Posts tagged Cat:government
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Amid scandal, don’t lose sight of Gray’s policy achievements
The charges filed yesterday against Vincent Gray’s former assistant campaign treasurer will surely reinforce the image in many voters’ minds of a scandal-plagued mayor who has accomplished nothing for the District. The scandals may be real, but his administration has also racked up some important achievements across the government. Instead of halting progress… Keep reading…
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It’s One City, not eight cities
Mayor Gray’s “One City” slogan makes an important point beyond just a campaign slogan. DC is a single “city” (actually a unique state-city hybrid district), not 8 separate mini-cities with their own individual mayors. We have enough problems with boundaries in this region. DC, Maryland, and Virginia often act without coordination or even… Keep reading…
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More than links: New Web tools from DDOT and the Council, Jim Dyke visits Riders’ Council, and a historic conference
DDOT launches permit browser; New Council website coming Friday; Jim Dyke attends RAC meeting; DC history conference starts tonight. Keep reading…
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Don’t segregate Montgomery voters into urban and rural
Two competing maps have emerged for redistricting Montgomery County’s 5 council districts. One keeps the lines similar to today’s, while another creates a single district for all rural areas and one for all inside-the-Beltway communities, which would be a very bad idea. Keep reading…
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The difference between DPR and NPS: responsiveness
After my article yesterday on the DC Department of Parks and Recreation’s maintenance problems with parks, both grounds manager Derek Schultz and director Jesús Aguirre reached out to talk further. This stands in stark contrast to the National Park Service, which hasn’t engaged with parks advocates despite frequent efforts. Schultz wrote in an email… Keep reading…
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Will the DDOT brain drain and low morale continue?
Councilmember Tommy Wells announced late Friday night that Scott Kubly, the official in charge of the streetcar, Circulator, and Capital Bikeshare, is leaving DDOT. This contributes to a worrisome pattern of good officials quitting amid declining morale. Kubly is leaving only 2 months after the departures of Karina Ricks, head of DDOT’s Policy and Planning department,… Keep reading…
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DC Council considers primary date, diagonal parking, free school transit, taxi medallions and much more
DC’s primary will likely move to April, people will get solar rebates, and bills introduced in the DC Council yesterday could establish a taxi medallion system, make transit free for schoolchildren, add diagonal parking, and put requirements on large retailers like Walmart. The Council approved the first reading of a bill to move DC’s presidential and local primary… Keep reading…
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Don’t let scandal outrage lead to bad policy
Washingtonians are rightly dismayed and upset by recent scandals, including Lincoln Navigators and Sulaimon Brown. We should demand the highest standards from leaders. However, we should also beware that righteous indignation can quickly transform into unstoppable pressure for very bad policies. These revelations in the news are indeed troubling. As one who did support… Keep reading…
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Taxes lowest for DC residents and car-free Virginians
Tax debates often involve arguments about how taxes compare in DC, Maryland, or Virginia. A new report from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute found DC’s to be the lowest in most cases. Virginia residents without cars would also pay low levels of tax. Keep reading…
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Virginia Senate kills bad anti-livability, WMATA board bills
The Virginia Senate’s finance commmittee killed three bad transportation-related bills, all of which would have transferred decision-making over transportation in Northern Virginia to Richmond and away from the region’s counties and cities. HB2000 would mandate that Governor McDonnell’s representative to the Northern Virginia Transportation… Keep reading…