It Ain't What It Used To Be

Until 1989, the Latino Festival was held in Adams Morgan on Columbia Road for two days in the summer. Columbia Road was blocked from 16th Street all the way to 18th Street, I repeat FOR TWO DAYS!! There were several stages, but they were at least one long block apart from each other. The traditional parade would begin at Mt. Pleasant Street and end in Kalorama Park.

The Fiesta Latina today was too crowded, too short, and too much. Of course, the festival is fun, and always will be. Yet the intense effort it took to have fun leads one to think there must be a better way than crowding so many people and booths into a space not large enough to accomodate everything comfortably.

Here's some impressions I took away:

La Reina del Feista y su madre

The Moroccan Flag? Hey, that's not Latino.

Proud mother of Capital City students.

A lot of eating means a lot of clean up.

Lamont Park, a place to get away from the crowd?

A lot of people takes a lot of security.

First booth to greet the festival goers is occupied by the US Army

Eaters

Eaters

and more security.

Ambulance at the ready, next to an HIV awarness set up.

Fire marshall has to be there too, in case any of the fires get out of control.

Near the south exit of the festival, one officer strolls on high alert, with walkie-talkie in hand and gun at his side.

Putting Up Flyers For A Presence At Fiesta Latina in Mt Pleasant

The first thing you notice on Mt. Pleasant Street is the Deauville. When you see the harvest full moon in back of it, that's an image you can't forget. The Deauville Apartment Building burnt in 2008. The building was known for its slumlord, who still owns buildings in Adams Morgan.

A small cadre of committed individuals accompanied me last night to post up campaign signs before the Latino Festival/Fiesta Latina the next day.

We saw Councilmember Graham's sign in the window of the Deauville next to Mayor Fenty's. Since Fenty had lost, it seemed like fair game to place my poster over his. However, from the looks of some of Fenty's supporters at the festival, the mayor was still in the game as a write-in candidate.

Can't have a festival during campaign season without the candidates, but this one was pretty much candidate free, except for the signs. Even Councilman Jim Graham's usual raucous crowd was tempered this year by his absence. He's on vacation.

Why Run When You Know You Can't Win?

When you've seen too much injustice and a leader of questionable character, you know it's time to run against the status quo.

As an ANC commissioner for four years, I have seen plenty of Councilmember Graham. For the first three and three-fifths years, I supported and got along with the councilmember. Even when we differed on policies, we remained cordial and friendly with each other.

When Jim Graham began to run his campaign in January, that's when things started to change. He called up ANC commissioners in Ward One and asked if he could list them in his group of supporters. When Jim called me, I told him I was DC Statehood Green Party, and it didn't make sense for him to list me. He assured me it was okay. When I hedged a couple more times, Jim assured me nothing bad would come of it. I reiterated that I was Green, and he said it did not matter. Eventually, I gave in and said okay, with reservations.

By the end of January , it started to become a problem that Jim Graham included my name on his list of supporters, and I emailed a request to him to take my name off his list. He emailed me back that he was forwarding my request to his campaign manager Chuck Thies to remove my name. Councilmember Graham's second email request for money came a few weeks later, and it still listed my name as a supporter. This time I emailed Mr. Thies directly to remove my name from the councilmember's list of supporters, and he said he would. The same thing happened in March and April. My name remained on the list of supporters until June.

Before dealing with Mr. Thies, I supported Councilmember Graham and appreciated his prompt responses when I had issues to bring him. However, Mr. Thies' manner towards me was no less than rude and shifty. I've never spoken to him directly, only through email communication. He tried to qualify my initial request to remove my name from Graham endorsers and rationalize why it took so long to remove it.

In early August, Councilmember Graham asked me if I'd go on a campaign walk with him in my single member district, and I told him I'd be happy to. When I met John DeTaeye of the Coucilman's staff on Friday morning August 6th outside McDonalds, he told me to stay there and he'd be right back. He did not come back. I crossed the street and found him with Pat Patrick, a neighborhood business-person/bully, who's been bullying me for over 25 years. It appeared that Pat Patrick was coming on this campaign walk with the councilman. Clarence Myers who is the Adams Morgan Business Improvement District (BID) neighborhood ambassador came along too.

The walk started when the Councilmember hopped out of his yellow VW convertible in front of the PNC bank. Clarence, John, Pat and I walked up the street to be with him. When I got there, I said, "Oh maybe this is a good time to talk about Unity Park". The park was right across the street from us. The councilman got visibly annoyed at me and said, "This is not a walk for your issues. This is MY walk, for my campaign." I responded, "Since we're right here in front of it --- " He cut me off, "This is not your walk. You have no power." That took me aback. I didn't think this was about power, so much as meeting the people and hearing their issues. Ay caramba, was I wrong!! It was a walk for the councilman to ask all the business owners to come to a fundraiser the councilman was having for the businesses. I wasn't invited to the fundraiser. I wasn't even told about it before I agreed to walk with the councilman.

The first business entered was Old City Jerusalem Cafe. The councilman marched right up to Walid, the owner, with Mr. Patrick no more than 6 inches away from his ear. First thing Councilmember Graham said to Walid was, "Why do you have my opponent's sign in your window? We'll have to do something about that." Walid was taken aback. I walked in closer and said, "Walid is a diplomat. That's why he has both yours and your opponent's." The councilmember then turned to me and said, "This isn't working out. This isn't working out. You'll have to leave." As I was leaving, the councilman was still urging Walid to remove Bryan Weaver's sign from his window. Later that day I walked by and indeed the Weaver sign was down. It was returned the next day.

To his credit, the councilman called me the same afternoon and apologized. He blamed it on something he said he heard me say to Pat Patrick that I never said. I haven't said anything directly to Mr. Patrick in years, since I know his volatile, unpredictable dishonest nature. Councilmember Graham explained that Pat is a big supporter of his. When I asked him how much Pat had given him, he did not respond. When I looked for Pat's name on Jim's campaign finance forms, it was there with a piddling amount (sorry, can't remember, I'll fill in later). John DeTaeye also called to apologize. Apologies accepted, but how can you forget something like this?

The Councilman exploded at the mention of the Unity Park issue because the loudest voice for ejecting the vendors was the closest to his ear. The next post will be on Unity Park, and how it grew to be such a big issue in the neighborhood. Look for the same neighborhood protagonist to bring on more drama.

DC Statehood Green Party Candidate Announces She's In the DC Council Race

Why?

I decided in January not to run again for the Adams Morgan ANC. I've been a commissioner in Adams Morgan since 2006. Being an ANC commissioner is a thankless job for no pay, for which you are often harshly criticized by people who contribute nothing but problems to the life of the community. It is also an opportunity to serve and occasionally have an impact on the quality of life in the community. I also served in the early 80s, when we got La Casa Shelter started. In the last four years, we got HD Cooke built and began a community market in Unity Park that is still a work in progress.

Many things did not change. The rat population of Adams Morgan always seems to be growing. The madness and mayhem of 18th Street continues unabated, where MPD is still not allowed to give a citation ticket to someone who litters. The schools are still disconnected from the community. There is still no public recycling in Ward One. Some youth of Adams Morgan are still engaged in gang violence. We still do not have Statehood, which makes us second class.

The incumbent in the Ward One DC Council race represents the status quo. He brought us the big box stores in Columbia Heights and large condo developments. Yes, he has worked for low income housing in the ward, but he is letting La Casa Shelter close, in spite of a promise 8 years ago to keep a shelter component as part of the new development in the same land parcel. The incumbent has become too closely alligned with large corporate entities, where a lot of his money comes from.

A search of the incumbent's donors listed on his campaign finance filings revealed that the incumbent is not filing online, like his opponents in the primary election did. By filing online, one's campaign finance records are searchable and truly open to public scrutiny. Councilmember Graham files a hardcopy of donor records, listed in an almost illegible form to make it difficult to read. They are scanned and then posted. When they appear online, you have to tilt your head 90 degrees to be able to read them. By filing this way, staff from the OCF must eventually input the information, which costs the taxpayers money.

From quality of life issues to life and death issues, Ward One needs a change in leadership to address the issues differently and more wholistically. As the DC Statehood Green Party candidate I think I can offer just the right balanced approach to solving the problems, and I clearly offer the voters a choice.

The inalienable right of every citizen in the Ward and the City to have true democracy in the form of Statehood is still a dream for District residents. If we accept something/anything less than statehood, we accept less than what we deserve as people.

The pictures below are some of the people who came to my photography show: "What's Up With the Homeless?" -- recently taken photos of homeless men standing in line outside 3 different shelters. I had planned to make an announcement that I was on the ballot and running for the Ward One Council seat, but by then, it was already known because I had to declare my candidacy by close of business on Friday September 17th.

Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world.