Holidays and Changes

Here’s wishing happy holidays to everyone and a special thanks to our public servants who will be moving on in the New Year. At the top of my list is DC Council Chairman Linda Cropp. Council members Cathy Patterson, Vincent Orange and Sharon Ambrose are also leaving. Phyllis Jones, the departing Council Secretary also gets a nod here. She oversaw the renovations and transformation of the District building/John Wilson Building. Mayor Tony Williams leaves office feeling less than appreciated for his two terms of service. It’s too bad because he leaves Mayor elect Adrian Fenty with a city government that most big city Mayors would die for. Police Chief Charles Ramsey paved the way for Cathy Lanier to succeed him. He’ll take credit for the incredible reduction in murders too, although some urban experts say blowing up the city’s massive public housing complexes by the Williams administration had far bigger impact. Deputy Mayor Stan Jackson, as a closing act, helped forge the deal that is bringing the NAACP to Southeast, DC from Baltimore.  

I’m also bidding farewell and all the best to outgoing Montgomery County executive Doug Duncan. Doug has always been one of my personal favorite politicians even though I didn’t cover him on a regular basis. His bringing back downtown Silver Spring from the dead makes him a “star” in my book. Finally can we all wish the new Mayor and Council Chairman well? Any thoughts on how long the honeymoons will last???

 

Greater Southeast on Life Support!

What’s the deal with Greater Southeast hospital? Sources told me Sunday night that a hundred more employees have been let go… including nurses and social workers. There were so few people to staff the emergency room that DC fire and EMS workers were ordered not to transport patients to the emergency room until further notice. It gets worse. My sources say the Administration at Greater Southeast has further reduced the number of patient beds by 15…meaning they can now only care for 120 people; but their patient numbers are well below that figure. A doctor source says Greater Southeast is unable to perform MRI’s, Cat scans and basic cardiac work. It’s a private hospital and the financial problems of the owners, Doctors, Inc of Arizona have been well documented in local print and in lawsuits. Word has it that a local businessman Carl Jones has been negotiating to buy the facility on Southern avenue but there is no reason to believe a sale is imminent. So once again it seems the City’s leaders are being pushed to decide whether to allow Greater Southeast to die, leaving poor residents in Ward Eight without a hospital and their biggest employer…. or the city can buy the hospital and allow a medical school like George Washington or Howard to run it. Stay tuned.  

Mayor Elect Fenty's New York trip

You probably know that DC Mayor elect Adrian Fenty, in his quest to takeover the city schools, is leading a significant  group of public officials on a trip to New York city, Friday, December 8^th. to see and hear how Mayor Bloomberg’s takeover of that city’s school system is fairing after five years. Nine News Now will be there. I’ll be reporting Friday evening and probably again on Saturday on the reactions of DC officials. Fenty will be accompanied by school superintendent Clifford Janey, who may or may not be part of the new administration. If he stays, he reports to Mayor Fenty, a deputy Mayor for education and a yet to be named Chancellor of DC schools. It will become Janey’s job to implement reforms; his, Fenty’s and probably some others that are going to be borrowed from New York City. Council Chairman Vincent Gray will be on the NY trip. Fenty will need his leadership in the DC Council when he asks the legislators and then the Congress to change the city’s home rule charter to reduce the elected school board to a mere advisory panel. The board includes former city administrator Robert Bobb who was just elected President. Joining Gray on this NY trip are Council members Marion Barry, Jack Evans, David Catania, Jack Evans, Carol Schwartz and Kwame Brown, and newly elected members Mary Cheh, Tommy Wells and Harry Thomas. That’s eight votes, well over the majority Fenty will need for the takeover (two Council seats are vacant until a special election in March).

We’ve learned that Fenty and the DC delegation will visit three schools…all housed in the same building in Harlem. Our New York contacts are telling us the DC delegation will be impressed with what’s going on inside The “Kappa Four” middle school, “Bread and Roses” Integrated High school, and the “Mott Hall” High school. More on the programs on Nine News Now. What Fenty and his party won’t hear are the criticisms from leaders of the parents and teachers organizations after five years of Mayor Bloomberg’s reforms. We have been talking with them; The Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council and the United Federation of Teachers have serious concerns and questions about how much or little progress has been made in NY.  Crowded classrooms and test scores are just the beginning. You’ll hear from them along with Mayor Bloomberg and his school Chancellor Klein in our reports. Unfortunately there are no plans for the DC delegation to meet with the two important groups representing New York City school parents and teachers. Let’s just hope DC leaders will also do their homework and talk to more than just the New York city Mayor and his school Chancellor before deciding what steps they’ll take here to reform the city schools.

Fenty says "Be Patient".

DC Mayor elect Adrian Fenty says that he knows his political appointments had better reflect the diversity of the City (race, gender, age, geography). Privately, two of his closet advisors acknowledged prior to Fenty's press conference this week, that some concerned people are calling and inquiring about his early appointments. "It's a legitimate question", said one insider.

 

While on the subject, Mayor Tony Williams nearly two hundred political appointees should have submitted their resignations by today. Fenty says his transition team will review resumes and decide within two weeks who will stay from the Williams administration and who should continue looking for other work. Thus far, the Mayor elect has chosen a CFO, City Administrator and Police Chief from the Williams administration with more expected to sign on including the School Superintendent. Anybody expecting the young new Mayor to toss them all out may be disappointed! 

 

Has anybody picked up on the fact that Fenty, Montgomery County Executive elect and Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson all have connections to Howard University Law school?

 

Here's a question. Will DC Council Chairman Vincent Gray appoint Marion Barry chairman of the education committee? Word is MB had been lobbying hard for the post. Would that help or hurt Fenty's efforts to takeover the schools?