Comments on: BREAKING! Obscure District Board to Be Quietly Disbanded! http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/ 68.3 Square Miles of D.C. News and Opinion Wed, 15 Feb 2012 06:19:23 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Mike Panetta http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/comment-page-1/#comment-119464 Mike Panetta Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:03:01 +0000 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/#comment-119464 This was a good move. That money was donated by taxpayers (taken off of their refunds) to the Statehood Delegation via a tax form check off box. I thank everyone who gave up some of their tax refund to give us a little bit of money to operate...it's all we get. It made no sense for the money to go through an unelected board that could: a) withhold the money b) dictate how it's spent or c) carve off some of for themselves Not that I think my friend John Cappozzi would do any of that, mind you...but boards and commissions are unpredictable and the people who donated the money didn't have that in mind. -Mike Panetta This was a good move.

That money was donated by taxpayers (taken off of their refunds) to the Statehood Delegation via a tax form check off box. I thank everyone who gave up some of their tax refund to give us a little bit of money to operate...it's all we get.

It made no sense for the money to go through an unelected board that could:

a) withhold the money
b) dictate how it's spent or
c) carve off some of for themselves

Not that I think my friend John Cappozzi would do any of that, mind you...but boards and commissions are unpredictable and the people who donated the money didn't have that in mind.

-Mike Panetta

]]> By: Mike DeBonis http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/comment-page-1/#comment-119245 Mike DeBonis Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:39:33 +0000 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/#comment-119245 Good idea. Here's a fun fact: The mayor's Office of Boards and Commissions was budgeted for $347K last year. This year, Fenty's proposing only $271K. Here's one nonfunctioning body I've written about: the Armory Board... http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=8137 Good idea. Here's a fun fact: The mayor's Office of Boards and Commissions was budgeted for $347K last year. This year, Fenty's proposing only $271K.

Here's one nonfunctioning body I've written about: the Armory Board... http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=8137

]]> By: Skipper http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/comment-page-1/#comment-119192 Skipper Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:42:03 +0000 http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2008/04/01/breaking-obscure-district-board-to-be-quietly-disbanded/#comment-119192 A suggestion for a future LL column: Look into how many similar advisory commissions, councils, boards, etc. have been set up by the Council and Mayor, how many of these organizations are actually fully staffed, how many of them issue any reports, and how much money is spent on these groups. A suggestion for a future LL column: Look into how many similar advisory commissions, councils, boards, etc. have been set up by the Council and Mayor, how many of these organizations are actually fully staffed, how many of them issue any reports, and how much money is spent on these groups.

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